The Obama Conundrum

"I'll marry Hillary, but I'll cheat with Obama."

Its my Iranian friend again, the one who set us all straight about that nation's quirky president in a blog post some months ago.

She's an American citizen, a devoted Democrat and she can't wait to vote this year and she's a bit sad right now because her candidate appears to be losing.

"We really need a woman in the White House, she told me, obviously referring to Hillary Clinton. Thing is, she likes Obama too--its his wife thats pushing my pal away. She sees Michelle Obama as harsh and hungry for power--the same things Hillary Clinton's opponents seem to say about her.

Interesting. I wonder if many others see Mrs. Obama that way, and if might hurt Barak Obama's case the same way I am certain the 2004 nominee John Kerry was hurt by the public's perception of his wife.

Certainly, Mrs. Clinton is being whipped about by the mixed public sentiments regarding her spouse. But at least he used to be President. There is some reason to be concerned about what level of influence me might have if his wife were to get the job.

But what is it about Michelle Obama and Theresa Heinz-Kerry that seemed to rub some folks the wrong way at the wrong time? And I wish I'd asked my friend--"Would you be more likely to support Obama if he had a different wife?

What The Heck Was That?!

Perhaps, it was merely poetic justice. After all, I had just used up two blog posts basically ripping Valentine's Day as a contrived and passionless holiday.

So maybe it was the Day itself having vengance when in the V-DAy 5pm news, I had one of those horrifying moments you can only experience on live television. Take a look...

How could that happen? What was I thinking? Well, to be honest I merely thought the block was going to open directly to Lesli Foster. I somehow forgot that I was reading an intro first, even though I do the exact same thing every day of the week. Go figure.

As we used to say when I was a kid-- I "lunched." I got "brain-lock." I had to "look it off."

In other words, I don't know exactly what happened--I just screwed up. I laughed 'cause sometimes there's nothing else you can do.

Its Worse Than I Thought

Yesterday, just a few hours after I re-posted the Anti-V-Day blog, I walked into my local Giant Food store to see this:

A bunch of poor schlubs lined up at the flower counter at about 830pm Valentine's Day desperately buying something, anything to take home to the significant other.

See what this 'holiday' has done to what were once manly specimens? What did I tell you? Sad, isn't it?

At least these fellas are in an actual store. A lot of guys were at traffic lights buying roses from that guy with flowers wrapped in plastic. Guys, I hate to be the one to break this to you but...She knows. She knows that raggedy rose came from the guy on the corner. She knows you always put this stuff off until the last minute. If she really loves you, she pretends to be really happy and grateful. But take my word for it--she knows.

Has It Been A Year Already?

Reporter Audrey Barnes just reminded me that last Valentine's Day I posted a blog bemoaning the horrid state of the holiday and detailing why I refused to celebrate. Its a full year later, and I haven't changed my mind, so here it is again:

I just finished writing my "Anti-Valentine’s Day" story about those who decide not to celebrate the holiday (if you missed it check it out here.) and it got me to thinking. This whole hearts and roses deal has completely gotten out of hand. The greatest thing about romance and passion is the spontaneity it creates. I call you 8 times a day ‘cause I just wanna hear your voice. I send you an I-pod full of great love songs ‘cause its just how you make me feel. Yeah, baby!

Well, this just in: It ain’t all that magical when I’m lining up with 25 other poor slobs to buy roses because I better show up with something…or else!

Now look…I know this is really mostly a holiday for women, and we guys are just supposed to play along. Send the roses. Pay for the dinner. Act really excited about it. Just make her happy for Heaven’s sakes!!

But after a while…doesn’t it all start to feel a lot more obligatory than romantic? Now, its as though men are performing a ritual designed to keep the woman in our lives from getting mad, though we can’t tell her that. She might get mad.

I know what you’re thinking. “He’s just saying that ‘cause he doesn’t have a significant other.” Well, last year I did. And she got angry because I sent the roses to her home instead of the office. Then we got in a really big fight because a few days after the V-Day I let the air out of the humongous balloons she sent me at work. (I didn’t realize I was supposed to keep them forever.) I was ‘letting the air out of our relationship.’ Heck, maybe I was.

Cynical? Maybe. Bitter? Nah…just remembering that 364 days out of the year the woman in your world will be really surprised and happy to get those flowers, in part because she’ll know you were thinking of her…. just because.

Stop Lurking

Lurking -- messaging, jargon; To regularly visit a message board or blog, but rarely participate or respond in written form. Not necessarily perjorative, i.e.<> as in,"I'm not going to post anything, I'm just lurking."

(music up--feel the funky Chuck Brown rhythm!!)



Pay a visit to my blog--don't ya wanna stay?


I'm hoping that you got somethin special to say.


Run away without a comment but you won't get far


You're a lurker and shirker that's what you are.







Chorus:


Stop Lurking-We wanna hear from you.


Stop Lurking-you know what ya gotta do.

Stop Lurking- we wanna hear from you.

Stop lurking-you know what ya gotta do.




Lurking is an art; but its not a science.

Turning your computer to a one-way appliance.

All I really want is a thought or two.

Its more fun to write when I hear from you.


(Repeat Chorus)


You take your lurking to a whole new level-

Don't stop now- you made a deal with the Devil!

Your voice is heard--now ya stop to chat.

Leaving your reply at 'What the Heck was That?!!'

Live AT 5...A.M.

Its Potomac Primary day and therefore a huge day for us news folks. Who knows what might happen?

Here's what did:

5am -- I'm awake. I roll over turn on the radio. Just in time for National Public Radio's Morning Edition. I love their news!

520am -- I forgot its fundraiser week aka membership campaign aka beggin' for dollars--"Public radio wouldn't exist without people like ...." Snore!!

7am--Awake again. Sitting at computer in underwear. This is a live shot nobody wants to take...!!

740am --Phone rings. Its my good friend Robin who is breathless-- "Oh, Derek I'm so excited I just voted for Barack Obama!!!" she shrieks at me. I couldn't believe when I pushed the button with his name on it. I mean I voted for Jesse Jacskson and I voted for Al Sharpton. But those were just token votes. Barack might actually win!!"

My reaction: You voted for Al Sharpton?! Really??!

845am-- Now I'm in the basement working out and watching CNN. Nothing but election stuff and even I'm starting to get a little psyched. This is a pretty big deal isn't it? Democracy at work. No time to think small. Its not about me. Its about the news!!

9am Whose that..? They're chatting live with Leon Harris from WJLA-Channel 7??!! Oh. Seems he interviewed Obama and Hillary Clinton on some ABC 7 special last night. Damn! Lucky stiff. And to think, I used to really like him....

1015-Seriously folks..Leon is a very good guy and good friend (and a good sport, I hope) But at least I'm on the way to the polling place. Dreading the inevitable long lines.

1030--There's like, nobody here. Security still pretty tight but old guy at voter sign-in seems a bit confused. I spell my name for him _O-B-A-M-A. He waves me through no problem. Security not as tight as I thought.

1045 --voting over. On the way to work.

1125a --Sitting down at desk. Hey...only 25 minutes til lunch. Day going very well so far.

130p Stretched it out as long as I could. Stopped by Anita and Bruce Johnson's desks to chat. They had actual work to do so I'm back at my own cubicle. Lunch over.

3pm Like I said...ya never know whats gonna happen. Rain is turning to ice all over the place....and just like that election is no longer the top story!!

440p Just taped a political chat with Bob Schieffer of CBS News. Bob is like the dean of political reporters--I love hearing him talk politics because he's got so much history and knowledge. Its an honor to share the set with him. No joke.

Of course, Bob also likes hearing Bob talk politics. 3 questions fills five minutes. Makes my job easy.

448pm Ice and accidents in the evening rush! Election day action. Live shots from all over the place.....Lets Do This!!

I Am Happy (or is it just relief?)

Do we owe Dan Snyder a great big fat sloppy apology?

Maybe.

After all you ripped him. Crushed him. Called him names I can't write in this blog. You really, really didn't want New York Giants retread Jim Fassel as the Redskins new coach--so much so that it got very personal.

Personally, I couldn't see any way out of this mess. As of Friday it looked like Fassel was Da Man, and Colts defensive guru Ron Meeks was apparently off the board according to any reports I could find. And Steve Mariuchi? Puh-lease!!

Then late yesterday I sat down at my computer and Great Googlelymoogely...Its Jim Zorn! But wait a second. Didn't Snyder already hire him as Offensive Coordinator? That's a little fast for a promotion, but I'm okay with it.

Because I am old enough to remember Jim Zorn. This guy was a pretty good NFL quarterback who seeemed to rely more on his smarts and daring than his physical gifts. I seem to recall him giving the 'Skins fits from time to time. Of course that doesn't mean he can coach. Just ask Green Bay fans about Bart Starr.

Still, everything I read about this guy is positive....those who know him say he's patient, crafty and scrupulously honest.

Now all this certainly does not change the fact of how horrendously screwed up the search process was. Nor does it erase the unnecessarily harsh treatment of Greg Williams, whom everyone except Snyder thought should have gotten the job.

But, as I like to say, lets be real. Snyder's vote was the only one that mattered. I talked with WUSA sports meister Bret Haber the other day about whether Dan Snyder might be listening to the immense roar of disapproval from fans over the possible hiring of Fassel. He asked me, "do you think Snyder cares what we think?" At the time, I thought probably not.

Now, though I'm speculating that it would be hard to believe that even Snyder could be completely immune to thoughts of the wave of rejection Fassel would have faced. Heck, I'll go berserk and suggest that maybe a guy whose been as successful in business as Snyder has been, who lured Joe Gibbs back to coaching, and who handled the murder of Sean Taylor with more grace and class than many thought possible, is neither foolish nor out of touch. Maybe he was listening.

Don't be shy. What do you think? Mailbag@wusa9.com

Hot In Herre

Sometimes, for reasons that remain a mystery, the temperature in our studio goes haywire. Today was one of those days.

It was about 10 minutes into the 5pm news that both Anita and I began to notice--despite the fact that the weather was as Topper would say "chilly", it was hot in our studio. Really really hot, like starting-to-sweat-in-bodily-cracks-type hot.

It was so hot even my hair started frizzing up. And I gotta tell ya...that's pretty dang hot!! And poor Anita was spending a lot of time fussing with her 'do. I was a bit shocked to see her health producer come scrambling into the studio during a break yelling,"Fix your hair!"

It was getting rough.

Now, Anita couldn't know this, but this kind of thing has happened before and it is always the same. In the Winter, if it gets just a little warmer than usual outside, the inside of the studio gets blazingly hot. In Summer, if we get one of those days that's not crazily, ridiculously hot and humid, inside with us it is deep-freezer cold.

So far no one has been able to give me a satisfactory explanation, but i do know this much--I may not have hair issues....but there are things that would look even worse than a frizzled coif.

Is Your Iced Tea Killing You?

You can tell its sweeps month because we're doing our level best to scare the heck out of you.

Years ago, someone at another TV station posted a cartoon that had an anchor frantically promoting a story. "Is there a deadly menace in your sock drawer?" Then later, again--"Could something in your sock drawer be draining your life away?" Then one more--"Is your sock drawer killing you?"

Then finally at 11 an answer: NO.

It was a bit of exageration, but only a bit. And everyone does it...from CNN and the networks on down to your local news station. The philosophical argument goes something like this: You like news that affects your life--so what better to get you to watch then warn you about some (often fairly marginal) danger that just might hurt you...or even more horrible(yet fascinating) your children?

The problem is not that the dangers aren't real--they pretty much are, with just a few exceptions. Its that we've fed into this idea that not only is the world a really, really dangerous place, but that you can avoid most of the danger if only you take the proper precautions--with little discussion of whether the effort involved is justified by the actual risk.

It is just confusing. Will my cell phone cause brain cancer? Who knows? What about those non-stick pans? I love to cook mean on the grill--uh oh!! Ironically, only in a rich and relatively safe country like ours do we have the luxury of worrying about such things.

You think in Afghanistan everyone is getting rid of their aluminum pots or spending thousands at the mall for a whole body CT scan? Me neither.

But keep watching us. After all, we wouldn't want anything to happen you......

Only (blank) Shopping Days Left 'Til Superbowl

"What are you doing for Superbowl?" The question comes so often these days nobody even thinks about how crazy it really sounds.

But if you do think about it for even a few seconds, you realize the Superbowl--a football game-- has become like Christmas or July 4th--a real holiday. That's an incredible testament to the popularity of the NFL. Nobody ever says...whatcha doing for Stanley Cup? Or whatcha doin for the Brut Sunbowl?

Of course for us here in the news biz, "holiday" is another way of saying, "day you'd rather not be working 'cause everyone else is having a big party."

I am lucky enough to have weekends off right now, but for the first few years in the business I worked just about every Saturday and Sunday. That's how it is for most of us.

So, back in 1983, when the Redskins were playing the Raiders Superbowl XVIII, I was working at the now (mostly) defunct wire service known as United Press International. I was low man on the totem pole and, yup you guessed it, I had to work Super Bowl Sunday.

I couldn't freakin' believe it!!!

Remember, this was the year the 'Skins had rolled to 14 and 2 and they had already beaten the Raiders once that year. Joe Gibbs was in his heyday. The Fans were berserk!!!!!


Okay, maybe not that berserk. But you get the picture.

But I was determined not to miss the big game. I found a little black and white TV I could fit on my desk, and prayed no big news would happen while my Redskins were kickin' Raider booty!!

Of course, we all know how that worked out. The Redskins got smashed, 38-9. I missed nothing of importance. Somehow, I think there's a lesson in there about having a work ethic, or its just a game or something.

So then, why is this guy so mad? Oh. He's just a Dallas Cowboy fan....