(ex) Candidate's (ex) Wife

Still Here

Wow, balancing "business" and "personal" blogs is harder than I thought.

To The Guy Who Sent A NastyGram Addressed To Bryan Kennedy To info@vince4congress.com

Vince4congress.com, and all related e-mail addresses, have been retired. You can't reach me there any more. (And you never could reach Bryan Kennedy there, but I was nice enough to forward.)

My New Project

The more observant among you may have noticed a cryptic conversation between Folkbum and me in the comments. Well, now, all can be revealed.

A small group of fed-up-with-media Wisconsinites have gotten together to produce their own paper, called, well, The Wisconsinite. It's intended to be a state-wide, left-leaning alt-weekly, but for now, they're distributing only in Madison. (There is a .pdf available of Issue #1, which hit the stores this week.) From what I've seen, it looks quite promising.

But the big, egotistical thing about this is that they've asked me to be their blogger! (Thanks to Folkbum for the referral!) So, I'll be running the Vast Dairy State Conspiracy -- aka bitching, whining and moaning about current events and politics over there, as often as my schedule allows. (I'll also be improving the layout from the default, as I figure out Moveable Type.)

What does this mean for Candidate's Wife? I'm not abandoning this site, but I probably will be posting less frequently. I'll continue to talk about political women/spouses here, since it's still an interest of mine but more of a niche topic. There also will be vanity posts, and rushed "WTF?" reactions to breaking news. (Well, since "WTF?" is a pretty common reaction for me, maybe I won't be posting here less frequently after all.)

A Wise Architect

Anagrams are fun.

"Steady Leadership in a Time of Change" is the Shrub/Haliburton '04 slogan. The Blog of 4 and friends ran that slogan through an anagram generator.

I like #1 and #9.

1. I'm a hypertense, death-dealing fiasco


2. I am a deathless deafening hypocrite


3. I am a tone-deaf, highly-paid erectness


4. I'm the fanatic, grandiose sleepyhead


5. Oafishly indecent pig's ear meathead


6. Slimy, cheapish deafening toadeater


7. Oedipean cheating defames trashily


8. Flag hype, eh? Administration decease


9. I feel anger! I say, shitcan the mad dope


10. The famed ace is lying, Oedipean trash

Here's another generator that offers instant online results. Anyone got any good ones?

It's Cold In Here, If Here Were Hell

It finally happened. My mom posted in the comments! (Read her words of wisdom in the comments to "Tuesday!".)

So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish

By all accounts, sometime in the next couple of hours, Howard Dean will take the stage in Burlington, Vt., and announce the end of his campaign.

It was harder than I thought, last night, to connect those two dots for Howard Dean. I told phone bankers I couldn't do the letter writing, couldn't stand the requisite 100 feet from the polling place with sign in hand. I could still vote. And I did. But the enthusiasm was gone.

Still, Dr. Dean changed the dynamics of this race significantly, and for that, we'll always be appreciative (Mark Engler has a good tribute, to this effect, in Alternet). This is bittersweet for me -- I knew this was coming, even wanted it to come (she's not coming back, brother-in-law!), but still...

I know that Dean isn't actually "leaving the race" -- he's still staying on the ballot and letting people vote for him. Time will tell whether "leaving the race" and "ending campaign" are more than just semantically different. Where will the Deanies go? If they still vote for him, I understand. If they vote for Sharpton or Kucinich, for principle, I understand. If they vote for Edwards, to be the anti-Kerry, I understand. (In the interest of full disclosure, that's what I would have done, had Dean "ended his campaign" 48 hours ago.) If they vote for Kerry, to be on the (now slowed) bandwagon, well, I guess I understand that, too.

I hope they don't stay home, though, either now or in November. I think that would be the ultimate failure of the "Dean movement" -- the grassroots couldn't translate into wins; I hope it can at least translate into mobilization for something.

Thank you, Gov. Dean, for giving many thousands something to vote for, rather than just something to vote against. It's a start.

Update

With a quarter of the votes in, and Edwards running a slight lead, CNN, et. al., have declared the race for Kerry.

Huh? Are the precincts reporting all Edwards-heavy exit polling places, and the ones not yet reporting located safely in Kerry country?

8:02

Holy crap. Based on CNN exit polling, it's too close to call between Edwards and Kerry. (Dean in a distant third.)

Well, Then

Apparently, 8:02 was just too long for one TV station to wait.

Approximately 42 minutes after some polls opened in Wisconsin -- and up to an hour and 18 minutes before others did -- a CBS affiliate in Jacksonville, Fla., declared that Howard Dean had lost the primary.

Is that some spectacular exit polling or what?

Punx For Dean got a screen capture before (surprise, surprise) Clear Channel-owned CBS47 took down the report.

Tuesday!

Thank God.

The polls are open, except the ones that aren't (We've got staggered openings here.). I won't be voting until evening -- between work and a vet appointment (just a checkup), my day's pretty well booked. But I will be voting. I'm assuming the other Wisconsinites who read this are voting, too.

I heard on the radio this morning that the TV ad budget in Wisconsin for the Democratic candidates paled in comparison to that of Iowa. And we've been deluged these last couple of weeks -- a typical commercial break can be Dean; Parents: The Anti Drug; Tom Barrett; Edwards; Nexium; promo for Friends; Wal-Mart; Pepsi; David Clarke; Kerry. I probably would have shot my television a long time ago, if I lived in Iowa. (My utterly-non-political sister was in Iowa for the 2000 primary season. I'll have to ask her what, if anything, she remembers.)

We've also gotten robo-called by Howard Dean (he sounded tired); phone-banked by Howard Dean, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich volunteers; and a very bizarre call from someone last night (it was a machine-dialed call, but a live person) who just trashed John Kerry, but didn't bother to tell me who I should vote for instead. She didn't even stop to breathe, let alone let me talk -- "Hithisis[name I don't remember] from [generic-sounding organization]andJohnKerryisthedevilthankyouforyourtimeCLICK."

I have a feeling that this race will be called for John Kerry at 8:02 (polls close at 8).

Test a theory for me, 50-something Jews

This is most specifically directed at my parents, but anyone fitting those criteria can answer. Without asking anyone, or looking it up, answer this question: What is AIPAC and why does it matter? Leave your answer in the comments section. If someone already put down an answer, ignore it. (I'll check comments here through the week, since I know my parents don't check everyday.)

So, I'm gone for four hours...

...and Steve Grossman up and (quits? gets quit?). Not that I didn't see it coming, except I saw it coming Wednesday instead of today. This really isn't looking good for Dr. Dean.

My really bad analogy, that I came up with in the car, so humor me: This is like the brother-in-law, that you really like, much better than your sister [who he's married to], in fact. Sister's told him she's leaving him. Sister's told you she's leaving him. In fact, she's staying at your house. She took the cat and the Cuisinart. Bro-in-law won't accept it, keeps carrying on like nothing's changed, that all she needs is a little time.

As much as you like your brother-in-law, and you want him to stay in the family, you know it ain't gonna happen. How much more time do you give him? When does he cross from hopeful and in denial to pitiful and downright embarassing?

Dr. Dean's in denial today. Tomorrow, I'll cast my vote for him (helping him get his cat back). Wednesday? We'll see.

Is it just me...

...or is this debate really, really tedious? The Ex-Candidate's watching the debate from the Modjeska, but I still feel kind of cruddy from Friday and from too much wine yesterday, so I'm not at the Dean party (or anyone else's). Maybe the debate improves in the company of others? (Ex-Candidate? Folkbum? Anyone else?)

UPDATE: OK, I uploaded the previous paragraph about two seconds before DK and Rev. Al came out and said the "L" word. No dancing around it. The President lied. Excellent. (I suspect the Modjeska is shakin' tonight!) They cut to commercial, so I'll offer my pre-emptive props for anyone else who says "Bush lied" tonight. (Wild prediction: If anyone else does say so, it won't be the other three candidates. Maybe a panelist or an audience questioner.)

Love and Marriage

Here are some links to warm the cockles of your heart:

• US teens celebrate purity day
  

  ...then may I suggest the all-new "don't laugh at my score" test for the clueless (and here's one for Seuss fans and another that I'm warning my mom, or anyone at work, not to click)



• Bush likes abstinence education, even though it doesn't work
  

  And here's a lovely consequence -- AIDS money is disappearing. Hey, kids, click here for decent information.



• The gay marriage debate races
  

  And while the religious right says that somehow giving gay and lesbian couples the right to inheritance, hospital visitation, partner immigration and more than 1,000 other rights automatically granted to their heterosexual counterparts will destroy their own marriage, they want to spend billions preserving the heterosexual marriages of the Britneys and the Darvas of the world.
  

  Isn't this heart-warming: Get a divorce in Vanderburgh County, Ind.? Your filing fees might go to a church groups that will tell you to stay in your lousy marriage, even if he's cheating on you or she's kicking your ass on a regular basis.
  

  And to my marriage-obsessed visitors, who I know are reading this blog because of all of the hits I get from "John Kerry ex-wife" and "Kucinich wife" and "took pictures of your wife in her bed" -- tell me exactly how your marriage is threatened by this couple. I'll be waiting anxiously by the comment section.

So, to all of my married (or otherwise abstinent), heterosexual (or otherwise abstinent and not, oh I don't know, out or anything like that), church-going (or otherwise single and abstinent, because isn't marriage a religious institution for intended for procreation?) friends, happy Valentines Day.

Heh

My mom just e-mailed to tell me she read my blog and hoped I feel better. Which means two things:

1. My mom still reads this blog, even though I've used the word "penis" recently


2. My mom uses the word "blog" in a sentence. Correctly.

Sounds of Silence

Is this really happening? Are the mainstream media actually sitting on the Kerry story, waiting to find out, oh, I don't know, the truth and not Drudge innuendo, before deciding whether to run it?

So far, all I've come across are right-wing screeds (not linking to Rush, sorry) and left-wing bitching-about-Drudge (put me in that latter category). A news search at 9:40 a.m. Central time today shows a few international outlets, but no mainstream domestic press, going with the story. Flipping between news channels (I'm home sick today...aww....) reveals a similar silence.

If so, this is encouraging. (The aforementioned right-wing screeders would probably say it's the liberal media covering up for their favorite son.) I guess we'll see what happens over the next few days.

Confidential To The Dean Phone Banker (A Different One) Who Called Me Tonight

I appreciate your committment. I understand how thankless a job political volunteering can be (especially phone banking). I did say I'm still voting for Dean.

But please do not tell me I "interpreted it that way." Dean is Kerry-bashing, as was his phone banker last week. They both went beyond compare-and-contrast rhetoric. "Almost as bad as Bush/Lesser of two evils" (Dean paraphrase) and "Unfit to be President" (phone banker/direct quote) are pretty clear. I'm a journalist. I parse words and meaning for a living. I know bashing when I see it. This is bashing.

Please, please, let it be Tuesday.

My Imaginary Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton released the following joint statement in reaction to today's "news":

While we have our differences with John Kerry on the issues and our approaches to public policy, rumors and innuendo about anyone's personal life have absolutely no relevance in this debate.

We hope the media will soon return their focus to the more substantive issues at hand, and not to the trashy so-called "journalism" propagated by Drudge and other scandal-mongers. And as for Drudge, as far as we are concerned: Er zol kakn mit blit un mit ayter.

All In A Day's Work

If mainstream media starts reporting on the Kerry probably-non-scandal, then Drudge will have done his job. The media will have shifted its attention. No more AWOL. No more "Where's WMD?" No more massive deficit.

Nope, just Kerry. And Janet's boob. And Clinton's penis, I'm sure.

Well done, Matt.

Addendum

OK, I know for a fact that this has nothing to do with why I'm not a Kerry fan. True or not. And saying something tawdry about a candidate does make it true, in the eyes of the public. Remember: "Would you be less likely to vote for John McCain if you knew he had an illegitimate black daughter?" (His daughter is adopted, from Bangladesh.) "Would you be less likely to vote for John Kerry if you knew he had been unfaithful to his wife?" "When did Candidate X stop beating his wife?" That he never started is irrelevant.

Drudge is reporting that this is why Dean is getting nasty, and has backtracked about withdrawing after Wisconsin. I know, it's Drudge, so who knows if this is true or not (and, since Dean's strategizing lacks the smut appeal of Kerry's sex life, if it's not true, that rumor should die quickly). So I won't comment yet on that strategy.

Regardless, at least Kerry didn't cheat on his country like Bush did (and is doing).

Is it Tuesday yet?

The Kerry Problem

It's looking more and more like a Kerry nomination. I say this as a formerly die-hard, and now deeply disillusioned, Deaniac (who, at this point, still plans on voting for him next Tuesday, my fed-upness with the damage-control-spin-cycle notwithstanding. Gotta dance with them what brung you, so says Molly Ivins, and Zak).

It's tough for me to get excited about Kerry. There's no one thing I can point to, either. I mean, he's more liberal than Dean is (as are most of the people who have run for the nomination this cycle), so it's not like a Lieberman thing. And the votes he's made that I don't like -- IWR, NCLB, etc. -- have also been cast by my No. 2 at this point, Edwards. At first glance, I don't like his association with Skull and Bones, or the Osama ads, but what I have to go on is heresay and innuendo, and I try not to judge based on that. I also don't really know what either of those associations mean in the long run -- I imagine, very little. I really can't put my finger on it. I know a lot of other people -- who supported Dean or other candidates -- feel the same way. I don't think this is an insurmountable challenge, given the ABB sentiment I've seen, though...

That is, unless, people get so disgusted through the whole thing they stay home. Some things are making me very nervous -- call it the "Kerry problem," even though the problem isn't really about Kerry.

I received this in my inbox today (from a Dean supporter, through the local e-mail list). He's trying to get contributions for a video (which will be considered an independent expenditure, not a DFA project, at least) for canvassers to hand out to undecided voters:

Our new 18-minute video targeting Wiconsin voters specifically
addresses electability --  ALONG WITH KERRY'S UNSUITABILITY -- and
highlights Dean's charm. It gives voters a phone number for finding
their polling place.

(Emphasis in original)

Now, if it were just some Dean supporters talking about Kerry's unsuitability, that would be one thing. But it gets worse:

"I don't think John Kerry is capable of changing the political culture in Washington," Dean said, likening the attack ad to the work of President George W. Bush and Republicans and making reference to Kerry's support for a resolution authorizing the war in Iraq.

"First he sided with the president on the war. ... now we find he is more like President Bush than we ever imagined. This is exactly what we don't need in Washington ... "

Dean said in a television interview yesterday that John Edwards would be more likely than Kerry to beat Bush because when "Kerry's record is examined by the public at a more leisurely time when we're not having primaries every week he's going to turn out to be just like George Bush."

Read the rest here.

So not only are canvassers (and phone callers, per my earlier post) calling Kerry unsuitable, we've got Dean himself warning voters that Kerry might end up being just like Bush. At least earlier "Bush Lite" criticisms weren't directed at anyone in particular.

Look. I understand Dean probably isn't going to be the nominee, and that these attacks are more desperation ploys than anything else. Edwards still has a fighting chance, but it's looking more and more like Kerry.

Constructive criticism is healthy. Pointing out differences is vital. Even candidate-bashing on blogs, message boards and at MeetUps serves a purpose. I think that proves, if anything, that we care. And we don't exactly have a national podium or anything -- if I posted an entire page of "Kerry Eats Kittens" posts here, nobody would care.

But Dean has said, on numerous occasions, that not only would he back the eventual nominee, but that any one of the Democrats would do a better job than George Bush has done. So why is he trying to bring down Kerry via character assassination, while providing cannon fodder for the Republicans next fall? Can't you just picture the ads -- Zell Miller endorsing Bush, and Howard Dean trashing Kerry? (At least they won't be able to run Dean saying that Kerry was the lesser evil, since that implies Bush is worse.)

I know Dean was picking his share of buckshot out of his backside when he was the frontrunner (as he put it), but I don't remember the attacks being this bitter, or this personal, from other candidates. (The media are another story.) If I remember correctly, it was more: "Gov. Dean's ideas are wrong" or even "Gov. Dean is wrong" than "Gov. Dean is bad" (and Dean's criticism of other candidates seemed similar, although my maple-colored glasses [headphones?] may have muted them somewhat). Dean's recent statements are about as close to "Kerry is bad" as one can get without actually saying it. (Or, maybe the removal of my glasses and headphones is exaggerating this as well. But I don't think so. Anyone have insight?)

Someone on NPR said, this morning, that he hoped Dean doesn't fritter away all of the great things he's done for politics and the Democratic party by going down in a blaze of negativity. I hope not, either. Dr. Dean's done some great things, even though they haven't translated into wins. I'd hate to see Dean Kerry-bash himself, and the Democrats' chances in 2004, into oblivion.

Justicia

Since we're pretty much living in a corporatocracy (is that a word?), I thought re-brand myself. My brand, built on "progressive quality," is unique because it "denotes that sinking feeling."

Taking It To The Street

We attended the Edwards primary night rally HQ thing tonight. There was a bit more of the rock-star energy in the room this time -- Vince suspects there are fewer curious people and more political junkies and die-hard supporters at something like this.

The speech was pretty much a shorter version of the one on Saturday, and my comments still apply. He needs to smile more, though, because the smile really does light up the room. And he needs a better sound guy -- the song mentioned in my post title was somehow repeated about 20 times in a row.

I have never seen so many satellite trucks in my life. All four of the locals had one, and I counted at least five rentals. (I took a scary picture of Candy Crowley, which will not be posted here. Shudder.) I think the back of my head made it on to C-SPAN.

The highlight of my evening, though, was speaking to Elizabeth Edwards. I got about 90 seconds of her time, in the receiving line. I told her I got to know a bit about being a Candidate's Wife during Vince's run, and gave her the URL. (So, Mrs. Edwards, if you remembered the URL and decided to visit, welcome!) She offered condolences for Vince dropping out. I then asked her if she had any insight about being a Candidate's Wife that she'd like to share with my readers.

I think I caught her off guard, because she apologized for not being as articulate as she'd like. (I was playing journalist.) She then said that she enjoyed it immensely, because she gets to meet so many politically active and aware people. (That's a paraphrase. I didn't take notes.)

Elizabeth Edwards seems very down-to-earth, very, for lack of a better word, normal. No posturing, no air of entitlement.

I suppose a couple of you (well, one of you at least) are going to send me a nasty e-mail: "WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT AN EDWARDS RALLY?!?! THERE WAS A DEAN RALLY TONIGHT AND DID I SEE YOU THERE!?!?! NO! EXPLAIN YOURSELF."

To those readers -- no worries. I'll try to get a Dean rally in (if there's one that I don't have to race to immediately after work when I'm on deadline, which was today), as well as those for other candidates. And I'll try to talk to Judy, Gert and Teresa, too. (See, we're all on a first-name basis here.)

UPDATE:Well, it looks like I won't meet Gert. It's breaking now that Wes Clark will be dropping out. More on that tomorrow.

Bring in 'da noise, bring in 'da funk...

And bring in this Google query...Someone found me today using this very cool search string on Google.de. (I'm No. 1! I'm No. 1!) Sorry, friend, I don't speak German, but I hope you found what you're looking for.

Quick Prediction

Kerry wins Virginia and Tennessee easily. Edwards picks up delegates in both states. Maybe Clark picks up some in one of the states. Dean, Kucinich and Sharpton don't really register. Nobody drops out. (Clark's the one wild card. If he gets absolutely trounced, maybe.)

This prediction stuff is getting easier with Kerry clobbering everyone. Sigh.

Hey, Mrs. Regula, Wanna Link To Me?

There's an entire museum devoted to first ladies. The National First Ladies' Library is based in Canton, Ohio, and is run by none other than the wife of my friend Jeff Seemann's opponent.

The site's intro does mention "other important women," but I couldn't find a Candidate's Wife section (ex or otherwise). But you can order expensive, and IMHO ugly china from the gift shop. (I wonder what my flower would be, if I had flower china. Maybe creeping Charlie, because that seems to be the most prominent flower in my yard most of the time.)

Read Mrs. Regula's gushy comments about first ladies here, in yet another article about Mrs. Kerry, Mrs. Edwards, Dr. Steinberg, et. al. It's nothing new, except the article states "Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich is the only divorced candidate in the running." That's only true if you mean divorced and not re-married. John Kerry and former candidates Joe Lieberman and Carol Mosley Braun have been divorced. And the article does say that James Buchanan was the only never-married president, but it neglects to mention he may have had a partner. It's probably just as well; Fox would probably have taken the opportunity to gay-bash.

Me: "OK, I won't."

Source: FoxNews.com, screen capture, edited for size, 2:14 p.m. CST Feb. 8, 2004

Enough

Today's Journal-Sentinel has a bit of a post mortem, in the context of a broader article on the declining power of unions against multi-national corporations.

This article, for a business-section write-up, is surprisingly sympathetic to the union. Here's the end:

Jeff Hynes, a Milwaukee employment lawyer and former staff attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., said the Tyson strike shows the need to change federal labor law that gives employers the right to hire replacement workers.

Restrictions should be placed on the use of replacement workers so labor and management return to a level playing field, Hynes said.

If the Tyson strike produced any good news for workers, it would be the community support and national attention that Local 538 members received, Emspak said. He senses the potential for a broader mobilization for workers, especially for health care.

David Newby, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, considers the Tyson workers to be inspirations to a movement that appears to be having an influence on national politics.

"I think we're seeing in the issues that are emerging out of the Democratic primary that people have had enough," Newby said. "And we may not have figured out entirely how to fight back, but people want to. And they're looking for ways to be effective."

That's one of the things that shocked me about the whole process -- that there really aren't many restrictions on the use of replacement workers. That they can be hired permanently. That they can vote to decertify the union they replaced in the first place. (John Edwards mentioned that yesterday, and vowed to make permanent replacement workers illegal.)

I took this photo, above, at a rally over the summer. I think it sums up the frustration and yes, resignation, members of Local 538 and the community must feel.

I've been there, too. I was a member of an utterly powerless union in 1997-98, when I taught at a public high school. But we didn't have the community rallying behind us -- we were greedy teachers who were going to destroy their children and blow up their property taxes. Never mind that we hadn't had a contract for five years, and the veterans at the top of the salary schedule hadn't received a raise in almost as long. Teachers don't have the right to strike in Wisconsin, and the district can declare, when it feels like, that contract negotiations fell through and impose a "qualified economic offer," giving management no incentive to bargain in good faith. I left teaching at the end of that year. I got laid off as a direct result of the contract problems, but I would have quit anyway. I can't say my disillusionment with labor relations had everything to do with it, but it was a factor.

Newby was right. The Racine Education Association may not have known the best way to fight back in 1998, or now -- they accepted a lousy contract this year, rather than go through it again. Local 538 fought back the best way they knew how, and lost. But we've all had enough.

So...

It seems AFSCME just withdrew its support of Howard Dean. While this is, of course, very bad news for the Dean campaign, this also calls into question AFSCME's credibility.

AFSCME, for the uninitiated, is a very large service union; it's second only to SEIU in size and growth, as far as I know. To pull an endorsement at this point is highly unusual, and not usually done unless the candidate has done something unforgiveable -- not just when the candidacy seemed to be tanking.

I wonder how much weight anyone's going to give a future AFSCME endorsement, especially if it comes immediately (there is speculation Kerry's been after that one heavily).

Live From The UWM Student Union

Vince, Zak and I attended a rally for John Edwards (sponsored by a textile union, which is fitting) in the UW student union. I hadn't seen Edwards yet, and I do want to cover all my bases.

Edwards looks older, and shorter, in real life. Speech was standard stump -- two Americas, and with this accent, the South.

It was a far different crowd from the other rallies I've attended (Dean twice, and Fighting Bob Fest, which became a de-facto Kucinich rally). Quieter. The energy was different. Dean's crowd gives off more of a rock-concert vibe; this was more serious. Not that they all weren't into it -- but it seemed less of a cult of personality, and more like why you go to see a lecturer you've never heard of. Because you want to hear what they have to say. I wonder how that's going to work for Edwards vs. Dean in Wisconsin -- I've emerged from Dean speeches much more pumped up than I did today. I wonder how much of that is style, how much of that is substance, and how much of that is my utter inability to get star-struck by politicians anymore.

I did get struck by something else, though -- an elbow to the jaw, by a press photographer. It stings a little, but no bruise. I'm sure it was an accident -- I'm 5'2", and if you're holding a camera to your eye, your elbows are right at jaw-level.

We also ran into a couple of people from the cast of characters we see everywhere -- the Clark leafletters (they were not disruptive -- they handed out flyers for Clark's town meeting tomorrow), and the guy from Racine who wears the fisherman' jacket. I suppose we can add Bryan and campaign manager Bill (who has a Web site, but he probably doesn't want me publicizing it) to that cast -- they were there as well.

I'm looking forward to the other five candidates' visits. We're in for a busy couple of weeks.

Another Quick Question

This one's for the big spenders -- if I was to send $8,000 to each of the presidential candidates ($2,000 for the primary, $2,000 for the general, per adult household member, maximum allowed by law), would they stop sending us letters asking for more money?

Just wondering.

Quick Question

We're less than two weeks from the presidential primary, and I have yet to see a yard sign in Waukesha. (I haven't even been offered a yard sign, from any candidate, except some homemade signs at a "Kegger for Kucinich" we attended last year.) What's up with that?

Yes, I realize I live in Republican Hell™, but I'm still confused.

More From The Other Candidates' Wives' Files

Judith Steinberg Dean has an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News (courtesy of folkbum).

It's odd how much of a reflex "Candidate's Wife" has become for me. Folkbum even sent the link with a message -- "not you" -- but I did have to think for a second.

Such Pressure...

From the Dean blog and no fewer than three e-mails I got this morning:

The entire race has come down to this: we must win Wisconsin.

We must launch our new television advertisement on Monday in the major markets in Wisconsin. To do that, I need your help to raise $700,000 by Sunday. Please contribute today so that we can reserve the air time.

We will get a boost this weekend in Washington, Michigan and Maine, but our true test will be the Wisconsin primary. A win there will carry us to the big states of March 2-and narrow the field to two candidates. Anything less will put us out of this race.

A Wisconsin strategy. Hm. I expect the others to follow suit soon. Wisconsin's primary is all by its lonesome on Feb. 17. The Do Not Call Registry doesn't apply to political calls. So we're going to get swamped in the next couple of weeks.

At least I'll get to check out (and maybe meet) some of the other candidates. It probably won't change my vote, and I've probably still got a bit of the "eh, famous politicians" thing left from this fall, but at least I'd be able to say, a year from now, "oh, yeah, I met the president."

Out of the Spotlight

It was kind of neat. Last night was the first campaign-related event, for any candidate, that I've attended in awhile where I haven't really needed to be on my best behavior. I could have stood in the corner, getting sloppy drunk, hugging everyone in sight and shouting 50 Cent lyrics, and it wouldn't have reflected poorly on anyone other than me. Not that I would have done that (I don't know any 50 Cent lyrics). But it is a bit liberating knowing that what I do won't cost anyone votes.

Now, though, my blog viewership is back down to "normal" (a few dozen hits a day, lots of them repeats). That's kind of sad, but not unexpected.

On a somewhat-related-but-really-not note, I found out last night that the Kennedys kept up with the blog. Let's everyone welcome Bryan and Heather to our community. I met Heather for the first time last night, and Bryan for the first time when I wasn't campaigning against him. They're really good people. (And their 5-year-old son, Noah, will be the best campaigner on the trail. You heard it here first.)

Confidential to the Dean phone banker who called me last night

Thanks for the hard work you do. I know political volunteering, and phone banking in particular, is thankless work.

But: When I tell you I have a conflict and can't make the MeetUp, please take that at face value. I actually do have a conflict -- I will be furthering my duties as the (ex) Candidate Wife at the grand opening of Bryan Kennedy's campaign office.

And: You're not helping your cause at all by badmouthing John Kerry. You came off as bitter and petty last night. I'm not a huge Kerry fan myself, but keep in mind many people who are on your list have him as their second choice, or perhaps even their first (how well vetted is the list? Plenty of people who are on the Dean list are there because they came to a rally or a MeetUp once, and not because they actually support the man). Please stick to why Gov. Dean should be the nominee, and not why Kerry shouldn't.

No Surprises

Everything last night pretty much came out the way I expected. Kerry hit 15% in every state, won five. Edwards won SC, Clark (apparently) won Oklahoma, with Edwards and Kerry not far behind. Clark, Dean, Edwards and Lieberman all got 15% in one fewer state than I expected -- I suppose this means Kerry's victories (and Edwards' win in SC) were more decisive than I thought they'd be. (Dean got 14% in Arizona, and a couple of delegates, so I wasn't too far off on that.)

Lieberman dropped out. I can't say I'm sad about that, although he is fun to make fun of.

Sharpton somehow has a delegate in Delaware, even though he came in sixth and nobody else except Kerry got delegates there. Anyone know how that happened?

All Or Nothing

Hm. If Edwards loses South Carolina, he's going to drop out and endorse Kerry, or so says a WaPo article. So never mind my last if/then statements.

Here are my final predictions (yeah, yeah, I know what I said), answering "Who will still be in as of tomorrow morning?" and related:

Kerry -- In; will get at least 15% in every state; will win five

Dean -- In; will get 15% in two states; no wins

Edwards -- In; will get 15% in four states; will win South Carolina and come in darn close in Oklahoma (Second or third, with Kerry closely in the other position)

Clark -- In; will get 15% in five states; will win Oklahoma by a tiny margin (see above)

Lieberman -- Out; will get 15% in Delaware; no wins

Kucinich -- No wins, no delegates, will leave when he's ready

Sharpton -- No wins, no delegates, will leave when he's ready

I'm assuming 15% is the threshold for delegates in every state. Am I right (if not, doesn't matter -- my percentage predictions still stand)? Your thoughts?

On Boobs

So Janet Jackson flashed some skin on Big Game Sunday. The FCC is outraged. Congress is outraged. Blair from "The Facts of Life" is outraged. Within 12 hours of the boob shot, all three were calling for an investigation. We're sure it'll be swift and thorough, and the malefactors will be appropriately punished.

I'm so glad our government is on top of things, and is launching an investigation so quickly. Just like they did for Valerie Plame leak. And the anthrax mailings. And the WMD intelligence. And...

Oh, wait. I get it. A boob on TV gets immediate attention. A boob in the White House is no cause for concern.

God bless America.

First Spouses (Yes, Spouses)

WaPo is having a chat, based on their Sunday Magazine article at 3 EST today. Should be interesting.

I just skimmed the article -- a panel discussion. Some good parts. They actually talk about more than the current crop of Candidates Wives, and even entertain the possibility of a First Husband, a single president or a same-sex partner.

The article does delve into nuance, which is nice -- most of the panelists agree that a good partner is very helpful (some would say even necessary), but must someone host state dinners or "[stand] adjacent in a telegenic pastel suit and wav[e]" in order to provide that support?

Well, I Got The Spread Right...

OK, so I got the wrong team. But I actually would have won if I'd bet Carolina would beat the seven-point spread. I think my football-predicting record is better than my election-predicting record.

Speaking of which, I'll revise my "who's going to drop out?" prediction -- Dean has written off Tuesday's primaries, and putting the rest of his dwindling eggs into Michigan, Washington and Wisconsin. Since he's already all but conceded defeat in advance of tomorrow, he won't drop out (or be effectively over) no matter what. Look for a drop-out late Feb. 17 or early Feb. 18, unless he pulls a miracle out of his hat.

Edwards, for whom I earlier predicted no realistic drop-out scenario, must win South Carolina, or do spectacularly elsewhere. He may not actually pull out if he loses SC and sputters elsewhere, if he still has some money, but he won't have the momentum to pull him much longer. His post-Iowa bounce doesn't seem to be having as much as an effect as I thought it would.

My predictions for Clark, Kerry and Lieberman, as well as my non-predictions for Kucinich and Sharpton, still stand. Clark needs either a win or a few respectable finishes; Kerry's in no matter what (and will likely win a majority of the states); Lieberman will drop out (and won't win any).

Which, if my football prediction is any indication, means Lieberman will win a majority of the states, Kerry won't win any, but I'll at least be able to crow about getting the points right.

Oh No! I'm Writing About Sports!

Happy "big game" Sunday. I find it amusing that news, sports and entertainment outlets can, of course, call it "Super Bowl Sunday," but if those same outlets are running a promotion, they can't use the trademark. So we get: "Coming up on Fox 6 News At 9: We've got a complete preview of the Super Bowl. And we've also got your chance to win tickets to the big game in Houston." And then, they break for a commercial, in which the TC store is selling big-screens just in time for that "big game, you know, that bowl thing" and Doritos wants to be your bowl-time snack.

So, predictions anyone? Hell, I don't know. I know politics better than sports, and you can see how well those predictions work. Panthers by three. We'll go with that. (I know it defies conventional wisdom, but so did "Kerry by 20" in Iowa. This might actually be closer.)

Also, whether you're watching or not, check out the ad CBS won't run because it's advocating something other than drinking a lot of beer, regaining what you've lost with your wife (ahem) or why smoking marijuana means you're helping terrorists. Watch it here or flip to CNN at halftime.