Live from DNC: ‘Ask Charlie Anything’
He’d been a Hilary supporter. When Hilary lost and Obama won, he started to look at the candidates again. “I looked at Obama, and on all the issues I thought were important — the Iraq war, immigration — I didn’t like what Obama was saying. Then I looked at McCain, and I liked what he had to say.”
When Obama picked Biden as a running mate, that just confirmed what Silver had been thinking.
“I didn’t think Biden was a good choice. And look at what Biden himself had said about Obama. They didn’t seem to be thinking when they picked him.”
I pointed out that the McCain campaign clearly had noticed, since they were out with an ad based on Biden’s criticisms of Obama in a matter of hours.
Silver agreed; he really felt that the Obama campaign was making a lot of mistakes. Between the mistakes, and the ways in which he disagreed with Obama, he just felt McCain was the better choice. “I don’t feel like I’ve left the Democratic Party. I haven’t changed; it’s the party that’s changed.”
So, I asked him how people around him were taking it. Surprisingly, he seemed not to feel he’d gotten a lot of pressure.
“I’ve gotten about 40 phone calls, and two letters, and one of the letters was begging me not to do it, not to change over to McCain. But the other one was very supportive. I’ve converted most of my immediate family.”
“It’s funny — people have assumed Hispanics would just automatically vote for the Democrats, but I don’t think that’s true any longer.”
“In fact, one person called me and said that he’d never voted for a Republican before. He felt he could now — his parents had died, so he didn’t need to explain it to them. We shouldn’t vote Democrat just because our parents did.”
Aug. 25, 01:55 am — Democrats Rock Denver
Some Pajamas Media readers will know me already — I’ve had several pieces published since Roger Simon asked me to contribute. For those of you who haven’t, I’m a Colorado computer scientist and writer, currently unemployed, having just been caught in a “reduction in force”; I write about technology, about futurist ideas like how the Internet is changing, well, everything; and I write about politics, mostly from the standpoint of trying to apply arithmetic to various silly things political writers and bloggers say.
This week, I’ll certainly have some political things to say, but honestly there are other people whose political ideas are stronger and who are more interested in the political details. What I think I can contribute is a little different. It turns out that my childhood was spent in Colorado, a good bit of it in downtown Denver, 0.67 miles by crow from the location of the convention at the Pepsi Center. I want to concentrate on what the convention is like, what effect the convention is having on Denver, and what effect Denver is having on the convention.
Along those lines, by the way, I’ve noticed that when I watch something like this, I often have some odd questions come to mind. Like “Are there enough bathrooms in that building?” So, for at least the duration of the convention, I’ve set up a special GMail account, askcharlieanything@gmail.com. Send any questions you like; as time and interest allows, I’ll try to answer them, with a few conditions:
First, I’m the one who has to ask the questions, and I’m probably not going to ask any questions that will get me thrown out of the convention or start a fistfight. I pick the questions to answer. Anyone who doesn’t get an answer will have their entrance fee cheerfully refunded.
Second, when you mail me a question, you should get a response from the GMail automatic reply program, at least the first time. Feel free to send as many different questions as you like, but sending me the same question over and over won’t make it more likely I’ll answer it. In fact, it’ll make it less likely, as you’ll quickly end up in a mail filter as spam.
And third, I will be happy to mention your name; normally I’ll just use a first name. If you don’t want even that much mentioned, tell me; I’ll be happy to comply.
So, send in your questions; I’ll try to find interesting things to say.
* * *
If you were watching the CNN coverage this afternoon, you probably saw Wolf Blitzer reporting, concern and urgency in his voice, that there was a tornado touching down “within sight of downtown Denver.” His wording, and the tone of concern in his voice, gave the impression he was getting ready at any moment to dive under the table, although he was reporting that the Weather Service didn’t currently think there was any danger to downtown.
Well, bloody well right there was no danger. The tornado was there, but it was touching down southwest of Parker, about 25 miles from downtown. (You can see some cool video of it here)
I was watching CNN from a lovely small restaurant in downtown (Pi Kitchen and Bar, great wings, decent bacon cheeseburger, two big bottles of politically incorrect Fiji water, and an adorable server who is probably younger than my favorite sport coat.) It was pretty, sunny, dry and bright: not a hint of a storm. Now, tornadoes are no joke; we had a killer tornado here in May. But this one — as you’ll see in the video — was mostly off in open country. Yes, you could see it from downtown, if you knew where to look, but this is high dry country — get up high and you can see to Kansas. Literally.
It made me wonder, though — that serious, concerned, deliver of news of obviously earth-shaking important probably does help bring in ratings, just as I’m sure people more people watch Geraldo because they’re hoping he might get hit with a chair again. But the sense of concern, this time, was really unnecessary: the tornado was over in the next county.
I wonder how often that concerned voice is just a ratings ploy? Certainly the next time I hear Wolf sounding Oh So Concerned, I’ll wonder if he’s once again showing imitation concern about something that really isn’t all that much.
I couldn’t help but laugh at Wolf Blitzer’s reaction to the tornado and his tremulous reporting that there was nothing to worry about. He didn’t believe a word he was saying, and he was scared spitless!
well it should be interesting, i mean 2 nights of the Clinton klan and folk from MICH and FLA
so…are there enough bathrooms out there?
TO: Charlie (Colorado)
RE: Silver
He showed up at the Pueblo County Republican Party Central Committee meeting last month. Wanted to get together a bunch of fellow Democrats to be on a float in the State Fair parade. The group would hold up a banner stating, Democrats for McCain.
From his speaking, he struck me as intelligent, articulate and not one to ‘follow-the-crowd’. But I’d expect that of military vets.
Additionally, he was there with other Democrats and former Democrats, the latter had recently changed their registration from Democrat to Republican. Obama was the reason they all stated for their presence.
The implication is that the Democrats have swung entirely too far to the ‘Progressive’ side of the Left.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[Progressive is a one-word oxymoron.]
P.S. Have fun at the convention. Be sure to have your camcorder capable cell phone handy. You might get some interesting shots….one form or another….
P.P.S. Be careful, compadre.
Chuck, thanks. We’ve got a whole video crew here, there should be plenty of amusing antics. I think you’re entirely right on Silver’s position: I think he’s a Jack Kennedy Democrat. That is, pro-defense, more or less pro-business, patriotic, socially conservative. (Okay, Jack was only socially conservative outwardly, but you know what I mean.) The thing about that is that someone who really believes what Jack Kennedy believed — as opposed to Jackie, and Teddy, and Sorenson’s carefully-crafted “Camelot” mythology — would be a Republican today, and maybe a touch to the right of McCain.
TO: rebecca
RE: Enough Toilets?
If there aren’t, whoever needs to go can invoke the new Colorado State Statute, signed last May by Governor Ritter, allowing them to go into any public toilet facility they want.
See THIS…..
Regards,
Chuck(le)
P.S. Hmmmm….
….Charlie….
…what was I saying about keeping the camcorder cell phone handy?
How many Democrats does it take to put in a light bulb? ….. None, they are not interested in ever seeing the light !
Chuck, I just read the post you linked to about the “non-gender-specific” restroom regulations. Dear Lord in Heaven. What’s happened to my state?!?
Sincerely,
former-resident-but-still-native-Coloradan Jen
TO: Jen in VA
RE: Wha Happ’nd
The Democrats took over the legislature AND the governor’s mansion.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
P.S. That’s not the worst of it. But, that’s a different topic for a different venue, and relates to SCOTUS Reynolds v. Simms (1964).
In cruising Blogdom, I have come across your remarks for years, Charlie (Colorado). Congratulations on your gig!
I’ve been concerned that I won’t know what’s going on at the Dem Convention, but PajamasMedia will be all I need, apart from YouTube videos showing someone hitting someone else with a chair…
There actually are tornadoes in Denver, no matter how rare. Somewhere in the early 1990s, I was working at I-25 and Colorado, and all the guys in the office watched one come through about a mile south. We were on the 11th floor with full length plate glass windows. All the women, of course, were in the basement. But mostly the mountains protect the front range, with I-25 seeming to be the cut-off.
Spent most of my life in CO. Born in Denver, and raised in the western suburbs. So, I am somewhat missing the spectacle going on right now.
Good luck.
TO: Bruce E. Hayden
RE: [OT] Tornadoes
Saw one myself, to the southeast of Inverness when I was working for USWest in their USWest Direct headquarters.
Looked out the office window from the 6th floor and saw it form and kick up a schlew of dust and said [in a loud voice], “Tornado on the ground! Southeast! Two miles!” Heads came up out of ‘prairie-dog town’ and swiveled to look out the windows.
It didn’t last more than one minute before it dissipated.
Denver’s a screwy place, weather-wise. You can have all four seasons in 12 hours. Heck. One of the worst snow storms occurred on the last day of Summer, for cry’n out loud.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes. -- Colorado Front Range weather axiom.]
I hope that you continuously ask the Democrats about drilling for more oil. This is the question that they would like to avoid. Thankfully, though, it probably won’t get you kicked out of the convention.
TO: All
RE: Hey!
Can we call the Democratic ticket….
Obama bin Biden?
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[A pun is the lowest form of humor -- when you don't think of it first. -- Oscar Levant]
Chuck,
Wrong Oscar, It was Wilde.
However, Levant when asked by Johnny Carson, “What do you think about pornography?” Levant replied, “It helps.”
“Obama bin Biden?”
Here is a better joke:
What do Obama and Osama have in common?
Both of them have terrorist friends who bombed the Pentagon.
Alas, this joke will get Charlie kicked out of the convention—even though it is literally true!
TO: M. Simon
RE: Quote Attribution
Thanks for the correction.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
TO: Charlie (Colorado)
RE: What….
“Charlie (Colorado) got an elbow in the kidney.” — Stephen Green
….did I warn you about? Ya hooligan, ya.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
P.S. Next time, wear a baggie outer garment and a biker’s kidney belt.
P.S. Next time, wear a baggie outer garment and a biker’s kidney belt.
I apparently didn’t need one — it was right after blindsiding me that Alex started shrieking about not touching him. My kidney region was apparently harder than his elbow.
Do catch the video: absent the clown shouting “Kill Michelle Malkin” it would have been pretty funny, in the “leather lunged castrato needs a mob to threaten 95 pound woman” sort of way.
Good on ya for watching over Michelle. Though I don’t always agree with her, her’s is a voice worth hearing. The fact that she’s getting the reaction she is from the Left indicates she’s hitting her targets.
I watched several videos, Alex Jones was exposing Michelle Malkin for the war criminal that she is, advocating for FEMA camps and child torture on FOX news. This is the issue not anything else. Please be aware people, COINTELPRO will try blur the issue here and in other forums. In the video, the guy with the goofy hat was a provocateur.
I watched several videos, Alex Jones was exposing Michelle Malkin for the war criminal that she is, advocating for FEMA camps and child torture on FOX news. This is the issue not anything else. Please be aware people, COINTELPRO will try blur the issue here and in other forums. In the video, the guy with the goofy hat was a provocateur.
CR, honey, I don’t care who was the provocateur; Alex was the one with the mob, and I’m the one who was assaulted by Alex. And Michelle is a 95 pound woman who he couldn’t even get up the courage to assult directly without a mob of supporters to help. That is not the way we do things here.
So, not to be too subtle about it, bugger off.
CR – Are you nuts or do you really believe the drivel you just wrote? Do you know what a war criminal is? FEMA camps and child torture? You are the perfect example of why no-one takes you people seriously. You just throw out the names and expect everyone to wet themselves because of it. If you disagree with Michelle, that’s fine, you’re entitled to, but to advocate physically harming her because of it is inexcusable, and that’s where the left crosses the line.
It is amusing to hear someone rant about COINTELPRO again, though. Another 60′s flashback.
Just hoping Charley Martin’s “bodyguarding” of Michelle Malkin was an act of chivalry, rather than an affirmation of her particular skewed view of the world. She and Alex Jones are both, ahem, nutcases of the first order. Thank you, Charley, for interposing your hulk between the wee lass and the crazies. But, of course, your smile into the camera belied the potential seriousness of the encounter. But, then, the event was the levitation of the U.S. Mint which, in itself, probably begs a likening to the theater of the absurd, i.e. National Political Conventions.
George, I like Michelle personally quite a lot. That doesn’t keep me from yelling at the TV sometimes when she’s on. But nobody should be doing that in a civilized place. Or even Denver duiring the Convention.
the GOP put up such bad candidates
is why DEMs took state house and governor.
i dont hide like you cowardly GOP
my email is nwerle@yahoo.com
Nick, I don’t disagree with you about the election, but why do you think I’m hiding? You know my real name and my blogs.
TO: Charlie (Colorado)
RE: Is That You…
…in the black, red and white t-shirt? Couldn’t make out what it said.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
P.S. No wonder we have so much fun in discussions, we look like twins separated at birth. Including the beard.
TO: nick
RE: Cowardly?
“i dont hide like you cowardly GOP” — nick
Click on my name, buckie.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
P.S. How much time have YOU done in the infantry? Airborne? Ranger? Or gutless wonder?
Wow, Wolf was hyping a tornado, while Charlie singlehandedly fought off a bloodthirsty crowd. Such drama.
Charlie-
Call Mike Rosen about the Malkin story; he’s buddy-buddy with Hickenlooper
Video footage suggests otherwise. Are you the guy in the green shirt shouting “Kill Michelle Malkin”?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-DoxqvqjxM
you ate all the pies, you ate all the pies!