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May 29, 2006
The Besser Party
By Mike Shea/Cleveland Stonewall
Remember the Three Stooges?
The third stooge besides Moe and Larry ended up being the revolving door for the group. First they had Moe’s brother, Curly, during their heyday until he suffered a stroke. Then they brought in Moe’s other brother, Shemp, until he had a heart attack in the back seat of a cab. They wanted Curly Joe DeRita, the one that ended up doing their feature films in the 1960’s but he wasn’t interested so, instead, Moe ended up approaching an old vaudeville friend, Joe Besser. Besser, who would end up being well-known for playing the child brat “Stinky” on the Abbott & Costello television show in the 1950’s, was hesistant to join the Stooges because he didn’t agree with the violence they used in their act and he didn’t want to do anything that was negatively impressionable on their sizeable kiddie audience. So, Moe, reluctantly, but desperately, agreed to not hit Besser as long as he joined the act, and fast.
That’s why whenever you see the Stooges shorts with Besser in them, the signature slap, bonk and poke of the team is blatantly missing from their act. Instead, what you have is Besser lightly punching Moe’s arm in the most effeminately manner possible while whining, “Oh, I’m gonna give you such a pinch!”
And Moe responds, “Why I aughtta…” And then proceeds to do nothing.
(more)
Flash back to the first term of George W. Bush on September 25, 2002. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle is standing on the Senate floor mad as hell. The news channels that night lead with: “In a blistering salvo delivered on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle lashed out at Bush, saying the administration was doing just that and had impugned Senate Democrats in the process. Daschle, D-South Dakota, read through a litany of comments from administration and GOP figures about Iraq, including one from Bush who was quoted by The Washington Post Wednesday as saying the Senate was "not interested in the security of the American people." The Senate is controlled by Democrats. “Not interested in the security of the American people?" Daschle said. "You tell Sen. Inouye he's not interested in the security of the American people. You tell those who fought in Vietnam and in World War II they're not interested in the security of the American people. That is outrageous. Outrageous. The president ought to apologize." (CNN.com)
The funny thing was that Daschle didn’t deliver a “blistering salvo” at all. When he spit out the words “outrageous” it wasn’t in a raised voice or with a slam on the podium with his fist. He stood there and just look, I dunno, miffed, irritated, like he just got a bad wedgie from the school jock.
And that was what a Democrat looked like mad(?) I just imagined the threatened pinch was gonna come next in the speech. The Democratic Party talked about getting mad. But never did.
So we lost in 2002 and then again in 2004 because there were too many that run the campaigns and the think-tanks that fought like Joe did in those movies.
I always laugh (inside because if you did it in their face they get insulted) when someone says if we had gotten 24,000 more votes in Ohio or whatever the number is this week, everything would have been different. Nah.
Every election cycle since Karl Rove showed up, the press and Rove spell out in clear, bullet-point releases what their plan of attack is going to be in the next election. And each time the Democrats end up the day after the election scratching their heads among the devastation going, “Wow- how did that happen??” The Democratic Party of 2004 should have blown away the GOP and we all know it.
The question is this: Are we going to do it again this year?
At some point, our party needs to dump the people with no balls and go for it. Follow our guts and just speak the truth. We have already seen the DC press corp start fawning over Senator McCain because, well, he IS the “straight-talking express”, right? So we already know that he’ll be given a pass on any flip-flop or back-peddle because, well, he’s McCain.
If we back candidates that aren’t “straight-talking” but are instead “poll-talking”, we’ll lose again. It won’t matter how much money we have or not. The American people want some blunt talk. Not safe talk.
We have to stop listening to and hiring the people within our Party that keep us as The Besser Party.
Posted by Mike at 10:46 PM | Permalink |
Memorial Day
The authors of TrailMix would like to remember the patriots who have sacrificed their own lives for the sake of our nation. We appreciate, and are grateful to, our brothers and sisters who have died in the service of fellow Americans. As we remember those who have died fighting for our country, we also extend our appreciation to all veterans and those currently serving our country in the Armed Forces.
Thank you.
Posted by TrailMix at 12:23 PM | Permalink |
May 25, 2006
Soul Patrol
"Woooh! (Nervous Tick) (Nervous Lurch) Woooh! Soul Patrol!"
America has voted...now we'll let you agree or vent your ("Woooh!") frustration.
Posted by TrailMix at 08:51 AM | Permalink |
May 19, 2006
All Up in His Grill
Please forgive TrailMix for the very dated early-90s headline we gave to this entry. However, we thought it best described the face-off between Democratic Senator Russ Feingold and Republican Senator Arlen Specter yesterday in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Lets go to the Associated Press account of what was said:
"I don't need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I," Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., shouted after Sen. Russ Feingold declared his opposition to the amendment, his affinity for the Constitution and his intention to leave the meeting. "If you want to leave, good riddance," Specter finished.
"I've enjoyed your lecture, too, Mr. Chairman," replied Feingold, D-Wis., who is considering a run for president in 2008. "See ya."
And we, Arlen, wouldn't want to be ya. Although he touts himself as a moderate, Arlen Specter continues to use his committee chairmanship to do the bidding of Bill Frist, having twice now promoted the anti-marriage amendment to the full Senate. One thing is for sure - this wouldn't have happened with a Democrat in Specter's seat as chair.
Posted by TrailMix at 12:14 PM | Permalink |
May 18, 2006
No Flowers or Candy...Or Iraqi Florists
This is disturbing. Life under Saddam Hussein was brutal, but a few things were allowed to flourish a little more than other areas of the Middle East - secularism, women's rights and apparently gay culture. Its not as if Baghdad was the San Francisco of the Fertile Crescent (gay life was more like that in a small, Mississippi town), but it appears that Iraq has become less tolerant of its gay (and Jewish, and secular) citizens since the tyrant was overthrown.
According to the Times of London, militias have been hunting down Baghdad's gay community and systematically executing them. "We could never envisage this happening when Saddam was overthrown," one Iraqi gay activist told the paper. " I had no love for the former President, but his regime never persecuted the gay community." Another example of how poor planning on the part of the administration has failed both the military and the people of Iraq.
Posted by TrailMix at 10:52 AM | Permalink | | TrackBack
May 14, 2006
Cornel West on Gays
I have always liked, loved and respected Cornell West as one of the most brilliant Black minds walking the face of the Earth. This only proved it...again.
On the Bill Maher Show with guests John Legend, Richard Clarke and Brother Cornel West, West once again says what so few Black people are willing to say in front of a camera.
Posted by Jasmyne at 09:36 PM | Permalink |
May 11, 2006
This is So Much More Crazy than Paula
We're not sure which was the more startling news this morning - that Chris Daughtry was (wrongfully) voted off American Idol last night, or that George W. Bush knew beforehand that Katharine McPhee would sail through to the final three. What good is phone-tapping and having an army if we can't prevent things like that?
Katie Couric gave both news stories equal play this morning on the Today show. After sharing her dismay that Chris was voted off, she jumped right into the breaking news that the National Security Agency (NSA) had collected massive amounts of phone records on average Americans from the three largest phone companies. The agency has admitted that most of the records collected were of everyday citizens who were not suspected of terrorist links.
You know that feeling of shame you got when you look over your Cingular bill to see that you, indeed, voted for Taylor Hicks 8 times last month (again, thats IDOLS-02)? You should feel embarrassed as well. The nannies in the federal government who hacked into your phone records apparently know your shameful secret.
Paula can'tbelieve that Cingular sold her out.
(Thanks to The Malcontent for the Idol pics)
Posted by TrailMix at 09:26 AM | Permalink |
A Time to Speak, Not Just Misspeak
Yesterday, Governor Dean appeared on the 700 Club to talk about Democratic efforts to reach out to evangelical voters. That was a good thing. Democrats should be talking about the values that many evangelicals share with our party.
However, Governor Dean told the program that the 2004 Democratic Platform defines marriage as between a man and a woman. That wasn't a good thing - and was inaccurate. Governor Dean may well have mispoke, but the Chair of our national party should know that Democrats are against the federal government defining marriage for individual states. That is what Republican believe.
I'll take Governor Dean at his word that he incorrectly spoke. However, as this story grows it is time for the DNC to not just defend its support for our community, but to proactively talk about how support for LGBT families benefits our nation.
It is time for the DNC to present its plan on how our party will encourage Democrats to work against anti-family initiatives that Republicans have placed before statewide ballots this fall. It is time to offer their plan on how the party will excite and motivate our community to vote for Democrats in 2006. I know many of our members are ready to partner with the committee in those efforts This is an opportunity that is too important for the DNC to let slip by.
Posted by John at 09:24 AM | Permalink | | TrackBack
May 10, 2006
Ken Mehlman Comes Out
Its been a busy week, but still - I shouldn't have missed this.
"I’m not gay. But those stories did a number on my dating life for six months".
Republican Party Chair Ken Mehlman, responding to a question about his sexual orientation following the White House correspondents dinner last weekend (New York Daily News, May 2)
I believe that this is the first time that Mehlman has come out of the closet as a heterosexual. Previously, Mehlman refused to discuss his sexual orientation with the press. Although, some believe Ken has been asking the public to accept his heterosexuality with subtle cries over the past year.
Posted by John at 11:41 AM | Permalink |
May 09, 2006
Mayoral Hopefuls Speak with Stonewall Members
We attended the mayoral forum of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club last night here in Washington, DC. Gertrude Stein is our local chapter in the District of Columbia - and one of the oldest LGBT Democratic clubs in the country.
For more pictures of the event, which was moderated by Washington Post columnist Colby King, click here.
Posted by TrailMix at 12:17 PM | Permalink |
May 04, 2006
On Immigration, Blacks Need to Wake Up!
The alliance between blacks and the vigilante group the Minutemen is very similar to the alliance between black Christian evangelicals and white Christian evangelicals and conservatives on the issue of gay civil rights: suspect.
The Minutemen have made a concerted effort to reach out to blacks on the issue of illegal immigration, playing into the fears and hysteria of many in the community.
Today I attended a rally and press conference for the kick-off of the Minutemen's Washington, D.C., caravan -- held in a Leimert Park, Los Angeles, one of the few primarily black neighborhoods left in Los Angeles. Tensions were high as many blacks joined their white counterparts in denouncing illegal immigrants.
Similar to the 2004 presidential election debacle where blacks were being persuaded to vote for President Bush because he opposed civil rights for gays, blacks are being used by the Minutemen to support their illegal immigration agenda.
By and large blacks have little in common with the Minutemen. As with white conservatives, on any other issue important to blacks we would probably be on opposing sides with Minutemen members.
But by the same token, immigrants rights supporters have done virtually nothing to counteract the messaging to blacks by the Minutemen. The Latino leadership has done very little real coalition building with blacks on common issues, and for the most part do not include blacks in their planned protests and marches, except for the occasional token speaker.
The Minutemen, love them or hate them, have done what the immigrant rights supporters have not done with blacks, and that's talk to them.
What we are seeing happen in the immigration debate is not new. We saw it in 2004 with gay marriage and President Bush's Faith Based Initiative Program, which brought black mega-church pastors to the White House for photo ops and press conferences denouncing lesbians and gays.
This is a deliberate attempt to divide the black community.
We are expected to either side with the vigilantes or the illegal immigrants, neither of which have blacks' best interests at heart.
It's time that blacks start to care about their own interests and stop being bamboozled by groups like the Minutemen. Siding with the Minutemen is like siding with the KKK.
Illegal immigrants aren't the cause of the apathy found in black communities around the country, blacks are.
The Minutemen are here today in our communities and will be gone tomorrow, but we will still be here living in the same conditions as before.
America does need immigration reform. But blacks cannot fault illegal immigrants for doing what blacks should have done years ago: unite.
The last time the masses of blacks gathered in Los Angeles was for the funeral of Stanley Tookie Williams. The irony is that not once in Los Angeles did the number of activists trying to save Williams life ever get anywhere close to the thousands of people who showed up for his funeral.
While illegal immigration has affected the black community, it's black people who are to blame for the current crisis in black America. Siding with the Minutemen is not going to change that.
It's time for black people to wake up and start handling business in our community.
Posted by Jasmyne at 12:05 AM | Permalink |
May 03, 2006
Kathy Hopes TV Gives Her a Better Reception
Katherine Harris just put up her first commercial of her Senate campaign. In it, she touts her support for the anti-marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution and her defense of "our most sacred institutions." Its funny, but as my State Senator in college, Harris was once known as a fag-hag - her chief issue was "the arts."
Posted by John at 01:49 PM | Permalink |
May 01, 2006
Immigrant Rights Supporters Must Reach Out to Blacks
Immigrant rights leaders have repeatedly and with great pride compared the movement for humane immigration reform to the great civil rights battles of the 1960s. They have cited the Poor Peoples March in 1968, the high esteem that Cesar Chavez held for Dr. Martin Luther King, and the unequivocal support that top civil rights leaders and the Congressional Black Caucus has given to immigrant rights as solid models of black and brown cooperation. Yet, despite these public pronouncements, there has been no sustained movement to build any real coalitions with blacks on the immigration issue.
That has led to confusion and even anger. California Legislative Black Caucus Chair Assemblyman Mervyn M. Dymally came out in support of humane immigration reform. Dymally, who is was born in Trinidad and became the first foreign born black member of Congress, in a statement on his website said that “While I have not participated in any of the demonstrations because I was never invited by the organizers to do so, Assemblymember Joe Coto, vice-chair of the California Legislative Latino Caucus knows of my support for the demonstrations.”
While a Field Poll in California found that blacks -- by a bigger percentage than whites, and even American-born Latinos -- backed liberal immigration reform measures little has been done on the side of immigrant rights groups to work with blacks on issues that both groups have in common.
The Field Poll does not paint an accurate portrait of the feelings of most blacks on illegal immigration.
The majority of blacks feel as if the illegal immigration debate is a single-issue fight that does not include them. Immigrant rights leaders have been MIA at rallies and gatherings on issues that blacks find important including renewal of certain parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that are due to expire in 2007, police misconduct, improving failing inner city public schools, and most importantly the astronomical crisis of black joblessness among young blacks. Particularly since it is perceived by most blacks that illegal immigrants take jobs away from blacks.
The NAACP's mission statement reads: The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. But unlike the NAACP, the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), which has been a major backer of the immigrant rights protests, has not spoken out continually and relentlessly for black rights issues. Its mission statement reads: The Mexican American Political Association, founded in Fresno, California in 1960, has been, and is, dedicated to the constitutional and democratic principle of political freedom and representation for the Mexican and Hispanic people of the United States of America. There is no mention of blacks, poor whites or even other immigrant groups, just Latinos.
This lack of an interracial message in the fight for civil rights has been heard loud and clear by blacks in America.
When black members of the Minutemen Project held a protest in a predominantly black neighborhood in Los Angeles, immigrant activist and MAPA president Nativo Lopez said that he believes they are out of step with most black leaders and that both blacks and Hispanics face the same problems.
While many blacks denounce the Minutemen, blacks, especially in Los Angeles, are not completely supportive of illegal immigrants.
With the exception of a few marginalized black leaders, blacks in general have not come out in support of illegal immigrant rights but many have gathered opposing illegal immigration.
While Spanish language continues to be a huge divide in communicating between blacks and Latinos, Black brown relations will continue to be strained as long as blacks are the only ones reaching out to Latinos to build coalitions.
Latinos who want to change the mindset of blacks on illegal immigrants' rights must make a visible and concerted effort to reach out to blacks and not just on immigrant rights issues but on issues that are important to blacks as well. Just as they vigorously pound on Congress, the Bush Administration, employers, and the American people to make jobs and justice the watchwords for dispossessed immigrants, they must make jobs and justice the watchword for dispossessed poor blacks too. That is the right and indeed the only way to build a firm and lasting relationship between blacks and immigrants rights groups.
Posted by Jasmyne at 08:27 PM | Permalink |
Supremes Uphold Sanctity of Marriage
The U.S. Supreme Court this morning ruled that Anna (You're So Outrageous!) Nicole Smith is legally entitled to pursue the oil fortune of her dearly-departed and legally-wedded husband. Sure, the former model was a 26-year-old dancer in a low-rent topless bar when she married the 89-year-old tycoon. When her husband (surprise) died the following year, her son-in-law sued to stop Smith from inheriting a chunk of his $1.6 Billion estate - claiming the marriage was based on money and not love.
This morning, the court ruled that government-sanctioned marriages pertain only to law...not love or motive. The sanctity of marriage is left to the church and society, no matter how much right-wing activists try to confuse legal obligations with holy ones. Government should regulate the legal contracts that come with marriage and leave the moral judgements to the church and viewers of reality shows.
Posted by TrailMix at 10:56 AM | Permalink |
