Vote!: The following piece of information will probably shock many readers—there is an election today in D.C. for an at-large seat on the D.C. Council. Turnout is, apparently, light enough as to be barely noticeable. (When we voted at 10:15 a.m. in Ward 4, only a few dozen people had cast ballots already.) Polls are open until 8 p.m., so there's still time to go participate in democracy if you haven't yet—chances are there won't be a wait! +1

Smells Like Tree Spirit: Spring in D.C. means two things, as far as nasal passages are concerned—horrible allergies, and the disgusting scent of gingko berries. District officials, wisely realizing that allowing streets around the city to stink might negatively affect quality of life, have begun their annual spraying of the female gingkos, which apparently makes things a little better than they would otherwise be. We shudder to think of the smell without the spraying. -2

You Can Tie?: When Major League Baseball's all-star game ended in a tie in 2002, it was considered a national embarrassment. That news has still not reached the organizers of the Helen Hayes Awards, evidently; there were ties in five categories at last night's ceremony, including the two marquee awards. Last year, there were three ties, and in 2009, there were four. Eventually, maybe they'll notice what happened with baseball. Prediction: By 2015, it will be illegal to use steroids in local theater. -2

And In Football News: The NFL lockout ended, at least temporarily, last night with a judge's injunction. That didn't mean Washington Redskins players went back to work, though. One, Albert Haynesworth, may have different court proceedings on his mind, anyway, as he was indicted today for alleged sexual assault. And then there was this other court case, too. -3

Yesterday's Needle rating: 67 Today's score: -6 Today's Needle rating: 61

On election night, mulling the debacle of the Republican presidential campaign and the party's wrecked state, a potential GOP slogan for the next run popped into my head: "Dumb and Plumber in 2012!"

I giggled and ran to Google. I typed "dumb and plumber" as fast as I could with one hand, since the other one was busy patting me on the back.

Alas: Hundreds of hits. From all over.

Commenters on big publications and blogs I'd never heard of had been using the phrase for McCain/Wurzelsomething or Palin/Wurzelsomething for days and even weeks.

And it was older than those political pairings. The Sunday Mail of Glasgow, Scotland, used "Dumb and Plumber" in a headline in 2002 for a story about a real plumber. (As of this morning, "dumb and plumber" incites 3,920 hits.)

Hell, the damn line was so prevalent, I've accepted the likelihood that I got it from reading one of those posts in the first place.

Crushing as this experience was, my quest for sloganeering immortality continues.

And, though Google tells me otherwise, hell if I don't believe "Dead Balls Era" still has a shot...

How predictable.

Photographs by Darrow Montgomery; slideshow by Ted Scheinman

Please keep passing on press releases claiming decisive roles in the election

Statement from United for Peace and Justice on the Election of Barack Obama
November 7, 2008

New York, NY — What a moment! On November 4th, the voters of this country came out in massive numbers to cast their votes for change. The election of Barack Obama was the greatest repudiation of the Bush administration's policies we have seen in these long years of struggle, and what a relief it was.

The election of the first Black person as president of the United States made Nov. 4th one of the most important days in this nation's history. The election of Obama does not undo centuries of slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination and racial violence. But what it does mean is that the struggle for racial justice and equality has been taken to a new level, and so too are the struggles for social and economic justice for all peoples.

There is another piece of what happened in this election that gives us reason to be hopeful. The election of Barack Obama was, in large part, the result of one of the best community-based organizing drives – in combination with a new sophistication in the use of internet technologies – that this country has ever seen. The McCain campaign sought to belittle Obama's community organizing experience. How wrong they were!

Just as the president-elect has already moved into the next phase of his work, we in the peace and justice movement must take stock of what has happened, evaluate the new political landscape, and plan for the future. Our mission remains to end the war and occupation of Iraq and prevent new wars: now we have to develop a strategy for achieving that goal in this new context.

For more than six years, United For Peace and Justice and the antiwar movement have stood firm in our opposition to the war in Iraq. Our consistent work played a major role in turning public sentiment against the war, and that sentiment helped lay the foundation for the Obama campaign's success.

Today, our country and the world are at a crossroads. The nation is in the grips of a major economic crisis, while we are engaged in two wars: in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Millions of people want positive, progressive change in domestic policies and foreign affairs. And very importantly, millions of people have been energized and engaged during this electoral season.

We need to build on this as we plan for the future. Our message of peace and justice can help transform the nation. We must find a way to tap into the energy the elections have unleashed. We need to help people see how ending the war in Iraq is directly tied to resolving the economic crisis.

We have organized in opposition to a foreign policy based on endless war and occupation and now it is our role to articulate a path towards a fundamental change in U.S. foreign policy based on peace, respect for national sovereignty and international law.

In his speech on Tuesday night, Barack Obama said, "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change." Obama has put forth the challenge and United For Peace and Justice is ready to meet that challenge as we work to change our nation's path from militarism and greed to peace and justice.

* Read our complete election coverage or re-live the day in photos.

* New York Times recaps Obama's morning after.

* Slate explains what happens now for the "gay couples who entered into legal marriages in California before the amendment passed."

- WaPo's Eugene Robinson tells us why we all lost it on Tuesday.

- In case you missed the Uncle Sam or Uncle Tom question—I love this reaction: "Really. Ralph Nader. What was that." Also, since when has Nader invoked Uncle Sam?

- But Craigslisters are really clamoring for yesterday's Post. Incidentally, if anyone has an extra copy, drop me a line.

* And in this newspaper:

- The fussy food issue! Tim Carman on the obsessive chef, Jule Banville on food stylists and a high-class chocolate chip, Ruth Samuelson on fake food allergies, and Mike DeBonis on the region's fussiest menus.

- Tricia Olszewski on the latest in film.

- I shop at the nation's newest pro-life pharmacy.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Think about it: You were honking your horn, screaming Yes We Can, effectively closing down 14th and U Streets, jokingly referring to the First Dude as "The Second Dude," and getting hammered. How much would it suck to end up in the back of a police car?

I know that the police were out in force. But they essentially were just crowd control. And I'm not sure a drum circle is a violation of any law.

From my colleague Radley Balko:

In California, the Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage actually failed among white voters, 51-49.  It was the 70 percent support from black voters that put the measure over the top.

Florida's ban would have passed among white voters 60-40.  But it passed among blacks 71-29....

Kind of a sad irony if in helping achieve one civil rights milestone, last night's historical black turnout also helped perpetuate state-sanctioned discrimination against gay couples who wish to marry.

From Andrew Sullivan:

Yes, it is heart-breaking: it is always hard to be in a tiny minority whose rights and dignity are removed by a majority. It's a brutal rebuke to the state supreme court, and enshrinement in California's constitution that gay couples are now second-class citizens and second class human beings. Massively funded by the Mormon church, a religious majority finally managed to put gay people in the back of the bus in the biggest state of the union. The refusal of Schwarzenegger to really oppose the measure and Obama's luke-warm opposition didn't help. And cruelly, a very hefty black turnout, as feared, was one of the factors that defeated us, according to the exit poll.

Historically, black voters who have overlapping allegiances to fundamentalist Christianity and progressive ideologies don't see voting against sodomites while citing institutional racism as a moral hazard.

But for some reason, I felt liked I'd been kicked in the gut when I saw the exit poll data.

THE HIP-HOP VOTE PROPELS BARACK OBAMA TO THE WHITE HOUSE

New York, N.Y. – November 4th, 2008 – In a sweeping and historical victory tonight, Senator Barack Obama was elected to be the next president of the United States of America. The largest voting constituency to usher in this progressive leader for change was the hip-hop vote, 18-35 year olds who are brand loyal to hip-hop culture. In consistent and telling numbers, exit polls in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Connecticut conducted by major television networks reported that 18-29 year olds voted in record numbers making their voices heard for Barack Obama.

"Tonight, the hip-hop generation made history," emphasized Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr, President of the Hip Hop Caucus. "In the 60's, young people had to be revolutionary, but in the 21st century we have decided to be 'solution-ary.' We have come out in large numbers to not only change America, but to change the world. We have made America respect our vote!"

"What we are witnessing today is the game changing impact of the hip-hop vote," asserted Valeisha Butterfield, Executive Director of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN). "Our grassroots efforts to get out the vote paid off tremendously. Young adults from every part of the United States shattered all records and expectations. I'm so proud of my generation stepping up to the plate."

"Tonight, we all witnessed the transformation of American society," declared Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN. "The early results of the presidential election verifies that the hip-hop generation is a responsible and caring generation. Hip-hop artists and icons, male and female, all worked hard to make sure the issues and the interests of young people were represented. President Elect Obama now has a serious mandate from the hip-hop generation. Hip-hop transcends race and will continue to be a force for change, not only in America, but also throughout the world."

On October 18, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, in partnership with the Hip Hop Caucus launched an 18-city RESPECT MY VOTE! Get Out The Vote Bus Tour with hip-hop superstars T.I., Jay Z, Russell Simmons, Keyshia Cole, T Pain and others, urging potential first time young voters and all voters to Get Out The Vote. The bus tour hit battleground states throughout the country and culminated in Toledo, OH. and Detroit, MI today, Election Day. Multi-platinum hip-hop star and actor, T. I., was the official spokesperson of the tour and took the RESPECT MY VOTE! bus to vote early in Atlanta, GA.last week.

About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network
Founded in 2001, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, national coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice. For more information, go to www.hsan.org.

About The Hip Hop Caucus
The Hip Hop Caucus (www.hiphopcaucus.org) is a non-partisan organization that works to ensure the voice of the Hip Hop Generation is heard by engaging them in the political process. Through the use of grassroots organizing and celebrity spokespeople, the Hip Hop Caucus looks to mobilize young people to register and vote in November and in subsequent elections. The President of the Hip Hop Caucus, Rev. Yearwood, was the co-creator of the 2004 campaign "Vote or Die" with Sean "P Diddy" Combs, former Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Summit Action Network, and a Senior Consultant to Jay Z's "Voice Your Choice" initiative.

]]> http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/11/05/photos-the-celebration/feed/ 0 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/11/05/14th-and-u-streets-1130-pm/ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/11/05/14th-and-u-streets-1130-pm/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:13:35 +0000 Ruth Samuelson http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/?p=9426 After a long day, my camera battery died approximately ten minutes after I took these shots. But, never fear, I am told there are plenty more images on the way.