HALLOWEEN COSTUMES TO BEAT

I'm 16! I swear!

MetroDad posted the above picture of his daughter's Halloween costume: "Underage Chinese Olympic Gymnast."

I'm pretty sure that's the costume to beat this year.

I would replicate her costume if it weren't for the fact everybody would wrongly guess that I was William Hung in drag as a Special Olympics gymnast.

Last year, my wife and I dressed up as Hiro (during his Kensei phase) and Claire from Heroes:

(More documentation here.)

This year, my wife and I considered some of the obvious couples' costume ideas below ...

The Sexy Option

Sexy Osama and Sexy Unexorcised Linda Blair
(Credit)

The Cute Option


Mario & Luigi

The Disturbingly Racist and Inappropriate Option


Strawberry ShortHitler & Ronald McHitler

Instead, we may opt for the retro/obscure/surreal/self-referential option and dress up as the Junichi version of Joanie Loves Chachi -- Joanichi Loves Chanichi. It's a simple costume, really.

I just need to put on my Chachi outfit:


And my wife just needs something to make her look like an Asian guy:

Done.

Or we might think of something better.

Happy Halloween!

--Junichi

YOUR ELECTORAL COLLEGE PREDICTIONS?

Diebold wins!

Poplicks readers:

1. Go to the Yahoo! Political Dashboard (http://news.yahoo.com/election/2008/dashboard) and click on the "Create Your Own Scenario" tab.


2. Create the electoral college map scenario that you predict will come to pass this November 4th, 2008.


3. Click "LINK TO THIS" and choose the first option so your scenario cannot and doesn't change.


4. Leave your name and the link in the comments below.


5. Winner gets mad props (and possibly more).


6. In the event of identical submissions, the tie goes to the person who submitted a link first.

Good luck!

--Junichi

MORMON MONEY TO BURN

Toilet paper for Mormons?

I understand why someone would donate every penny he or she has to strike down California's Proposition 8. At stake is the marriage of friends, the basic human rights of many Californians, and a symbolic dignity and equality that gays and lesbians have long been denied. I have now donated more to the No on 8 campaign than I have to any other political cause and I wish I could afford to give more.

While I fundamentally disagree with those who support Proposition 8, I also understand why someone might vote for it.

What I don't understand is why people would collectively donate at least $28.2 million to support California's Proposition 8, especially when the evidence suggests that much of those donations are coming from people outside the Golden State.

Interestingly, but nor surprisingly, most of those donations are coming from out-of-state Mormons. According to this article, Mormons may account for 70% of the Yes on 8 donations from individuals.

How do we know this is true? For starters, you can learn the name of every Mormon donor and his or her hometown by visiting the website mormonsfor8.com.

The public nature of these donor lists explains why we now know that San Jose's Michele Sundstrom and her husband, who have been married for 18 years and have five children, donated $30,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign.

$30,000 from one family? In this economy? Why?

I understand why one might donate $30,000 to a candidate who will lower capital gains taxes.

I understand why one might donate $30,000 to an initiative that increases funding for research that might cure her child's fatal disease.

I even understand why one might donate $30,000 to an anti-abortion initiative that could save the lives of unborn children.

But donating $30,000 so that two women or two men can't say they are "married" in the state of California, even though they already have the right to live with one another, become domestic partners, collect benefits, and adopt children?

And this is all organized by a church whose former unrecognized marital practices forced its followers to flee anti-Mormon persecution spreading along the Eastern seaboard?

Best case scenario: The Sundstroms are worried that their religious beliefs will be increasingly challenged by outsiders. But even if this is true, they must know that even if Proposition 8 fails, there is no chance that the government will or can force the LDS Church - or any religious group - to change its religious views or host gay weddings. (Otherwise, the Catholic Church would have long ago been enjoined from banning marriages between Catholics and Protestants, for example.)

So what motivates a Mormon family of seven to donate $30,000? If anything, the attention that their donation is receiving is likely to put more effort into people questioning the tax-exemption status of those churches that are using their funds to organize political campaigns.

Maybe Michele Sundstrom is a millionaire and $30,000 is just a drop in the bucket. But even if I had that kind of dime to drop, I would have to be deleriously high on opium to donate my child's first year med school tuition to pay for more Yes on Prop 8 commercials.

Interestingly, the Chronicle article points out that the Mormons' efforts are starting to backfire, especially with the sunshine laws that make the mormonsfor8.com website possible.

When two women found out about the Sundstroms' $30,000 donation, they "parked an SUV in front of their home, with the words 'Bigots live here' painted on the windshield."

That bold act seems to have delivered a message to Michele Sundstrom, who now seems to be a step closer to understanding the pains of gays and lesbians against whom she is fighting: "There must be such deep, deep, deep hurt; otherwise there couldn't be so much opposition," she said. "They've lived with this. I guess we're getting a taste of where they live."

--Junichi

ELECTORAL MADNESS

we got this from the Australians. really.
I'll cop to being one of those *cough cough* "coastal elites" who reads The New Yorker - with pride. For those who don't read the magazine, just known that historian Jill Lepore's essays are worth the price of purchase alone and recently, she wrote a wonderfully insightful and informative essay on the history of voting in America that I highly recommend to anyone interested in how our democratic process has worked (or failed to).

It's an oddly uplifting story in a way because if you realize how incredibly convoluted our voting history has been, all the way to present, you'll realize that 1) we've come a long way and 2) change and improvement is possible, even in an age of ACORN hysteria and Diebold paranoia.

One part of this that gave me a very long pause was reading how the "modern" standardization of a secret ballot, distributed by the gov't, had a very dark side which was its use to disenfranchise Black voters in the Jim Crow south South (a drive, lest we forget, lead by Southern Democrats against a then-Black Republican voting bloc) by establishing literacy requirements. In fact, Lepore argues that the wide adoption of this voting standard was driven, nationally, by a desire to prevent the poor, the illiterate and immigrants from having access to the ballot.

This should also serve as a reminder for why it's so important to vote next week. It's not the ultimate expression of one's civic duty or the drive towards social justice - but it is a starting point.

--O.W.

THE NEW SUSAN SMITH THROWS THE LATEST McCAIN CAMPAIGN'S HAIL MARY PASS

Crazy woman or sane McCain supporter who understands McCain's desperation?

It's easy to dismiss Ashley Todd as mentally ill.

Todd is the infamous McCain campaign volunteer who fabricated a story about being sexually assaulted by a Barack Obama supporter after he saw a McCain bumper sticker on her car.

But I don't think she needs mental health treatment at all.

On the contrary, she appears to be a sane woman who had enough marbles to mastermind a story that she knew could hand the McCain campaign the momentum it needed to win the election. Unfortunately, like her predecessor Susan Smith, she was too stupid to concoct a believable story.

For those who haven't been following the story, here's what Todd initially claimed:

Todd initially told investigators she was attempting to use a bank branch ATM on Wednesday night when a 6-foot-4 black man approached her from behind, put a knife blade to her throat and demanded money. She told police she handed the assailant $60 and walked away.

Todd, who is white, told investigators she suspected the man then noticed a John McCain sticker on her car. She said the man punched her in the back of the head, knocked her to the ground and scratched a backward letter "B" into her face with a dull knife.

Police said Todd claimed the man told her that he was going to "teach her a lesson" for supporting the Republican presidential candidate, and that she was going to become a supporter of Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

After later adding allegations of sexual assault, forgetting crucial details, providing inconsistent accounts, and failing a lie detector test, Todd confessed to making the whole thing up.

What I don't understand is why anybody is wondering why a woman would do such a thing.

Isn't it obvious?

If the story were true, Ashley Todd would have provided the ultimate October Surprise that ignited enough of a race war to tilt the election. With McCain over ten points down, she decided it was her duty to throw the necessary Hail Mary pass.

While undoubtedly ignorant, Ashley Todd is sane and smart enough to understand that some white (and non-white) voters can't get past the idea that our next president will be a black man. Ashley Todd wanted to appeal to those who have no difficulty believing a story about a black man who is a violent savage that preys upon young white women near ATM machines.

Now that the story has been debunked, this story would normally deserve no more national attention.

Except that the McCain campaign in Pennsylvania pushed the more partisan and incendiary elements of the story before the media got a hold of it.

This says far more about the state of the McCain campaign than anything else.

Perhaps Fox News Executive VP John Moody said it best (before the lie was exposed):

This incident could become a watershed event in the 11 days before the election.
If Ms. Todd's allegations are proven accurate, some voters may revisit their support for Senator Obama, not because they are racists (with due respect to Rep. John Murtha), but because they suddenly feel they do not know enough about the Democratic nominee.

If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain's quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting.

For Pittsburgh, a city that has done so much to shape American history over the centuries, another moment of truth is at hand.

Thanks, Ashley Todd, for ending Senator McCain's quest for the presidency.

--Junichi

AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT HAWKING BEER ANYMORE

--O.W.

WHO GOT SERVED?

--O.W.

SCARF THIS UP

hermes goes dem?

Either this is a grand ol' Photoshop job or the person spending $150,000 on Palin's outfits should really check the tags better.

Oh, by the way, does this mean John Edwards $400 haircuts are now redeemed?

--O.W.

AN OPEN LETTER TO IRENE AND RANDY

This post is my response to Irene and Randy, the two kids singing a song about the need to pass Proposition 8 in the video below:

Dear Irene and Randy:

By now, I realize that you're probably used to your Asian parents constantly snapping photos and videos of you. I can relate. When I was your age, my mother played piano and made me sing songs while my dad documented every moment as if he were filming a reality show.

There is a difference between us, however.

I sang children's songs about peaches, dogs, and the joys of opening and closing your hands.

You're singing a children's song about hating people and denying civil rights to your fellow citizens.

I predict that you're going to regret that your parents put you in that video in a decade or so.

You're going to regret it in the same way that the smiling kid in the photo below regrets ever holding a pro-segregation sign:

You see, only a few decades ago, some states would have denied you the right to marry a large segment of the population simply because you are Asian. It's hard to believe, I know.

When courageous civil rights activists challenged those anti-miscegenation laws, others vigorously fought to keep the bedroom segregated, using fear-mongering intimidation tactics with which your parents are familiar.

But those segregationists are now shameful stains on our country's history.

With time, the majority of Americans learned to look at them and the bars to interracial marriage as fundamentally wrong and at odds with the principles of equality and justice that guide this country.

You, Irene and Randy, have been brainwashed by the next generation of bigots that comprise the shameful stains of our present and future.

Your parents are the George Wallaces of the 21st century, attempting to block the doors of marriage and deny other civil rights to thousands of Californians.

Don't worry. I don't blame you. You're just kids and you don't realize what you're saying. Your homophobic parents and ministry are exploiting you because they don't have the nerve to sing that hateful anthem themselves.

But eventually, you'll discover love. Maybe you'll be as lucky as me and marry the love of your life. And you'll appreciate how painful it would be if the government declared that love illegitimate or denied you the right to celebrate it.

That's one of the many reasons I cannot join you in supporting California's Proposition 8.

You see, if that initiative passes, someone you love will eventually be denied the right to marry his or her soulmate. Maybe someone you know will be denied the right to visit her lover in an emergency room after a horrible accident. Perhaps, you will soon realize that you can't marry the one you love because he or she lacks the right chromosomes.

But no matter whether that initiative passes, I have faith that the majority of this country -- indeed, the world -- will soon recognize that it is unequivocally wrong to deny fundamental rights to people because of whom they love.

Which is to say, eventually, the horror will consume you as you remember that YouTube video above and realize that you played a role in building walls of segregation, instead of knocking them down.

So for the benefit of humanity, I hope you join the right side of history -- sooner, rather than later -- and before you're old enough to vote.

--Junichi

THEY EXIST: MUSLIM McCAIN SUPPORTERS

This video captures an interesting confrontation between two anti-Islam McCain supporters and at least two Muslim McCain supporters.

Of course, this all begs the question of why any self-respecting Muslim American would vote with the current GOP.

Credit: CousCous Ramirez

--Junichi

IT WAS A GREAT RUN WHILE IT LASTED

Tampa Bay pitched a helluva game, respect.

That said though?

Go Phillies!

--O.W.

POWELL BACKS OBAMA; DEFENDS MUSLIM AMERICANS

The most remarkable part of this speech, to me at least, is not Powell's reasoned explanation for why he's backing Obama; it's the back half, where he directly criticizes people for their paranoia of Islam and talks about the personal sacrifices Muslim Americans have made - in defense of their country. It goes much, much further than I've heard any other prominent public figure make, including Obama himself (which is kind of sad, however politically predictable).

Powell also shows a lot more class in crossing the partisan line than Lieberman has but we'll save that for the pundits to hash out.

--O.W.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #139

This Week's Question:


Who's the funnier presidential candidate?

--Junichi

GOODBYE TO ONE OF THE VOICES OF SOUL

--O.W.

COLIN POWELL MUST BE ON THE VERGE OF ENDORSING OBAMA CUZ HE'S ACTING KINDA BLACK

I realize that calling out Fox News for being ludicrous is as pointless as trying to diagram a Sarah Palin sentence.

But I challenge anyone to find a more asburd Fox News headline and tagline than this one:

Hip-Hop-Dancing Colin Powell Fuels Speculation He'll Endorse Obama: Colin Powell showed off his hip-hop moves at an 'Africa Rising' celebration in London Tuesday, fueling speculation that the former secretary of state is about to endorse Barack Obama for president.

(I put a screen capture of the article at the top of this post, in case you don't want to actually visit the Fox News site.)

What did Colin Powell need to do to fuel speculation that he is about to endorse John McCain? Do the Viennese Waltz at the Hazzard County Convalescent Home's Bingo Night?

Plus, if busting out some sick tongue-wagging, ass-grabbing, b-boy dance move is the equivalent of endorsing Obama, then I think John McCain just endorsed Barack Obama at tonight's debate ...

--Junichi

JOE THE PLUMBER

The most powerful man in America.

--Junichi

THE FLIRTIN' 16TH!

what's up with Florida's 16th?
From one sex scandal, to another, reminding everyone that embarrassing, unprofessional personal behavior amongst politicians is a bipartisan, um, affair.

Q: $121,000? *whistle* Mahoney should have gotten a referral from Spitzer and saved some money.

Lastly, for those keeping score:

ABC: 2
National Enquirer: 1

--O.W.

RACE AND POLLING: DECONSTRUCTING THE "BRADLEY" EFFECT

truer colors behind closed curtains?
One of the things that has really surprised me is that talking to my university colleagues -professors trained in sociology, political science, psychology, etc. - is how many of them, despite whatever data is out there, seem to think that latent, closet racism will ultimately swing the election for McCain.

It seems that paranoia - however well-founded - trumps the empirical. And sure, race is part of this election no matter how many people (cough cough, Obama) avoid talking about it but there's abundant evidence and analysis to suggest that the assumed racial bias that will only show up on Nov. 4 is unfounded.

Today, the NY Times tackles this issue, debunking the idea that there may be an Bradley Effect waiting to spring on Obama.

Some highlights:

"Among the non-Bradley factors at the intersection of race and polling is something called the reverse Bradley (perhaps more prevalent than the Bradley), in which polls understate support for a black candidate, particularly in regions where it is socially acceptable to express distrust of blacks."

"Research shows that those who refuse to participate in surveys tend to be less likely to vote for a black candidate... Pollsters had a harder time reaching voters with lower levels of education. Less-educated whites are the kind Mr. Obama has had trouble winning over. Conversely, young people are more likely to answer surveys, and they tend to favor Mr. Obama."

"The Bradley gap seems to be disappearing. In this year’s Democratic primaries, University of Washington researchers found a Bradley effect in three states, but a reverse Bradley effect in 12 (in the other 17, polls were within a seven-point margin of error)."

"The Bradley effect, Mr. Greenwald concluded, “has conceptually mutated.” “It’s not something that’s an absolute that we should generally expect, but something that will vary with the cultural context and the desirability of expressing pro-black attitudes.”

All of which is to say: the paranoia is neither justified nor unjustified but it's nowhere near as simple as saying, "a bunch of politically correct White liberals say they're pro-Obama but won't be in November" (which is how the Bradley Effect boils down).

Instead, the point here is that how race plays out can go in many different directions, some which result in a net gain, some in a net loss. It's impossible to fully decipher polling data to know what's what since there's no way to empirically verify that individuals actually vote the way they say they're going to vote.

More important, I think one of the central things to remember is this:

My own feeling is that people are largely being honest about which way they're going to vote and I've yet to see how, by way of empirical data, to suggest otherwise. That's not to say there aren't those who are publicly saying one thing yet voting another; I'm just not remotely convinced those folks represent a sizable demographic. To put it another way: there's plenty of legitimate reasons not to vote for Obama that have nothing to do with race and I think most Americans have no qualms about being upfront with their political choices.

I mean, hell, that's a badge of honor these days, like the jackass wearing a "No-bama"" t-shirt (with the Islamic crescent moon next to the slogan, no less) at the Brentwood Farmer's Market the other day.

The other half of the article is equally interesting: trying to weigh how much Obama may be benefitting in poll numbers by people willing to be polled to begin with.

Again, we'll sort all this out in about 20 days. And then can argue over the results for the next 20 years...

--O.W.

GOLDEN GIFT FOR A BABY SHOWER

--Junichi

ENOUGH WITH POLITICS, LET'S TALK BIG MEDIA!

Ok, this helped deflate some of the tension of the day:

"Jacksonville DJ quits live on air"

--O.W.

THE SCAPEGOAT RACE IS ON!

"damn those poor people for losing our money!"
There's been a disturbing trend amongst pundits of late to try to blame the current financial debacle at the feet of poor people and people of color. It's a remarkably brazen smokescreen that smacks of the kind of racially-driven reactionary politics we've seen whenever the economy runs poorly.

Among other places, Slate.com's Daniel Gross deconstructs (read: demolishes) the argument as its currently being laid out.

Seriously, is there anything the far right won't blame poor people and people of color for? Global warming (oh wait, that's not man-made)? Missing socks? The Cubs?

I should add: I know it's the trend, especially in the media, to reduce large, complex problems to simple soundbites but this really isn't serving anyone. I think it's equally naive and problematic to assume "fat cat lenders" are solely behind this mess or that de-regulation, by itself, explains it. We are where we are because a whole clusterf*** of things happened (and continue to happen) and as desirable as it is to point a single finger, we need more hands than Kali to do the issue justice.

I'll also add: I caught myself earlier this week, reading the headlines and thinking, "hey, the market is tanking...good for Obama!" as if wanting an election outcome should come at the price of our financial system imploding (and my family's finances along with it). I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted by this race and at this point, Nov. 4th really can't come soon enough so we can stop viewing everything through the prism of the election.

--O.W.

WHEN GOOD INTENTIONS GO BAD

Hey, I dig the message but as far as PSAs go, this one is kind of ga-, uh, lam-, uh, retar-, uh, corny.

(No offense to Corn People).

--O.W.

MORE SIGNS THAT THE END OF THE WORLD IS NEAR

Dow Jowned

While your parents' retirement evaporates, here's some news that will help you sniff the end of civilization around the corner:

• Anarrrrrrchy! Those Somali pirates are actually going to score an $8 million booty.

• You also just made $8 million bucks because you took the 8,234,957-to-1 odds and bet a dollar that the Bush Administration would nationalize our banks and bring socialism to the United States.

• The National Security Agency has been eavesdropping on the phone sex conversations of American soldiers overseas. Those of you who insisted that wiretapping would not infringe on the privacy of innocent Americans can apologize now.

• Cocaine dealers are charging a fuel surcharge to customers because of high gas prices. Lesson: save money and save the environment by riding your bike to your coke dealer's house.
  

• Maryland police put nonviolent anti-Iraq War and anti-death penalty activists on their list of suspected terrorists. Apparently, the real Baltimore police are not half as sophisticated as the fake Baltimore police on The Wire.
  

• Beverly Hills Chihuahua grosses $29 million in this economy and tops box office.

• Actual news article headline: "Three dead following quarrel over penis size"

• McCain stops calling us "my friends" and instead opts for the more appropriate phrase "my fellow prisoners":

--Junichi

UNSORTING AMERICA

By the way, if people are interested in looking at how current politics play out beyond just the election, it's worth taking a look at Bill Bishop's "Big Sort blog" on Slate.com. Whether you agree with some of his analysis or not, it's at least food for thought in thinking about how our current political season reflects possible shifts in our social organization as a nation.

One of the more interesting points he has to make - and this is central in his book too - is that the current election is showing signs that we are becoming more partisan than ever. Just because the Democrats have picked up more support in the last four years doesn't represent a fundamental reshuffling of our political allegiances. More specifically, Bishop is arguing that what we've seen is the disappearance of true independents - more than ever, he argues, Americans are aligned into a two-party system, with fewer and fewer deviations from the party ticket (uh, PUMAs aside I suppose).

--O.W.

DON'T IT MAKE MY RED STATES BLUE

Above is what the electoral map would look like if the election were today.

(Source: Yahoo! Political Dashboard / Real Clear Politics)

--Junichi

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #138

This Week's Question:

"That one."

Offensive?

--Junichi

BOOGALOO CHECK 1, 2

OMG: Something not election-related.

I was on WNYC's Soundcheck earlier today, talking about boogaloo since my essay on it for The Nation was included in this year's Best Music Writing 2008. Peep.

For those in Los Angeles, I'll be reading from the essay this Friday, at Skylight Books in Los Feliz.

--O.W.

THE MOMENT I SPEWED CHUNKS

=

The moment she said, "I love to answer these questions without the filter of the mainstream media."

*

Congratulations to those who had "Golly," "You Betcha," "Energy Independence," "Darn It," and "Maverick" in one row of their Palin Bingo card. You won within the first three minutes of the debate.

*

Did she really just argue for the expansion of the Vice President's powers? Or was my Nyquil kicking in?

*

And speaking of drugs, who sedated Senator Joe Biden? He was solid, but uncharacteristically restrained. Did he buy into the ludicrous notion that a gentleman shouldn't attack a lady?

Why didn't he pounce on her for saying that the toxic mess on Main Street was hurting Wall Street? Or when he referred to Nato Commander Gen. McKiernan as McClellan, the former White House Press Secretary? Or when she gave an incoherent non-answer for the umpteenth time?

*

To her credit, Governor Palin beat the spread. She didn't give that moose-in-headlights look that she has showed in situations when reporters are allowed to ask follow-up questions. She didn't refer to affirmative action as a military maneuver. She didn't equate Most Favored Nation status with being America's BFF.

This is too bad, since I would have liked more tracks added to her greatest hits compilation, which TPM compiled in the video below:

*

Of course, it's easy to beat the spread when you were expected to lose by seven touchdowns.

--Junichi

ONE REASON I'M HAPPY WE'RE EXPECTING A BOY

Best Little Horrorhouse in Texas

So my wife and I just learned that we are having a baby boy. We are thrilled, not that we were rooting for a particular gender.

When we returned from the doctor's office, I pulled a Party City catalog for Halloween costumes from our mailbox. A few seconds after skimming through it, I became quite glad that we're not having a girl.

I know I've said this before -- and it's hardly a novel thought -- but why do all female costumes have to be "sexy"? It's as if Halloween has become a giant Pimps & Hos party, except that men don't have to dress like pimps.

One can hardly distinguish the catalog above from a website to order stripper-grams. And by one, I mean somebody who has visited a stripper-gram website, which does not include me.

Also, check out the costumes on the upper right corner in the image above. What, exactly, is a Dragon Geisha? Or a Cherry Blossom Geisha? Who consulted on those cultural designs? Why not a Teriyaki Geisha? The Cherry Blossom Geisha looks like a server at El Torito who also participates in the restaurant's mariachi birthday dance.

And since when does a Straight A Student wear skirts that only go down to her hip bones? Okay, other than on the late night film selection on the Skinemax channel?

Finally, check out the costumes below. They even sexed up "Miss Dorothy" from the Wizard of Oz so that she looks ready to ease on down the Yellow Trick Road.

Do I sound like a grandpa yet?

--Junichi

DOH!BOLD

--O.W.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #137

Online Surveys & Market Research

--Junichi

PALIN'S FACEBOOK PAGE

The "Places I've Been" map alone made it worth posting this.

I don't know how Gov. Palin has time to Facebook -- or do anything, for that matter -- since she's busy reading "all" newspapers and magazines.

(Tip o' the Hat: John Aravosis)

--Junichi