Good Mornin' América, How Are Ya?

Starts out:

What explanation -- other than everyone at the New Yorker being turned into a Pat Buchanan clone -- can one find for the fact that the best magazine in America has produced the FOX News/Karl Rove poster of the Obama family? If this cover works as "satire" then so did the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Call vicious caricature by it's name. If this was well intended then more fool the editor.

As a former lifelong Republican, as an activist key in the formation of the Religious Right, as a white middle-aged middle-class man who is an avid supporter of Senator Obama, let me explain what went wrong: the editor only knows people like himself. The editor of the magazine should have learned from one of the most famous New Yorker covers of all time: the one that mocked NYC provincialism and portrayed the rest of the country as a footnote to Manhattan.

I happen to have come from a background that was very different from your average New Yorker reader. My parents were fundamentalist missionaries. [...]

More than provincialism was at work here. This cover was a blackface-style racial insult. It is either the work of well intended fools or racists. Note: being cool, educated, ironic, smart, self-aware, progressive and powerful is no excuse and doesn't give anyone a pass. [...]

The rest.

But I can't let you go leaving a Willie Nelson recording of a Chicago tune. Where do you suppose The City of New Orleans departs from? Steve Goodman, the song's writer, is much beloved in Chicago even though he left us too early.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXGFKpWUOW0

Nothing like a little Willie Nelson to see you on your way.

Every time I go coast to coast on the southern route, Austin's a place I gotta stop. Sounds like you'll be busy there and hope it's lot's of fun.

As for me, a personal economic downturn and the usual inactivity common to Eugene means I've left the fieldhands. I wish all the rest of you much better fates.

Early morn here in Ft Lauderdale, on the way to Net Nat08, hope to see many fieldhands there.

Franco

Safe travels, Al. Looking forward to hearing the reports from Austin.

It's a good day to post a Willie Nelson clip. FarmAid announced yesterday that this year's concert will be held in Mansfield, MA, on September 20. I encourage anyone in the area to attend. It's always a great show, supports a good cause, and you get to see which Neil Young personality will show up -- will it be rocker Neil, acoustic Neil, organ-playing Neil, mad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it-anymore activist Neil, or someone else?

Great News for New England Field Hands - Farm Aid is in New England this year!!!!  Wanna go???

Travel safely Al, have a great time at Netroots Field hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC770JMb0Uk

Raise some hell...you'll be in the right place it. Yeeehaw!

of course this is Arlo's song. I saw him perform this with his small family band in a church in Martha's Vineyard a few years back. when done there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

When I think of Austin, Molly Ivins comes to mind; I hope her spirit is still in the wind there. The article below neatly ties together Molly, Barack, and another great performer, Elvis.

  http://blog.niemanwatchdog.org/?p=190

Have a safe trip, Al, and enjoy yourself.  As the old saying goes, "You deserve it!" 

What a treat to start my day with a favorite song by a favorite performer from a favorite writer.  Can't wait to hear all about it. And you are so right about having the music.  Nothing inspires like music.

Here's your dress rehersal for Denver.

 Joan

Saw this on Ezra's blog this morning - some sneaky last-minute maneauvering by the Bush Administration to try to redefine even some contraception as abortion.

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=07&year=2008&base_name=redefining_abortion

We should all try to make sure this gets prominence on at least the blogosphere and maybe the MSM picks it up.  Obama should be all over this one (especially given McCain's hemming and hawing over birth control caught on video last week)

KD

Say hello to Willie and Bobbie, if you see her, and the statue of Stevie Ray! Love Austin! 

1. That Al safely arrives soon and keeps us updated!

2. That Al can get netroots back on track and contributing to Obama.

3. If this is too blatant, please remove. I had a throat biopsy yesterday [benign - sigh of relief! Can still smoke.] and cannot talk for one week. Instead of telephoning friends I set up my own contribution page for Obama contributions.

[At first I thought a thousand a year - but I am not Al, so I went for $750]

Al, if you want, I can hook you up with an eccentric native plant and tree nurseryman just south of Austin.  He gets high on pain-killers and weed all day, and is pretty quick with the gun when he is drunk. LOL

Perhaps this is excitement that you can do without.

Willy Nelson is a national treasure, and it is good that he is still musically and politically active.

Al and Austin bound Fieldhands,

Please kneel down before my bud, The King of Sixth Street while you're there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDlLBR9zrSE

 That is the funniest post/comment, from you, I have seen since I stumbled upon this great place! Are you coming to Denver? You Should!

from Jack and Jill Politics. I told them if they came across you, to give you a hello from me.

Just got a mail from Obama camp that they raised 52 mil in June and they have a total of 72 mil in bank.  Wow. His base didn't desert him him after all that FISA stuff. Great News.

amk

Good to hear that the stories about the imminent demise of the Obama campaign contribution machine were wrong.

Cool.  52 mil.

Underwhelming, eh, WSJ?

KD

since he clinched the nomination. Thsi clearly shows that he still hasn't lost his grip over his real supporters. I would like to see how many new supporters he added after the nomination.

More than the money, it is the committed base that is going to win this for him.  These June numbers show that his supporters are serious about this election and this gives me highs.

amk

He brought in 55 mil in Feb with an average of $ 100. The June 52 mil has an average of only $ 68. That's almost 40% increase in donor base.

amk