at last ...

... and so begins the sexiest administration in history. suck it, nic and carla! your combined hotness has been one-upped! L'Amerique est la plus sexy!

... and here are some pics from inauguration day in harlem.

Obama does Columbia

So, the 24,900 of us who weren't awarded tickets to Thursday's sit-down with Obama and McCain scrambled for a piece of concrete outside.

Proud.

In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the labels and false divisions and categories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.

So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fields of Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.

So it was for the Greatest Generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny, and made this country home to untold opportunity and prosperity.

So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom’s cause.

So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that’s better, and kinder, and more just.

And so it must be for us.

America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment – this was the time – when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Not a bad lookin' first famliy...

I nearly cried in my wine glass tonight as the headlines streamed in on CNN at 22 Doors. I'm proud of my guy.

Now, Barack, go take a nap. It's been a long run.

I'll write more about Hillary-as-VP and/or the laughable spectacle that are sure to be McCain/Obama debates, once I collect myself.

notes on a sunday

sinus infection be damned, i reunited with my good friend, the ballard sunday market this afternoon after a long, long winter. there, i scarfed on gluten-free baked goods from flying apron and bought a genovese basil plant.

i was a little hesitant about basil as i've heard it's kind of a beast to grow, but the woman at the plant stand assured me that this particular basil babe had lived indoors all his life and would prefer a nice sunny windowsill to the wild and wooly outdoors. so what i have is elitist basil. and in honor of my favorite elitist, who with the passing of each day, comes closer and closer to earning the democratic nomination, i've dubbed my basil "barry." barry and i look forward to a long summer of much fresh pesto and universal child care and other elitist things.

also, because food blogs have basically become my porn, i have to brag about the dumpling soup i stole from my favorite blog 101cookbooks and recreated on saturday night. i made these snap pea dumplings a few weeks back and now have dozens waiting in my freezer to be put to good use. they are sooo sooo good. and perfect paired with a simple broth and some yellow split peas. behold:

Washington Friends of Obama! CAUCUS THIS WEEKEND!!

Friends friends!

If you love Barack like I do, you will get off your duff and caucus this Saturday, February 9th! Ignore your Voters Pamphlet: YOUR VOTE IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. In the state of Washington, Democratic candidates are determined by the CAUCUS. No, I can't explain why we have both; we just do.

The WA Caucus is happening this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Find out where your caucus location is here: http://www.wa-democrats.org/ It is NOT necessarily the same place you go to vote so don't be smarmy and skip this step and screw it up, smartypants. This site should also tell you which precinct you're in, but it's also printed on your voter registration card.

So what's the deal with a caucus? 1) You actually have to SHOW UP 2) The candidate with the most people physically IN THE ROOM at each location will win the biggest percentage of delegates. Kinda old timey, eh? Yes! Fun!

How it works:

1) You show up at your precinct's caucus location. Technically the first vote does not happen until 1:30 p.m. (If someone tries to convene that shit early, you have every right to raise a fuss and call foul!). SHOW UP EARLY. Showing up early = less chaos = a big huge obvious Obama presence. Fact: I'm going at noon.

2) Most locations will have a precinct captain who will run the show. They'll have the sign in sheets, tally forms etc. MAKE SURE YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT LOCATION FOR YOUR PRECINCT!! Once there, just hang out and wait for directions. Cowlitz County peeps, I don't know if CoCo is as organized as King Co, but if you need help/don't now what the F to do, feel free to call your friends at the Seattle Office at (206) 529-3859. Or call me at (206) 409-5054 because my caucus location is downtown Seattle and we will have knowledgeable people up the wazoo.

3) At 1:30, you'll vote for the first time. Once this vote is taken, they'll announce the number of delegates each candidate would win at this point. If there are undecided voters, this is your opportunity to win them over! Be nice! Don't fight! Now is also the time for a designated person from each candidate's group will give a 1 minute declaration on why they're voting for their candidate.

4) After these speeches, anyone who wishes to change his/her vote will have the opportunity to do so. Then the second and final vote will be counted.

5) Don't leave yet! Once all of the votes are counted, and all of the delegates divvied, people actually need to be appointed delegates. So, say your precinct gives out 7 delegates, and Barack gets 5 of them. Well, five people need to actually BE THERE to stand as delegates. If there are only, say, four people left, the delegates go to Hill! DONT DO THIS!

6) If you're want to fight your way all the way to the National Convention in Denver, be a delegate! Being a delegate means being counted at a few different caucuses before then, but, FUN!

Good things to know:

1) Percentage of people = percentage of delegates. If the Barack/Hill ratio is 70/30, Barack will get 70% of the delegates.

2) There are great resources online for info on caucusing:

- This guy taught me to caucus, and knows everything: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/nathanwilliams/CGBFC

- WA Democrats: http://www.wa-democrats.org/ has a ton of info on caucusing

3) You don't have to be a registered Democrat to caucus for Barack! Independents! Republicans! If you're into Barack, caucus!

4) In fact, you don't even have to be registered to vote to caucus for Barack! Just show up and you can register there!

Also, I know just a little more than a little about this, so if you need any additional info, lemme know! I'm happy to figure out the answers for you if I don't know them! Seattleites, the Obama Headquarters downtown is open from 9-9 everyday and staffed with awesome volunteers who can answer a million more questions than I can, as well. 614 1st Ave (phone number above).

Yay for 2008!

Oh yeah, Republicans and Hillary fans can caucus too, but I'm not going to encourage either, so you're on your own with those deets :)

'bama Drama

So I've signed up to be a part of an all-girl political roundtable on Seattlest ... the first installment of which will probably be popping up there soon, FYI. I'm trying to "Be impeccable with my word," this year, so it's a good exercise in helping me articulate why I'm voting the way I am. Some weird chain of events has led me from writing that piece to sitting here at work at 9:39 a.m. reading Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address and biting my lip. I'm realizing I read Lincoln for the same reason I watch "Sense and Sensibility:" they're quick, emotionally swollen punches in the face that get me all teary and doe-eyed ... which for some reason I crave on a dreary Friday in January. I've spent the last week fighting with people about "womanity" but now realize that this is something that genuinely sets me apart from the dudes. Also, I'm about to add something REALLY EXCITING to my Lincoln shrine; I won't spoil the surprise, but OH MAN is it awesome.

barry hussein

So remember a few weeks ago when i was complaining about this? Well, I was actually so annoyed that I fired off a snarky (but well argued) email to the event coordinator complaining about how impractical it is to ask "Generation Obama" for $100 ... two weeks before Christmas. I'm generally not this confrontational, I swear, but maybe I will be from now on because it totally paid off. Now I'm volunteering for the event, going for free and have a good chance of meeting the good Senator as a result. The historian in me has officially classified this as "BIG DEAL, A."

generation obama

i wake up to find an invite to a party with barack at the showbox sodo in my email. yes! there! let's gather together, "Generation Obama!" but wait, $100 a head? really? you're going to reach out to my generation (two weeks before christmas, no less) by charging them $100 to attend? really? honey, i don't know many people my age with an extra $100 to throw around whenevs. bummed.

kate gets hot via campaign mail

First line of the email I just received from the Obama campaign: "I'm just now leaving New York, and you've got me fired up." Of course I do, baby. Woo, lord. It's hot in here. Don't tease a girl Barack.

the oprah effect

she can get millions of americans to read tolstoy and faulkner and now she's trying to get millions of americans to vote for my political boyfriend barack. aka barry hussein (i stole that from wonkette. i'm not that amazing.) this freaks me out a bit. i like to picture barack in two scenarios: 1) smoking a cigarette in some poorly lit library reading lincoln biographies. or 2) wearing next to nothing on the beach. holding hands with oprah and talking about souls and shit in front of a bunch of swooning cardigan-clad desperate housewives enthusiasts does not really fit into either of those. baby, you said you weren't going to do the hollywood thing, right? it's me and my $25 contributions you love, right? i need to ignore politics for a year. if i come back in may of 2008 and his campaign hasn't destroyed itself, i will be able to breathe freely again. no more showing up to debates about health care without a health care plan honeybunch. i'll see you next year.

round 1

It's going to be a long two years.... Preamble: The amount of money spent on political campaigns in this country anymore is appalling. I remember a recent local campaign in which a candidate had to go into some gross amount of personal debt just to get a spot on the televised debate. The fact that presidential candidates have to pander to Hollywood bigwigs so they can pay their campaign bills makes my blood boil. Lowdown: Barack attended some Hollywood egofest fundraiser hosted by David Geffen and Spielberg and others at which Mr. Geffen took potshots at Bill and Hillary and then handed $1.3 million to Obama's campaign. (''Obama is inspirational, and he's not from the Bush royal family or the Clinton royal family. Americans are dying every day in Iraq. And I'm tired of hearing James Carville on television.'') This happened just a day after Obama spoke to a crowd in Las Vegas about getting away from "slash and burn politics" in Washington. Hill got hot and bothered about all of the above and called for a denunciation of Geffen's comments by the Obama camp: "While Democrats should engage in a vigorous debate on the issues, there is no place in our party or our politics for the kind of personal insults made by Senator Obama's principal fundraiser." (principal fundraiser??) Obama's camp responded: "We aren’t going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters. It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when he was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom. It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because ’he's black.’" SNAP! I've subscribed to Hillary and Barack's email lists more for entertainment value than anything. After receiving Howard Dean's rabblerousing emails for the past year from the DNC, I figured there would be some gold coming out of the Hillary camp. This morning I open up my gmail to find a heartfelt letter from Bill (picture of him lovingly embracing is wife included). "Thank you so much for your support. Hillary and I couldn't do it without you." One rough weekend and she's already pulled out the Bill card? I'm not going to even get into how insulted I am that less than a month after she's announced her candidacy, she's already whoring out her husband's popularity. Pull up your big girl pants, Hill. I'm against this time-wasting slander as much as the next person. Get on the television and give me your plan to save my country from its current course toward complete ethical, intellectual and physical annihilation; don't waste our time putting out press releases urging your competitor to apologize for some loudmouth in California who doesn't want to have sleepovers at your house anymore. And don't even pretend like if that same loudmouth handed you $1.3 million you wouldn't take it.