Get me Rewrite! Out of Print-Losing a Way of Life, The Disappearance of the American Newspaper

A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.
Arthur Miller

I just received a terrific gift. A shopping bag filled with newspapers. I know it's not a new bag or bracelet but I was thrilled none the less. I won't be wrapping fish or dishes in them...these are keepsakes to be put carefully away. They include copies of papers from Inauguration Day from all over the country and they will be stored along with so many other papers I have collected ever since I can remember...papers reporting and commemorating important events that chronicle my time elections,championships,tragedies,celebrations, even snowstorms.

So many daily life memories that I cherish include the newspaper...digging through the snow to find the morning paper, my dog tearing the Sunday paper to shreds in clearly an act of rebellion from paper training days, my Grandmother cutting out coupons, my Grandfather taking his daily walk to buy the paper, my Dad on the couch with the sports section or any section and my Mom picking those sections up off the floor where he had dropped them.

I learned to read from the newspaper-sitting on my Daddy's lap sounding out word by word the sports section and the Funnies. Miss Peach, Mutt and Jeff, Peanuts...were my reading buddies. Dr. Seuss came along later but by then I already knew how to make out the words. My relationship with newspapers started that early and a daily paper has been a part of my world ever since.

I read about eight newspapers in a day. When I'm in a town with only one newspaper, I read it eight times.
Will Rogers

I truly cannot imagine everyday life without a newspaper. There was a time when I read 3 or 4 papers a day. I have a collection of front pages from major events,and not so major,that have happened throughout my life. The morning after Election Day I drove from news dealer to news stand in search of national and local papers announcing Barack Obama as "Mr. President" and I was not alone. I found empty news boxes and shelves wherever I stopped. I had to order most editions and waited quite a few weeks for the Chicago papers to arrive as they went to reprint on that special addition. Why? Newspapers are records of our history, politics, arts, sports...but they are also chronicles of life in a city, in our towns,and they document the people and events that make up day to day.

No matter the world newspapers have been a constant,reliable, dependable. The morning paper is always there-sometimes at the front door sometimes in the bushes but it is always there somewhere. In my house it was the morning Boston Globe there to greet you. During the Blizzard of '78 we couldn't drive for days, there was no school for weeks, we walked to get groceries, but the newspaper somehow got delivered---I still have those copies reporting life at a standstill. On September 11 The Wall St. Journal found its neighborhood in horror but it had to report and publish a paper...it did this despite its offices being in the midst of terror.

There is a romance of course to newspapers and the newspaper business that is ingrained into our popular culture...I think of Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday, Clark Gable in It Happened One Night, Citizen Kane,All the President's Men, Clark Kent,the trench coat/ fedora wearing/cigar chomping beat reporter notebook or typewriter by the side...think Spencer Tracy of course.

Many of us worked on a school newspaper and grew up in an era that the definition of journalism could be found only in print. The importance of newspaper to journalism aside, there is the institution, the habit, the dependability, the constant in a world without constants, of a daily paper in our lives.

Now newspapers are finding that they are reporting on themselves. That is certainly what is happening in Boston. The Boston Globe is reporting the major story of the potential of their own demise...and it is perhaps one of the most shocking stories they could ever write. Boston without the Globe--unthinkable!

Life without newsprint is really unthinkable, yet that appears to be where we are heading...and fast. Rapid changes in how we communicate and consume information, the speed at which events can be reported and received, coupled with an economic meltdown have meant that the Daily Paper has become a dinosaur...not to me!

As more Americans turn to online news and the recession eats away at advertising dollars, some newspapers are going out of business and others are struggling to stay afloat. The newspaper business is in serious serious trouble. In April media columnist Michael Wolff dramatically declared that in “...about 18 months from now, 80percent of newspapers will be gone."

According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press only 33% of those polled say they would personally miss reading the local newspaper a lot if it were no longer available. Many papers have already shut their doors and countless numbers of small town and big city papers are teetering on the brink of doing the same. Papers that were considered institutions are gone. In March, the 146-year-old Seattle Post-Intelligencer published its last print edition and Denver's Rocky Mountain News closed down its presses after nearly 150 years of putting out a daily paper.

Not only are we facing a future of one newspaper towns but many towns with no daily paper at all. It is a horrible thought for a civilized society...do I sound out of touch, not progressive, stuck in my ways? so be it! I have a Blackberry, I have a laptop, I have a cell phone--they aren't newspapers...period!

Newspapers are a valued cornerstone of our lives. We turn to them on good days and on bad. Thomas Jefferson who of course never had a Twitter address, believed that newspapers were critical for creating and maintaining a true democracy by informing the public. In 1787, he wrote "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to choose the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers, and be capable of reading them."

The need for consuming news will of course never disappear. How we receive news has changed dramatically in a very short time,however, and traditional newspapers either didn't see it coming or don't have a clue how to do it differently and still turn a profit. Today as we redefine "what news is"-Twitter, Facebook, blogs, online e-zines... a printed piece of paper that arrives on your doorstep 24 hours after an event some claim has lost its relevancy. This coupled with the fierce competition for ad dollars and the the true loss of the Classifieds to sites like Craig's List has left the business of newspapers and their survival in deep deep trouble. Ironically this happens at a time when we need newspapers more than perhaps ever before.

Television has a real problem. They have no page two. Consequently every big story gets the same play and comes across to the viewer as a really big, scary one. ~Art Buchwald, 1969

In an age filled with "get it out there" news the truth, the facts are missing very often. Yes,you can get info anytime anywhere..but what is that info, who is putting it out there and how carefully? Reading on a laptop does not give you the ponder ability, you lose the flip through,clip out,curl up, sit with..component that we have taken for granted. A newspaper is unique in its ability to present life from birth to death and everything in the middle in one net format.

"...For every disgrace there is triumph, for every wrong there is a moment of justice, for every funeral a wedding, for every obituary a birth announcement." Anna Quindlen

Old fashioned? Antiquated? Dinosaurs? perhaps, but I for one will not easily toss my newspapers recycle bin yet.

"More than 100 million adults in the United States read a printed newspaper every day — more than watched the Super Bowl. As troubled as the U.S. economy is, if 100 million consumers want and use something, that product usually doesn't go away," Gary Pruitt, CEO of the newspaper company McClatchy Co.

I refuse to even imagine a day without a newspaper, tangible, ink stained,bulletin board postable. As generations before me have done I hope to always pick that paper up off the front step and greet the day knowing that if the paper is there the world is still in orbit.

"I Do Hugs"-The First Lady's Real Fashion Statement

"If you want to know the reason why I am standing here, it's because of education... "I never cut class. I loved getting A's, I liked being smart. ... I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the world."

Azzedine Alaia

This week Michelle Obama stepped onto the world stage in her Jimmy Choos and did more than show off her Thakoon clad style...she showed her heart.

While the President carries the weight of the world with a desk filled with nightmares, it is Michelle who is the uplifting presence, spreading inspiration and hope with a warmth and spirit that is genuine-winning over even Her Majesty.

Isabel Toledo

While watching the First Lady enter to meet the Queen I got a rush of excitement for her. The little girl from the South Side of Chicago, who shared a room with her brother while growing up, was having tea at Buckingham Palace with The Queen of England!...and she looked very much at home.

Thakoon Coat

Much has been written about her wardrobe this trip of course-she chose versatility and designers that reflect her personality from Michael Kors to Azzedine Alaia, Isabel Toledo, Thakoon and J.Crew!

As she stood next to Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, pussycat bow to pussycat bow and kitten heel to flat,I thought one of these women is playing a role- costume design by Dior of course, and the other is being who she is-independent, strong, smart, glamorous and yes, real! An American woman living her life under extraordinary circumstances while staying true to her core.

Junya Watanabe Cardigan

It was at the Elizabeth Anderson Garrett School,however, her first solo of the trip, that Europe had the chance to see up close the woman that is Michelle Obama.

As she watched and listened to performances and speeches from students of the school it was clear she was moved by them. When she spoke to over 100 students, ages 11-17 all from an incredibly diverse backgrounds ( over 55 languages are spoken at the school) she left them with a moment and a message they will always remember.

"When I look at a performance like this, it just reminds me that there are diamonds like this all over the world... All of you are precious and you touch my heart, and it's important for the world to know that there are wonderful girls like you all over the world."

"I am an example of what is possible when girls, from the very beginning of their lives, are loved and nurtured by the people around them.""I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me about quiet strength and dignity...

You too can control your own destiny, please remember that...Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude...It won't be easy, that's for sure, but you have everything you need. Everything you need you already have right here...

We are counting on you, we are counting on every single one of you to be the best that you can be. We know you can do it, we love you..."

As the world becomes darker it is obvious that it is Michelle Obama who will carry that message of Hope and be the face of promise. This First Lady will be the force that creates change in the hearts and minds of young girls all over the world. A role model and an inspiration, she will lead them to believe in themselves and in their ability to be whoever they want to be no matter their background, no matter their upbringing , no matter what they look like or where they live in the world.

What's Next?-Let's Go Change America

Michelle in Jason Wu

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met...
...Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. "



It was a day unlike any other in memory or history. The world literally stopped, watched, and absorbed the moment. A moment that so many never believed would happen. A moment that will be held tightly as a seed of hope and determination for young lives...kids that did not have a reason to believe before this day now have a real role model to shine the path for them. A moment that so many did not live to share but whose ghosts sat proudly as every step was taken today. The significance of the day seen in the faces and emotion that flooded Washington. There was the grace, the pomp and the tradition of a seamless transition of democracy between two men who could not be more ideologically different, but who worked together to transfer power through ballots not bullets.

FDR was shaped by his time...Barack Obama will transform his.

The expectations are palpable. No mere mortal could meet the historic challenges,the hopes, the expectations. It is important to wake up in this new era and remember that Barack Obama for all his many gifts is not a Super Hero,he is a man...a man who has been handed a world in turmoil and a nation in pain. He cannot, and will not, approach what sits on his desk as any president before him has, and we cannot expect him to achieve,conquer,and change doing business as usual.

"What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. "

He takes this office because he earned this office in a different way than anyone who has ever run for the presidency. He called on Americans to get involved in their own destiny. Now, we must work along side him, this skinny kid with the funny name who holds our hearts and our hopes.

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship."

If we just sit back and wait, sit back and not respond, sit back and just watch, then our future will be of our own folly...that is not what this time is about. A nation that became lazy,fat and spoiled now must remember history and understand that the lessons of this election, the lessons of the men and women who fought to make this moment possible, can alter the world.

"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

This time is indeed about "Responsibility". It is also about stepping out of the divisive circles and forging a new future. It is scary out there and breaking old habits and beliefs will be difficult for so many,but there is no other way to do it. The old ways failed and failed miserably. If we do not learn from history then we endanger what we were given to safeguard and to build upon.

"Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

We hand him our hope and he gives us our chance.

Inaugurating Pride

"What gives me that hope is what I see when I look out across this mall. For in these monuments are chiseled those unlikely stories that affirm our unyielding faith - a faith that anything is possible in America. Rising before us stands a memorial to a man who led a small band of farmers and shopkeepers in revolution against the army of an Empire, all for the sake of an idea. On the ground below is a tribute to a generation that withstood war and depression... Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King, and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character’s content. And behind me, watching over the union he saved, sits the man who in so many ways made this day possible. ..And yet, as I stand here
tonight, what gives me the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surrounds us today, but what fills the spaces in between. It is you - Americans of every race and region and station who came here because you believe
in what this country can be and because you want to help us get there. ...And as I prepare to assume the presidency, yours are the voices I will take with me every day I walk into that Oval Office... there is no obstacle that can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change. That is the belief with which we began this campaign, and that is how we will overcome what ails us now... never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard. I ask you
to help me reveal that character once more, and together, we can carry forward as one nation, and one people, the legacy of our forefathers that we celebrate today."


If you watched any coverage of this weekend's kickoff to the Inauguration you had to have seen the kids of Ron Clark Academy. They are singing their "Dear Obama" anthem everywhere! Their faces for me the definition of Joy... and, yes, Hope and Change... They believe in the promise this time holds and most importantly they believe in themselves... and I believe in them!

Watching the kids of Ron Clark Academy and listening to their words of thanks and enthusiasm I began to understand what has been missing from every other Presidential inauguration I can remember-Pride.

During her husband's campaign Michelle Obama was criticized for stating that for the first time in her life she was proud to be an American. I don't believe she was speaking solely as a woman of color when she made those remarks,but rather as an American. I understood what she was saying, how she was feeling, as she talked to people across this country. Michelle and I come from the same generation, a generation whose first memory of a president is Richard Nixon. Our political socialization born of Watergate, a history of political fraud and packaged promises.

The genius of the Obama campaign, the brilliance of Barack Obama, is the recognition that millions of Americans never have felt comfortable or fulfilled in their American skin because there was always an "us" and a "you" and a "them". Barack Obama peeled back history and showed us we are ALL Americans and if we are to succeed during such extraordinary times then there is no choice, this country must be a "We".

Watching this campaign, watching this election, seeing the faces in the crowds in Grant Park, the "Obamastock" concert, you feel that "This" is Different...This time is Different. Despite horrible headlines, there is real joy in this nation, and with an 80% approval rating a real chance for this administration to be Different...to truly lead by acting and acting boldly.

The Pride we feel today can be ephemeral or a seed change It will be up to Barack Obama to take a hold of that "good feeling", that Pride, and cement it into a movement that will recover a nation, and change this country permanently, not just for four years. It will be up to him to harness the power that his campaign built to bring him to this day. It will be up to him to sustain this emotion. That will be perhaps the greatest test of his leadership... for without that pride, without that belief that we can be better, that we can eradicate the bad habits and deep rooted lazy beliefs, we go nowhere.

For today, at the start of this extraordinary week, Pride is what we should feel, and Pride is the building block we will need for the Myth of America to become a Reality for every child in this country.


This is a letter to Barack Obama…it’s our way of saying thank you.

Thank you for showing me that no doors are closed.

I have the power to control my own future.

Thank you for showing me that I can stand tall and be proud of who I am.

You have given us strength, courage, and hope

And for that we all say Thank You!...
And today is a new day where we can all see a new hope for our country...

And we know that along your journey, people said mean things to you and about you. But you never gave up and that gives us the strength to never give up. You are more than a President. You are a role model, a father figure, and a man we can all look up to, and for that we say Thank You.

Dear Obama ...You’ve broken down doors

No limits anymore

We all agree that Yes We Can

Sincerely, every child, every family, everyone…

Barack Obama – We Thank You!

RonClark Academy Kids

Change has Come to America-President-Elect Barack Obama

"There are no red states, there are no blue states, there is the United States"


Change has come to America...with no balloons, no confetti, no fireworks...just a voice,somber, real,passionate. Tonight,there are no colors...the face of the American map, as he told us 4 years ago, is not about red states and blue states...it is about the people of the United States.

The campaign saw the shift, knew the body politic had undergone a seed change demographically, enviornmentally, technologically,emotionally...and they knew those were the paths to reach change. They built a coalition, a movement, one American at a time.

Did the rotten economy help? Sure. Did the choice of a quirky right leaning inexperienced Sarah Palen help? Yes. Did the profound unpopularity of Bush help? Absolutely...but this election from the start was a rocket ride for Obama. His intelligence and ability to understand this country,read the faces of this country, resulted in the realization that we will never be the same.

A country that just 4 years ago re-elected George W. Bush woke up and realized that their destiny was in their own hands..they did not and could not accept life as we have lived it the past 8 years...Barack Obama led us to that place.

It was about the numbers. The faces behind those numbers are not the same that they were even 4 years ago...the faces in Chicago in Grant Park,hundreds of thousands, were made up of the real America. An America that needed leadership, that needed to be "fired up" and it was Barack Obama who knew how to do this and who reached out to every corner of this country and created a force.

There are those who will never accept this election, as perhaps they cannot accept change, fear and ignorance may keep them from understanding that there is a new electorate, a shifting electorate, the torch as been passed.

Roger Wilkins spoke about the new America that his grandson will come of age in..."...he will know that the paths of success and opportunity... he doesn't have to worry about it... they will be there... the country is sending a message of opportunity." Roger Wilkins


Congressman John Lewis declared that this election was "...a non violent revolution... a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas...we are preparing to lay down the burden of race and move ahead..."

The job is overwhelming. What faces Barack Obama this morning is sobering. This country is in such pain. The only way out is to not look back and to move forward as one country, united in purpose...the work begins now.

You can talk about the magnitude of this election. You can talk about this profoundly historic moment in time(how lucky to bear witness). You can talk about the transformative power of this candidate...but tonight, don't talk-just watch, just listen and just remember...

In 2009 the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP(in of all places Springfield Illinois) will be celebrated, and the skinny kid with the funny name will take the Oath of office of the Presidency of the United States on steps built by slaves.

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America...


...I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington — it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this earth. This is your victory...

...The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, callused hand by callused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other...

...As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends... Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection." And, to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world — our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand... To those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America — that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.


...America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do...
This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America."

All We are Saying-Celebrating the Peace Symbol

You know that everybody has a voice
And how they use it is their own free choice
But in your glory I will not rejoice
If you choose the ways of war...While the winds of war rage on
Let mine (oh let my small voice) be a voice
for peace...Let it start here with me...Dan Fogelberg, A Voice for Peace

OK, so I am a "little" late with these Birthday wishes, but Happy 50th Birthday Peace Symbol!! You still look good!! The actual event was February 21st but I think as we hyperventillate our way toward this Tuesday its a good time to Give Peace a Chance!

The Peace Sign first appeared amidst the British Anti-Nuclear Protests 50 years ago. Designer and conscientious objector Gerald Holtom fashioned the symbol from the flag signal alphabet using the N for Nuclear and D for disarmemement and placed them within a circle to symbolize earth.

Mr Holtom explained that the symbol also demonstrated a person in despair with their arms stretched downward but later regretted that analogy as he wished that the sign be inverted so that the "arms" would be upward in celebration of Peace. The Peace sign would be carried across the Atlantic and grew in popularity and use throughout the civil rights movement,into the 70s anti-war movement and the anti-nuclear protests of the 80s. Today it is considered nostalgic and retro but remains the dominate symbol and internationally recognized sign for PEACE.
Barney's Hippy Holiday

Please Visit Political Woman and Pearls of Grace

The Peace symblol may conjure up images of John Lennon, Arlo Guthrie , VW Beetles, Haight Ashbury, Woodstock, Joan Baez, The Summer of Love... but the symbol doesn't look a bit aged to me... It remains stylish as it holds its place as not only a universal plea and sign of hope for a better world but also a fashion statement that will never age.
Tiffany's Paltinum and Doamond version

The Peace symbol has been interpreted by countless artists and designers.
One Million Peace Signs .com

Amber Hagen Barneys NY


To Celebrate Peace Sign Style Bendel's Fifth Avenue Store from Nov 4-10 Peace is the New Black-Peace inspired styles from top designers.

Henry Road Peace Pillow Henri Bendel

It may be trendy now but the sign that is recognized around the world as unilateral disarmement and non violent resolution will remain a way to share the hope for a better world...Vote in Peace!

Heroes Square Budapest

Visit Happybirthdaypeace.com learn about Peace efforts around the globe and upload your own Peace Symbol

Trail Break-Politics on the Shelf, History on View

Duck for President

`Barack Obama is taking a break from the Trail, his beloved Grandmother is very ill and he has left the campaign just 12 days before the election-remarkable, admirable.

Well, if Barack can take a break I guess we can too. I think we all need one...I really don't care how much Sarah spent at Neiman's...it didn't help! She should have asked Cindy to take her shopping...

With 12 days to go in this amazing election, Stop,Breathe,and go curl up with a good movie or book...you may just come away ready to care... and ready to vote! Please visit Applause!

Designer's Choice-Politics Hit the Runway

Narciso Rodriguez

The first Presidential Debate of this fleeting campaign season is in the books...who won?? Depends upon where you sit. My guess is there was not much movement in position coming out of last night's (almost didn't happen) debate. The issues are extraordinarily complex and there will never be a simple answer to resolve the magnitude of a mess this nation is in...you have to ask, why would anyone want that job?? It is a frightening time but if you love the political game it is a great ride.

This has indeed been an historic campaign and for years and years to come the 2008 Election will be studied and analyzed. Maybe with all we face, with all that is at stake in this election we need to step back from the political attacks, strategic games, well placed insinuations and very tall tales of accomplishments, and ask "What Do You Wear to the most important election of our time??

Tory Burch

It is not unusual in any campaign for celebrity endorsements, Frank Sinatra for Kennedy, Barbra Streisand for Clinton...The 2008 election has certainly had its share of show biz glitz,it was after all Oprah who rallied her troops for Barack Obama. What this election has been lacking to this point, other than a few appearances by Michelle and Cindy(NO Sarah doesn't enter into this discussion), was Style. Enter the Designer's Choice. (for fairness by the way I looked on the McCain site and there is nothing there to compare)

Charles Nolan

Tracy Reese Zac Posen



The Obama for America campaign has enlisted some of the country's most successful and emulated design eyes to create Runway to Change, a collection of apparel and accessories to encourage voter registration and of course support the candidate.

Nanette Lepore


I love and collect campaign memorabilia, buttons, pennants, bumper stickers... but this campaign goes a long way from the silly hats and yard signs with its own designer collection. No matter where your politics lean you have to take notice when politics meet the runway. http://www.barackobama.com/

Vera Wang

Derek Lam Diane Von Furstenburg

Tina Lutz and Marcia Patmos

The Women who Applaud

The election of 2008 has been an amazing ride for those of us for whom watching politics is a sport. Now we are in the Playoffs! The balloons have dropped, the confetti swept up(do you think they recylced it?)and the pundits have gone back to their corners awaiting the first debate.

This election has been about many things, but for me the spotlight has been on the women of campaign 2008. Of course there are the candidates...Hillary made history and secured a position for not only her future ambitions, but also for any woman seeking to create change... and Sarah...well she is making waves. Her presence on the scene has ignited the McCain base but can she play in Portland, Poughkeepsie, or Peoria?? We will see, but we do know that Emily's List has to be in their glory this season. Women have arrived at The Party, they may have been at the party for many years but only to serve hors d'oeuvres, finally their voices are not only being heard but are moving voters- and not just the traditional women's block.

The women that really interested me through the conventions,however, are the women whose role it is to not run for any formal office but to ride the campaign trail and support "their guys". Nothing new there for the wife of a candidate, but the women at the side of these candidates are not sitting watching in quiet reverence. They are drawing crowds of their own,not staying on script,and making the case with an energy and emotional drive that doesn't necessarily fit who you might think they are. Given an election year that has never played by the rules why should we be surprised.

(Dolly Madison)

Hillary Rodham set the path for a new view of First Lady, outspoken, accomplished, determined, ambitious, talented and brilliant...we had never seen a First Lady with all that and it annoyed many and inspired more. Laura Bush has brought us back to the traditional view-serene,accomplished and not in the way. There is a fascinating new book of fiction loosely based on Laura Bush that reveals much about this woman-- Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife: A Novel(watch for the review in Applause!)--who has been the gracious calm in the storm that has been her husband's presidency.

The women of campaign 2008 could not be more different, and perhaps that is what has made them so fascinating. A woman born to privilege who has lived her public role extremely privately, raising her children and working for charities with a drive that reveals a great deal behind the pearls and designer suits; and a woman who grew up in working class Chicago, whose family roots are her base and who walked into Princeton as one of a just a handful who looked like her and became determined to effect change with her gifts.

It is interesting because up until recent weeks I always saw Cindy McCain as a Stepford (Candidate’s) Wife, but her PR folks(or John’s) have been peeling away her ice queen layers--the article in Vogue with her hair down which obviously received good reviews as we see her that way more now, GMA did a piece with her best friend chatting about who Cindy really is... and this week she walked on precarious heels into the glare of the circus that is campaign politics not with reserve or ice but with style and a forceful emotional voice to support her husband. Cindy McCain's cool elegant presence hides the emotional woman she is and glimpses beyond the public reserve have been refreshing and I would guess have gone a long way toward the embrace she received at this week's convention. I would think she surprised many who knew she never wanted to make a speech. She stepped onto that stage that she obviously has avoided for most of her husband's career and demonstrated that she is her own woman, intelligent,very capable, a passionate mother…but it is obvious she doesn’t want to be here. She may love her husband but theirs is an interesting marriage, a long distance marriage that has given Cindy McCain her own life to carve out without the presence of her husband. You do not get the sense of partnership that you do with the Obama’s. I think Cindy McCain would be a relatively absent and extremely low key First Lady. She has her causes and would probably continue to lead her life as she does and be present and public when asked to be… but this is not a role she wants.

Michelle Obama has a very different kind of grace. Clearly the Obamas are a true partnership, a 21st century couple with complete respect for each other and a very readable bond. Much has been written about her role in the campaign. She clearly has been a great asset and mainly because she is real and honest. I don’t feel like they packaged Michelle nor could they. She is not standing by his side, eyes glazed, nodding at his every word. She is part of the fabric of the Obama movement and her voice is not only that of wife and mother of his children, but also as the person who “gets him” the best and who has made him accessible and approachable. You get the feeling that if he ever comes off as elitist, or too smart for the voters he is reaching out to, that she is the one that puts him back in touch with who he is.

I imagine that Michelle Obama will serve tea with the best of them, probably better, and will even reflect Jackie-esque qualities, but she will also raise her children in the greatest fish bowl there is, and more than likely with her historic presence redefine the image of First Lady forever in a way that Hillary could not. I don’t think Michelle has an agenda or role that she wants to assume-she isn’t looking for a seat at cabinet meetings-she won’t need one. She is too much her own person, and too aware of the significance of what this couple can do to change this country, not to be seen and heard in an Obama administration.

I think the key to Michelle Obama is that she is real, not packaged,her story is the story of so many women of our generation who found ourselves with options and opportunities our mothers did not have, and for women of color opportunities their Fathers did not have either. Therefore she can walk between the past and the future-see her parents and see her children and understand that she will represent more than a pretty lady in pearls and couture who checks placecards. She is an independent, intelligent, capable woman with her own identity and credentials and stature, she does not need Barack Obama to define her- much like Hillary’s resume. The difference I see is that Michelle Obama does not need to show that or prove that..she just is that.

First Lady is not a job, it is not a policy post, but since the Kennedys we have had expectations for the woman who shares a bedroom with the most powerful man on earth. We will one day see a man take on that strange role but for this election I think it is Michelle Obama who will show up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with a respect for history but also with a determination that she is a part of a team that is there to change history’s perception of not only a First Lady but also a Presidency.

Poltical Gamble, Reckless Choice

I have never thought of John McCain as an irresponsible politician. Maverick at times yes, but always smart and cunning. The move he made yesterday cemented for me the real threat that he could be to this country, that is something that I never processed about him.

The selection of Gov. Sarah Palin was a move made by a campaign that clearly saw it needed to pull the rug out of the momentum that the Obama campaign forged in Denver this week. They may have very well succeeded. By launching the biggest surprise in campaign politics the McCain-Palin ticket swiveled the national spotlight in a whip-lash. Once the dust settles and the media moves on,however,-there is a massive storm heading for a very fragile gulf coast this weekend-there are questions about John McCain's judgement that must be examined. Did this get the results he wanted? Absolutely. Gov. Palin fills many holes that McCain had problems with especially with conservatives. Gun ownership, right to life,the woman's vote...looks like he smashed or made huge dents in each block in one very daring decision.

This decision,however,demonstrates a John McCain that we have not seen a lot of this campaign-he was supposed to be the candidate that was safe, secure...

This was an Absurdly reckless choice! which is unbelievably insulting to women and demonstrates McCain's antiquated narrow thinking.

With all due respect to Governor Palin and her accomplishments she is no more prepared to step into the presidency than Cindy McCain. Being mayor of a small Alaskan town and a governor of a remote state for less than 2 years does not qualify anyone, male or female, for the highest office in the land-especially at the most frightening time in history. Her lack of foreign policy experience aside, and that is a huge aside, what first hand knowledge does she have of the people of this country? This is not a slight on the beautiful state of Alaska but it is not reflective of the majority of this country in its needs. How many Americans shoot their own dinner these days? How much understanding can this woman bring to the lives of most Americans?

John McCain is not a young man and has had cancer more than once. His choice for VP shows an arrogance and a commitment to tabloid politics not to substance. Again, this is reckless.

If he wanted to play the gender card there are so many far more qualified republican women than Gov Palin. In fact, it could be argued that this is an insult to those women who have demonstrated their leadership through years of service. Was the shock factor the reason for this choice, if so then the republicans have left themselves wide open for attack.

John McCain has once again demonstrated with this choice how completely out of touch he is with the country he believes he should serve. I am also surprised at his campaign advisers allowing this choice...This is a HUGE gamble...did they not watch anything that went on in Denver? The women who supported Hillary are not women who would EVER vote for a pro-gun anti-abortion candidate. To throw someone with no international or security experience into the ring just to get the attention of women is unbelievable-he only met her once! I have thought many things about John McCain but stupid has never been one of them.

This looks like a political stunt to inject enthusiasm into a campaign that could never match the energy that Denver produced. Will he succeed in bringing on board the conservatives that he needs, slam dunk, they just needed an excuse to shift his way. He will not,however, win over Hillary supporters, for the majority Obama did that this week. The fact that in her first remarks to the press Gov Palin, who had been a critic of Hillary Clinton's, invoked her 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling remark is an insult, mainly because she doesn't get it-if she did she would not have walked in that direction. An accomplished woman no doubt, a woman who may in fact endear herself to many with intelligence,charm and a maverick's persona,but a woman who is not prepared for this job.

Why wouldn't McCain pick an experienced woman for the ticket? Why take such a risk...the campaign had no choice but to go for the shock value. The Obama momentum could only be overshadowed by a move such as this. McCain did not pick a woman just to pick a woman, he selected a woman that conservatives could live with and show off. In the end the numbers will tell-and I am afraid those numbers will come down to reflecting not gender, as the McCain camp must know, but to race.

As political theatre,however, you gotta love it! For the first time in anyone's memory, the vice presidential debate will be relevant, it will be must see viewing, and add to the amazing ride this election year has been. From a political junkie's chair, how much more fun could this get!! From a citizen's perspective,however, how much more frightening could the prospect of a President Palin be? Don't play with us John McCain, this is our future you are fooling with.

Preserving the Promise-Hope, Legacy and the Face of Change

With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for
presidency of the United States

With those words on a perfect cloudless late summer evening surrounded by over 80,000, the skinny kid with the funny name turned history on its ear. History that 45 years ago this day was set in motion on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Even John McCain paused on this night to recognize the almost overwhelming significance of this moment by airing a congratulatory advertisement smack in the middle of convention coverage, a gracious and necessary gesture.

History was the elixir in the air last night, there was no escaping it. We watched as 68 yr old Rep. John Lewis of GA. reflected on the moment. John Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, who was brutally attacked, having his skull beaten in, by Alabama police on Bloody Sunday as he led over 600 peaceful protesters on the march from Selma to Montgomery in early March of 1965, and who wears those scars today. John Lewis who stood with Dr King and 45 years later would speak before an overwhelming crowd that was there to watch an acceptance speech by this democratic nominee for president.

"You cannot escape the fact that it's the day Dr. King delivered that
magnificent 'I Have A Dream' speech, and the nomination of Barack Obama will be another down
payment on making that dream real "

This week of emotion and cheers, of politics and theatre, grew each evening as the democrats built their case for change.

The first evening was uneven and tame until the Kennedys took the stage as they have for so long. All reached for the Kleenex as Sen Edward Kennedy, "Uncle Teddy", the Lion of the party, who came from a hospital addressed the convention on his feet,something few expected he would... something he would not be held back from doing. Sen. Kennedy personified the history and fundamentals with his determination and his will. Next up- Michelle Obama, elegant and passionate, her job was to sit everyone in the livingroom and show family slides, tell the Obama story, a uniquely American story. Her success was communicating the Real, the love, the compassion,the family and the tale of America. The following evening was Hillary's night! With grace and a solid stand she endorsed her competitor, and made the case for unity, a unity that going into this convention many felt could not happen. "No way, No how, No McCain!" Her husband, the President, would shut the door on doubters the next night as only Bill Clinton could. He gave the speech those who believe in him have been waiting for, while understanding the difficulty of seeing his personal torch passed, not to his wife but to a young man who is leading a new generation. He declared Barack Obama "ready to lead". Captain Bo Biden introduced the Biden story and his Dad Joe Biden, who with great humility made the case for his ticket. Al Gore was called on to talk about the urgency of a new path. As the wounds of his election resonated through the stadium, Al Gore spoke forcefully about "seizing the opportunity" and warned of what lies ahead if we don't .

Then, the Candidate. Have there ever been so many expectations, so many hopes, so many eyes watching a single figure?-certainly not in the media age where every breath is measured and every freckle highlighted. As an overflowing audience, some estimates of over 85,000, gathered and millions viewed through all forms of technology around the globe - how many more waited for him to fall?...instead, he soared. He gave what has been described as a "symphony" of a speech. He took that unprecedented stage knowing fully that he needed to point by point demonstrate that he is ready, that he is not about graceful speeches, that there is substance beneath the vision of the Promise

"Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land -- enough! This moment -- this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive...That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours -- a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot."

With an elegant bow to history, Barack Obama made it clear that this election is not about him and not about race,it never has been. From the start the Obama campaign has framed this election about each American's involvement, responsibility and future...about the Promise.

"And it is that promise that 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream...

...The men and women who gathered there could've heard many
things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead -- people of every creed and color, from every walk of life -- is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one. "

Obama wears the legacy with a grace and an understanding of what is expected of him. He makes the case very clear,however, that this election is larger than even his magnetic presence, it is about a country standing on the precipice and the call is for transformational, not minute, change.

"I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington...

...But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's about you. It's about you..."

This convention was carefully crafted to demonstrate the overwhelming need to move forward. To look back with respect and reverence and to learn, as is the purpose of history,but to make the case that we cannot stand still and be paralyzed by that past. This moment in time requires a tremendous leap of faith, a leap that necessitates letting go of what many are too comfortable with and too many see as the only way ---it isn't working, there is too much pain, too much danger, too much at stake. There can be no hope, no reparation, no success and no Promise unless that happens. Barack Obama has made it clear that standing still ,clinging to a crumbling wall of a world that is no more will shatter the Promise that we hold so dear.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we
must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

...We cannot turn back... America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone...

At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to
march into the future. Let us keep that promise -- that American promise -- and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess. "

Joe's The Ticket!

CNN ruined all the fun! Many of us have been checking our text messages and email for the past week waiting for Barack Obama's big decision...who would be his running mate???? We knew a rally was scheduled for Springfield Illinois today so it was to be at any moment this week that anyone who signed up to hear "first" through text message and email would be alerted...Thanks to the adorable John King and the annoying CNN, who reported Barack's choice around midnight, the big "hear it first" was a 3am turnover and go back to sleep...3am??? perhaps the Obama campaign's answer to Hillary's "who answers at 3am"...Joe Biden! Oh well...now we know and the media vetting can begin.

Gravitas…Gravitas…Gravitas! Good choice Barack.

The choice of a VP is about balance and Biden fits the bill perfectly. Does he reflect or represent the change that Barack has campaigned on??? that is the question the cynics will toss around. The answer, yes… Joe Biden may have entered the Senate when Obama was 11 years old, and may be seen as an “insider”, but he has been a voice for change for the entire Bush administration.

Biden’s experience on the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees, his debate ability, his clear understanding and first hand knowledge of the issues facing the world, along with the respect he holds among world leaders, led many of us to believe he would be the next Secretary of State. This VP without a doubt will not be sitting checking on the President’s health between funerals. Joe Biden will be a critical component in an administration that will heal wounds and restore face for the US around the world.

My guess is that this decision was made in many thanks to Russia and Pakistan-both were in the headlines during Obama’s recent vacation. The spotlight shifted once again to how fragile security and peace is and that the next president will inherit a clean up job around the world unlike any has ever had to encounter on Day One. Biden is fully equipped to do janitorial duty.

Going into the convention the democrats have much of what they could have wished for….a dynamic, charismatic, brilliant candidate and a safe, secure, experienced side kick. OK…Hillary for Attorney General???

The Self Destruct Button-John Edwards and The Promise Lost

Oh John! How stupid for such a smart guy!--but I seem to remember saying that about Bill Clinton who broke my heart as well. Yesterday John Edwards confirmed very publicly what he had been denying very publicly for months, he had an affair. Normally I cast these things off as “none of our business”. I don’t believe that a public figure’s personal “affairs” are a barometer of their ability nor should their human flaws be a part of the judging process…til they lie to us. My anger with Bill Clinton was not because of what he did, talk about stupidity not to mention really bad taste,but that was between Bill and Hillary -not the nation. It only became an issue for most of us who believed in him when he lied and dragged this country through Tabloid Hell while paralyzing such a promising presidency.
In his interview with Bob Woodruff on Nightline last night John Edwards was prepped to take the hits. He basically used the same rationale that Clinton had-he did it because he could. He had reached a point of ego that allowed him to feel invincible. I didn’t feel satisfied,however, by what was an extraordinary admission of vanity. I was left feeling there is more... and of course now he has the whole world watching and looking for more, and it will all come out at a time when the Democrats do not need the distraction. We are left simply not trusting a man who framed his whole political career on a higher ground, John Edwards if you remember was one of the most outspoken critics of Bill Clinton’s behavior.

More important than all the tabloid trash talk,however, is that John Edwards in his public life stood for something truly important. He had the opportunity to continue that message and create action to bring change, perhaps even in an Obama administration. Edwards was in a unique position this election year, he had delegates, he had respect, he had campaigned we believed with honor above the fray. He could have carved out an important role even out of politics as someone who would spend his life working for the causes and the people that need a spotlight. His voice for the disenfranchised was a powerful one and that message,that promise,may now be silenced forever—not because of his actions but because of his efforts to cover it up while campaigning as the honest moral candidate.

Apparently the entire 2007-8 Edwards campaign was always only one revelation away from imploding. I did not hear in the interview with Woodruff, who I thought did a good job,any apologies to the people who worked for him and believed in his candidacy, that troubled me as well. He said he didn’t think he had a future in politics anyway or that the Veep job was ever his to have, but we know he wanted it. Clearly John Edwards ego became greater than his beliefs.
Elizabeth’s absence from the interview was like the elephant in the room. She released a statement that took my breath away… “Although John believes he should stand alone and take the consequences of his action now, when the door closes behind him, he has his family waiting for him…Admitting one’s mistakes is a hard thing for anyone to do, and I am proud of the courage John showed by his honesty in the face of shame… I ask that the public, who expressed concern about the harm John’s conduct has done to us, think also about the real harm that the present voyeurism does and give me and my family the privacy we need at this time.” A definition of grace indeed. I wish for the remarkable Elizabeth, and for her children, that her request be granted, I know,however, that this story is not going away and for that there is only one man’s vanity to blame.

Voting History, Voting Hope

"I am sick and tired of being sick and tired...Nobody's free until everybody's free..All of this is on account we want to register [sic], to become first-class citizens, and if the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hooks because our lives be threatened daily because we want to live as decent human beings - in America?"Fannie Lou Hamer,1964

Traditionally in contemporary American politics primary campaigns have been more of a yawn and less of an awakening. Who cared? Who actually went to the polls? Who watched debates? Network television barely covered nominating conventions. This time, this year, this election, has been to say the least a whole new ballgame in American political history. For a political junkie this has been the World Series, the Superbowl and the NBA finals rolled into one. For a woman who has never questioned that a woman's place was in fact in the House and in the Senate, this was a time that was long overdue. For a student of history, 44 years after Fannie Lou Hamer's stood with her Freedom Democrats and challenged Mississippi's all white delegation to the Democratic convention, this was as if a very old window that had been nailed shut has fallen off its hinges and blown open by an insistent breeze.

Tonight after 16 months of a campaign that people actually cared about,actually showed up for, actually watched and participated in-after a campaign during which extraordinary numbers of people got involved and voted, many of whom had never been interested, involved or even voted before, Barack Obama, the junior Senator from Illinois, achieved enough delegates to become the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

Barack Obama's story is an American story...so is Hillary Clinton's, and that is why so many cared, so many came and listened and voted. The irony of course being that the challenge to Hillary's campaign has been a candidate that she and her husband had embraced and would have under any other circumstances stood proudly to support. Barack Obama became the surprise obstacle in her way. As wonderful as this campaign has been to watch it has been tough to see the two lights of hope and change, the two individuals who could make this country care again, and believe that we can reinvent how this nation works, go against one another.

On this historic night when the first African American candidate has earned enough delegates to be the nominee, and the first serious woman candidate has 18 million reasons to believe there is more she has to contribute, there is a decision to be made from both campaigns. A decision that can determine whether all these many months have truly meant the change they put forth. The numbers are still very close and it is obvious Hillary Clinton has not been defeated but rather has earned an opportunity to graciously secure her spot as a leader in her party and to play a vital role to ensure the issues she passionately cares about be realized.

For many the decision as we stood in voting booths across this country was a tough one to make. For me as a woman, not to mention a Wellesley alumn, my first opportunity to support a woman for President, an extraordinarily capable and gifted woman who has devoted her life to public service and the cause of children, was a long overdue moment. A moment that became a dilemma. I chose to support but not to vote for Hillary, that was hard. Barack Obama "had me at Hello" four years ago at John Kerry's nominating convention. I grabbed the phone and called a friend and said "you have to watch this guy...he is amazing and he is going to be President, he has to be President". In a time of enormous pain and disillusionment, this man, this skinny guy with the funny name, is building a new boat on which this country can sail.

There will be those who belong to a time, a time that we need to study and learn from, that will not vote for an African American. One can only hope that they will listen. Listen to the voices of America today and realize that we have never been in more pain as a nation, and hear that it will take a voice that sees the challenges and remains hopeful anyway to find a path to change. That path cannot be forged from old bricks.

I love and respect history. I even respect John McCain's history. At this place in time,however,we can learn from history but we cannot repeat history , nor can we do what we have always done..it simply does not work. Throwing old solutions at a new world, a world that looks with anger not awe, a world that challenges not follows, is a mistake we cannot make.

Yes this is an historic night, an historic time, but this nation needs to be led by new strength and new eyes that see where we have come but will not look back and will not carry the old trunks on the new journey. Barack Obama is an historic candidate without a doubt, but we are voting for a leader not an icon. He will carry the burden of being the "first" but just maybe he will be the "first" to get it right.

Barack Obama will be nominated 45 years to the day that Dr. Martin Luther King gave his best known speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial...

This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. Martin Luther King Aug 28, 1963