More Adventures with my Formerly-Republican Uncle: Discussion "Progress" in the U.S.

Written by: Kate Drazner on Oct 22, 2008 6:53 PM EDT

When I first shared my chronicle of email interactions with my conservative uncle spanning about nine months and leading to the revelation a few weeks ago that he will be voting for Barack Obama, it warmed my heart to see that folks actually used my story as inspiration to talk to conservative loved ones about which candidate truly represent their values.

I have to honestly say, as much as I was triumphantly shocked about my Uncle's abandonment of the dark side, I was a little cynical about whether or not it would stick. But recent email correspondence has brought new hope to my jaded little Democratic heart.

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I never, ever thought I would see this in my inbox from my Republican uncle.

Written by: Kate Drazner on Oct 10, 2008 1:06 PM EDT

My uncle is a conservative dentist in Chicago. He never shared in the Chicago pride with my parents and I over the rise of our beloved Senator to the rank of front-runner for arguably the most powerful position in the world. In fact, this was a guy that I distinctly remember peering upon my newly-acquired nose ring as I sat in his dentist's chair, home on a break from college, and sneering, "I'm gonna rip that thing right off of your face, you tree hugger." (That should come off more tongue-in-cheek and lighthearted than it reads - he's actually a very nice man.)

So, for a few months now, my uncle and I have been engaged in an electronic war of words (and forwarded partisan propaganda). I'd like to share the story arc of correspondence that has occurred between us, starting way back in June and ending with the bombshell I received from him yesterday afternoon.

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"I'm John McCain, and I Have Saved Babies From Democrat Vampires."

Written by: Kate Drazner on Oct 8, 2008 12:17 PM EDT

Last night, I received an email from my boyfriend's younger, college-age brother, and, after I picked myself up off the floor from laughing, I realized that this absolutely needed to be shared far and wide. The email contained his own synopsis of the debate last night, which I found to be hilarious, shrewd and poignant all at the same time, for multiple reasons:

-here is a kid whom I have never known to be particularly political, able to, in one fell swoop, see through all the campaign-spin BS and read the subtext of what the candidates say their policies will actually be,

-it speaks to how the circus-like nature of this campaign season, combined with the recent financial crisis is getting more youth engaged in the election, and

-it shows how the roles these candidates have been playing this election season fit into literary archetypal roles that could seriously be the basis of a superhero movie- McCain as the aged, glory-seeking villain fallen from grace, and Obama as the virtuous underdog earning his glory through sheer virtuosity and grace.

Oh, also, it's effing hilarious.

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They Tried to Stop Us From Voting in '04. Now They're At It Again.

Written by: Kate Drazner on Sep 29, 2008 12:42 PM EDT

2004 was the first year I was of age to vote in a presidential election. It was my sophomore year at Colorado College, a notoriously liberal private college nestled in the picturesque Pikes Peak region of Colorado. However, around election time especially, life surrounding the CC community was not as idyllic as it may seem. CC is located in Colorado Springs, which some may recognize as:

a.) the headquarters of the anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-sex evangelical propaganda machine, Focus on the Family

b.) home of the anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-sex mega church, Newlife Church, which served as a backdrop to Pastor Ted Haggard’s political downfall

c.) a city so rife with right-wing conservatism it earned the nickname “The Evangelical Vatican.”

So you can imagine the kind of relationship that Colorado College had with its host city.

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Reading Between the Smears, or the Sad, Slow, National Progress Toward Justice

Written by: Kate Drazner on Sep 14, 2008 8:50 PM EDT

Nine weeks until the election, and still, the Obama camp is experiencing the "M" tag as the hardest to shake. It's the most simply misunderstood fact about Barack Obama, the easiest to debunk, and yet many anti-Obamans cling to it like their lives were dependent on it.

This is partly due to the fact that saying Barack Obama is a Muslim is just a euphemism for thinking something even worse.

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Oh, McCain's Most Wondrous (Or Not So Much) Creation

Written by: Kate Drazner on Sep 5, 2008 12:46 PM EDT

Remember back when stories of John McCain's misogyny and chauvinism toward his wife (hint: there was a specific word used) surfaced, stirring questions about that alleged contemptuous streak of his which may or may not have the utmost respect for women? I just have to wonder how accurate those concerns were, given that his completely transparent tactic of choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate with the hopes of snatching up wayward, disillusioned Hillary Clinton supporters. I can't imagine that McCain would think women are all that smart if he thinks we would gaze upon a person with the same anatomical makeup but without a single regard for women's issues, and think “potato, po-tot-o.”

Once again, the GOP only takes pains to present a polished surface, but with absolutely no regard for what lies beneath. A little like the RNC's sticks-and-stones approach to swinging at Obama, with only a faint afterthought of “wait, don't we have a platform to promote?”

Countdown to 1/20/09: Watch Your Vote Disappear?

Written by: Kate Drazner on Sep 2, 2008 3:27 PM EDT

Who has the Bush administration hired to make sure our voting rights aren't violated on Election Day?

Meet Hans Von Spakovsky, a key player in the right-wing vote-suppression agenda.

When he was supposed to be ensuring the voting rights of minorities as a member of the voting rights section at the Justice Department, Spakovsky instead used his position to promote voter ID laws. When Republican officials were accused of discriminating against Native American voters, he allegedly hindered the investigation. When it came time to interpret the Help America Vote Act, he opted for a policy that would "keep eligible citizens off the voting rolls for typos and other mistakes by election officials." Oh yeah, and he's also a key figure in the congressional investigation of hiring and firing government attorneys on the basis of political affiliation.

President Bush and Spakovsky recently gave up their fight to win a seat for him on the Federal Election Commission. Now the administration's Commission on Civil Rights has found a spot for him. His job duties: Determining if election "irregularities" violate our civil rights.

When it comes to finding a fox to guard the henhouse, nobody does it quite like the Bush administration. And with the conventions and candidates stealing most of the spotlight these days, things could get worse.

Can we get this guy fired before he does any more harm? I honestly don't know. But we can sure as hell try, and at least let them know we're watching. Click here.

Barack Did His Part, Now Let's Do Ours

Written by: Kate Drazner on Aug 29, 2008 8:12 PM EDT

Although I live in Denver, I did not get to go to Invesco Field to see Barack Obama's acceptance speech. I did, however, watch it in my living room, perched on the edge of my sofa, crying and clapping the whole time (like a crazy person). I couldn't help it- I was caught up in the sensation of watching this man talk and thinking, this man is the next President of the United States.

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Live from the DNC: MSM Coverage of the Clinton-Obama Relationship – Less Unity, More Violence

Written by: Kate Drazner on Aug 27, 2008 6:30 PM EDT

“If folks were expecting any drama tonight, they’ll just have to make due with the uplifting kind.” Such was the bottom line of David Goldstein's blog for HorsesAss.org, entitled “A Stunning Lack of Disunity.” I ran into David here at the Big Tent (the DNC mecca for new media journalists, bloggers, reporters, and non-profit leaders – erected here in Progressive Future's parking lot), and thus launched into a discussion of the disparity between the media's playing up the contention between the Obama and Clinton camps, and the actual on-the-ground unity within the Democratic Party.

[cross-posted from www.progressivefuture.org]

Unfortunately, many people don't like to make due with the uplifting kind of drama – heart-warming tales of togetherness and harmony don't make for newsworthy items. The media's coverage of the DNC seems to highlight the nature of mainstream media as a business: go for the sell, but don't bog it down with much substance. In fact, Goldstein's main gripe about why he's here to “keep the media in line” is because most of the Washington-based newspapers (HorsesAss is a Seattle-based blog representing the Washington contingent in the BigTent) didn't actually send any reporters to the DNC. The speculation from afar compounded with the need to sell papers with sensationalist drama has caused the papers to run stories all but fabricating the dramatic contention between Obama and Clinton supporters, Goldstein told me. Yes, the loyalty to the candidate is there, but the larger necessity to secure a Democratic victory this fall far overshadows any petty squabbling between the two camps.

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Live from the DNC: Net Neutrality – The Battle For Democracy

Written by: Kate Drazner on Aug 26, 2008 11:19 PM EDT

To set the context for this blog, let me just start by explaining that there is currently an 8,000 square-foot, two story structure in my office building's parking lot, which is known as the Big Tent. The Big Tent is the place to be for new media journalists, bloggers, reporters, and non-profit leaders covering the Democratic National Convention. One of the great things about the Big Tent is the immense lineup of panels on the second floor throughout the four days of the convention. (Another great thing is the free beer garden provided by New Belgium Brewery).

This morning, I attended a panel on Net Neutrality. As a blogger, my interests in this issue are probably quite obvious, but the bigger picture of what I walked away with is how the real stakeholders in this are all people who live in the United States and are appreciative of our country's commitment to democracy. Panelist Adam Stoller, of OpenLeft summed up the importance of this issue:

“This isn't a story about technology – this is a story about democracy.”

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