Disinfo Rehab

I've finally returned from my two-week work trip to Seattle working with Progressive Majority. The trip was great and I had a wonderful time helping out some great people, and got to see some old friends as well. All in all, a fun and productive trip.

One thing that made the trip enjoyable was my plane ride to and from Seattle. Coming in we were treated to the route that takes you over Elliot Bay, and got a nice view of Seattle's downtown, with so many new buildings since I left, including the Rem Koolhaas-designed Central Library, the new (and desperately needed) City Hall and the new Seahawks Stadium, among other landmarks.

It's interesting to note that former Seattle Mayor Paul Schell was maligned by the press and critics based on the WTO protests, at the tail end of his tenure, yet it is largely due to his vision & hard work that Seattle successfully renovated key landmarks such as the Opera House, downtown evolved to what it is today, and neighborhoods saw many tangible improvements made while Seattle still had the resources to do so. History may well recognize his true legacy that partisans and politicians did not during the 2001 election season.

On my way home, I was treated to an incredible, close up view of Mount Rainier on a clear day as I flew out of town - possibly the only time I've been been so close to Mount Rainier during the many flights in and out of Seattle I've taken over the years. It's one of those natural landmarks you see every day as you drive around the area, but never really get to see up close unless you're flying over it, or climbing it, and I do not know when I'd be doing the latter anytime in the near future.

Coming home I also got an incredible survey of Los Angeles as well. As usual, the weather was clear and our plane seemed to fly rather low over every major neighborhood and landmark on the way in to LAX, something I never had a chance to enjoy in past plane trips (as I usually get an aisle exit row seat). It was a nice way to end a long and productive trip, and it felt good to be returning home.

In an era of lower expectations, potholes, high gas and home prices, and whatnot, cynics may deride anyone looking forward to returning to Los Angeles as misguided or deluded. As we flew over the city I realized that despite its many faults, Los Angeles is a great place to be, and can be one of the greatest cities in the world, if people really want it to be such a place. It's not like there's a city charter amendment that requires Los Angeles to be a polluted, lousy place to live - and people need to start recognizing that fact if things are going to get any better anytime soon.

That got me to thinking ahead about the things I'd like to do, and I began to figure out that what I really would like to do more than anything else, is live in a great Los Angeles, and get to do all the things I'd like to do (consulting, filmmaking, etc.) right here.

I don't want to move to Canada or Mexico, or Arizona - right now, I want to live here and do all that I like here, and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to. True, there's tons of problems here, but there are problems everywhere, and frankly when all things are considered, I still prefer the weather and the scene in California, warts and all, to anywhere else. Now it's time to stop whining and tell the cynics to take a hike, and for people to start doing something instead of just talking.

Seattle is a wonderful place, and I always enjoy the seeing the kind folks I know up there and revisiting old places, so my preference for California is in no way suggesting Seattle is a bad place. In the end, it's California that's truly home, and I'm tired of having to settle for a second rate version of what should be the greatest place to live.

Which brought me back to a conversation I had with Bob Hertzberg right before I left town. I'd written about Mr. Hertzberg's candidacy earlier this year based on my own observations and comments from friends. What I did not know is that apparently Mr. Hertzberg read it and decided to give me a call. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised when I picked up the phone, and there he was, asking me about my concerns as a citizen of LA.

I ended up talking to him for over an hour and everything I'd surmised previously ended up matching up with reality. Rarely do you talk to someone in public life these days who has both the intelligence to understand how government and politics works in the real world, as well as an overall vision they really believe, in this case of an LA That Works, to go with it. I've got a fairly well developed "BS Detector" with politicos and it was not going off while talking to him - always a good sign!

I especially liked his concept of "political physics" - that is, the idea that you can use the motivations people and politicians have to achieve big goals if you understand what motivates them, what their needs are, and marshal people and resources to a greater good. Going beyond the transactional politics that too many of our politicians engage in, Hertzberg really seems to know how to match up a vision of the city with the means to get it done.

More importantly, it was clear after spending some time talking to him that he really wants the job to do the job of Mayor, as best he can. This is not a stepping stone to higher office or a pure power play - this is something he wants to do because he likes his city and likes its residents, and thinks they oughta get their money's worth when they pay for city government. In an era when we're told to not expect much from our leaders and the cynics keep deriding everything while doing nothing to improve things, it sure was nice to talk to someone who would seem to offer what I really want to see happen - an effort to at least try and make things better so that LA is a place where we can all thrive, not just survive. Go Bob!

Check out Bob's recently revamped site at ChangeLA.com and read more about Bob's plans for a Greater LA.

Also, check out some interesting blog coverage from Mark Sundeen. I'd write about the convention myself but a) I'm not there and b) I don't have cable (opting for Netfix instead and frankly, no one is showing much coverage. Sure I can watch commentators talk about the convention on PBS, but as for seeing the actual events for myself, it ain't easy....

© 2003-2006 Greg Dewar | All Rights Reserved | Originally Published at www.schadelmann.com

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been so busy on my trip here in Seattle that I didn't realize until recently that July 21st marks the one year anniversary of Schadlemann.com!

I suppose some sort of profound reflection would be in order for said anniversary, but to paraphrase Col. Jack O'Neill when they were about to detonate a nuke on Goa'uld ship...nothing comes to mind.

For fun here's my VERY FIRST entry...

This is a TEST of Journalspace.com

posted 07/21/2003
Category-
Testing to see if this kicks Blogger's backside...

Ok, not that profound. But it has been fun to use this site to develop and expand upon my work and have a good time getting to know people like Nancy Rommelmann, Tiffany Stone, and other cool bloggers I've been reading. It is also nice having folks like A Fly on the Wall, the Queen of Sky, Cinema Minima, LAObserved.com, and many others post links to this site too. There are many others I've talked to or who have linked to me since starting this site up - so many in fact that any list I make will inadvertently leave out someone, and I hate doing that. It's kinda like an Oscar speech....

I am due to attend a special screening of The Hunting of the President with Governor Gary Locke as one of the many honored guests in attedance so I'll be posting more later. Until then, browse the archives and feel free to email suggestions and comments on the one year anniversary of Schadelmann.com!

UPDATE: The special screening of The Hunting of the President held at the newly restored Cinerama Theater in Seattle was a lot bigger than I'd expected.

Gov. Gary Locke and his wife Mona Lee (a former TV news anchor) addressed the crowd. It was unusal to see the usually placid, non-partisan Locke fire up a very partisan crowd in one of his last appearances as Governor. Also in attendance were filmmaker Harry Thomason, Susan McDougal, and the producers of the film.

The audience featured many Democratic candidates for office, including former state Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn who is now running for Attorney General, as well as nationally reknowned political advertising creator Frank Greer, who served as media consultant to President Clinton, South African President Nelson Mandela, Senator Barbara Boxer, and others. Currently Greer is working on the gubernatorial campaign of Christine Gregoire here in Washington State.

It was definitely an interesting gathering, and I had fun talking to folks in the audience as well as various candidates for office.

The film itself was interesting, if a bit predictable. Many people like to malign Sen. Hillary Clinton's "vast right wing conspiracy" comment for fun and profit. Such people tend to ignore that there may not be a "conspiracy" but there were a lot of people who peddled a lot of nonsense far less truthful than that Michael Moore movie the other side whines and cries about, who made a lot of money.

The combination of partisan Ken Starr's' $80 million fishing expedition, and the millions and millions made off of crank conspiracy books and videos dwarfs any money that Fahrenheit 911 made. And yet, the other side caterwauls on and on about how "negative" Moore is. Whatever.

This film wasn't so much about the "conspiracy" in the end as it was more about how people who claim to be reporters tend to be more interested in "the story", regardless of how true it is, and how feeding the 24 hour news cycle is more important than thinking things through and making sure that if you're going to go with some big story, the ducks are all in a row.

It was also interesting to see how Peabody award winning news people were tagged as "Clinton apologists" the minute they did not report 100% what was expected of them by folks like Richard Mellon Scaife, Jerry Falwell, and the like. In other words, you're only objective if you report what Those Who Know Best want you to say.

It's also clear that the wacky 90s gave us the Post Truth era we have today. It amazes me still that snarky, chain-store sponsored, faux bloggers who make up stories and freely admit it are called "witty" and get to report for MTV.  

It's definitely interesting to watch, although I'd' suggest it's a better DVD rental than theater film, if only because I'd rather go to the theater to escape current events instead of watch them. When is that new Stargate movie coming out?

© 2003-2006 Greg Dewar | All Rights Reserved | Originally Published at www.schadelmann.com

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Normal posting has been delayed due to my rigorous schedule providing candidate fundraising coaching for Progressive Majority here in Washington.

I've had the chance to travel to suburban cities across King and Pierce Counties so far, and spent the day in scenic Sequim today. Tomorrow I'm off to Portland, OR, Vancouver, WA, and on and on.

I've always enjoyed assignments such as these because it gives me the chance to spend time on the ground all over the state, and work one-on-one with grassroots candidates outside of urban, Democratic Seattle. On Friday, I met with Tami Green, a promising candidate for State House recently endorsed by Democracy For America (aka Dr. Dean's organization).

She is running a terrific grassroots campaign that is sophisticated enough to combine a organized field effort with a well researched and funded voter contact plan. That may sound like Campaign 101, but you'd be surprised at how many campaigns think "grassroots" has to mean "unorganized and wasteful." This one doesn't.

Tami ran for office once before in 2000, and lost by only a few votes, in a truly negative, nasty campaign, featuring some very rude, personal, non-issue oriented attack peices from incumbent Republican Mike Carroll. Most people would not step up to the plate again after such a race, but Tami was inspired by Howard Dean's campaign to run again, despite the challenges a political campaign places on someone these days.

This is yet another anecdotal story that tends to confirm something I'd been wondering about for a while - the effect of Dean's campaign in ways not measurable at the ballot box or at the media's latest "poll." True, his campaign, besieged by the DLC, a hostile media, and a few mistakes may not have been successful.

However, the impact he had on grassroots Democrats, restoring "Democratic Pride" is having an effect on the political system most pundits and prognositcators have yet to figure out. He made it ok to stand up for one's values once again, and has shown others that the solution is not in some cult of personality, but in themselves - and people are heeding the call.

Another candidate I've enjoyed working with is Kevin Van De Wege, a firefighter and president of the International Association of Firefighters in Sequim, WA (the sunniest part of the state!). Kevin is running against a longtime incumbent who has not been seriously challenged in a long time, a common occurance in Washington. Usually the cycle goes like this: feeble incumbent raises lobbyist cash, politicos on the other side don't even try to find a candidate, some self-selected gadfly files his papers, and does little to get elected, and feeble incumbent gets re-elected without a serious challenge.

That isn't happening here. Kevin is a very articulate and energetic candidate who has spent his time knocking on voters' doors across the 24th Legislative District.

Sounds easy, until you realize how big this district is - it includes the Olympic National Park and three huge counties! Kevin has also enlisted the support of hundreds of people in the district, and relies primarily on individual donors for his campaign's war chest. So it's worth the long drive out to Port Angeles to visit him at Clallam County Democratic Headquarters.

Traveling out there also made me appreciate one of Kevin's issues he's running on - the improvement of highways on the Olympic Peninsula. After getting off the Edmond/Kingston Ferry, I was driving along State Highway 104 to get to US 101 (yes the same 101 we Southern Californians use!) to arrive on time for our meeting. However, a 5 car pileup near Discovery Bay shut down the entire highway for almost two hours!

As we were in a rural area, without lots of turnoffs, there was no way for me to take an alternate way into town - I was stuck in the middle of rural Jefferson County without any way to get out. Now, couple this with Kevin's perspective as a firefighter and paramedic and you realize that poor quality highways aren't just an inconvenience - they're a public safety menace too.

For that reason alone I'm sending in some money to Kevin's campaign - how often do you have someone talking about an issue that actual voters discuss and care about? He's the kind of guy you want voting on a budget somewhere and his hard working campaign and clearly articulated views that are in sync with his district make him a star to watch. The fact that he looks like Neil McDonough can't hurt with some of the voters either.

Working with people like Tami, Kevin, and the many other candidates I'm meeting out here is always fun for me because it gives me a chance to bring the kind of coaching and training normally reserved for someone running for the US Senate or US House to the candidates who can really make use of such help, but wouldn't normally be able to afford it. It's also nice to be working in areas that aren't 100% "D" or "R" - these races are where real politics are practiced. Cushy re-elects may pay the bills, but they also dull the senses.

Plus it's also refreshing in the era of partisan foolishness to meet people who are running for an office like state House in Washington state, because to do so you really have to want to do something for others with a position like this. It does not pay very well (I think city councilmen in Lynnwood, CA make more in perks!)l, it does not have a lot of glory or media attention, and you're working year-round despite the fact it's technically "part time."

Depsite these and other hassles, there are some good folks out there running for the right reasons. I'm happy to give them a hand, and I urge others to do so as well. It's time to stop whining about the quality of our elected leaders and take proactive steps to elect some good people for a change.

Cynicism and nastiness need to give way to common sense, and folks like Tami and Kevin aren't waiting for someone to come along and do it for them - they're taking the lead in their communities right now. Now it's our turn.

UPDATE: Read this article that appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution today that mentions Kevin by name - and my training! Right on Kevin!

Coming Up: Watching my past predictions come true regarding Washington State's primary foibles, their impact on the Sims vs. Gregoire gubernatorial race, and California's latest attempts to cure a disease that doesn't exist with a potion more poisonous than the ailment it claims to cure.

© 2003-2006 Greg Dewar | All Rights Reserved | Originally Published at www.schadelmann.com

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So we've finally gotten to the end of the most anti-climactic vice-presidential selection process in recent memory. Sen. John Edwards, the man with a lot of charm (and a lot of money) has been selected. Time to move forward.

Kudos are due to the folks at DraftKerryEdwards.com who started promoting the idea of a Kerry/Edwards ticket back in December 2003, and event went live with a website at the time of the Superbowl (ironically between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots) for being so far-sighted.

Kudos also for getting so many people on board the campaign, and getting those stickers out, even out here in Venice Beach!

People have been asking me "who's it gonna be?" for some time now, and I always responded with two answers: realistic - he'll most likely pick Edwards, for the reasons the echo chamber has stated for months now; and curious - he'll pick someone we've not heard much about that will surprise us all.

Pressed, I always said Edwards, despite my own early misgivings about him, solely based on the fact that even in the hyper-short primary season, he never seemed to win many states and that his campaign seemed to mostly say that he looked good, had a lot of money, and spent a lot of time raising money, and oh yeah, he's from the South. Not exactly a lot there to read. That said, now that we've seen him be a good sport and campaign for Kerry for so long I am sure he'll do fine. What do I know, right?

As for the "experience issue" - while I am sure this will be raised, I'll simply play my "reverse the names" game on this quotable notable, not unlike the way Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne did this morning with this trip via the Campaign Wayback Machine:

When you hear Republicans disparage Sen. John Edwards's lack of experience, remember the words of Sen. Orrin Hatch, spoken to George W. Bush at a debate on Dec. 6, 1999.

Which is exactly what Edwards was chosen for yesterday.

I am sure that will drive the "My Guy Right or Wrong" crowd will try to toss this down the Memory Hole, but such is the way of things these days. Still, it's an interesting point to remember.

My favorite non-news "buzz" surrounding the selection process, and the selection of Edwards himself, has been the revival, one more time ,of the "Hillary Clinton Presidential Conspiracy Sweepstakes," with lots of wild-eyed talk about alleged scenarios about how this year's process is being somehow manipulated to Get Hillary Elected President. Now we have to hear that somehow Edwards and Ms. Clinton are locked in some bitter rivalry to the death now and in the future as a result of Mr. Edwards' selection.

Surely you remember these theories, back when General Wesley Clark was running for president. Clark, was a stalking horse for Sen. Clinton's devious plot to take the nomination at the summer convention. Read any right-wing (and even some left-wing) blogs and columns from Fall 2003, and you see what nonsense this really was/is.  

Now, most people haven't heard the term 'stalking horse' much less know what it means, and in the era of the staged convention and rules designed to keep crazy things from embarassing anyone at a major party conveniton, this was one of the most unlikely scenarios Campaign 2004 was going to face.

In fact, I'd say these kinds of punditocratic scenarios are about as likely as likely as, say, Monica Bellucci spontaneously coming over to the Waterfront Cafe to buy me a Bitburger during said Democratic Convention this summer. *

No, when it comes to Hillary, put aside the logic - the Clinton Conspiracists need to weasel their way in and have their day. If they can make a buck off it, even better. Today was no different - many stories about Edwards' pick included commentary about how he's somehow automatically become a rival to Sen. Clinton should Kerry lose in 2004, or win and serve two terms to 2012.

Now far be it from me to join the Hillary Bashing Society of America - I don't know her, have never met her, but from what I read she's no more outrageous a Senator than any one of a number of folks on the other side of the aisle. The hysterical squealing of luminaries like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly have made bashing this woman a money-making industry for 12 years now, and I fail to take them seriously as anything but people who have to hawk more stickers, tapes, and books.

Put the echo chamber assessments about the alleged now and future rivalries of Edwards and Ms. Clinton aside, for a moment. Let's all take a nice dose of Reality Juice, and think for a moment about this.

We haven't even finished this election, and already, we're trying to pick who's going to run in not one, but two elections, both of which assume different outcomes to the one we haven't finished yet. We're also supposed to make assumptions and pronouncements about such, not based on any facts, but based on emotion, and whatever sells our latest books or blog. Makes for exciting copy, but really will have little to do with events in the future.

More importantly, one has to ask a hard question - just how realistic is a Hillary candidacy/presidency these days anyway? After 12+ years of relentless bashing, coupled with her own accomplishments and missteps, is it realistic to think that if Ms. Clinton were to run that she'd be a viable candidate? In an era of Faux News, 24-hour scandal mongering and professional PR hit men (and women), is it even possible such a candidacy would be viable past a few primaries?

Unfortunately, unless something major changes in this country, I'm afraid the answer is no. I am sure she's a nice person and all, but after seeing what the media did to Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich, who didn't have the defenses a Clinton would, it's hard to see how this would shake out any differently, ex-First Lady or not. It's unfortunate that's one of the realities of our system, and it's unfair, but it is what it is.

So when you hear more of these conspiracy theories, just remember it's one of those things political junkies and pros love to talk about, and the "Land of What If" is a fun place to play. Unfortunately for us, it clouds the news coverage, and we end up talking about some professional mouth's latest vacation in that magical land, instead of trying to assess what's happening right now, in the real world.

*Message to the talented Ms. Bellucci - You can still come by and visit me here in Venice Beach if you want.

© 2003-2006 Greg Dewar | All Rights Reserved | Originally Published at www.schadelmann.com

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I moved to Los Angeles, I made a choice to get a Netflix subscription instead of cable television, with the idea being that I'd have more control over what I got to watch, and I'd avoid the inevitable of getting sucked into watching reruns and old movies when I needed to be working.

When I lived in Seattle and worked out of my home up there, I would have CNN or whatever on "to be informed" but found that I ended up losing a few hours a day to Law and Order reruns during the day. Determined to maintain some self-discipline, I opted for Netflix and by and large it's worked out very well.

However, I don't always have a disc to watch, and if there's one thing I've learned, is that when you have insomnia, and don't have cable, your viewing options in LA are severely limited. But I've discovered that KSCI TV has an interesting lineup of programming, mostly Asian or Indian, and most with English subtitles, not unlike KTSF in the Bay Area.

My favorites tend to be the subtitled, ultra-melodramatic Japanese soap operas, since they really do seem to pack as much emotion into every line of dialogue and scene they can. I also like watching the Indian version of "Entertainment Tonight" in English as well - they always have such beautiful actresses on those programs. Oh, but I digress.

Just the other day, I caught a mini-documentary, again in Japanese with English subtitles that was a truly enjoyable piece of programming. The subject was a ramen chef in Japan, in a town (whose name I do not remember) that apparently is the world capital of ramen noodle shops. People line up for hours to try and get a spot at this guy's restaurant, as he only serves about 200 people a day at this restaurant.

The entire documentary was a survey of this guy's life, and his hardcore commitment to making the best ramen noodle dishes from scratch, starting with an early morning making the dough for the noodles, an exacting process that is very labor intensive.

Combined with his exacting specifications for every single aspect of creating the best ramen possible, way beyond the exacting preparation in Tampopo you realized really quickly that this was a rare insight into a true artisan who took real pride in his work. In a way, he kind of reminded me of the guy who runs Fiesta Brava near my home in Venice Beach.

It was also a nice story about the man himself, his commitment to his family, and about a way of life in general that made one feel pretty good. With all that is going on these days, it's nice to watch something that is just nice, and doesn't have anything to do with wars, elections, reality TV, or Yet Another Cop Show. It was one of those things you catch by mistake, and feel glad you caught it.

Towards the end of the documentary, they talked about his health, which was a cause of concern to his family since he was developing joint pain and RSI from all those years of noodle-making by hand, and the fact he was getting older in general. It was clear by the end that this family was a very close-knit bunch of folks and their concern seemed genuine.

All in all, a nice TV moment. Then I found out I'd been led astray. To say I was fooled would suggest that the subject matter was phony, but it wasn't - there was too much there to suggest that it was all made up. But there was more to this little piece of programming than met the eye (at the beginning).

It seems that at the end, when the daughter discusses how she's concerned about her dad's health, comes up with a solution that has both helped her, and now helps him maintain strength and vitality. What was it? Why, Aojiru drink packets, of course!

I'd been sucked into watching an infomercial for a barley drink many people drink as a nutritional supplement. Now, I have no idea how good this stuff really is for you, or how good it tastes, but I can tell you it isn't cheap - each little packet is a little more than a dollar, and they recommend you use at least 2-3 a day. That's almost $100 per month!

The whole experience left me feeling a bit strange. For 25 minutes I'd been enjoying a serendipitous trip through the life and times of one of Japan's best noodle-chefs, only to find out in the last 5 minutes, I was watching a nice long ad for some very expensive barely drink mix. I remember thinking to myself "Now what? Do I get angry for having wasted my time watching an informercial or what?"

In the end I realized that for 95% of the time spent watching it, the show had nothing to do with the product being sold, so as time wasters go, it really wasn't that bad. And if nothing else, I did get some positive entertainment out of it. But I don't know that I'll be buying any Aojiru anytime soon. Not until they put a nice big disclaimer at the beginning of their 30 minute ad!

© 2003-2006 Greg Dewar | All Rights Reserved | Originally Published at www.schadelmann.com

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)