theparkerfamily.org » Election

i’m pretty sure …

evancparker — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:35:14 +0000

… that i’m the only prog in D.C. who’s jumping for joy on his couch right now.

and that’s because instead of watching the Democratic Party getting swept from the U.S. House of Representatives, i’m watching Tottenham Hotspur beat the crap out of reigning european champions Inter Milan in the champions league.

nancy pelosi? tottenham hotspur? i’ll take the younger one, with the fewer surgeries — zing!

vote

evancparker — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:03:29 +0000

i was thiiiiiiiis close to skipping voting this year — it’s the off year for the presidentials, all of the local contests were decided back in the September primaries (which d.c. conveniently screwed up my ballot for) and our representative in Congress can’t vote anyway.

however, someone at work suggested it was sparklet’s civic duty to vote today, and who was i to get in the way a toddler executing her civic duty.

so we voted.

her picks were pretty reasonably across the board, until we had a bit of a disagreement over her choice for D.C.’s Shadow Representative.

Sparklet was drooling towards Republican Nelson Rimensynder and i was going to object — but he’s never going to actually win (with 75% of D.C. voters registered as Democrats) and the position has no power anyway (technically, he would be seated if the District ever got the right to vote in Congress but that’s never going to happen).

with that in mind, who am i to object?

besides, as a resident of D.C., sparklet needs to get used the the idea of throwing her vote away.

unhappy electorate

evancparker — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:25:39 +0000

there’s a tough primary for Mayor in D.C. today, between an incumbent (Fenty) who seems only interested in the white people of northwest, and the challenger (Gray) who seems more intent on spreading the city-coffers-love around to the other quarter million people who live more east and south.

it’s like the ultimate in liberal dilemma — do you vote for the person who clearly most benefits you, or the person who will most benefit the people who need the most benefit?

fortunately for me, i don’t actually have to make a decision between the two evils — because D.C. forgot to send me the absentee ballot i requested, and West Virginia is a long, long way away from the ballot boxes.

it’s too bad, because this is my one chance to vote this year — with 75% of D.C. voters registered as Democtats, the Repubs aren’t even expected to field a Mayoral candidate for the general.

humanity, pt 2

evancparker — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:24:08 +0000

Favorite bit of coverage from the Glenn Beck-apalooza being held on the National Mall as we speak:

In a rather curious and confused way, some white people are starting almost to think like a minority, even like a persecuted one.

What does it take to believe that Christianity is an endangered religion in America or that the name of Jesus is insufficiently spoken or appreciated? Who wakes up believing that there is no appreciation for our veterans and our armed forces and that without a noisy speech from Sarah Palin, their sacrifice would be scorned?

It’s not unfair to say that such grievances are purely and simply imaginary, which in turn leads one to ask what the real ones can be. The clue, surely, is furnished by the remainder of the speeches, which deny racial feeling so monotonously and vehemently as to draw attention.

CREDITS: Excerpt from Christopher Hitchens’ White Fright, via Slate; Photo © Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post.

humanity, pt 1

evancparker — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:11:34 +0000

there are times where i’ve been sad to be a human being, and watching the uneducated, partisan response to the health care bill is near the top.

it’s hard to imagine what’s bad/unconstitutional about:

New health insurance subsidies would be provided to families of four making up to $88,000 annually, or 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
Health insurance exchanges would be created to make it easier for small businesses, the self-employed and the unemployed to pool resources and purchase less expensive coverage.
Total out-of-pocket expenses would be limited, and insurance companies would be prevented from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Insurers would be barred from canceling coverage for sick people, as well as charging higher premiums based on a person’s gender or medical history.
Insurers would be required to provide coverage for non-dependent children up to age 26.
The Medicare prescription drug “doughnut hole” would be closed by 2020.
A 40 percent tax would be imposed on insurance companies providing “Cadillac” health plans valued at more than $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. The tax would kick in starting in 2018.
The Medicare tax would be imposed on investment income for individuals making over $200,000 and couples making over $250,000.
The federal government would assist states by picking up 100 percent of the costs of expanded Medicaid coverage between 2014 and 2016, and 90 percent starting in 2020.
Individuals would be required to purchase coverage or face a fine of up to $695 or 2.5 percent of income, whichever is greater, starting in 2016. The plan includes a hardship exemption for poorer Americans.
Companies with more than 50 employees would be required to pay a fee of $2,000 per worker if the company does not provide coverage and any of that company’s workers receives federal health care subsidies. The first 30 workers would be subtracted from the payment calculation.
States could choose whether to ban abortion coverage in plans offered in the health insurance exchanges.
Illegal immigrants would not be allowed to buy health insurance in the health insurance exchanges.

Is it the mandates to have insurance that is so evil? I’m mandated to subsidize people who don’t have insurance now, through higher premiums and higher taxes. Seems like this is something “anti-everything” white people would be crawling all over themselves to support.

Crazy.

Source: Bill Summary from CNN; Photos by Matt Dunn, from City Paper.

the darker side of the inauguration

evancparker — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:34:49 +0000

Originally uploaded by 36widgets

we had a lot of time to think about the inauguration on our way out of the mall … it took us over an hour to go two blocks, and then another couple to get back to civilization (or lunch, at least).

ironically, the thing that stuck with me — more than the speech, the people, the hope — was the complete lack of respect the people on the mall had for the President until around 12:03 pm.

living in my own little world, I’d never really thought it through … sure, he had bad approval numbers, sure my hippie-prog friends had little respect for his policies on, well, anything.

but he was still President, right? i have always firmly believe that you have to respect the office, even if you believe the occupant doesn’t respect the office himself.

there is a basic level of civility that is needed to maintain ourselves as a nation, and violating that civility doesn’t no good in our efforts to establish a new tone of mutual respect in the nation’s Capitol.

now, don’t get me wrong … i didn’t hear anything that wasn’t shouted at Clinton eight years ago, but that’s not the point.

it’s very difficult to take the high road on an inclusive society, when we are exclusive ourselves. in the same way, we can’t fight intolerance with intolerance, regardless of how intolerant we feel the last eight years have been.

i already have conservative friends predicting assassinations, preaching the apocalypse, and plotting out their future lives in foreign countries — which is ironic because the best place for conservatives right now is probably France.

by being intolerant ourselves, we not only excuse this type of behavior, we encourage it. now, i’m about as opposed to neo-cons as anyone, but even I was able to give Bush the benefit of the doubt for his first two years in office.

if we really are going to bring change in Washington, it can’t just trickle down from the top. this started as a grassroots movement, and that’s the only way real change is going to succeed.

ben affleck likes having his picture taken, and other life lessons

evancparker — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:59:49 +0000

we scored some tickets to the “google ball” through the lady sparkler’s work — she actually asked *whether* i wanted to go (crazy lady!).

it wasn’t a ball as such (no obamas, so no dead swan dress) but was instead billing itself as a sort of pre-/post-ball party for the other (more official) balls.

the space was gorgeous. big enough to be spectacular, but small enough to be (surprisingly) intimate. and, to be fair, i didn’t even know the space existed (it’s in the old IRS building at the corner of 15th and Constitution).

we heard rumors that fancy-pants people would be there, but assumed they would be all roped off in some back room. it was great enough to have an excuse to dress up, but … i mean, JOHN PODESTA was there. and *WOLF BLITZER*!!!

anyway, the conversations were progressing along nicely, when the lady sparkler suggested our little group take a lap around the place. in a back room, the lady sparkler spotted ben affleck, and then it was all over …

i felt safe in my relationship, because i knew that she was only talking to him to get matt damon’s phone number … but it turned out that she wanted a picture, too.

she negotiated her way up to him, and tugged on his shoulder. i have no idea who he was talking to (someone later told me it was his brother Casey) but he barely broke (conversation) stride as he turned around, looked dashing for the picture, and went back about his business … not at all disturbed to be accosted by my wife.

john cusack, on the other hand, turned out to be a bit of an #$%. my beloved slid in for the kill, and he started negotiating with her about whether he would take the picture or not … i finally just took it, and think the expression is, well, perfect.

we actually ran into good friends shortly afterwards who gave us their tickets to a real, official ball (dead swann dress included). we headed over not too much later, but it turns out that the obama’s were gone even before we had the tickets in our hands.

still, one heck of an evening … especially riding home on the metro in our prom attire, with not a single raised eyebrow.

damn, i love DC.

live: the obama inauguration

evancparker — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:32:30 +0000

ECPA20090120_1727, originally uploaded by [ecpark].

again, i tried to live blog, but there was little chance with the telecom issues down on the mall. we’ve got an inaugural ball tonight (not one that he’s going to) so more thoughts later. here we go:

5:12 am	we’re up: go, go, go, go!
5:35 am	people are so … happy. I am sleep deprived, but “people” are awake, sunny and happy.
5:44 am	green line, Columbia heights station to l’ephant. trains are crowded, but not slammed.
6:15 am	tons of people backed up getting out of l’efant. saw man with “bush is a punk assed chump” bumper sticker on his back. nice.
6:22 am	in silver ticket screening line. line “starts” at third and independance. we’re on independance, a little before sixth.
6:43 am	20 ft closer.
7:10 am	another surge. now we are halfway to fifth.
7:24 am	cops need to chill with the sirens. we’ve heard it before. hundreds of times. all this morning.
7:32 am	saw James carville, walking away from the Capitol. he did NOT look amused.
7:41 am	it’s getting markedly colder… just dipped below 20 degrees.
8:12 am	through the gates! onto the mall! storm the reflecting pool!
8:33 am	so, we went up to the front section, but all the spotsleft were obstructed views. picked a spot a little farther back, but with good view of the Capitol/jumbotron.
9:12 am	people have started singing (good) but first up is “if I had a hammer” … (bad)
9:18 am	“this little light of mine…”
9:35 am	“American Pie…” dear god.
9:48 am	people are booing Gingrich. we’re with a nasty, petty bunch.
10:08 am	Muhammad Ali just walked in … “Ali! Ali! Ali!”
10:24 am	john cusack? john cusack!
10:41 am	biggest ovation so far for ted Kennedy, tho ho-ho dean wasn’t too far behind.
10:48 am	huge jeers for liberman (youch!, but a great, warm reception for colin Powell. I guess the US took his side in that whole Bush/Powell divorce thing.
10:51 am	hova! hova! encore, do you want more …
10:59 am	well michelle’s dress makes up for that election night shag rug disaster.
11:01 am	bush is smiling so much he looks vaguely unbalanced.
11:12 am	bush one ain’t looking too good. didn’t realize he was hobbling so much. he needs to get health tips from jimbo carter, who looks like he could build a house, today, single-handedly.
11:15 am	can’t wait to see how hilary is announced. mrs. clinton? secstate elect? oh right, senator… (oops!)
11:20 am	catcalls for the bush twins. easy boys, this one’s taken!
11:29 am	try as I may, I can never get my hair to look like Lynn Chaney’s.
11:35 am	dick Chaney looks even meaner in a wheelchair. looks like old man potter from “it’s a wonderful life”
11:42 am	di-fi not looking so good, either. she’s hobbling more than bush one.
11:52 am	ick. not enchanted by that convocation. gene Robinson’s at the concert was 10 times better, and way more appropriate. too Jesus-ified doran official state event.
11:55 am	sing it areatha! first time Obama has smiled was at the end there.
12:00 pm	that whole “you may now be seated” thing is getting old for the odd million or so of us stuck back here in the fields.
12:02 pm	damn, yoyo and yitzak’s fingers look cold.
12:07 pm	I think I like Obama more for flubbing the oath.
12:28 pm	great speech. hit all the right notes. little bummed his first words were “I’m humbled by the task ahead” as opposed to being humbled by the moment, his surroundings, the warm reception, his colleagues, etc. more thoughts later.
12:34 pm	it’s begun to snow :)
12:43 pm	me and my two million closest friends have decided to leave, starting riiiight about … now.
1:14 pm	we made it one whole block!
1:28 pm	there is something creepy/apocalyptic about “evacuating” the mall through an interstate highway tunnel. don’t get me wrong, it was a brilliant idea … but still creepy.
2:18 pm	well, we walked up the 395 tunnel (goes under the mall, following what would be third street) up to N street, and across to Scott Circle … where I just ordered a beer and a hamburger. god bless America.

Explore the Photo Set:
The Obama Inauguration, Washinton, DC

inauguration tickets

evancparker — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:24:08 +0000

i’ve got a nice pair of inauguration tickets in my hand, courtesy of the immortal jojo, who will *easily* go down as the very best middle sister in the history of the sparkler family.

we headed over to Capitol Hill today, a little after lunch, to pick up said tickets from jojo’s member (who is super cool himself, and someone i worked with a lot back in the days of comrade bernie sanders).

we got there a little after 2pm, thinking it would be an easy in-and-out before they shut down around three … but instead, we walked straight into the fourth circle of hell.

the metro platform was backed up, with an easy hundred people waiting to just get *out* of the turnstiles.

it only got worse when we got topside.

there are probably three entrances to each of the three house buildings, so a total of nine different paths to get to your tickets. when we arrived, each of the lines had hundreds (if not thousands) already lined up.

i was surprised, but then i started doing the math … 435 members of the house (times) two-hundred tickets per member (equals) approximately 87,000 tickets.

factor in that (a) everybody had to be present to pick up the tickets, (b) they only allowed one day to pick up the tickets, and (c) there was only six hours in which to distribute them …

a little more math reveals that the powers that be thought *each* door/security queue/metal detector could move just about 2,000 people *every* hour.

i’m sad to say they were wildly, and stoopidly optimistic.

now, there is a happy ending … because we lucked out. i worked in said house office building for four years and i knew it had a back door … and thought to check to see if there was a line there.

we also lucked out, because the throngs were so bad at the front (it went up and down the length of the building twice) that they decided to open the back door (where we were looking) at the exact moment we arrived.

we were (maybe) fifty or sixty people back from the door when it opened.

after that, it was all gravy.

we just had to find our room, the lady sparkler had to pretend she was her sister (we had an old passport for ID that it turned out we didn’t have to use) and i had to smile, nod, and say “duude” a lot (trying to pass myself off as a left coaster).

it wasn’t until we walked out the front that we realized how incredibly fortunate we were. there was an easy two thousand people waiting to get in just that *one* entrance.

i would love to know how late those offices had to stay open tonight. my guess was that there was a line well past dark.

first the bus yesterday, now the tickets today. let’s see if the luck holds through tomorrow …

live: obama inaugural concert

evancparker — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:01:32 +0000

Obama Inaugural Conc, originally uploaded by [ecpark].

Live blogging the Inaugural Concert on the mall today. Actually, not live blogging — because AT&T can’t maintain a #$%& signal on the mall — but kept blogging into my iPhone and uploaded it after the fact. Here you go:

11:01 am	on the 42 to the inaug concert on the mall. there is standing room only two stops in.
11:42 am	made it through security. no where near as nuts as I thought. no bags … except purses, shoulder bags, backpacks, bodybags …. sigh.
12:10 pm	lots of jumbotrons. early tweeters said there was only one. were they trying to drive down attendance?
12:18 pm	pre-flight entertainment has started. wonder if they will use the same 20 songs from the manassas rally.
12:35 pm	why does my blanket always end up as a prime cut through for people wandering the venue?
12:38 pm	elmo leading a chant of “we are one.” sweet Jesus, take me now.
12:53 pm	it’s nuts down here on the mall. two hours ’til showtime, and the place is packed.
1:10 pm	amy Hawthorne!
1:25 pm	The Lady Sparkler flipping out that people are stepping on her blanket. gonna be a long hour-twenty.
1:52 pm	Yup. same soundtrack.
2:10 pm	just noticed snipers on top of the Lincoln. btwn that and the low planes coming in to national, I’ve become temporarily distracted by mundane safetly concerns.
2:20 pm	convocation.
2:31 pm	nice reception for the first couples.
2:36 pm	denzel actually got more screams than Obama did in our little section. ear drums bleeding from pre-teens behind.
2:44 pm	Bruce Springsteen and a 100 person gospel choir. Sparkler’s happy. I think we can leave now. Oh, wait. Not until U2.
2:49 pm	mlk3 just mentioned the peace corps and half the crowd holla’d. think there are hippies around?
2:52 pm	jamie foxx doing an Obama impression is creapy good.
2:56 pm	clapping with gloves on makes people sound stupid.
3:00 pm	some just screamed “run forest run” when tom hanks took the stage.
3:06 pm	is it too much to ask for ATT to keep a functioning network for 2m people in then mall?!?
3:11 pm	I’m in such a good mood today, that I don’t even hate James Taylor … well, not as much.
3:19 pm	at the climax of mellencamp’s “pink houses” we had a dramatic fly-over by a perfect formation of 20 very confused looking Canadian geese.
3:22 pm	wow, the Daughters of the American Revolution just got thrown under the bus for denying African American singer Marian Anderson the right to perform at Constitution hall … in 1939. ouch.
3:25 pm	someone just asked if josh groban was an American idol winner. ouch.
3:28 pm	Is that the guy from “Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo bay”? what do you have to do to not deserve to appear at this thing?
3:32 pm	tiger woods? hmm.
3:41 pm	Garth Brooks singing American pie? this is the atlanta-olympics-memorial-36-white-pickups-stuffed-with-cheerleaders moment of the afternoon.
3:43 pm	nope. garth brooks just medley-ed into “shout.” this is the stuffed-with-cheerleaders moment. I guess “pie” was just the white-pickups part.
3:47 pm	celebrity #239 and #240 just spoke. can you imagine how big the greenroom must be?
4:01 pm	not one, but TWO songs by U2? Sparkler has left her mind. I repeat. Sparkler has left her mind.
4:07 pm	how do you follow that? two tethered eagles? ick.
4:10 pm	or, maybe, Obama?
4:18 pm	great speach. well written. made up for the awkward eagles thing.
4:24 pm	sing-a-long. I get the feeling I am in kindergarten, and beyonce is my teacher (WOHOO!)
4:35 pm	walking out.
4:38 pm	there is a boy on a leash rolling around on the ground like a dog. interesting lesson in socialized behavior.
4:46 pm	no way we are getting on public transportation. no way.
5:10 pm	wow! made it on a bus. a metro manager stopped a south bound S2 and turned it around in the middle of L street. it has these fuzzy seats, as if it were a charter. strange.
5:16 pm	Being interviewed by the Washington post. can’t wait to see how that story pans out. (pdf)
5:21 pm	final thought: if this many people showed for the concert, the inauguration is going to crazy. CRAZY!