Hubert Humphrey at 100

Today marks the centennial of Hubert Humphrey's birth and I can't let it pass without mentioning my brief but memorable meeting with him.

It was in 1976, when I was in high school and visiting Washington, D.C., for the first time, with Project Close Up. He wasn't part of the program - it was just the result of a lucky series of events.

One night, I wandered into a banquet room at my hotel where a dinner was being held. I saw someone standing off to the side and asked him what was going on. He turned out to be a reporter for U.S. News & World Report and he told me it was for the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

I started talking about my interest in journalism and as things were winding down, he took me around and introduced me. I picked up a spare program and got autographs from, among others, Coretta Scott King, Alan Greenspan and Senator Humphrey.

While everyone was cordial, it was Senator Humphrey's response that made the biggest, most lasting impression on me.

He could have simply signed the program quickly and quietly and left it at that. I wasn't even from Minnesota. But he spotted my Close Up name tag, gave me a big smile and said "Well hello, Esther." Then he introduced me to his wife, Muriel.

This was a couple of years before his death from cancer and he looked thinner and more frail than I'd seen from pictures and on TV. But he greeted me so warmly and with such enthusiasm that it made a memorable trip even more memorable.

There is a postscript. A few years ago, I visited my dear friends Steve and Doug in Minneapolis. Knowing this story, Steve had a surprise for me. He took me to Lakewood Cemetery, where Hubert and Muriel Humphrey are buried. After all these years, I was so moved to be able to pay my respects.

Unfortunately, at some point over the past 35 years I lost the program with the autographs. But when I saw that signature on Senator Humphrey's grave, penned in his elegant cursive script, I remembered it so well.

In The New York Times, author Rick Pearlstein has a wonderful tribute to Senator Humphrey, titled "America's Forgotten Liberal."

As vice president, Humphrey was tarnished by the growing opposition to the Vietnam War and the violence outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, both of which helped to doom his presidential campaign.

But he deserves to be remembered as a champion of civil rights - for his efforts as mayor of Minneapolis to combat racism and anti-Semitism, for his success in getting the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act through the Senate. Today, I believe he would be equally committed to fighting homophobia.

Senator Humphrey once said: "the moral test of Government is how that Government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped."

On his 100th birthday, let's remember those words.

Tweeting JFK's road to White House

For a week now I've been watching another kind of drama unfold via Twitter. The Kennedy Library in Boston is re-creating John F. Kennedy's race for the White House in 1960 by tweeting events from his daily schedule.

Last Saturday the Massachusetts senator announced his candidacy for president, on Jan. 2, 1960. By today's campaign standards, he was literally a Johnny-come-lately. You can watch a newsreel report here.

Kennedy's campaign-related events during that first week included an appearance on Meet the Press (still on the air!) and lunch on Madison Avenue with the editors of Look magazine (no longer published).

Interestingly, he also met with an Episcopal bishop and Methodist minister from Delaware, perhaps indicating how early in the campaign the Roman Catholic Kennedy was confronting questions about his religion.

For a 1960s buff like myself, this is all pretty interesting stuff - and such a great way to look back, in a half-dozen or so 140-character chunks per day.

There are all kinds of little social and cultural details you can pick up on, too - like the dinner Kennedy attended at the National Women's Press Club on Jan. 6, 1960. The National Press Club was still a male-only bastion. Women weren't admitted until 1971.

I'm looking forward to the first Kennedy-Nixon debate, in September. And speaking of Richard Nixon, the vice president announced his candidacy on Jan. 9, 1960. It would be great if the Nixon Library did something similar on Twitter.

The 1960 presidential campaign was a watershed - the first in which both candidates were born in the 20th century, the closest electoral vote since 1916, the first televised debate, the first election in which Alaska and Hawaii participated.

It's so hard to believe 50 years have passed.

To honor Senator Kennedy, repeal DOMA

Today, Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York is expected to introduce a bill repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. If Democrats truly want to honor the memory of Sen. Edward Kennedy, this would be a good place to start.

Reading the obituaries for Kennedy, who died last month of brain cancer at age 77, I was struck by the fact that he was one of only 14 senators to vote against DOMA.

I looked up the Senate roll call on the act, which bars the federal government from recognizing gay unions, and I could not believe some of the people who voted for it, including many Jewish members of Congress.

I don't understand how Jews, especially, could vote for a bill whose sole purpose is to target a minority group that continues to face discrimination. Only one word describes it: shanda. We're supposed to be on the side of protecting civil rights, not taking them away.

I know some of Nadler's colleagues, including Rep. Barney Frank, think introducing a bill to repeal DOMA at this time is a bad idea. And even Nadler's staff acknowledges that there's little chance of the matter coming to a vote anytime soon.

Frank's argument is that there are other, more achievable goals, like repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and passing legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Of course those things are important and Democrats in Congress should get to work on them. There was an editorial Sunday in The New York Times that noted in 29 states, it's still legal to fire a worker for being gay. That's un-American and unacceptable and disgraceful. It's just as wrong as someone losing their job because of the color of their skin.

But it's also unacceptable that thousands of legally married gay and lesbian couples, many of them with children, are denied their rights under federal law.

Ted Kennedy had an unwavering commitment to equality and often called civil rights "still the unfinished business of America." In 2007, he made this statement regarding the Employment Nondiscrimination Act:

“America stands for justice for all. Congress must make clear that when we say 'all' we mean all. America will never be America until we do.”

I can't think of a better tribute to the Massachusetts senator than making sure that work gets finished.

Jonathan Salant, in profile

Indulge me while I do a little kvelling. Usually, reporters are the ones writing the profiles but in this case, it's the opposite.

My friend Jonathan Salant, a political reporter for Bloomberg News and former president of the National Press Club, is the subject of a profile in Washington Jewish Week.

The writer touches on the highlights of Jonathan's career, including his cameo in the movie Absence of Malice, as well as his passions - baseball, collecting political buttons and most of all, being a devoted single dad to his son Izzy.

Jonathan and I first met as colleagues in Syracuse, where he was the Albany reporter for the now-defunct Herald-Journal and later, the Syracuse Newspapers' Washington correspondent.

Over the years, he's been a mentor and friend and a gracious host. Jonathan and his late wife, Joan Friedenberg, were always wonderful about putting me up when I visited Washington, which I tried to do as often as I could because it's always been one of my favorite cities.

And without his example, I never would have visited Israel or ended up living there for a year. Talking to Jonathan about what he saw and how he felt after he made his first trip planted the idea in my mind that I should go, too.

Among Jonathan's areas of expertise is campaign finance, although he says in the profile that his favorite story was a feature he wrote on a group of Syracuse-area sixth-graders who lobbied successfully to have the apple muffin named New York State's official muffin.

I've always admired his tenacity and dedication and when Mario Cuomo was governor of New York, his ability to get him on the phone for a quote anytime, almost effortlessly.

Here's Jonathan on why he got into journalism. It says a lot about why he's so good at what he does:

"I grew up during the protests for civil rights and the Vietnam War and I saw what journalists were doing,'' he said, explaining that becoming a journalist was a "chance to make the world a better place."

A win for the arts

The Senate passed the $787-billion economic stimulus bill a few minutes ago. The House approved it earlier in the day. And guess what - money for the arts is back!

In drawing up a compromise bill, House and Senate negotiators dropped an amendment from Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma that excluded assistance for museums, theatres and arts centers.

The bill includes $50 million to support projects in all 50 states that create and preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector. The money will be handed out via the National Endowment for the Arts. According to a story in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 40 percent will be distributed to state and regional organizations and 60 percent to projects selected by competition.

Apparently a grassroots lobbying campaign by Americans for the Arts is partly responsible for the turnaround. It urged people to call and e-mail their representatives and ran ads like the one above.

The group estimates that for every dollar the NEA distributes, another $7 is generated through local, state and private donations, which means $50 million could create $350 million worth of investment.

I'm a stimulus package all by myself

Two of my favorite mainstream media blogs that cover theatre - Culture Monster at the Los Angeles Times and Theater Loop, by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune - have stepped into the debate over whether assistance for the arts should be part of the economic stimulus package.

At Culture Monster, Christopher Knight notes that the Senate passed, with bipartisan support, an amendment submitted by Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma "to ensure that taxpayer money is not lost on wasteful and non-stimulative projects." That means excluding "any ... museum, theater [or] art center" from getting aid.

In response, Knight offers "Five Reasons Congress Hates the Arts."

• The culture industry is cosmopolitan, so flag-waving options are few.
• The culture industry is pluralistic, but Congress is only marginally so.
• As corporations, arts institutions are nonprofit, so there's no money to be made via lobbyists.
• Culture is girlie, not manly.
• The arts often look at sexual experience -- eek!

And at The Theater Loop, Chris Jones makes a case for why the arts deserve assistance:

"Economic stimulus is dependent on the human spirit. The arts create confidence and self-worth, and those qualities in turn foster fiscal activity. The arts build neighborhoods and can help stem the decline in property values. The current recession is most devastating in inner cities, precisely where the arts are at their best."

The idea that the arts don't create jobs is absurd, Jones argues: "they just fuel different kinds of struggling workers, workers unaccustomed to bonuses. Their role in generating billions of dollars in ancillary economic activity for stores, restaurants and the travel business has been proven in bucketloads of surveys and analyses."

As someone who spent a week in New York City last fall, I can personally attest to all of the economic activity I stimulated:

• Amtrak, which got me there and back
• the hotel where I stayed
• all of the restaurants where I ate
  
• all of the stores where I shopped
• taxi rides and bus and subway fares
• museum admissions
• the $5 I paid to a sidewalk vendor for an umbrella

What do all of those things have in common? They provide jobs. Heck, I was practically a one-woman stimulus package. And that's not even counting all the money I spent on theatre tickets. The theatre - you know, an art - is the whole reason why I went.

A problem like Blagojevich

Rod Blagojevich Superstar - the title alone makes me laugh.

Chicago's famed Second City comedy troupe has written a rock opera about the disgraced former governor of Illinois, under indictment for allegedly trying to sell President Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder.

I heard about it on NPR yesterday and I loved this quote: "Like all great theatrical ideas, Rod Blagojevich Superstar started with drinking," says Kelly Leonard, one of the show's creators. Well, I'm sure there some great theatrical ideas that didn't start with drinking - at least one or two anyway.

But somehow this seems fitting. Blago does have a flair for the dramatic - the way he jetted off to New York for television interviews while his impeachment trial was under way in Springfield, his comment that he looked to Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi for inspiration because they know the trouble he's seen.

And from Fiorello to Frost/Nixon, politicians have made good theatre.

The show opens on Tuesday but previews have already started. Some of the ex-governor's former staffers have seen it. They loved it so much, they stayed afterward to offer advice to the cast: "apparently our Rod doesn't swear enough."

Leonard told NPR that he's confident Blagojevich will be in the audience at some point. "As weird as that sounds, it feels to us like he's the type of guy who would come to the show, laugh his head off and go backstage for a photo op with the cast."

President Obama

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
President Barack Obama

What a dramatic day in American history. What struck me was his youth - and my age. For the first time, I'm older than the president of the United States. How did that happen?!

Okay, the big screen wasn't quite as big as I thought it would be, but it was still fun to watch the Inauguration in a theatre with a few thousand people. The place was pretty packed. An adorable group of preschoolers walked up the aisle each holding hands with a buddy.

We stood up and cheered at the first sight of Obama. We sat down when the announcer at the Capitol asked us to please take our seats. We applauded during his Inaugural Address. People hugged each other and took pictures. It was just like being there, only we were warmer and had a better view!

I agree with my friend Dan at Media Nation. While I want to listen to it again, I thought Obama's speech was pragmatic rather than soaring. It was very sobering. The emphasis was definitely on how the country is in crisis and the difficult road we have ahead of us as a nation. But we've been in tough situations before and we've persevered and we will once more.

Probably the best comment I've read so far was from former Nixon speechwriter William Gavin in The New York Times:

"The setting — the first African-American standing there in the bright winter sunshine as our new president — had an eloquence all its own. I think we will remember this occasion more for the man who gave it than for the words he said. He could have stood there for 20 minutes of silence and still communicated great things about America."

Still, there were some nice phrases in the speech:

"The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous."
"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."
"We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense."
"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness."

Lots of work to do and I have confidence. But for today - President Barack Obama. Wow.

Rick Warren and dining with friends

As excited as I am about Barack Obama's inauguration, I have to say something about Rick Warren. When the pastor of California's Saddleback Church was picked to deliver the invocation, I followed the controversy that ensued and one thing he said bewildered me.

In an interview last month on the Web site Beliefnet, Warren said that he's against the redefinition of marriage to include gay and lesbian couples.

"I'm opposed to redefinition of a 5,000 year definition of marriage. I'm opposed to having a brother and sister being together and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that marriage. I'm opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage."

Beliefnet's Steven Waldman asked him whether he thought those things were equivalent to gays getting married and Warren replied, "Oh, I do."

Then he added: "Most people know I have many gay friends. I've eaten dinner in gay homes. No church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Saddleback Church. Kay and I have given millions of dollars out of Purpose Driven Life helping people who got AIDS through gay relationships. So they can't accuse me of homophobia."

Okay, this is what I don't understand:

How can you say that you have gay friends, you've eaten in their homes and yet, you compare gay and lesbian relationships to pedophilia, incest and polygamy? How can you go to someone's house, share a meal, consider them a friend and understand so little about who they are? Was there no conversation during dinner?

I guess Warren's comment bewilders me because it's the complete opposite of my experience dining with friends. Personally, I find that when I get to know people, I have greater empathy for them.

How could Warren have dinner with his gay friends and not understand that sexual orientation is something you're born with, that there's no gay lifestyle, that there are, as a friend of mine once said, "many shades of gay" and that gay people who are in loving, committed relationships with a spouse or partner are every bit as ordinary and yes, normal, as any heterosexual couple?

I'm fortunate to have friends with so many different stories, from so many different backgrounds. Eating together was one of the ways we got to know each other. We talked endlessly about our lives, about all the things you're not supposed to discuss - politics, religion, race. I miss those dinners so much.

Perhaps Warren can compartmentalize but I can't. I can't imagine listening to my friends discuss their dreams and struggles and experiences, hearing them talk about the person they love, laugh at their jokes and then refer to them in hateful, vile terms, viewing them as some kind of "other." I think about how much we have in common, how my friends deserve the same respect and rights that I enjoy.

I understand that Obama is trying to reach out to evangelicals and find common ground. And I certainly don't think he's antigay. But I have to agree with what Richard Cohen wrote in The Washington Post about Warren's selection:

"What we do not hold in common is the exaltation of ignorance that has led and will lead to discrimination and violence. Finally, what we do not hold in common is the categorization of a civil rights issue -- the rights of gays to be treated equally -- as some sort of cranky cultural difference. "

In the end, it's more important what Barack Obama does than what Rick Warren says. Warren is entitled to his personal religious beliefs but as far as our country and its laws are concerned, I don't want my friends dehumanized, their rights abridged.

As president, I want Obama to reverse "Don't ask, don't tell," so that anyone who wants to serve their country can do so openly and proudly; I want him to work toward repealing the hurtful and discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act; and I want him to support passage of the Matthew Shepard Act, to strengthen hate-crimes laws.

We have come so far in this country. People talk about "the 5,000 year definition of marriage" as if it's immutable, as if it's never changed in any way - ever. But thankfully, the way we think about things changes all the time. And tomorrow is a perfect example.

Barack Obama will take the oath of office with his hand on the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used when he was sworn in by Chief Justice Roger Taney, who, in 1857, wrote that black people could not be citizens of any state "and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect."

Secretary of the arts

Music producer and songwriter Quincy Jones said in November on the radio program Soundcheck that he'd like to see a Cabinet-level secretary of the arts.

In response, Jaime Austria, who plays bass for the New York City Opera and the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, created an online petition supporting the idea. So far, it's garnered more than 71,000 signatures. (Thanks to the Los Angeles Times blog Culture Monster for the story.)

Personally, I'm wary of creating another layer of federal bureaucracy. Plus, we've already got a National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities.

I guess they could be folded into a Cabinet-level department but I don't know what would be accomplished by that move. And in the current economic climate, a new department isn't likely to get any additional funding.

I don't know what, if anything, a Department of the Arts would mean for theatre. And honestly, I can't see this being a top priority for President-elect Barack Obama when he takes office next Tuesday.

But a lot of people who left comments on the petition are pretty passionate about it. They make good points about the importance of the arts in our society and in making sure children are exposed to them in school. I certainly agree with those sentiments.

Here's just one: "When financial times are tough, the arts seem to be one of the first areas in danger. But when times are tough, the arts lift our souls and give us hope. It seems to me this is a good idea and an important step."

They were not afraid

This is in memory of Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman, two Jews and a black man who were murdered in 1964 simply for trying to ensure that all Americans had equal rights and equal protection under the law. I've been thinking about them this week in light of Barack Obama's election to be our next president.



All three showed great courage. Schwerner and Goodman could have enjoyed their comfortable white, Jewish middle class lives, but something compelled them to go to Mississippi. This was a time of legal segregation, when African-Americans in the South could not vote. They knew that until we're all free, no one is free. Somewhere along the line, we forgot about that on Tuesday - in California, Florida, Arkansas and Arizona, were antigay ballot measures were approved. Here's another reminder:

"Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Ga. and St. Augustine, Fla., and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions."
Coretta Scott King

Meet the presidents

I'd never heard of Patrick Moberg before this afternoon, but this illustration is pretty awesome. I mean, it sums things up perfectly, doesn't it? When I saw it on Andrew Sullivan's The Daily Dish, I knew I had to have one for my own. (If you'd like a copy, Moberg says on his blog that you can sign up to be notified when high-quality prints become available.)

And one other thing: I was watching President-elect Barack Obama's first news conference this afternoon and I found myself scanning the room to see how many other black people were there. I didn't see many, either among the media asking questions or the economic advisers standing behind him. Am I the only one who's fixated on this? It just reminded me how many other aspects of American life are, well, not very diverse.

Barack and the butter cow lady

Am I the only one who still feels a bit in shock three days after the election? Just reading the words "President-elect Barack Obama" gives me a chill and has me grinning from ear to ear. And what about the Bradley effect? Didn't that turn out to be the biggest pile of nothing since Y2K had us all petrified that our computers would stop working on Jan. 1, 2000?

But in the midst of all the excitement, all the punditry over what made his historic win possible, I want to give a shoutout to my friend Doug Lyon's mom, whose pivotal support in Iowa last fall was one of the things that helped set the first-term Illinois Democrat - a tall, skinny black man with a funny name and big ears - on the road to becoming our 44th president.

I thought Obama's speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention was electrifying, and I was so impressed with him after reading his forthright and poignant memoir, Dreams from My Father. But as someone with a deep interest in the history of race in this country, I felt that the odds were against a black man being elected president of the United States. While we've come a long way, I thought that there was still too much dividing white and black America.

Then something happened that gave me pause, opened my mind up to the possibility of Barack Obama being elected president.

In October, Doug's parents, well-known Iowa dairy farmers Joe and Norma "Duffy" Lyon, endorsed Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Duffy, famous for her butter cow sculptures at the Iowa State Fair, recorded a radio ad voicing her support and later made a bust of Obama in butter. The campaign spent some time with the Lyons at their farm in Toledo, in Tama County, and shot this video.

If you watch the video and listen to the radio ad, you'll realize that the fact that Obama was black and had a funny sounding name didn't seem to bother Joe and Duffy Lyon at all. They sound very comfortable expressing their support. And I like to think that in them, Obama saw something of his own Kansas born and bred grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham.

The Lyons talked about what was at stake in the presidential campaign, about their fears and their hopes for their state and their country. Joe said Obama reminded him of John F. Kennedy and Duffy talked about his plan for rural America and the need to provide opportunities to young people so they don't have to leave Iowa to follow their dreams.

When Obama won the Iowa caucuses in January, it was seen as a turning point in his campaign, a sign that he had widespread appeal as a presidential candidate if he could win in the heartland, in a state with a tiny African-American population. Obama went on to win Iowa on Tuesday, and he carried Tama County.

Doug is modest about this, but I honestly believe that his mother's endorsement helped Obama win the Iowa caucuses and put him on the path to victory as the nation's first African-American president. As one writer put it, the Lyons' backing gave him some "tractor cred."

I wrote in August that the Lyons' were my favorite Obama supporters, and not just because their son has become a dear friend, a man who has been so incredibly generous and sweet and welcoming to me in the short time we've known each other.

They're my favorite Obama supporters for one simple reason: They remind me that it's possible in this country to break down barriers and effect change. All it takes is a big heart, an open mind and enough common sense to realize that what unites us as Americans is much more important than what divides us.

So Duffy and Joe, I hope you're savoring this moment and the role you played in making history.

Yes we can!

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 spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

President-elect Barack Obama

I got out of work at about 1 a.m. and like I always do, I drove by the State House in Providence on my way home. Usually, it's pretty quiet. There's hardly anyone out on the streets and just a few other cars on the road.

So I wasn't prepared for what I saw: hundreds of people walking up the brick pathway, across the gently sloping manicured lawn, toward the building's marble steps.

I did a quick U-turn, parked the car and joined the parade. They were mostly young - black and white - and they were an incredibly joyous bunch, waving American flags and shouting "O-BA-MA" and "Yes we can!"

I stood there for a few minutes, taking it all in, fumbling with my cell phone as I tried to figure out how to take a picture. It was a thrilling end to a truly historic evening. As I headed home, I could hear the crowd singing:

Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Happy Election Day!

Please indulge me as I take off my theatre geek hat and put on my history and politics geek hat.

Campaign buttons are one of my favorite parts of the political process - right up there with watching the roll call of the states at the nominating conventions and waiting for the returns to come in on election night.

There are lots of ways to go about a campaign button - simple and to the point or more indirect and using a bit of humor. Whichever approach is chosen, buttons are at the intersection of history, politics and pop culture. They can tell us quite a bit about where we've been as a country and where we are today.

Here's an opinion piece, "People of the Button," that ran last month in the New York Times. Rabbi Peter Schweitzer amassed a collection of presidential campaign buttons that were designed to appeal to Jewish voters. The buttons are now at the National Museum of American Jewish History, in Philadelphia. There's also a short slide show of some of the items in Schweitzer's collection.

The Wilkie button is one of those with a hidden meaning. If you were a Jewish voter in 1940, you probably realized Wendell Wilkie's last name was written in Hebrew-style script. If you weren't Jewish well, you probably wouldn't think about it at all. Schweitzer says this seems to be the first use of Hebrew calligraphy to communicate a political allegiance. But the button didn't help the Republican Wilkie against incumbent Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. He only garnered about 10 percent of the Jewish vote.

By the 1970s, things had changed in America and for campaign buttons. The melting pot went out the window and we were embracing our diversity. It was no longer unheard of for members of a group to boldly and unequivocally express their support for a political candidate. This one is pretty typical - it has Nixon's name in English as well as Hebrew. (Remember to read the Hebrew from right to left, people!)

The McCain and Obama buttons in Schweitzer's collection couldn't be more different - which makes them kind of interesting. I'm not saying one approach is better than the other - they're just different.

The McCain button is straightforward and to the point - and it's entirely in English, which makes it immediately understandable and accessible by everyone. Plus, the emphasis is on "Jewish Americans" and not simply "Jews."

On the other hand, the Obama button, perhaps aiming to be a bit humorous, is entirely in Hebrew. But it might be too much of an inside joke. Whereas the Wilkie button worked on two levels - even if you weren't Jewish, you got the point - this one requires that you're at least able to recognize those are Hebrew letters.

Ironically, a generation ago, more Jews would have been able to read the Obama button than today. (Like your bubbe and zayde in Florida, for example. Hmmm, maybe it is for them?)

Of course, the button could be designed as a conversation starter, which isn't a bad idea either.

So, happy voting and please, if you're in California, vote "no" on Proposition 8, to ensure that all Americans are treated equally and all families enjoy the same protections. This is a historic day in the long and difficult struggle for civil rights. It's a day to go forward - for all Americans.

Obama and the bully pulpit

It was a day late, but last night I finally had a chance to listen to Barack Obama's entire acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. A few days ago, I mentioned President Lyndon Johnson's use of the bully pulpit on civil rights. What struck me about Obama's speech is that he did the same thing, especially in this passage:

"I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination."

Too often when discussing gay marriage the opponents use this scare tactic: it'll harm families and children. Of course, that argument is ridiculous and disgusting and hateful. Obama turned the debate on its head: it's not about this supposed "threat" to heterosexual families, it's ensuring rights for gay and lesbian families.

In one sentence, Obama cut through the fear and bigotry and got to the core of the matter: it's about something as basic as being able to ensure that you can visit your loved one in the hospital. And the fact is, it's just a lot easier to do that when you can simply say, "That's my spouse in the emergency room."

I was moved when Obama referred to "our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters." Like Johnson did with the struggle to ensure voting rights for African-Americans, he used language not to divide us as a nation, but to bring us together, not to take away anyone's civil rights, but to expand civil rights to include more Americans.

Obama's speech was a bit long and tended a bit toward the policy wonk at times. He's been accused of being more style than substance, so I understand why he took that route. But I thought his conclusion, when he referred to Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech 45 years ago to the day, was inspiring:

"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 frustrations 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.

"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."

My favorite Obama supporters

The Democratic National Convention winds down tonight, with Barack Obama giving his acceptance speech at Denver's Invesco Field - on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, no less.

While Obama has a long list of celebrities who've endorsed his bid to become president, including musicians, actors, athletes and talk-show hosts, I want to give a shoutout to my favorites, my friend Doug Lyon's mom and dad, Iowa dairy farmers Joe and Norma "Duffy" Lyon. (No offense, Oprah!)

I've never met Doug's parents, or even been to the Hawkeye State, but his mom is famous for the butter sculptures she created each year for decades at the Iowa State Fair. (She sculpted the bust of Obama pictured above). Last year, Lyon taped a radio ad endorsing Obama, which you can listen to here. There's also a video the Obama campaign taped at the Lyon family's farm.

Some questioned how well Obama would fare in Iowa, a state with a black population of less than 3 percent. But people met him, listened to him talk about his background, his values and his stand on the issues, and enough of them liked what they heard to give him a victory in the state's Democratic caucus in January.

It's all too easy to have preconceived notions about people based on where they live, their occupation, their age, their race or ethnic background, their faith or who they love. At times, I've probably been guilty of some of that, too. We focus a lot of attention on the things that divide us as Americans, but there's much, much more that unites us.

Sure, things could have gone the other way, Iowa Democrats could have disagreed with his stand on the issues, and that would have been fine. That's what democracy is about, after all. But the important thing is, they judged Barack Obama on the content of his character. No matter what happens in November, I hope that's what we all do.

One for the history books

Some people have the Olympics, but if you're interested in American history and politics, there are more important quadrennial events - the Democratic and Republican conventions. And the roll call of the states is the most exciting part. It's like swimming, gymnastics, basketball, track and field all rolled into one.

I love the roll call because it gives each state's delegation a moment in the spolight, a chance to whoop it up and holler and recite the litany of things that make their state great. (Sports teams and food are big). And believe me, in the roll call, every state is great. It's always fun and I usually learn a few things I didn't know. But this roll call at the Democratic National Convention was infused with so much history and symbolism.

Anderson Cooper at CNN got it right: this is a day for the history books. Barack Obama is nominated by acclimation as the Democratic nominee for president of the United States, the first African-American ever to be nominated by a major party.

The Massachusetts delegation, led by the state's first female Senate president, Therese Murray, and first African-American governor, Deval Patrick paid tribute to the Red Sox and the Patriots and the Celtics, but also to the state's heritage as a pioneer in education and universal health care and the first in equality in marriage in the United States. (Take note, Democrats. Don't soft pedal your commitment to equality for all Americans - trumpet it proudly.)

The Mississippi delegation referred to the state as the home of the blues and of the late Fannie Lou Hamer, an African-American who was a leader in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party that challenged the state's all-white and anti civil-rights delegation to the 1964 Democratic Convention.

The New Hampshire delegation noted the historic nature of Hillary Clinton's victory in that state's primary. Clinton released her delegates earlier in the day, and recalling a line from Martin Luther King's dream "from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire," the state cast all of its votes for Obama.

Of course, there's always a lot of boosterism in the roll call: Kansas, a pioneer in wind energy and home of the Orange Bowl champion Jayhawks; Minnesota, the state that always has the highest voter turnout in the country; Louisiana, home of gumbo, jambalaya crawfish pie, Kentucky, home of next month's Ryder Cup golf tournament.

But my favorite was Maine: "The sun comes up in Maine first in the nation and we feel very honored to have that as our singular, whatever, privilege. As Maine goes - you've heard this before - so goes the nation."

The roll call used to occur in the evening, on national television. Now, sadly, it's banished to early evening on CNN and C-SPAN. It's really a shame because even though we know the outcome it's still got plenty of humor, poignancy and drama. And this year, for all Americans, no matter what your race or political viewpoint - history.

Politics and theatre Part II

Hey, someone had the same idea I did. Lisa Bornstein, theatre critic for Denver's Rocky Mountain News, is critiquing the Democratic National Convention. Thanks to The Mirror Up to Nature for providing the link.

From a theatre fan's perspective, Monday's post, is probably the most interesting. Here are some snippets:

"Everyone who has any part in the convention -- and several whose parts are ceremonial -- gets his or her moment during the daylight hours. It's as if you went to see a play but before the show started (that would be tonight's Ted Kennedy tribute and Michelle Obama's speech) you had to wait for the director, the dramaturge, the set designer and the assistant stage manager to get their moments on the stage."

"For every delegate sitting in the arena there were two or three people milling about in the aisles, conducting full-volume conversations. Wolf Blitzer and James Carville sit on the CNN stage conducting their punditry while former Ohio Rep. Mary Rose Oakar represented the Rules Committee. It's as if theater critics sat in the aisle and announced their opinions during the overture -- and no, we don't do that. I swear."

I wonder whether Dominic P. Papatola from the St. Paul Pioneer-Press or Graydon Royce from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune will be doing the same next week for the Republicans?

Ladies Night for the Democrats

In honor of the 88th anniversary of women's suffrage, it's Ladies Night at the Democratic National Convention. (The official theme is Renewing America's Promise).

First, we heard from a parade of female elected officials. There's a lot of talk about economic issues, unemployment. In a few hours, unsuccessful presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton will have her turn at the podium. I feel slightly pandered to, but I like it!

Let me just say a few words about Hillary.

If I still lived in New York state when she first ran for the Senate, I'm not sure I would have voted for her - on principle. I just don't believe a person should be able to move to a state solely for the purpose of running for public office. I think you should know something about a state and its people and issues first, then run for office. Then, miraculously, we learn about her long-lost Jewish stepgrandfather. Coincidence? I think not!

By all accounts, she's been a good senator for New York, she's well-liked across the state, and I probably would have voted for her for reelection. And as a political reporter friend of mine once said in a shrugging, who cares kind of way, she has the carpetbagger's seat. Still, the way she got there just rubs me the wrong way.

Secondly, I don't buy the idea that she's such a great role model for women. I don't believe Hillary Clinton would be a senator from New York or a presidential candidate if she hadn't been first lady. If anything, the lesson of her life is a pretty traditional one for women: marry well and look the other way at your husband's infidelities.

I realize that she's got a large base of supporters and a lot of women do admire her. Hey, I'm not immune to the pull of group solidarity. I was excited when Walter Mondale picked Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate in 1984. I even went to hear her speak, and it was inspiring. I was excited in 2000, when Al Gore picked Joe Lieberman. (Although I'm not quite so excited about either one today).

So I understand. Really, I do. But it's time to move on.

Update 11:09 p.m. I thought Hillary Clinton gave a very gracious speech. In a nod to her supporters, she alluded to the historic nature of her campaign. But she also was unstinting in her praise for Barack Obama and made a forceful case for him. She's a great speaker, and she really fired up the crowd. Do you think her striking orange pants suit was a shoutout to Syracuse University?