Danny Doom’s Booze Cabinet

This is what it looked like over here last night. My Pimp glass full of Tecate, Obama on the TV, and Izzy out cold on the couch.

Isabella mocking history:

McCain is picking Sarah Palin? On the count of three, conservatives everywhere, repeat after me: “Experience? When did we ever say anything about experience?”

You were a great shouter in print, that’s for sure, stomping your feet when owners, coaches, players and fans didn’t agree with you. It was an entertaining show. Good luck getting one of your 1,000-word rants on the air… On your way out, don’t let the door bang you on the ass.
Your former colleague,

Roger Ebert

- Roger Ebert’s Open Letter to Jay Mariotti, who resigned from the Sun-Times, stating that newspapers are dead.

It’s another night of live-blogging, maybe some pizza, perhaps a Tecate or two, who knows? Right now I am not watching channel 11 as they blabber on about nothing, especially David Brooks. Instead I’m reading an article the Nitz just sent me on Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel, someone whose music has taken up a part of my life recently. Great, interesting story.

Cubs game tonight too, and as an added bit of excitement they have installed instant replay, starting tonight. That was unexpected. Or, I didn’t know they were even thinking of doing that. Well, game at 7, Obama later, and I have consulted with my D-Town correspondent and hope to have a full report tomorrow on the goings-on there. I’ll be back when things start heating up!

Whoa! Almost forgot, the Bears are playing too! But it’s the final preseason game, and as I flip over to it, it’s already 10-0 Cleveland. So that’s not looking good. They’re a little…troubled this year, the Bears. Back to the DNC and Tim Kaine is on quoting gospel stuff. Alright. Whatever, dude. Now he’s speaking Spanish. Hmmm, time for a Tecate?

Bill Richardson. Yeah! Nice line on the flip-flops! Shit, bases juiced for the Phillies, already 1-0. Whew, strikeout! Nice escape job there by Dempster. Richardson is speaking Spanish too! I’ve got two cats around me, laptop on my lap, remote control by my side. I can’t get up! Where’s my lovely pregnant wife when I need her to get me a beer? Stevie Wonder! Now Grossman throws a TD, it’s 10-7 Cleveland. OK, I just ordered a pizza from Father & Son, cheese and sausage, free with 20 cards. Yeah, we eat there a lot.

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie! This laptop is hot and I need to get up. Who’s fired up and ready to go? Not these cats. They’re flopped out all over me. I missed Clinton last night, and Biden, the whole thing. Sounds like they did a good job. I was busy with Rock and Roll.

Al Gore! You go, guy. Shoulda been president. We really missed out on that one. I’ll never forgive Florida for that. They just showed that dude from “Lost” at Mile High Stadium (whatever it’s called). Jin? Pizza arrives and boy, is it delicious. That was quick. Gore finishes and David Brooks, like the tool he is, says that he (Gore) blew it back in 2000. The other guy in the studio says that Gore got however million more votes than Bush so I don’t know how he blew it exactly. Nice.

10-10 at halftime, Cubs still down 1-0. And Brooks continues to blabber. Now it’s Eisenhower’s daughter. I don’t know if she’s Republican but she’s dressed like one. She’s got the hair, the earrings and red dress, the whole uniform. Yep, they just said that she was a lifelong Republican until this year. Alright then, welcome. Now change your outfit and smoke a joint. Have a beer, for crissakes! Alright, I will!

Here’s Biden! As I pour my Tecate…Alright, Cubs tie it up! 1-1, and a quick check on the meaningless Bears game and it’s 13-10, they’re up! Things are turning our way! I thought this might be lame but these regular people speaking are all pretty good. Certainly no lack of energy. Well, this former Republican Barney Smith was lagging and then he pulled out the Smith Barney-Barney Smith line and the place breaks up. Funny.

Cubs go down 2-1 but it’s still early. Make that 3-1. Meanwhile, getting dark in Denver, who’s next? A commercial on PBS. Shit, 4-1. Come on, let’s get it together, Cubs! Now here’s Durbin. Let’s do this! Before he comes on I was looking around and I see that David Duchovny has entered rehab for sex addiction! Californication! That’s funny, I love that show, I’ve been watching it on Netflix.

Here’s the feel-good video. Just thinking about something: I heard that these “Christian folk” had been praying for bad weather in Denver for this outdoor ceremony; by all appearances it is the most perfect night. So just, yeah, fuck you, “Christian-type” people who don’t practice Christian-like behavior. And, oh yeah, god doesn’t listen to you!

Well, I don’t think I can write for a while…wow. Awesome. Huge.

OK. Whoo! Whoa. Yeah! The speech ends and despite the cheesy-ass song they play–what is that, some country redneck shit?–I am truly moved and inspired by this. That was a great speech. No stone unturned. Bold and full of details, but yet not at all lacking in excitement. Fantastic. During the speech I flipped on the laptop to show the Cubs game and saw that Ramirez hit a grand slam, but I never could turn away. Now it’s over and the Cubs win again, 6-4! I see that the Bears won too, there’s a surprise.

Some highlights:

The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.

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.

And this is just perfect, regarding MLK’s “I have a dream” speech:

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.

As for those who hear anger and discord, you only need to look to The Corner at NRO:

There’s a fine line between indignant and angry, and Obama is swerving back and forth all over it.

The crowd is loving this Fighting Barack, but several times he’s seemed angry to the point of stridency.

Instead of “I Have a Dream” … I have a grievance.

It’s like they’re a parody of the past, except that this is their Now. And John McCain is what they’re stuck with. Sucks to be them. For another view, Andrew Sullivan sums it up:

I’ve said it before – months and months ago. I should say it again tonight. This is a remarkable man at a vital moment. America would be crazy to throw this opportunity away. America must not throw this opportunity away.

I was glad to hear Barack Obama stand by his White Sox while dissing the Wrigley fans as being “not serious.” Really. It’s much better than, say, being born in Chicago and then running for the Senate in New York and wearing a Yankee hat. He’s a South Sider, so he should stick by his team. Anything else would be pandering. Daley is a Sox fan too, and doesn’t try to pander to Cubs fans. He shouldn’t. It’s just sports anyway.

But of course Obama is wrong. As another Sox fan, Richard Roeper of the Sun-Times points out, “make no mistake, they’ll die inside if this team doesn’t make it to the 2008 World Series.” He’s talking about me, and lots of other people. It has never been about the “experience” so much as it is about the team. Whether it’s opening day in the cold of April or game 7 against the Marlins in the cold of October, I am there, and yes, dying on the inside, sadly. Hot chicks, yes; cold beer, yes; awesome park, yes. But what can I say, I’ve watching and going to games since I was, I don’t know, 7 or something. It’s never been a pickup bar for me. Sadly. Not once!

But I understand why people would say these things; there’s a lot of meatheads that go to sports games, and by meatheads I mean assholes who are trying to impress their girlfriends or frat buddies. I’ve even seen this at, yep, Comiskey Park, or Cell Phone Field, whatever you call it these days. When Obama says that they’re not serious at Wrigley, maybe he means that they fill up the park even when the team sucks, unlike the White Sox, who had trouble filling it when they were good (maybe they still do, I have no idea).

Whatever. Much worse to hear Derrek Lee agree with him about Cubs fans. He should be pandering a little. But at least he’s smart enough to be on Obama’s side:

According to Lee, politics is a topic that seldom is broached in the clubhouse. He talks politics with the trainers in the training room, but didn’t know if the Cubs who vote are predominantly Republican.”I think some guys don’t even know what they are,” Lee said with a laugh. “But yeah, they’re probably mostly Republicans.”

Big dumb jocks. Big surprise.

This is tough work. Cubs on WGN and Hillary Clinton about to speak at the DNC. I’ve opened a Tecate after a delicious taco dinner and settled in for the fireworks. Cubs tie it up, again, on a bases-loaded walk and then another walk gives them the lead! Still juiced, no outs. Let’s finish these Pirates off! Base hit for Reed Johnson, 10-8, still nobody out!

Two outs now and the Montana governor (I think) is revving things up before Clinton. Whoa! Soto clears the bases with a three-run double! 13-8! Nice. Fontenot follows with a double and it’s looking good, 14-8 Cubs. Damn, this Tecate tastes good! Cubs finally get out and we head to the 9th bottom of the 8th with a solid lead.

Now, the Hillary video has begun. Very orange tonight, she is. Huge, non-stop ovation. Glad the Cubs took care of business so I can watch this! No way. No how. No McCain! Did she just say doody? Oh, duty, right. Quick flip to the Cubs and they’re up again. Good, back to HRC. Sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits! Ha!

Poo-tin. You go, girl. She’s good. Shoulda been VP, I’m thinking right about now. Bill is bursting with pride. Have the Cubs won yet? I don’t know, I can’t turn away. Nice Twin Cities shot! Can’t tell McCain and Bush apart! Could use another Tecate right about now. And so my lovely pregnant wife gets up and gets me one! Right as the speech ends.

I instantly get a text from someone who had written to me this morning, saying that the Clintons are going to blow this like Nader did. Now, he says “great speech.” I tell him he worries too much. Then he responds: “I’m a Cub fan and a Democrat. I’m accustomed to blowing it whenever we’re ahead.”

The Cubs! Did they win? Looks like it, news is on channel 9. A quick check and yes, 14-9, Cubs win! A good night all around, in D-Town and C-Town.

I’m on a major Joy Division kick after watching Control the other night. What a depressing flick, but I enjoyed it anyway. We know how it ends, but still… I can’t say that I’ve ever been huge on them, but I’ve always been on the fringes, with The Cure, The Smiths and New Order in heavier rotation while growing up. But yeah, that’s good stuff.

Michelle Obama…wow, that was a great speech. I had expected very little, for no other reason than it’s the first night and I had never really heard her talk at length but…whoa. She’s as good as her husband. Really, I was blown away.

UPDATE:

Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune:

I hadn’t seen her give a speech before, but this one made me wonder if some of Barack’s oratorical prowess comes from getting advice from her. Talented though he is, he may not be the best public speaker in the family.

Note to GOP: change all black is white/up is down equations. This year, down is up and white is black.

Explanation: In 2004, John Kerry was the flip-flopping senator with the long record (and face), rich heiress wife, and out of touch persona who needed to remind everyone again and again that he fought in Vietnam. He was mocked mercilessly by the very same people who are now championing John McCain, the flip-flopping senator with the long record, rich heiress wife, and out of touch persona who can’t stop telling everyone that he was a POW in Vietnam.

Now, as I argued for Kerry then, having money has nothing to do with anything; look at the Bush family! They have so much money they built a fake ranch for George to pretend he was a Texan at. It’s a long way from Connecticut, clearing brush in Crawford. But everyone who runs is going have some level of wealth and connection. It’s not news. Unless they’re a Democrat!

Still, Bill Clinton came from nothing much at all, and Obama certainly has inherited nothing in his life, and both were fatherless, but somehow these stories are misplaced when the rich, elitist tag comes up. Obama wrote a book–by himself–and made lots of money from it. Two books, actually. Is he out of touch? Please. There is no other candidate who is more in touch than Barack Obama, certainly not any running in this election.

As for Biden, I like the choice. I started to wish for Hillary only for the reason that the election would be sealed quite easily with her, but besides Webb I think Biden is a good man to do the dirty work. And he’s likable, unlike his would-be predecessor, Mr. Cheney. As for Clinton, she blew it by going so negative, I wish she would have taken a higher road. There’s still hope for her in Denver tomorrow, perhaps. But I really wanted to like her, really, and I just couldn’t do it.

No, I didn’t see Eddie Vedder last night, thanks for asking. Mr. Vedder is a bit older than I am, but I’m happy to see that his first concert, like mine, was Bruce Springsteen. Although mine was about 8 years later than his. And of course, my favorite Cubs player was Bill Buckner, not Jose Cardenal.

Vedder reminisced about being in “the worst seat in the house� at the same venue in 1978 to see his first concert: Bruce Springsteen. He talked about whiling away afternoons in Wrigley Field watching his favorite player, the Cubs’ Jose Cardenal, and he addressed his fellow “foul-weather fans� in an ode to the perpetual North Side losers.

- Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune

UPDATE:

On the other side, Jim Derogatis gives a surprisingly warm review as well:

The highlights were many, the missteps negligible, but there can be no denying that the night’s most emotional moment came when Vedder was joined onstage by Tomas Young, a Kansas City native and army veteran who was paralyzed after he was shot while riding in an unarmored humvee in Iraq in 2004.

Now an outspoken anti-war activist undergoing physical therapy in Chicago, Young co-wrote the song “No More” with Vedder, and it was included on the soundtrack of the Phil Donohue-directed documentary “Body of War.”

Thursday night, the vet sat in his wheelchair beside the musician. Young nodded his head ever so slightly as Vedder howled the simple but poignant words and the crowd, which remained standing after giving Young a lengthy ovation, joined with full throats on every chorus: “No more war. No more war.”

It’s been a long time since Pearl Jam produced a moment so simple but moving, spontaneous but theatrical and ultimately unforgettable. And fans who didn’t bother to listen truly missed out.

Here’s Bill Maher on religion (on Larry King).

I can’t believe it, but I’m actually at the point where I would be OK with Obama picking Clinton as VP. Just because it would be so huge. She’s insane, and I couldn’t stand her in the primaries, but…I don’t know. Not that I think he will, but since Webb seems to be out, there’s no one else that can make an impact like she can. Well, I guess we shall see, tomorrow…right?

I didn’t realize how extreme the Republican party platform is on abortion, which makes no exceptions for rape, incest, and danger to the life of the mother. Just like the Catholic church! And John McCain, as recently as last year, wanted to change that platform to allow for those exceptions, but…now that he’s no longer a “straight talker” he has to pander to the extremists that are in control of the GOP.

Just to clarify, the Republican platform is to ban all abortions, giving women no control, no say, no choice over what happens to their own body even in the event of rape, incest, or a life-threatening pregnancy.

Why now would a woman ever want to vote Republican?