Wakarusa 2009 Recap
Mission accomplished.
When Brett Mosiman and Company decided to pull up the tent stakes for the last time out at Clinton Lake State Park and take their party on the road, the question those that were involved in the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival must have been asking was "what's going to happen next year?"
With the new location in Ozark, Arkansas atop Mulberry Mountain, they've picked a gem of a spot and from what I can tell the transition was a huge success.
All photos via Chris Tackett on Flickr
With a setting like this, it would be hard to not enjoy yourself. The scenery is incredible. Nestled into an oval-shaped pasture of gently sloped grass, the festival grounds feature four ponds and an endless border of lush, green woods that line the rolling hilltops which encircle the grounds. Acting as a backdrop, these rolling hills are close enough together to give the space a feel akin to that of an amphitheater.
From the very start, the scenery is indicative of how things have changed. To arrive at the site, Highway 23 snakes drivers through some beautiful rural landscapes. Farms dot the landscape. Trees overhang portions of the road creating wooded tunnels that leave you wondering what awaits you after many blind curves. These sharp bends ensure that even the most-hurried driver is forced to slow down and soak up the scenery while winding closer to the festival entrance.
It is a stark contrast to the straight and exposed roads that one takes to get to Clinton Lake State Park.
Upon arriving at the entrance, you're greeted with the familiar cut-out letters that spell out "Welcome to Wakarusa", which have been used in Lawrence, but similarities between the two sites don't go much further than that. There are still the same types of vendors, pay showers and a couple general stores for replenishing supplies. However, whereas at Clinton Lake State Park, Wakarusa had to set up tents and bring in trailers to act as the box office, media check-in, and logistical headquarters, at Mulberry Mountain, there are several buildings on site that were able to be used. The various buildings on this site include old country farm houses, barns, and horse stables. A small white farm house was the box office and media check in. A green meeting center that resembled a barn was used for logistical headquarters and media.
General Store #1, near entrance. See interior below...
Interview with General Store worker about impact on local economy.
general store from tackett on Vimeo.
Another enjoyable change, in my opinion, at least, is that these general stores are not simply a satellite Hyvee store that looks and feels like it was just dropped down into the field, feeling foreign and out of place. The buildings used as general stores were permanent structures on the property. And one general store was a permanent feature both a supply store for forgotten items like sunscreen or snacks, as well as a gift shop for souvenirs.
The second gift shop, near the mainstage, reminded me of two scenes you might have seen in the movies Big Fish and I'm Not There. In Big Fish, there's a scene with a little secluded town the main character stumbles upon and there are beautiful strings of hanging lights stretching across the lawn. And in I'm Not There, there's a scene near the end when My Morning Jacket (who I would LOVE to see perform at Wakarusa next year) performs in a gazebo surrounded by a crowd of costumed characters that look like they are part of a traveling circus. I kept thinking of these two scenes when I'd see the lighting near the general store and all the funky costumes and fashion many festival-goers wore throughout the weekend.
General Store 2, near mainstage.
More representative of a 1930's traveling roadshow or carnival, the hanging lights amongst the trees and shelves of snacks and supplies glow softly orange. The worn and weathered boards and shingles of the general store help add to the feeling that you've been relocated to another time. Even the stages have this worn, country look. The main stage had stones lining the bottom and tall wooden walls that looked like part of a barn lined each side of the stage. The Revival and Outpost tents were just like they've been in previous years, white spiky tents with cool lighting effects underneath. The Backwoods stage was a real treat. Tucked back in a wooded area it was a perfect setting for the bluegrass and Americana bands.
Another great addition were the orange and red hot air balloons that appeared seemingly out of nowhere Thursday evening as the sun was setting. When the balloon captains hit the engines sending flame and heat upwards into the growing shells, each thrust of the engine sends a burst of light away from the balloon, brightening the tents and people below with a soft touch of colorful light. The dirigibles rise gently, one then the other, hovering above the field.
Meanwhile, the moon was nearly full throughout most of the weekend, the sky cloudless and stars clearly visible. Thankfully there was a bit of cloud cover Saturday, which was a welcome break from the warm sunny days that left many a festival-goer pink with sunburn. But there were no tornadoes, no rain and just enough breeze to make you comfortable, so as far as weather goes, Ozark was much more pleasant than Lawrence.
It's really hard to paint a full picture of how pretty the scene is here at Wakarusa. Hopefully the pictures I took will help illustrate some of what I'm describing here. The location and weather were so wonderful, that after the first round of shows Thursday night, I knew that as long as Mosiman and crew could keep the logistics running smooth, my conclusion as to whether this was a success or not would be that it most-certainly was.
STS9 by Chris Tackett
As far as the music goes, I don't think Wakarusa really skipped a beat with the move down to Ozark. With heavy hitters like Yonder Mountain String Band, The Black Crowes, Les Claypool, and STS9, Wakarusa brought enough big names to set itself apart from the other similar festival that takes place at this same location, Harvest Fest. I'm curious to see how the relationship between those two competeing events plays out. (Note: there is a partnership of sorts in play already, as Wakarusa ticket holders were able to score a discounted ticket to Harvest Fest if purchased last weekend.)
Yonder Mountain String Band by Chris Tackett
Matisyahu by Chris Tackett
In order to bring the larger bands onto the bill - many playing in Arkansas for the first time ever - I would imagine there may have been some convincing of band tour managers that needed to be done over the last year, but Mosiman and crew brought a great lineup that rivals that of previous lineups of Wakarusas past. Still referred to often as a "second tier" festival (with first tier being the larger events like Bonnaroo, Coachella, Rothbury, Lollapalooza and the new addition of San Francisco's Outside Lands), Wakarusa comes awfully close to breaking that label, but this week it felt like something they might be trying to run with. While the Bonnaroo's and Coachellas of the world bring upwards of 50, 60, 80,000 people, massive crowds like that don't appeal to everyone. This is where Wakarusa can carve out a comfortable niche (and more importantly more easily manageable - both logistically and financially). Becoming known as the beautifully serene party in the Ozarks would be a welcome label for Wakarusa, I think. Not to mention the fact that Wakarusa still brings a great number of smaller and regional bands that the crowds always love.
Split Lip Rayfield by Chris Tackett
Pretty Lights by Chris Tackett
Pretty Lights at Wakarusa 2009 from tackett on Vimeo.
And as the rest of the days of the festival went by, it was difficult to find things that I could say were better in Lawrence. On Sunday I made a Pro/Con list of things I liked about each location and here's what I came up with...
Pros for Lawrence
• Proximity to Lawrence/Fayetteville: Clinton Lake State Park's proximity to Lawrence was always nice. Being a local, I could sneak away back to town for a shower and nice meal once or twice during the 4 day event. Visitors could go to Lawrence to restock on supplies or check out some of our restaurants or stores on Mass Street. In Ozark, the closest town like that would be Fayetteville, which was at least an hour or so drive away. People did go to Ozark for supplies, giving that small town's economy a much appreciated boost.
• Water Feature: The second thing I liked more about Lawrence was the easy access one had to Clinton lake. It was easy to walk down to the water and the free showers near the beach were always a popular feature, as well. Mulberry Mountain has some prettier water features on the Mulberry River, but the access was more difficult, either requiring a shuttle ride or a 30 minute hike to remote waterfalls. The remoteness makes that more enjoyable for the people that trek out, I'm sure, but it sure would be nice to have been able to get to some water to splash around in without having to invest an hour just in travel time.
• Better media coverage? (more on this below)
Pros for Ozark
• No tornadoes or dangerous weather
• No cops
• Hot air balloon rides
• waterfalls, rivers
• rural touches at setting fit well w/ music
• remote location. Yes, I am contradicting what I wrote above about liking the proximity Clinton Lake has to Lawrence, but once you get out to Mulberry Mountain, the remoteness is pretty nice.
• beautiful horizons, rolling hills, trees
Wakarusa Media Coverage:
Lawrencians may or may not appreciate what they have in terms of local media, but the World Company really does do an incredible job and their annual coverage of the Wakarusa festival was no exception. Throughout the years there were live chats with the organizers and police officials, photo and audio slideshows, well-produced video segments and the Lawrence.com Deadwood Wakarusa preview issue which was always handed out on-site providing attendees with a well-designed and thought-out preview of some of the weekend's best bets.
At first glance, prior to the festival, I thought that was largely missed this year. With the event taking place in the small town of Ozark, where local media is virtually non-existent when compared to what you have in Lawrence, there has not been nearly as much discussion or entertaining coverage. Regional outlets from larger cities such as Fort Smith, Fayetteville and Bentonville have covered the event, but their initial coverage was your basic run-of-the-mill "so there's a party going on, 10,000 people, 100 bands, let's see what the police have to say" coverage. But because Ozark falls in between these towns and the event is not close enough to feel like a part of the community in Fort Smith or Fayetteville, I got the sense that you wouldn't have the volume of coverage that Lawrence outlets provided.
To be fair, I think the coverage improved throughout the weekend.
A sampling of some of the coverage...
From The Arkansas Times: To-do list, June 4 Weekend To-Do: Wakarusa
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Northwest Arkansas Edition had a thorough piece prior to the festival that goes into some of the reasons for moving the event from Lawrence. FRANKLIN COUNTY : 10,000 expected at fest's new site FRANKLIN COUNTY : Wakarusa fest opens 'smooth'
Fort Smith's KFSM: Music festival launches in Ozark National Forest
4029 TV: Franklin County Preparing For Wakarusa Thousands Show Up For Wakarusa's Opening Day Emergency Crews On Standby For Wakarusa Festival
The City Wire in Fort Smith: State Police: No checkpoints planned at Wakarusa Festival
Breakfast on Tour blog had a nice preview with lots of YouTube videos of their favorite artists. Wakarusa 2009 in Preview
The Times Record Online, which serves Ft. Smith, western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma had several good stories. Friday, June 5: Wakarusa: Festival Making An Impression Friday, June 5: Wakarusa: Live Music, Peace, Love Beats A Day At The Office Saturday, June 6: Large Crowds Pack Wakarusa Music Event Sunday, June 7: Wakarusa Thrills Ozarks Sunday, June 7: WAKARUSA: Wakarusa One Awe-Inspiring Gathering
The North West Arkansas news' Tuned In blog had daily recaps. Wakarusa Day 1 Recap Wakarusa Day 2 Recap Wakarusa: Logistically Speaking
The Fayetteville Flyer offers up a nice photo slideshow Wakarusa photos: Day 1. I haven't seen their photos for days 2, 3 or 4.
Channel 5 news in Ft. Smith & Fayetteville did a piece on the impact the event is having on the local economy. Wakarusa Music Festival Boosts Local Economy
Before the event, I was thinking that while inadequate media coverage would be unfortunate, in a way it would be better than the embarrassing headlines about drug arrests, spy cameras and police checkpoints that had tarnished the reputation of the festival in years past. If the event went well word would quickly spread via word-of-mouth and the event would be even bigger and better next year and it wouldn't matter that there was not much media coverage. However, there ended up being more than I was anticipating and from the looks of it, moving the event to private land helped solve the police problems, and almost all of the coverage discusses how successful and fun the event was. Once again, mission accomplished.
As I said in my initial post before the event, the people that didn't like Wakarusa being in Lawrence probably won't care that it has moved on and is succeeding in it's new location. Good riddance, they'd probably say. But for those of us that enjoyed it while it was in town, I think it's a real shame the town let something like this get away. Lawrence lost a great event, however all is not lost. Brett Mosiman is still a Lawrencian, as is his Pipeline Productions and because of that having Wakarusa succeed in it's new location is still a positive thing for Lawrence. It will allow him to continue putting on great shows here in town and the profits the festival makes down in Ozark, ultimately end up back here in Lawrence. So if you're bummed to hear about how nice the event was down south, keep that silver lining in mind. And, of course, don't miss Wakarusa 2010 next year. It should be even better.
-Chris Tackett
As the weekend went on, I kept a running list of things I'd like to see improved next year. Here are the ones that weren't ridiculous upon a second look with a clearer head...
Ways to Improve Wakarusa for Next Year:
• Fix the Internet. I've never had reliable Internet at a Wakarusa. It shouldn't be that hard.
• Solution to the cigarette butts that litter the ground. Ash trays and signage telling people not to litter would help a lot.
• Hot air balloon rides each night instead of just two.
• Roving vendors selling beer & food throughout the main stage area. It would save you from having to wait in lines and you would not have to get up and miss as much music.
• Healthier food. Maybe I just wasn't looking in the right places, but I never found anything that looked very healthy. By Saturday, I would have killed for a big bowl of fresh fruit. Four days of sitting in the sun, late nights and lots of moving around had me wishing I'd packed more fruits and veges.
• They have yoga daily from 8-11am, but that was too early for everyone I talked to about yoga. An afternoon session would be great. And I think if you changed the wording to be "Yoga Class" you'd get a lot more people participating, some even for the first time ever trying yoga.
• Classes for hula hooping, belly dancing, glow ball twirling, etc. There are all these wonderful performers that do these things while listening to music. I think Wakarusa could make some money having $5 - $10 classes to learn these tricks.
• Bring back the Yard Dog Road Show!
Videos
security guard saying he expects 50k, but I think he meant 15k.
Untitled from tackett on Vimeo.
Wakarusa 2009 - map overview from tackett on Vimeo.
Wakarusa 2009: panorama of entrance, box office from tackett on Vimeo.
Wakarusa 2009 - We’re Not In Kansas Anymore*
UPDATE 6/5: Internet service at the festival is down indefinitely. If it's down for the rest of the festival, I will be posting a comprehensive blog afterwards—with tons of photos, video of the scenery here, and interviews with various festivarians, including organizer Brett Mosiman.
Whether you attended or not, welcomed or despised the influx of out-of-state visitors, or cared at all about it's arrival upon and departure from the Lawrence music scene, I think it's hard to argue that the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival is to-date one of Lawrence's most advantageous musical productions. WIth hundreds of bands, tens of thousands of new visitors to the state and millions of dollars in revenue for local businesses, it was 4 days of music and camping that certainly left a mark on the city and state.
But that's all gone now. Wakarusa is now a thing of the past for Lawrence, moved on to greener (literally) pastures atop rolling hills in Northwest Arkansas. (See our Wakarusa 2008 coverage here)
Because of the impact Wakarusa had and the continued impact it's departure will have on Lawrence, it would be a disservice to our community to not take note of its absence from town this week. After a falling out with local and state officials over security issues and permits, Brett Mossiman and his Pipeline Productions decided to take the show on the road and will be spending their 6th year putting on this festival in the new home atop Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas.
For some - in particular the curmudegeonly commentators on LJWorld.com that liked to overly-simplify the entire festival and music scene into nothing but drug-abusing hippies - the departure of Wakarusa is something to celebrate. For people that actually experienced the event, we know that to not be (totally) true. But cultural splits are hard to resolve, so rather than rehashing the same old arguments that have been talked to death in the comment threads of every LJWorld story on Wakarusa, I'll just say that don't you worry, the same sentiments are likely alive and well in Northwest Arkansas.
But more on that later. First, an FYI to the devoted locals that attended the event, this may be a loss to the local scene to be mourned, but it's also an opportunity to get out of town and see some beautiful scenery in a nearby but perhaps new part of region.
For Lawrencians heading down to Ozark this weekend, I'll be there if you want to meet up and share your insights on how things have changed with the transition to the new location in Arkansas. For people staying home this year, but still interested in hearing how things are going down south, I'll be posting sporadic updates from the festival, so stay tuned for those!
In the meantime, if you're not caught up-to-speed on what we're referring to here, check out these links below for more on the drama that led us here.
June 15, 2007 - Organizers call this year’s Wakarusa Fest a ‘harmonious’ event
Nov. 20, 2007 - Wakarusa music festival considers venue change
Nov. 26, 2007 - Jefferson County rejects plan to host Wakarusa music festival
April 26, 2008 - Dust settles on past Wakarusa conflicts
Aug. 10, 2008 - Wakarusa Fest May Not Play On
Oct. 22, 2008 - Wakarusa Festival may get clearance to move from Clinton Lake to Jefferson County ranch
Oct. 27, 2008 - Jefferson County commissioners postpone action on Wakarusa Fest move
Nov. 3, 2008 - Jefferson County says no to Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival
Dec. 10, 2008 Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival leaving Lawrence for Arkansas
*Okay, you knew that Wizard of Oz "we're not in Kansas anymore" reference would have to be made at some point, so I thought I'd get it out of the way as soon as possible.
You Sir, Are No Bill Clinton
Obama goes to the gym more than both of us. 
photos via Bauer Griffin, though I first saw it on Jed Report.
Wakarusa Moving to Arkansas
UPDATE: Official press release at the bottom.HEYOH! Big News! Thanks to a tip by my friend GreenMan who keeps an eagle's eye on all things Wakarusa, I've learned some breaking news. At some point last night, when things were quiet and no one was watching, Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival, Lawrence's longtime claim to music festival fame, slipped out through the back door and had a moonlit shotgun wedding with the fine folks at the Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas! That's right, Wakarusa is no longer a Lawrence, Kansas party. It's heading south and making Arkansas it's home, at least for next year. http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... this is all incorrect, but it certainly seems like this is what's happened. The logo header on the Wakarusa website has been changed to say it's held on Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas. The earliest mention of this in the wakarusa forum is from this morning, so this apparently just happened. There's no mention of it on LJWorld either.As Wakarusa forum user KCNorthLander pointed out in the thread I linked above, Wakarusa is already listed as a special event on the Mulberry Mountain Lodge website. This is news for all, but especially for me, as the two places I've called home the longest have been Lawrence and Arkansas (Hot Springs and Fayetteville). The relationship between Kansas state officials and Brett Mosiman, organizer of the festival, had been shaky for years and got even shakier this year as he openly began looking at other locations to hold the festival. Last month Jefferson County rejected the idea of moving the festival there and Mosiman said he'd be looking at locations outside of Kansas.And now it looks like he's found his spot. And it's not a bad choice. Mulberry Mountain has hosted the Mulberry Mountain Music Festival which, while not as large as Wakarusa, brought a good lineup and nice crowd. My first impressions are that this will be a good thing for the festival, but obviously is a bad loss for the city. Lawrence is the loser here, in my opinion. It sucks that it happened, but as a Wakarusa veteran, music fan and Arkansan, I'm pleased with the decision. As a Lawrencian, it sucks. It'll be interesting to see how this shakes out and how the festival goes. Mulberry Mountain is a beautiful location and it's close enough to Lawrence that it's not too far for many of the same travelers that would come to Lawrence every year to get to. We'll have to wait and see how many Lawrencians take on the role of traveler and pack their cars and head down south. I hope many do, because Northwest Arkansas is a beautiful place. So, what are your thoughts on this? Chime in in the comments below. I'll be adding more to this as I learn more. So stay tuned.OFFICIALNESS UPDATE:News ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12/10/08 RE: WAKARUSA MUSIC AND CAMPING FESTIVAL Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival announces dates and new site. After a five year run in a State park outside Lawrence, KS, Wakarusa will move to a new home in northwest Arkansas. Wakarusa will be relocating to Mulberry Mountain outside of Ozark, Arkansas. Dates for this year’s festival will be June 4 – 7. Festival organizer, Brett Mosiman, says “we are extremely excited about this announcement and new chapter in our evolution. Mulberry Mountain offers one of the finest festival sites in the nation. It is on private land, in the middle of a forest, on top of a mountain, surrounded by streams and waterfalls, with a class three floating river adjacent and amenities second to none. Our ability to produce an incredible festival experience for our fans has increased exponentially.” Wakarusa is offering a deeply discounted festival ticket as part of its holiday sale from December 11th– 31st.
and 7 others
On Forcing Oneself From History
In my [earlier piece today][1], I compile some of the bitter and negative responses I've seen from my friends on Facebook following Obama being elected President. While I certainly am thrilled and incredibly relieved by the results of the election - more so than I could attempt to put into words - I remain fascinated by the way some people I know and call friends are expressing themselves like this. It's sad for me, to be honest. I'm not sad because they aren't progressive. Or because they voted for McCain. I am sad because I see their negativity as contrived. I see their bitterness as a choice. And I find that to be a real shame. What I mean by this is that here we are, living history as it is happening, in the midst of what will surely be remembered as one of the most important and wonderful things to happen in our history - the election of a partially black American President in what is surely the largest turnout of voters in our modern history, the most democratic (small d) election we've seen in our lives in what is most overwhelming win for a President in years - which is to say the most unified our country has been in years....and these people, who I enjoy and call friends are missing out on it. And they don't have to be. I don't mean to say that you have to be glad that Obama will enact the policies you oppose or that you're happy McCain lost so Obama could win. I'm not saying that at all. But what I am saying is that it is a shame that these people have chosen to cling to their negativity in a time of such national and global positivity. They are relegating themselves by their own will to the outskirts of history, while millions of people are celebrating as one the dawning of a new era of hope and positivity. Sorry if that's all too "new agey" sounding. It's not my beat. But I just can't help but look and marvel at the fact that these people are going to miss out on this moment. In contrast with those choosing the path of negativity, I have other friends that while they do not support Obama, are able to look at this moment and appreciate it. They are not doing what the people in my earlier post are doing and locking themselves out of the moment, ruining their chance to admire and enjoy these historic times. I'm not surprised that not everyone is thrilled. Of course, I know many are not. But at a time when I feel like the world is enjoying a party, with people from all walks of life and political persuasions, it just remains quite sad for me to see people I care about choosing to take such a different, and in my opinion wrong, view of the moment. But enough of all that. Here's to the dawning of a new post-racial, perhaps post-partisan age. Cheers. [1]: http://www.lawrence.com/blogs/makes_sense_me/2008/nov/05/election_reactions/
Bitterness on Display
I am incredibly happy, relieved and warmed by a sense of optimism that our country has been saved, saved from itself and given a new chance to rebuild and reform what we've become over these past years. Though, not everyone is sharing this celebratory spirit. I don't aim to be a hypocrite. I know I was certainly distraught following the reelection of George W. Bush in 2004, so it is understandable for some to be upset by Obama's victory. It is to be expected. However, some of the reactions I've seen are surprisingly bitter and pessimistic. Because GOBAMA! posts are a dime-a-dozen today and will remain so for days to come, here I present just a sampling of what my right-wing, Christianist and/or McCain-supporting friends had to say last night and this morning. While they were certainly not hiding these opinions, as they were posted publicly on their Facebook status section, out of respect for them, I've removed their names. For demographics: All of these people are white, young (between 20 and 35-years-old) and live in Arkansas or Missouri.>>>NAME REDACTED Obama supports infanticide!!NAME REDACTED is Well...the sun came up today even though he got elected... I guess I'll go bury my guns and start lying on my w2 now... BOOOOO Obama."NAME REDACTED wonders how you can consider yourself Catholic if you are glad the most anti-life man in our country's history is going to lead us. Don't even bother.NAME REDACTED has succumb to the fact that he is going to pay more taxes. GET A JOB PEOPLE!!!!NAME REDACTED ...... Obama sucks my nuts.NAME REDACTED is moving to Europe.NAME REDACTED this country is so fuc*ed. Just wait.NAME REDACTEDWell, it's over... bye bye disposable income... BOOOO OBAMA!! This is a bad day for America. Call me is 6 months and tell me who you WISH you'd voted for.NAME REDACTED is moving to Europe.NAME REDACTED is scared...NAME REDACTED is welcome communism.NAME REDACTED is moving to another country with Sally for 4 years!! HAHA.NAME REDACTED is America you'll be sorry...You've chosen arrogance over integrity!<<<Add others in the comments if you have any to share.(UPDATE: I explain more [why i'm intrigued here][1].) [1]: http://www.lawrence.com/blogs/makes_sense_me/2008/nov/05/thoughts_on_election/
and 2 others
Keating Economics
John McCain was 54 during the Keating Five scandal. Stop calling it a 'youthful indiscretion' or suggesting that McCain has learned a lot from that mistake. He was 54. His ethics weren't up-to-par at 54. They aren't up-to-par now. Here's a 13 minute documentary put out by the Obama campaign explaining the Keating Five scandal. This is an interesting move by the Obama campaign putting this out themselves. I think it says a lot for the accuracy of the content included in the video that they are willing to produce and promote this themselves rather than filtering it through a third-party group like the Bush campaign did with the Swift Boat documentary. This has the benefit of being true. And it's timed well, coming directly on the heels of the McCain camp saying they were wanting to steer the focus away from the economy. With this movie and the Dow dropping, I think that'll be a hard task to complete.UPDATE: Wow. [This is one of the dumbest blunders I've heard][1]. It won't be long before this is taking back and spun, but John McCain's lawyer just said in a conference call this morning that the Keating 5 scandal was a 'political smear job' to hurt McCain. John Aravosis notes: " This opens up the entire question of McCain's supposed contrition. If McCain thinks he did nothing wrong, and that it was wrong for the Senate to scold him for his actions during the Keating Five Scandal, then he isn't contrite at all, he isn't sorry at all. He's learned nothing. You can't turn a new leaf when you don't think you did anything wrong. This is one hell of an admission._Perhaps this is a bit 'inside baseball' for those of you not focused on the minutiae of the campaign, but until now, it had been the McCain stance that he "changed"_ after the Keating scandal and he learned a lot and had changed his ways. That alone is a dumb argument as I implied above because afterall, McCain was 54 when he made this ethical mistake. So he had poor ethics after 54 years of life, but he said he improved them after being caught in this scandal. But now, to say that it wasn't a legit issue to begin with and it was a political smear job implies that they didn't think he had really done anything worth getting in trouble for, so he undercuts his entire message from before. He couldn't have changed his ways if he's now saying he wasn't wrong to begin with. Such a dumb thing to say.UPDATE 2: [Ben Smith is on this too.][2] [1]: http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/mccain-now-saying-keating-five-scandal.html [2]: http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/Engaging_on_Keating.html
Quote of the Day
"Ask yourself: how has "elitism" become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence. When it comes to choosing the people whose thoughts and actions will decide the fates of millions, then we suddenly want someone just like us, someone fit to have a beer with, someone down-to-earth-in fact, almost anyone, provided that he or she doesn't seem too intelligent or well educated."- [Sam Harris on Sarah Palin][1] [1]: http://www.newsweek.com/id/160080/page/1
Monday Reading
I've long wanted to start a "What I learned today" blog, but have not got around to it. My real dream is that all of my friends and family would start a similar blog and every day I could read what they learned the previous day or week. I'll do this at some point, but for now here are a few articles I read, enjoyed and learned a thing or two from in the process. [Democracy and deference][1] is a must-read essay from Harpers on the unfortunate level of deference in America. In our work and in our politics, people take shit because they feel like they have to. Key graf: "The real problem we face is not the Bush Administration's imperial pretensions, its quasi-cultish stress on loyalty, or its instinctive suspicion of debate and dissent but the extent to which the administration's modus operandi is representative of a society increasingly conversant with the protocols of subservience. In the long term, it is this tilt toward deference, this willingness to hold our tongues and sit on our principles, that truly threatens us, even more than the manifold abuses of this administration, because it makes them possible."[Brave New World of Digital Intimacy][2] Excellent article explaining why there's so much interest in Facebook. Explores the idea of "ambient awareness." Basically, we like to be aware of what people are up to without having to do a lot of work, like actually talking to someone and we can get that with features on Facebook and other social-networking sites. [Fucking Liars Try to Stop Students From Voting][3] Students were trying to register to vote and these asshole liars told them that doing so would have all sorts of negative consequences, like them losing their scholarships or no longer being considered a dependent of their parents. Not cool. [Worrisome piece on how Democrats can lose this election.][4] I think Obama can and should win, but I'd by lying if I didn't think it was very possible that they'd lose. This article points out a few of the reasons why. [In Age of High-Tech, Are Americans Losing Touch with DIY Skills?][5] Interesting Popular Mechanics article on how Americans have lost a lot of skill sets, particularly doing and fixing things with our hands. It really wows me that so few people know how to change a car tire. It should be a pre-requisite for driving. Okay, so that's what I've read this morning and thought was interesting enough to share with you. What have you been reading that you think others should see? Share links in the comments and discuss any or all of these stories there, as well. And if you're interested, I share lots of articles I read and recommend on [this web site][6]. [1]: http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/06/0082039 [2]: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?pagewanted=1 [3]: http://jtaplin.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/stopping-students-from-voting/ [4]: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-mckay/were-gonna-frickin-lose-t_b_124772.html [5]: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/how_to/4221637.html?page=1 [6]: https://www.google.com/reader/shared/10723063164490610650
Re: Palin - I Owe Someone $10 Dollars
I'd previously bet with a friend that Sarah Palin would step down from the ticket within 30 days. I have a few weeks to go, of course, but the chances of this happening are not nearly as strong in my view after her performance last night as they were on Sunday. I figured the baby stuff, corruption investigations, ethics investigations, lying about the bridge, rushed vetting by McCain and all the other things that make Palin a risky choice would end up with Palin stepping down for family reasons. The speech last night was going to be the deciding factor, at least the main one. If she nailed it, they'd try and keep her. But if she botched it, I expected the family issues would be the reason she'd take herself off the ticket. Instead, they've decided to fly the pregnant kids boyfriend to Minneapolis, put them all on-stage and will be using the baby story as a marketing tool. That's not what I was expecting, I figured they'd want the family stuff to be "off limits" as Obama has said it should be, but McCain apparently thinks it'll help them to use the kids as tools, so we've been seeing a lot of them. As a speaker, she did a fine job last night. But it is my hope that the negative tone will only appeal to the right-wing choir and will be a turn off for the majority of Americans. We'll have to wait and see.
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