Small victories in Wisconsin

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Tuesday April 05, 2011 · 9:05 PM PDT

2011/04/05 · 21:05

I live and work in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Two of our Alderman elections were won by people I know and respect. Both were first-timers.

I just got back from an election party for Christoph Wahl who won a write-in election against an unopposed teabagger. Amazing. He did it in 10 days. 10 days. A write-in campaign.

Cristoph is an organ builder and was born, raised and educated here.

The other winner is Teege Metille who worked his butt off and won a lopsided victory against an incumbent.

Teege is an admissions counselor for Lawrence University, a prestigious liberal-arts university tucked under the covers here.

This is big and it's nice. The town I live in has a progressive backbone and just showed it. The birthplace of Joe McCarthy.

Nice.

Appleton is part of the Green Bay/Oshkosh corridor (probably the biggest by population) and from what I can tell, leans conservative (I'm a recent emigré from Brooklyn, NYC).

Wahl and Metille are progressive. And they won. Impressively.

In Prosser's back yard.

Small victories.

Appleton, WI has two more progressive voices in elected positions.

Nice.

I like the small victories. They smell like big ones.

BettyPageisaBlonde

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Tuesday November 04, 2008 · 7:29 PM PST

2008/11/04 · 19:29

I wrote the following almost two years ago:

Words matter. The way we say things matter. For good and for bad. They matter. Our ideas can only catch fire when we find a way to phrase them in such a way that people not only understand what we're saying, but that we're inspired by them

I watched Obama talk this morning and I will admit that I got a little teary. He spoke of higher things and higher callings and I was moved. I'm 37, born in 1969 and all the great speakers were dead by that time. King, RFK... I've listened to Cuomo in 1984 and Jackson in 1988 and they were good speeches but... they still lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. They felt like well said critiques rather than calls to higher action.

I'm no naif. I was an actor for a long time doing the "classics" and have had my fair share of speaking beautiful words. They're powerful indeed. I also spent my fair time around pastors who worked with words as well.

I'm now 39 and I'm frankly surprised at how much water has gone under the bridge since then. Time is a slippery beast.

BettyPageisaBlonde

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Thursday October 16, 2008 · 6:56 PM PDT

2008/10/16 · 18:56

Rachel Maddow interrupted her show to show the live feed from the Al Smith Dinner here in New York City.

Both Obama and McCain appeared and spoke.

The Al Smith dinners are like Friar's Roasts for politicians.

McCain was funny. Really funny. And at first I was really worried, because, well this was the McCain I kind of liked many moons ago.

Could Barack be funny?

Yes. Yes he could.

And he did a solid bit of one-liners and good jokes.

And then he went somewhere else. He got serious. And it was like the New Hampshire speech. It was beautiful and he brought it up at a high-roller dinner let's-pretend-that-everything-is-great-because-we're-rich kind of event.

It was genius.

I hope I can find video of them both. Because you should see the whole thing.

BettyPageisaBlonde

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday September 29, 2008 · 8:50 PM PDT

2008/09/29 · 20:50

I really hesitated all day to write this, but... I'm transgender and our Trans for Obama day has been a real success. We just want to make our final goal.

So here's the deal:

We're only 8 donors to meeting our goal of 200 transgender people and allies to reach 200 at ActBlue today.

I know, I know, transgender? We're the T in the LGB and we're trying to make our voice heard this election. So... if you're an ally or are trans yourself, we've got 25 minutes left to make our goal.

Shoot, do it for Isis (the trans participant in America's Next Model - she took a major risk in doing that show). Do it for Angie Zapata.

Or just do it for someone you know in your own life.

We're just behind Wesley Clark's ActBlue page. We're in the top 10. We're Americans and we vote. At the ballot and in the marketplace. Mostly, we're people.

Help us make 200! We've only got 10 minutes left.

BettyPageisaBlonde

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Tuesday February 05, 2008 · 9:15 PM PST

2008/02/05 · 21:15

After 5+ years of reading this place, I can't quite think of another phrase that wraps up us in any better way.

In this this nascent post-Bush era, after all of our arguments, our passions, our travails...

Oh, fuck that noise, how 'bout our personal stories of anguish over that little bit of our country that got fucked up; our joined stories of "you've got to be fucking kidding me"; and most importantly our sense of "what the fuck happened to our country?"

I'm tired of fighting over every little thing...

We are the change we are waiting for.

Root for who you want, but damnit: that line rings true.

Maria Shriver Endorses Obama

BettyPageisaBlonde

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Sunday February 03, 2008 · 2:54 PM PST

2008/02/03 · 14:54

Wow. I was watching C-Span's coverage of Michelle Obama's stemwinder (really, it is) and boom - Mrs. Governator.

That's cool, cool, cool.

And what up with Michelle? She's a doozy at the speechifying herself. I'm just kind of trying to avoid the pre SuperBowl hoopla and bam! there's this kick ass speech by her. Oprah was great, but damn, Michelle is awesome.

How could you not be excited?!?

BettyPageisaBlonde

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday January 31, 2008 · 6:59 PM PST

2008/01/31 · 18:59

We've got two kickass candidates fighting out one of the most important elections in our lifetime. Either way history - real history - will be made.

That's fucking cool.

Cool beans.

I'm for Obama in this race, but I'll support Hillary just as enthusiastically.

They're both cool, people. They're not perfect, but I really think their heart is in the right place. When you boil it all down it really seems to be the most important thing. Their heart is in the right place.

Yeah, mooshy. I know. I don't care. Throw it at me.

I felt more like a Democrat tonight watching that debate than at any other time in my life (I'm 38).

I think we might have arrived campers. I think we might just have arrived.

The Power of Rhetoric

BettyPageisaBlonde

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday February 10, 2007 · 9:04 PM PST

2007/02/10 · 21:04

Words matter. The way we say things matter. For good and for bad. They matter. Our ideas can only catch fire when we find a way to phrase them in such a way that people not only understand what we're saying, but that we're inspired by them

I watched Obama talk this morning and I will admit that I got a little teary. He spoke of higher things and higher callings and I was moved. I'm 37, born in 1969 and all the great speakers were dead by that time. King, RFK... I've listened to Cuomo in 1984 and Jackson in 1988 and they were good speeches but... they still lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. They felt like well said critiques rather than calls to higher action.

I'm no naif. I was an actor for a long time doing the "classics" and have had my fair share of speaking beautiful words. They're powerful indeed. I also spent my fair time around pastors who worked with words as well.

more...

BettyPageisaBlonde

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday February 09, 2007 · 3:21 PM PST

2007/02/09 · 15:21

When I turned on the television yesterday to get my daily ration of Tweety (Hardball), BowTie (Tucker), and TheBeard (The Situation Room) I was met with preemption. On a day when the prosecution rested in the Scooter Libby trial; another helicopter went down in Iraq; and 4 more soldiers died; I was preempted.

With what?

The death of Anna Nicole Smith. Evidently, the death of someone in our ridiculous pantheon of celebrity is more important. The Gods are angry... and bummed! We must pay penance and be subjected to endless nonsense about someone who did next to nothing but be white, buxom and blonde. Oh, right, and titillate our sensibilities. Or something like that.

(more on the flip - I always wanted to write that!)

BettyPageisaBlonde

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday July 09, 2004 · 1:10 PM PDT

2004/07/09 · 13:10

Tristan Taormino, sex columnist for the Village Voice has just written a really genius column on the whole Jack Ryan sex fiasco.

Jeri Ryan's story points to a common problem of couple sexual incompatibility, but it goes beyond that: Her husband tricked and coerced her into going places she didn't want to, both literally and figuratively. Jack Ryan still stands by his statement that her allegations aren't true, while attempting to spin the story in all sorts of ways. He's a victim of the media. He didn't break any laws. He was not unfaithful. He just wanted to have sex with his wife (I feel your pain on that point, dude). As he said on 20/20, "We've had people elected to office who have done things that are much worse than that." Yeah, Jack, but they're Democrats.
More on the flip... Read More

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We Need Eight! (Updated)

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Maria Shriver Endorses Obama

How could you not be excited?!?

The Power of Rhetoric

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