Let’s talk about your future. If you tried out for American Idol, I guarantee that Simon Cowell would say to you, in his mincing British accent, “Sarah, you’ve got it .” He’s right – you do have “it,” a generous sprinkling of stardust that makes you unbelievably watchable, charismatic, and compelling. Whether or not that stardust will wear off in a...
When Barack Obama selected Joe Biden to round out the ticket, it seemed like a conservative, safe bet. His personal preference was probably, as Newsweek reported , Tim Kaine but he picked Biden to cushion the blow of the “inexperienced” attack. In the end, it all worked out, but the pick was partly motivated by politics. But with the appointment of Rahm Emmanuel as Chief...
I wasn’t alive when Kennedy was assassinated or when we put men on the moon, but for the rest of my life, I’ll never forget where I was the night that Barack Obama was elected president of the United States of America. I was at an election party in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, eating cheese and sipping lemonade, watching the Stewart/Colbert special, when I heard rumbling cheers...
There were many important propositions on the California ballot this year (like prop 4 , which would have taken away a young girl's right to an abortion without her parent’s consent) and some not-so-important ones (like prop 11 , which was about redistricting voting jurisdictions). But the two highest-profile propositions were numbers 2 and 8: Prop 2 humanly wanted to give basic...
Our country will have its first black president. Weird, right? You could say, on the one hand, “about time.” On the other, most of us never thought we’d see this in our lifetime. It’s worth pointing out that only a series of unlikely events could have brought us to this conclusion. But for many, this doesn’t even begin to describe the moment. It’s not...
The national polls have tightened a little, but Obama is still ahead by an average of about 6.5 points. If that turns out to be the real popular vote count, Obama will be our next president (that total is just too high for it to come down to a few swing states). McCain will have to get within at most four points in the popular vote to have a chance at a Bush-style swing state victory....
I heard about racial leakage the first time this year. It sounded pretty icky, like it could be related to what happened to those people who ate potato chips made with olestra. But actually racial leakage, often called the Bradley effect , is a phenomenon of prejudice and bigotry, not a biological function. Maybe it’s because I was born in 1984, which means I...
Oliver Stone’s W. is not so much a mediocre film as it is two mediocre films. The first traces the life of George W. Bush from his fraternity days through the first term of his presidency. This film asks, in the words of Stone, “How did Bush go from an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world?” The answer seems to have something to do with an Oedipal complex, a...
The number of prominent Republicans who say they will vote for Barack Obama on November 4th – a group of people who have been labeled Obamacans – is growing. Democrats can take this news in one of two ways: they can view their candidate as someone whose message crosses party lines and rejoice or they can acknowledge that their candidate is being supported by the people who propelled...
I have a confession to make: I am so, so, so tired of this presidential campaign. It feels like it has lasted since 2004, and frankly, I’m bored. And it’s not because I’m not a political junkie. I write for Dipdive, after all! And beyond my general excitement over the possibility of a true sea change in this country’s leadership, this race has been...
