Thank you John Edwards

John Edwards was my guy until recently when that upstart Barack Obama stole my heart. Edwards was constant in his words to what he set out saying when he threw his hat into the presidential ring. However, his message never gathered steam, and today he’s chosen to withdraw from the presidential race with class and grace, and for that, I thank him. His voice is one we needed.

Who will his supporters choose now? For me, it was always a clear-cut choice: either Edwards or Obama. Never did I consider Hillary Clinton. It was the electability issue. It was the arrogance, sense of entitlement and those “35 years of experience” in the ways of old-school politics and tactics. I never longed for a “co-presidency” and did not care to go “Back to the Future.”

So now Hillary’s put the choke collar on Bill and given it a big yank. Former President Clinton has chilled out his rhetoric but only after the Clinton campaign lost Sen. Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of Barack Obama--an endorsement that logically should have been hers.

Whether this endorsement will help Obama win over the hearts and votes of Hispanic voters and other core Democratic factions remains to be seen. However, the symbolism is striking. I hope he picks up some Edwards’ supporters too and that this combination will be enough to propel him ahead of Clinton, who continues to lead in some big states.

I do have great hope. Maybe you’ve seen the new Obama ads with Caroline Kennedy speaking over the images of her late father. Do you remember how energized and proud Americans were back then? The positive tone of this ad speaks to the reason Obama has touched so many tired Democrats who have for so long dutifully gone to the polls and voted with the party though disappointed and disillusioned.

Now, with Obama’s campaign we have a glimmer of hope that the old divisive and destructive ways of politics might change.

Hail to the Chief

PART I
With plenty of time left in the political season, I’ve opened a new cafepress.com shop called “Hail to the Chief.” Here are the first three designs. Of course, I started with the three Democrats I think most likely to have a shot at the party’s nomination: John Edwards, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I’m thinking of adding a token Republican just to see if any designs sell. Republicans have more money, don’t they? Republican readers, any suggestions? I was thinking maybe Rudy, Fred or Mitt. I’d appreciate your feedback since the mind of a Republican is rather foreign to this Yellow Dog.

Why Ann Coulter is Successful

Ann Coulter is provocative. That’s who she is. Yesterday’s Hardball with Chris Matthews exchange between Elizabeth Edwards and Coulter was predictable after the always quotable Coulter said on ABC’s Good Morning America, “if I’m going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.” And while I don’t blame Elizabeth Edwards for calling on Ann Coulter to take a vow to be more civil, no one really expects it from her. Her schick is this dare to offend, insult and provoke the democratic moderates and liberals as well as those republicans who possess an iota of dignity and civility. She’s very good at it. Don’t count on her to suddenly say, “You know Elizabeth, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Which brings me to my point. On one hand we all talk about the negative and impolite name-calling that Coulter, Bill Maher and others engage in and how awful it may be. Yet, Chris Matthews and other media honchos know TV is all about ratings. Have a controversial guest on, and well, everyone’s talking about it the next day.

Elizabeth Edwards is right, of course, that these media personalities who have been elevated to a cult-like status because of their exposure aren’t doing diddly-squat to help the political dialogue this country so desperately needs.

Ann Coulter is also right that she can say pretty much what she damn well pleases, but I don’t have to give her no never-mind. And neither do you.

Presidential Political Advice from the Alabama Kitchen Sink

Where do I start? First off, no one is immune to the foot-in-mouth disease compounded by audio and video coverage of every move or appearance for presidents or those aspiring to be president. Are you nuts? What a thankless job! Y’all have some pretty big egos to take it on, I’ll grant you that.

Let’s just look at last week’s installment of how not to get elected president and a bonus what can happen when you do.

John Edwards gets $400 haircuts and film of him primping with a compact mirror while a woman sprays the ‘do’ with hairspray ends up on YouTube with an “I Feel Pretty” soundtrack. Advice: John, I love ya’, but next time go down to the barbershop and get a cut. The kind of shop where they leave the hair on the floor until it builds up real good. Take a film crew with you. Chat with the old codgers while you’re at it. AKS Advice to John’s team: don’t allow the senator to be filmed with any mirrors, combs or hairspray.

John McClain tries to be funny with a take-off of an old Beach Boys song, ‘Ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann,’ except his version is Bom bom bom bom bom Iran. AKS Advice: Senator McClain please refrain from singing or making jokes. You look so uncomfortable. AKS Advice to handlers: what are you guys doing to this candidate? He’s self-destructing. Senator, find a coffeeshop, you know the one where all the old war veterans hang out for their morning coffee and visit it. Definitely not Starbucks. Take a film crew with you.

Tommy Thompson complains about the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel which suggests he pull out of the presidential race after the former Wisconsin governor says making money is “part of the Jewish tradition.” AKS Advice: Governor, quit bellyaching and tone down the dye-job on the hair. AKS Advice to campaign team: figure out a message fast because I have no idea what Thompson stands for, and if former Senator Fred Thompson gets into the race, your guy is toast. Sorry, but he already is.

And I saved the best for last. President Bush deviates from the prepared speech and takes questions at Tippecanoe High in Ohio with apparently the world’s oldest students judging from the audience shown in the video (look at Keith Olberman's site on MSNBC if you can bear it) of the loopy appearance. AKS Advice: Sir, any conversation that involves a discussion of “chicken plucking factories or whatever you call them” is going to leave people shaking their heads and wondering what were you thinking or more likely, have you forgotten how to speak without a script. AKS Advice to the team: you guys are one swell bunch and you’re doing everything just right. Don’t change a thing except encourage the President to do more impromptu speaking.

Hanging in There

There’s been a flurry of activity over at my CafePress shop, hanging in there, since last week and I think it must have something to do with Elizabeth Edwards. It’s strange since I don’t wear the pink ribbon myself, but I think it does send a message although there are days when I’d like to forget the words breast cancer.

I thank those of you buying CafePress stuff with my designs. I sent a donation yesterday to breastcancer.org as promised.

Maybe one day. Soon. Til then, “Believe.”

The Truth Matters

“Your boy goofed,” son one e-mailed me last week while including the link to the Slate piece about a John Edwards DVD on health care that was sent to Iowa caucus voters. The marketers/editors had engaged in some fancy and deceptive editing which involved taking remarks John Edwards made about the war in Iraq and applying them to health care. Was it a benign error simply the result of good intentions gone astray?

I haven’t read much about this nor have I seen a response from John Edwards. I know zealous campaign workers sometimes get out of hand without their candidate’s direct knowledge. But don’t think I’m letting John Edwards off the hook. Someone in the campaign should have been aware of this bad edit. And I always say the buck stops at the top.

There will be other goofs on the part of other candidates, and it looks like for me, at least, who I support will come down to which candidate makes the fewest blunders. That is unless it is Hillary Clinton, and UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL I SUPPORT HILLARY CLINTON. The last time this Yellow Dog Democrat took that dramatic a stand was when Jimmy Carter ran for re-election and I sat that one out.

However the ‘bad edit’ concerns me on another level and that is on the subject of visual and auditory honesty in marketing and communications. Anyone who knows a little about Photoshop knows how easy it is to make the false appear real. There seems to be an attitude of if it looks or sounds good, it is. I still hope a third question is pondered: is it true and honest?

Oh sure, Playboy used to airbrush the imperfections out of photos for the oh-so-perfect Playmates long before Photoshop came along. College marketers will sometimes use stock photos of people who are not their students--not my husband of course, but he did tell me of a conversation with an outside advertising consultant who used the stock photos because she said, “the real students are too ugly.” I imagine advertisers are likewise guilty in their haste to make their products sell.

But what I am asking is, remember to question. Remember that angles matter. What is left out can be as important as what is left in. Take the time to question and think for yourself.