Critical Exponent

On the issues, I think Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are pretty darn close, particularly when one considers the political realities the winner will face when taking the oath of office. From their records, perhaps some differences can be gleaned, though whether those differences matter— or ought to matter— may well be an unresolvable question.

But dammit if it isn’t upsetting to see the unfairness Clinton is up against!

First, there is the sexism and misogyny with which she is portrayed. You can find one compendium of reports here, and a depressing suggestion that we may be better able to shed racial than gender prejudice here.

And then there’s the divisiveness factor. Many people will not vote for Clinton because she is so divisive, and in so doing for that reason, they perpetuate the very divisiveness they seek to avoid. Moreover, by eschewing Clinton in order to get Republicans out of office, they are playing into the hands of these same Republicans who made her a divisive figure in the first place by focusing the nation’s attention on a protracted, expensive, and ultimately useless witch hunt during her husband’s presidency.

Part of me wishes this could be a controlled experiment, with candidates identical save their gender and race—and with equal baggage. Maybe then we’d see whether indeed our sexism and racism are so ingrained (and which one more so) as to determine our electoral choices. But when people are adamant about voting for “anyone but Hillary” in the general election, how can we deny these prejudices abound?

Knox upgraded to Leopard, and the simple printer sharing (Linux to mac) that had been so easy to set up before stopped working. After implementing the tips here and here, I discovered that the shared printer can be found under the “Default” tab of “Print & Fax”, not under the “IP” tab. Before the upgrade, the shared printer just showed up immediately.

Between me battling a nasty virus that’s had me bedridden for three days and Knox putting out his back at the last minute, it’s a miracle we made it to caucus at all. But we did! It was exciting to see so many people participating in democracy: it was standing room only for the two hundred folks in room 113.

This was my first caucus ever. Here’s how it works: people declare which candidate they support and volunteers tally preferences and determine the initial allocation of delegates. You get a chance to change your mind, and then each candidate’s supporters choose delegates for the caucus at the next higher level.

My impressions: this is a slow, inefficient process that exacerbates the influence of peer pressure from your neighbors. I think that a primary election would be much simpler. (Oh, wait, we have that too in Washington, except it doesn’t count for the Democrats and only half-counts for Republicans). It seems like a good reason to have neighbors coming together is to propose platform items or initiatives to pas up the political chain. I support that. But to back a candidate? There are so many levels of indirection in the American system, beginning with caucuses and ending with the electoral college.

I think both Clinton and Obama would make excellent presidents, and the substantive differences between them pale next to differences they each have with the Republicans. But for all the talk of experience and change, there’s still a lot of the same old bull flying around on all sides:

• Clinton: “When Hillary is in the White House, no American will be invisible to the president of the United States.”

• Obama: Listen the rousing background music of this clip of Kennedy’s endorsement. It’s like watching Star Wars: A New Hope for the Universe

• Obama’s supporters, for all their enthusiasm, would do well to remember that Obama is not Jesus.

• Dirty cybersquatting: http://www.wa-democrats.org/ is the Democratic website; http://www.wa-democrats.com/ is the Republican website.

I’m actually quite excited about this election. Our eight-year national nightmare will (better!) finally come to an end. But I doubt policies will change as quickly and radically as I think they should.

But change is coming.

Photo: Candice Reimers

They said it would be hard. I’d fall and be sore and leave limping. I’d hate it. “Skiers find it really difficult”.

But the truth is that it only took my first and only snowboarding lesson for me to fall in love with the sport. By the end, I could swiftly and controllably zig-zag the mountain on my heel edge. Toe edge, I haven’t quite mastered, and turning from one to the other—well, that’s a skill in progress.

But the rush of going fast is just awesome!

The neat thing about this is that I’ve had a hard time with balance sports: I did not get downhill skiing when I took my only lesson years ago, and ice skating has been a painful disaster every time I’ve tried it. I blame my childhood: surely if I had been exposed to these sports way back then, I’d have mastered them by now.

This was part of the reason why I took up cross-country skiing. I figured if I could get my snow legs there, I might be able to eventually hold my own in other balance sports. It’s been a pleasant surprise that a year after I learned how to cross-country ski, I can still do it. I am thrilled after plodding to the crest of a hill because the descent is fast and exhilarating, like the reward for a job well done.

And now, a new niche. I can’t wait to get to the slopes and hang out with the ‘boarders. I have found my people.

(Backdated entry)