Meeting with the Moose
I promised regular blogging during my trip to the US, but the wireless network in the house at 3162 18th Street has been down. The wonderful café Tryst in Adams Morgan is my rescue, wireless internet for free and quick service. These words are being typed down right now thanks to Tryst.
Since almost all my friends in the US have complained about this blog not being in English I will write in that language during my trip here - and maybe also in the future. Anyway, today's great event was a meeting with the legendary blogger Bull Moose/Marshall Wittmann. Marshall started out as a young Trotskite in Waco, Texas but has since then worked with the Christian Coalition and Senator John McCain. Today he is affiliated with the DLC and politically he can be described as a hawkish New Democrat.
Marshall and I had a long and interesting discussion about the role of blogs in politics and he gave me some real useful advice. Naturally, I asked if blogs are here to stay and Marshall answered: "Think of it like when we got the telephone. Yes, it is here to stay". I plan to write a longer piece based on the interview/discussion with Marshall and some other meetings I have here. That text will of course be published on/linked to this blog.
Tonight at 7PM I will meet with four real interesting young Democrats (who also are my friends) at my favorite bar in DC: The Raven. I will record our discussion with my iPod and the idea is that they will give their view on the long-term future of US politics but also America as a country. Kevin works at the think-tank PPI and took his Master’s degree at SAIS, Brian works for Congressman Jim Cooper, Alissa works for Wolf Blitzer (who also went to SAIS) at the CNN and Brent is a true political animal who worked in the Dean-campaign and for the DNC in the 2004-elections. I anticipate a very interesting discussion and if it works out well I will write a longer piece about it, so keep tuned!
Since almost all my friends in the US have complained about this blog not being in English I will write in that language during my trip here - and maybe also in the future. Anyway, today's great event was a meeting with the legendary blogger Bull Moose/Marshall Wittmann. Marshall started out as a young Trotskite in Waco, Texas but has since then worked with the Christian Coalition and Senator John McCain. Today he is affiliated with the DLC and politically he can be described as a hawkish New Democrat.
Marshall and I had a long and interesting discussion about the role of blogs in politics and he gave me some real useful advice. Naturally, I asked if blogs are here to stay and Marshall answered: "Think of it like when we got the telephone. Yes, it is here to stay". I plan to write a longer piece based on the interview/discussion with Marshall and some other meetings I have here. That text will of course be published on/linked to this blog.
Tonight at 7PM I will meet with four real interesting young Democrats (who also are my friends) at my favorite bar in DC: The Raven. I will record our discussion with my iPod and the idea is that they will give their view on the long-term future of US politics but also America as a country. Kevin works at the think-tank PPI and took his Master’s degree at SAIS, Brian works for Congressman Jim Cooper, Alissa works for Wolf Blitzer (who also went to SAIS) at the CNN and Brent is a true political animal who worked in the Dean-campaign and for the DNC in the 2004-elections. I anticipate a very interesting discussion and if it works out well I will write a longer piece about it, so keep tuned!
posted by Eric Sundström at 10:08 pm
6 Comments:
Hello you! Being in DC sounds fantastic. Well, as a working girl, anykind of trip abroad sounds fantastic.
That ipod recording-thingy sounds great. Gotta get me one.
Ha det bäst!
"Hawkish New Democrat" låter inte så kul. Fast hans blogg verkar intressant. Hittade en intervju med Howard Dean från "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart". Där har vi en Demokrat som en svensk sosse kan känna sig lite bekväm med. Länkar till intervjun här:
http://wigforss.blogspot.com/2005/06/howard-dean-hos-jon-och-daraka.html
Fredrik: Bloggen är en av de mest lästa och viktigaste och har bland annat visats live i Meet the Press. Visst kan vi önska att Dean eller den tragiskt bortgångne Paul Wellstone skulle kunna bli president i det här landet. Men att som Dean säga att det Republikanska partiet bara består av kristna och vita vinner inga val i ett land vars största väljarblock består just av kristna och vita... Tills vidare får vi svenska sossar se till att hålla kontakten med alla progressiva krafter som jobbar för förändring, från DLC via Dean till våra kompisar i SI.
Fast enligt en poll nyligen så lär 80% av alla republikaner definiera sig som vita kristna.
http://hoverbike.blogspot.com/2005/06/ahem.html
Bara för att Republikaner är vita och kristna så betyder ju inte det att alla vita och kristna är republikaner. Det är ju trots allt bara ungefär 1/4-del av de röstberättigade som röstade på GWB. Och om man utgår från att Republikanerna är just vita och kristna till 80% så är det väl ungefär 1/5-del av de som är röstberättigade. Och det är väl skönt att det finns lite Demokrater med ryggrad (för att citera från Jon Stewart) och talar till de 80% av amerikanerna som inte är vita, kristna Republikaner.
Men sen är jag å andra sidan för att man har bra relationer med alla de som är "left wing of the possible" i USA. Fast min drömpresidentkandidat är nog senator Barack Obama. Han behöver bara växa till sig lite.
After my visit to the Raven in D.C. (you told me to go there, remember?) i fully understand why it is your favourite place...
Zaida: According to the magazine M3 you should buy the Belkin Voice Recorder, which is supposed to be better than the one produced by Griffin. Check www.apple.se. Hope to see you this summer att some point!
Fredrik: Visst kan man försöka sätta Deans kommentar i en kontext och visst har Jon Stewart rätt men DNC kan få allvarliga ekonomiska problem nu eftersom stora bidragsgivare drar sig ur på grund av att de tycker att Dean är en högljudd klant. Det är tyvärr den politiska verkligheten här. Sedan ska DNC självfallet stå upp för alla minoriteter och Obama är tveklöst USA:s mest spännande politiker just nu. Men om han ska bli president krävs det mer modernisering och professionalitet från DNC och Dean, men det håller jag på och skriver en artikel om.
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