I have to admit, my eyes welled up when Hillary crescendoed just now with the Harriet Tubman reference. Seriously. Best. Hillary. Ever. Josh Marshall notes, correctly I think, that she simply could not have given a speech like that before the campaign. I’d go one step further: she couldn’t give a speech like that during the campaign either. But tonight she rose to it. Here’s the prepped text.

Bill’s still kindof a dick though, not just because he’s missing Obama’s big Thursday shebang…

No TV? I’m streaming on CSPAN.org… (more…)

His ‘coverage’ starts tonight at 11pm on location in Denver with guest Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. Check out Comedy Central’s Indecision 2008 site for their live blog etc.

This is an open letter to Kimberly Ahern, the only Rhode Island delegate I know. Kim — say hello to Al Franken for me and tell Michelle O. that I love that purple dress. [ed. note: Beth is a shallow dope. Kimberly is exactly not a dope.] Channel 10 has pointed out that Rhode Island’s seating assignment at the convention is a little distressing (roughly 3 o’clock in the above diagram, up in the nose-bleeds). The delegation is seated behind the Virgin Islands and American Samoa. *harumph* But I’m sure you will be running around all over the place impressing the hell out of everyone. Have a great week, Kim.

(Check out Matt Jerzyk’s pix on Rhode Island’s Future)

In case you didn’t get the 3 am text from ObamaWorld, OBAMA HAS CHOSEN BIDEN! LONG LIVE OBAMA/BIDEN 08!

Sorry Tim Kaine fans. Biden’s as safe as Fort Knox, but, on the other hand, he’s got some obvious strong points - he’s a wicked smart politician who can play the bulldog (remember when he singlehandedly destroyed Rudy Giuliani’s campaign with one line), who’s good with them Democratic base, who’s relatively unexposed to party splitting Hillaryism, and, perhaps most importantly, he’s the potential pick (with the possible exception of Bill Richardson) who can bring some gravitas to the ticket without overshadowing the main man.

To repeat: It’s Biden. Woop woop.

Rock out and rock the vote this Sunday at the WBRU Dunkin Donuts Summer Concert Series.

Volunteers from the Secretary of State’s office will spend the afternoon on the Providence waterfront registering fans of Paramore, Jack’s Mannequin, Phantom Planet and Paper Route.

The voter registration drive is part of our push to get younger voters to the polls in 2008. The goal is to improve turnout among 18-to-24-year-olds leading up to the 2008 elections.

In order to register to vote, you must turn 18 by November 4, be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Rhode Island and have a valid social security number or Rhode Island driver’s license.

Catch us at the concert this Sunday or download a voter registration form. For more info, contact me at 222-4293 or cbarnett@sec.state.ri.us.

Secretary of State Mollis is reminding Rhode Islanders they have until tomorrow, August 9, to register to vote in the September 9 primary.

Even though the deadline to register to vote falls on a Saturday, our office at 148 West River St. in Providence will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow. In addition, We put together a list of the locations in every city and town that will be open on Saturday so people can take advantage of the extra day to register to vote. The Providence Board of Canvassers will be on the job at City Hall tomorrow from 1 to 4 p.m. (more…)

Scope Paris Hilton’s response to McCain’s attempt to bash Obama by comparing him to her [despite her family’s hundreds of thousands in donations to McCain and the RNC]:

I’ll be the first to defend Tyra Banks…on most occasions. Ever since I read Lynn Hirschberg’s profile of the model/mogul in the New York Times magazine, I’ve felt that Tyra—despite the sometimes ridiculous and offensive segments on her talk show—deserves ample praise for the empire she built, the brains she’s got and, duh, for ANTM. But now she’s gone and done something pretty tasteless. Yes, they’re both strong, black women, but this Harper’s BAZAAR photo shoot in which Tyra enacts a day in the life of (future) First Lady Michelle Obama is horrendous.

If you haven’t seen Daily Show contributor Wyatt Cenac’s hilarious trip to Boca, the video is worth a watch.

It also brings up a recurring if tangential line of thinking about the campaign: are old Jews in Florida going to mess this thing up for Obama? The answer, of course is no. While Aunt Millie and a couple nutbags will no doubt voice their support for John McCain, trying to sell their racist aversion to Obama as an undying love for Hillary, the bottom line is that they, like Joe Lieberman, are Republicans, and should just come out and say so.

And while we’re at it, let’s also put the idea that older Jews are going to bolt where it belongs: along side the idea that progressives will move to Nader, or that McCain has any shot at not being crushed with young voters or labor. Obama will keep the base, and that includes the vast majority of Jewish voters. While Boca octogenarians may be a harder sell, they will be/are melting with nachas when reminded that Barack=Baruch.

[UPDATE: On the other hand, peep former NY Gov Mario Cuomo still sitting on his hands…]

If that whole Obama/New Yorker cover thing made you unhappy… but you weren’t quite sure why… and you didn’t want to look like a humorless Obama nut… but it didn’t seem funny… but you couldn’t explain why it wasn’t funny… good news. Lee Siegel, writing for The New York Times has it all figured out. It’s a great piece.

The Obama team stunned us all with their decision to move his nomination acceptance speech from the 19,000–seat Pepsi Center to the 76,000–seat Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos. Today, the Dems’ Convention Committee announced another exciting twist, in the form of three special performances: Kanye West, Wyclef Jean, and N.E.R.D.

Rolling Stone reports:

This year’s Democratic National Convention Committee revealed that a trio of hip-hop artists — Kanye West, Wyclef Jean and N.E.R.D. — will perform when the party gets together in Denver. A native of Barack Obama’s Chicago, West was likely included to keep all those politicians’ egos in check. Let’s just hope Obama’s speech doesn’t run long, otherwise Democrats might be in for a long night. Wyclef is becoming as well known for his humanitarian work with Haiti as his music, so his appearance at the convention makes sense. The most left-field pick is N.E.R.D., though the Democrats obviously view the band’s single “Everybody Nose” — with its chorus of “All the girls standing in the line for the bathroom” — as a shocking indictment of the current administration’s futile War on Drugs.

Other celebrities slated for attendance include Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, but let’s pray that Scarlett isn’t performing.

From Chris Barnett at the Secretary of State’s office, w learn that potential candidates best get crackin’:

Today at 4 p.m. is the deadline for candidates to submit the signatures of enough eligible Rhode Island voters to get on the ballot this year, according to Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis.

Rhode Islanders can track the progress of all of the candidates who are vying for a spot on the ballot by visiting the Secretary of State’s web site.
.
Every morning Mollis will update the number of signatures that have been certified for every candidate in their quest to appear on the ballot.

Signature papers already have started to trickle in to local boards of canvassers, according to Mollis. Among the candidates who appear to already have made the cut are House Majority Leader Gordon Fox and House
Finance Committee Chairman Steve Costantino, both Providence Democrats. [As we know, Daily Dose Maven David Segal will too].

The Secretary of State has until July 18 to finish certifying the names in order for candidates to officially be placed on the ballot for the September 9 primary or November 4 election.

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Ericka J. Atwell, a senior at Rhode Island College, was impeached from her position as the school’s Student Community Government Deputy Speaker in March, but she’s decided to give politics another go…with more on the line. After having been found guilty of circulating candidacy petitions on behalf of other students—an action forbidden by RIC SCG bylaws—the 22-year-old has filed to run for District 27 State Representative as a Republican against incumbent Representative Patricia A. Serpa.

Atwell’s Republican primary challenger, Thomas K. Jones, questions the wisdom of his party in endorsing this controversial young woman. “If the Republican Party is going to be taken seriously in Rhode Island,” he told the ProJo, “We need to run serious candidates with a track record of being involved in their communities.”

Atwell, who learned a great deal about political integrity during her internship with Governor Carcieri, explains, “I’ve moved on to bigger and better things. I loved serving the students and working with the administration, but I learned that sometimes you have to cut your losses and move forward.”

In an earlier version of this post, I alluded to an inside rumor about Ericka J. Atwell campaigning in a mini-dress and heels. I apologize for including this piece of gossip, although it did come from a fairly credible source. As a young woman active in politics, I often resent the extent to which I must dress more formally and frigidly than my male counterparts in order to be taken seriously, and it would be a shame to propagate rumors about a young female candidate—rumors that very well might be aimed at discrediting her based on her age and appearance—when I myself am so familiar with this struggle. I apologize for including that tidbit.  If it’s true, however, it’s still hilarious, not to mention totally inappropriate.

BBQ today chez Ari et moi. 5 - 8 P.M. at 63 Governor Street. Not a fundraiser; this is a chance to register to vote in District 2, to find out why you should support David’s campaign for reelection, and to sign up to volunteer. Oh, and we have a very big trampoline.

Seems that a top fundraiser for McCain last year plead guilty to a little terrorist funding.

From the HuffPo: “Carl H. Lindner Jr., the billionaire Cincinnati businessman, was CEO of Chiquita Brands International from 1984 to 2001, and remained on the company’s board of directors until May 2002. Beginning under his tenure, Chiquita executives paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (known by the Spanish acronym AUC), which is described by George Washington University’s National Security Archive as an “illegal right-wing anti-guerrilla group tied to many of the country’s most notorious civilian massacres.”

“Late last week, Lindner co-hosted a $25,000-per-person fundraiser for McCain and the Republican Party in the wealthy Indian Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. The event raised about $2 million; Lindner also serves on McCain’s Ohio Victory Team”

One of my mentors here at Brown, renowned conservative-economist-turned-social-activist Glenn C. Loury, frequently debates cultural critic John McWhorter in dialogues about race and politics on Bloggingheads.tv. On Sunday, their conversation turned to hip-hop (the focus of McWhorter’s new book All About the Beat: Why Hip-Hop Can’t Save Black America), Barack Obama, and the effect of each on Black America.

While I applaud Loury’s defense of hip-hop and appreciate McWhorter’s defense of Obama, I take issue with the false dichotomy these scholars have erected between the two. Loury says hip-hop is politically-charged and Barack Obama’s message is destructive; McWhorter says hip-hop is destructive in a way that counters the positive message of Barack Obama. But hip-hop, at its roots, is political, and many of its leaders have long championed Obama’s message and agenda through their words and rhymes. Obama, in kind, has become one of few mainstream voices for the ideology that underlies hip-hop.

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