The Coming Clash of the Alpha Females (Pelosi & Clinton)

Speaker Pelosi has already made history as the first female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives since our founding. Little wonder that rumors persist that Speaker Pelosi will endorse Obama as the Democratic Party's Presidential Nominee. After all, why would she want to have her historical moment eclipsed by the first female President of the United States? Even The Hill notes that the two women have virtually no relationship, and why should the Speaker seek one anyway?

If Senator Clinton does become the next President, we can expect a below the radar struggle between the two of them for dominance in the Capitol. The Presidency has the bully pulpit, but the Speaker is the most powerful Constitutional Officer in the United States. As the saying goes, "Congress proposes, the President disposes." Speaker Pelosi will be able to win any power struggle between the two of them simply by ignoring President Clinton's agenda or requests, or outright opposing it.

President Clinton will have to be careful not to alienate Speaker Pelosi. The last time Senator Clinton was in charge of a domestic policy initiative (Hillarycare), also with a Democratic Congress, she thought she could put a package together inside the White House and ignore the relavant Congressional leaders (Senate Finance Chairman Moynihan, House Commerce Committee Chairman Dingell and House Ways & Means Chairman Rostenkowski) and simply present Congress her own package for them to rubber stamp. Any return to that type of attitude will raise the hackles of the Speaker and her Chairman. And a Speaker is not to be trifled with - remember, Jimmy Carter's Presidency was destroyed by Speaker O'Neill, not by minority Republicans.

2006-2008 TV & Commercial Soundtrack Play List

Once again, I am compiling a playlist of songs from television shows that have been in rotation during that past year. However, unlike previous playlists, this one also contains songs from commercials as well instead of segregating the two. Below is what I have so far:

Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears) - Kid Nation theme song
Come Anytime (Hoodoo Gurus) - Thank God You're Here theme song
I know, You Know (The Friendly Indians) - Psych theme song
Calling All Friends (Low Stars) - What About Brian? theme song
Hello Goodbye (The Beatles) - Target commerical
Blister in the Sun (Violent Femmes) - Burger King commercial
This is the Day (The Thes)- M&Ms commercial
It's a Jungle Out There (Randy Newman) - Monk theme song
Ice Cream ((New Young Pony Club)) - Intel commercial
Hockey Monkey (James Kochalka Superstar and the Zambonis) - The Loop theme song
God Only Knows(The Beach Boys)- Big Love theme song
We're Not Going To Take It (Twisted Sister) Yaz birth control commercial
Superman (R.E.M.) Toyota Sequoia commercial
The Part Where You Let Go (HEM) Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
Put A Little Love in Your Heart (Annie Lennox & Al Green/Jackie Desharm) Smart Balance fake butter commercial



I appreciate suggested additions.

The Yankee-Cowboy War Looks to Continue

After Tsunami Tuesday, it looks like the Big Mo is with Senators Clinton and McCain, thus setting up another battle in the Yankee-Cowboy War. The Yankee-Cowboy War is a way of conceptually understanding that the Post-World War II period produced a shift in the source of American ruling-class (oligarchic) power from the Northeast to the Southwest/West fueled by shifts in the sources of economic wealth.

The Southern Rim drawn from a line South of North Carolina across the nation to San Francisco (Cowboys) with its oil, natural resources and technology based sources of economic power has risen to challenge the banking and industrial power of the Eastern Establishment based in Chicago, New York, Boston, and the industrial states (Yankees). The Eastern Establishment ruled the country more or less unchecked,from our founding until the oil, aviation and aerospace (and later technology) industries matured and the Southwest (and West) became a rival source of economic power, producing its own social elite. It has dominated Presidential elections since 1960 (see below).

The Yankee-Cowboy War is essentially a post-Marxist conception of ruling class infighting between rival factions. It's important to note that the war is actually fought by political donors, corporate executives etc., and the actual politicians are not necessarily conscious (beyong their own class interests) of this ongoing war. Whether you agree with the premise or not, a look at our Presidents and Presidential contests post-Eisenhower shows that the fundamental battles for political control have been fought between representatives of these two establishments.

1960 - JFK v. Nixon - Yankee (JFK) Won
1963 - Cowboy (LBJ) comes to power in a putative coup engineered by his supporters.
1964 - LBJ v. Goldwater - Cowboy v. Cowboy, though LBJ had deep ties to the Yankee faction.
1968 - Nixon v. Humphrey - Cowboy (Nixon) won
1972 - Nixon v. McGovern - Cowboy (Nixon) won
1974 - Yankee (Ford) comes to power in a putative coup engineered by his supporters.
1976 - Ford v. Carter - Cowboy (Carter) won
1980 - Carter v. Reagan - Cowboy (Reagan) won
1984 - Reagan v. Mondale - Cowboy (Reagan) won
1988 - Bush 41 v. Dukakis - Cowboy (Bush 41) won
1992 - Bush 41 v. B. Clinton - Cowboy v. Cowboy. Bush 41 and Clinton both had deep ties to the Yankee faction through educational background and professional ties. In this case however, Clinton represented the interests of the Yankee faction and Bush's deep financial ties to the Cowboy (oil) establishment align him with their interests.
1996 - B. Clinton v. Dole - Yankee (Clinton) won - Georgetown, Yale and McGovern Presidenial Campaign experience make Clinton more of a Yankee representative than a Cowboy one.
2000 - Gore v. Bush 43 - Cowboy (Bush 43) won - Gore, though putatively from Tennessee spent his life growing up within the Eastern Establishment, even attending Harvard, and thus represented the Yankee establishment
2004 - Bush 43 v. Kerry - Cowboy (Bush 43) won - Bush's time in the Northeast seems not to have influenced him as much as it did Clinton despite his being a Yale Alum and member of the elite Skull & Bones Society
2008 - McCain v. H. Clinton - a classic showdown during which the Yankee faction may finally claw its way back to power. Despite spending time in Arkansas, Senator Clinton has alway been a Yankee, from growing up in the Chicago suburbs to attending hte elite Wellesley and Yale universities.

It's worth noting that in the elections from 1960 to present, the Cowboy faction has been dominant, winning 9 of 12 contests. In the cases where two putative members of the Cowboy faction competed against each other, the one more closely tied to the Eastern Establishment at the time has lost. Bill Clinton is the only President to be elected from the Yankee faction during this time, and the other two Yankee Presidents came to power through the death or political destruction of their Cowboy predecessors.

2008 Music Festivals

This the Second Annual Uneven Steven Music Festival list. Last year's list is here. I started doing this last year because I have far missed too many festivals by not knowing their exact dates until it was too late. Some of these are a bit off the beaten path, but should be well worth it.

Like last year, I would like for this list to be as comprehensive as possible, so please let me know (and include a link) about festivals left off this list, no matter where they are in the world. Thanks!

Additionally, please let me know if the Pixies or Garbage are playing near you, so I can figure out where I can see them play again. I will be eternally grateful.

2008 Music Festivals

January 7 - March 30 Emergenza Music Festival - (travelling music festival to discover new, unsigned talent)
February 26-March 2 Spark Music Festival of Electronic Music (University of Minnesota)
March 6-9 Langerado (Florida's Big Cypress Indian Reservation)
March 12-16 South x Southwest Music Festival (Austin, TX)
March 15 Shamrock Festival 2007 (Washington, DC - RFK Stadium)
March 20 - April 5 Savannah Music Festival
March 28-29 Ultra Music Festival (Bicentenniel Park - Miami, Florida)
April 18-19 Dewey Beach Pop Festival(Rehoboth,DE)
April 25-27 Coachella (Indio, CA)
April 25-27 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, LA)
May 1-4 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
(New Orleans, LA)
June 6-8 Rock im Ring (Nuremberg, Germany)
June 5-8 Chicago Blues Festival
June 13-15 The Download Festival (Donnington Park, Leceistershire, UK
June 20-21 Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (Booneville, CA)
June 27-29 Glastonbury Festival (U.K.)
Early July - TBD Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago)
July 3-6 Roskilde Festival (Roskilde, Denmark)
July 4-6 Essence Music Festival (New Orleans, LA)
July 11-13 Vancouver Island Music Festival (Vancouver Island, Canada)
July 17-20 Festival Internacional de Benicassim (near Valencia, Spain with an excellent line-up)
July 23-26 10,000 Lakes Festival (Detroit Lakes, Minnesota)
August 1-4 Eclipe Outdoor Electronic Music Festival (Montreal, Candada)
August 1-3 Lollapallooza (Grant Park - Chicago, IL)
August 6-11 Shambhala (Canada)
August 16-17 V Festival (Hylands Park, Chelmsford & Weston Park, Staffordshire - UK)
August 22-24 Reading and Leeds Festival (U.K.)
August 25- September 1 Burning Man
August 28-31 Chicago Jazz Festival (Grant Park - Chicago, IL)
August 30- September 1 Bumbershoot Lineup to be announced in Spring 2008. (Washington State)

Festivals To Be Determined for 2008
TBD Virgin Festival 2008
TBD Goodstock (West Virginia)
TBD Ozzfest begins
TBD - Last year cancelled due to tornado Heineken Jammin' Festival (Italy)

OK GO New Orleans Benefit @ 9:30 Tonight - Want my tix?

I can't go to the show tonight. If anyone wants my tickets, please leave a comment with your email address. Below is an excerpt from the press release. The entire press release can be found here.

On February 2, OK Go and Bonerama will join forces for a benefit at Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club. The show is in support of You’re Not Alone, a digital EP the two bands put together after OK Go spent the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina recording with the New Orleans funk-soul band deep in the city’s Upper 9th Ward. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the EP - available exclusively at iTunes - will benefit Al “Carnival Time” Johnson and other members of New Orleans’ music community who are still struggling to rebuild their homes and their lives in the wake of Katrina. The five-song mini-album will be released on February 5 - Mardi Gras.

“New Orleans is one of the last places in America where music is truly a fundamental part of everyday life,” says OK Go’s Damian Kulash. “People get together on the weekends and parade through the streets just playing songs; 12-year-old-kids learn funk on the tuba; everyone actually dances. Life elsewhere in the world simply isn’t as awesome. If we allow the culture of New Orleans to die by leaving its musicians marooned around the country, it will be a terrible blow to American music.”

Hillary Clinton is a Disgrace to Feminists

I can't believe that Hillary Clinton wants the world to think that whenever she gets into political trouble, she's going to have her husband come roaring about, breaking furniture, sucking up oxygen, spewing carbon dioxide. My impression is that she's strong enough to defend herself--she certainly showed that in the recent Democratic debate. But apparently she's not strong enough to control Mr. Bill...and if that's the case, any sane voter would have to think twice before enabling this sort of circus act in the White House.

Maureen Dowd

I'm not one to generally agree with Ms. Dowd, but in this case she's on to something. Hillary Clinton should be out defending herself and not sending her husband to do it for her. And the "all the other spouses do it" doesn't apply for two reasons: (1) no other spouse's megaphone is as big as a former President's; and (2) Hillary is a woman. Having a man step up to defend her just undermines her claim to be a feminist icon and sets the women's movement back decades, unless fish really do need bicycles.

Additionally, the more she attacks Republicans the more she loses the residual good will built up by working in a bi-partisan way with her Republican colleagues. She is setting things up for a re-run of hte 1990s and we really don't need that. Additionally, no one in the Republican Coalition will refrain from dredging up all of Clinton's mis-deeds and mis-judgements from his post-Presidency from pardonning big donors to his investments with the sketchy Ron Burkle. They also have no interest in helping further the Bill Clinton legacy and will do everything they can to hang him like an albatross around Hillary's neck.