Barack Obama ft. Michelle Obama - Blame It (Remix)

I knew from the 31 second mark when Palin came out on the dance floor that this shit was going to be hilarious. Ooh wee! I was rollin'. This could be on the radio. They should start asking radio stations to pick this up. The Michelle was so ridiculously on point! And Barack was puttin' the funk on it! "B-U-D-G-E-T... G-E-T." Mm, MM! Get it!

President Obama's Budget

Whether you see it as sharing the burden or redistributing wealth, President Obama's new budget definitely makes good on his promise of change. It just so happens to be change I can believe in ^_^. And anyway, the transparency is refreshing.

Read up on the Prez's plans.

Keith Olbermann on the passing of Prop 8

I'd like to know what goes through the minds of the people in support of this proposition as well. I'm having a difficult time understanding it myself.

This, I believe, is the tack that opponents of Prop 8 and similar initiatives need to take on. Many of my gay brethren are inciting me to get angry. To protest and to riot. To stop paying taxes, in some extreme cases. I just don't see what that would accomplish. While I'm sure there are many people who wouldn't support a gay man or woman's right to marry under any circumstance, I really think that many of the people against gay marriage simply believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. And being an angry queer really isn't going to change their position. Calling them discriminatory isn't going to get them to see your point of view. Barack Obama is about to become the first black President of the US and that gives me some assurance that this nation can change for the better. But, Barack didn't get to where he is today by playing the race card and calling the whites who didn't vote for him racist. Instead, he harped on the commonalities, put what makes him different aside and appealed to the wary in a way they could understand and appreciate. Gay activists should take some notes.

Not to be corny, but after Nov. 4th, I feel that nearly anything is possible for this country. (Though, an openly gay president is still a bit of a stretch...) I do believe that Americans will get it right eventually and do right by all its citizens. Understand, though, how infuriating it can feel to be told to wait. I just want to get married someday. Don't worry about explaining it to your kids, it probably won't be a big deal to them.

And They're in There!

Obama! Obama! Obama!

Last night was insane. I cried during his acceptance speech, I got trashed beyond reason, people were screaming and cheering in the streets... It was like New Years. But better. A very proud day for our country.

Congrats, B.

The day has come.

It's been a long road to Nov. 4th, but we finally made it. Today, the next president--along with the nation's future--will be decided. And I am nervous as all hell.

Most of the pundits and the polls are predicting an Obama victory. But there's a whole buncha crap that can go wrong. The Bradley effect, lazy voters, miscounts, conspiracies and what have you. But, as a resident of Obama's neighborhood, I don't think I'm being dramatic when I say if he doesn't win, all hell will break loose. I just hope everything goes smoothly. And I hope you all voted.

Come on, B.

Colin Powell has been 'BaRACKed'

Republican Colin Powell endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Sunday. I really appreciated his reasoning and I think it's worth a listen.

Yay for Cali!

Gosh, I've been neglecting this place. I almost feel guilty...

Anyways, California is moving in on Massachusetts' monopoly on gay marriage! Now gays can shop and get married in the same state! But, for serious, it's pretty heartening for me as a gay man and an American. Hope! As my dogg, Pa Rappa would say, "You gotta believe!" (It's 6am, I haven't slept, forgive me). One would think this would elicit responses from the presidential candidates but, up until now I haven't heard anything.

But, gosh darnit, even in the brightest times, there's always someone to knock you down. I stumbled upon this: 10 reasons why gay marriage should be illegal.

01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriages are allowed; the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

It Ends Tonight...

Or, at least it should. Voters in Vermont, Rhode Island, Texas, and Ohio are choosing today between Obama and Clinton. There's a lot of pressure on the Clinton campaign for her to perform well today; she stands to lose a lot of support from the Democratic party if she can't pull off some victories. Many in the party are rallying for her to stand down even now amidst worries that with McCain already locked in as the Republican candidate, he will be in a position to throw stones at an ongoing, lengthy Democratic primary.
Frankly, I believe all Obama has to do is hold steady. Even if Hillary does manage wins tonight in the big states Ohio and Texas, it's highly unlikely that she'll rack up enough delegates to take the lead away from Obama. Though it is rather lame to be called out of the fight before you've been knocked out, I honestly do feel that it's time for the Democratic party to rally behind a candidate, take aim at McCain, and ensure that our candidate gets into office. Hopefully, Obama can prove tonight that he should be that candidate.

Obama Crushes the Competition in SC

Obama wins the South Carolina primary with a commanding 55%, more than double the voters than his nearest competitor, Hillary Clinton. Read the article over at the NYTimes here.

The Times Picks Hillary

The Editorial Board of the NYTimes recently published their primary choices and they "strongly recommend" that we choose Hillary as our Democratic candidate. Read the full article here.

I've been supportive of Obama up until now, and while they make solid points about Hillary's viability as a candidate, there's still something about the way Obama speaks that draws me to him. And the opposite remains true of Hillary; when I see her speak, I don't trust her, I'm off-put. That's not particularly the best defense of Obama, but I think it matters. Maybe it's just the sign of a good politician but, I believe him when he says he wants to and is capable of transforming our nation, bringing it to a better place. And, he seems so above the petty parlor tricks candidates use to undermine one another, focusing more on what matters. There's just something about Hillary I don't like...I don't trust.

However, watching the South Carolina debate, I truly came to realize that I wouldn't exactly be devastated no matter who gets into office next year, as long as it's a Democrat. Even Edwards would be fine. Not to say that he's not a good candidate, I just believe he doesn't have very much of a chance of winning at this point. With Hillary and Barack, my feelings about them in abeyance, there is no great chasm between them in regards to the issues. I think they both pretty much want the same thing, it only comes down to who can beat the Republican candidate, and who can go on and make their vision for America reality.

And, honestly, the Times may have it right. It may be Hillary. We'll see. Americans want change, but maybe the change Obama's proposing is too radical for most to accept. Hillary's much bragged about experience may help her after all. She's familiar enough to trust.

Brrr...Brrr...Barack?

I will begin with this: It is freezing! Something ungodly like 17 degrees. It's awful.

With New York City so uncharacteristically frigid, I move about the house like some sort of ばけもの (monster), one with entirely too many articles of clothing on and blankets threatening to suffocate me at any moment. I've got my space heater on and poppin'. And of course, with this war against cold comes the risk that I'll overdo it, get too warm & cozy, and pass out randomly throughout the day.

Anyway, my point. I just woke up, an hour of my life lost to sleep, and my mother has the Iowa caucus coverage blaring from her television (which explains the weird ass dream I was having before waking). And Obama (yay) and Huckabee (ew) appear to be victorious. It is, in my eyes, quite the small victory. Not only is Iowa a poor representation of the U.S. demographically, it has been brought to light that Iowan caucus-goers are a poor representation of Iowa's population. But, since Iowa goes first in the nation, Iowa is 'hugely important.' You know, like in 4th grade? You go first, you're the man. And, I guess, a victory is a victory. What do you guys think?