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| BrendanMcKillip.com brendan mckillip's daily journal |
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daily journal
Celebrating Zoolander Style It's been years since I saw Zoolander, but I vaguely recall a scene similar to the one below. Obviously someone else had a much more vivid recollection of the film and decided to have some fun with it.  Every time I look at the Joe Biden face I laugh. I don't know if it's the goofy-ass smile alone or the combination of that cheesy smile and the motion of the body. There is also a version based on The Dark Knight. It's not as funny as the Obama Fun Machine, but I offer it up because I love the move.  Labels: Batman, Fun, movies, Politics posted by Brendan | 11:27 AM | permanent link |
Open Letter to Chicago Media Outlets I think we both agree that the majority of the people in Chicago are probably excited about Barack Obama's Presidential victory.  Whether it's because he's our first black President, a hope for real change in government, a local Chicago boy, or just anyone other than George Bush, there is an angle there for just about everyone to be interested in what an Obama administration has in store for the country.That being said, do we really need to have every aspect and movment of the Obama's life between now and January 20, 2009 documented, photographed, analyzed, and reported? I understand that it is exiting to have someone from Chicago preparing to assume the top office in the country and Obama and his family are an interesting topic, but in just seven days you have hit a a fever pitch in your coverage that I' m not sure is sustainable for the next seventy odd days.  What concerns me is that you are working your damnedest to do just that - fill every day from now to the Inauguration with as much Obama-ness as possible. Which I can only imagine means more stories about where Barack and Michelle had dinner last night or psycho-babble about why we might be jealous of Barack.If people thoughg the press fauned over Obama during the Democratic primaries, then in comparisson what you guys have done over the last seven days could be described as obsessive stalking. I think the guy is great. I' m excited and interested in seeing what he does as President. But you are on the verge of killing that enthusiasm with your constant reporting on every movement, speech, thought, and breath taken by Barack, Michelle, and their two daughters. He's going to be President for four years. Pace yourself. Thanks, Brendan posted by Brendan | 10:21 PM | permanent link |
Reflections on the Election At the beginning of September I was uncertain of where my vote for President would go. There were qualities about both Obama and McCain that I admired and which I felt made them qualified to lead the country; but there were also plenty of unanswered questions I had about both men. I’ve always been someone to resist being pegged conservative or liberal, red or blue, Republican or Democrat; so I began educating myself on some of the other Presidential candidates (except Nader, I think that guy’s a certified nut). There was a time around mid-September where I serious thought I would be casting a vote for the Libertarian candidate, like I did back in 2004. But the campaigns took interesting turns through the end of September and into October. I was disturbed and disappointed in what I saw in some, and conversely encouraged by what I saw in others. Ultimately I landed in the Barack Obama camp, and cast my vote for his leadership. It was in Barack I found the most confidence in an ability to lead and inspire a nation. He was who I thought should be the next President of the United States of America. My decision was based on my personal assessment of the men running for the office of the President of the United States. I picked the man who I thought had the temperament, intelligence, and leadership skills that our country needed at this time. Race had no influence on my final decision. However, watching Barack’s acceptance speech Tuesday night I was left with a number of emotions, not the least of which was pride. Pride in my country’s ability to finally elected someone other than a white man to be our President. As the final weeks of the campaigns wore down and the polls were predicting an Obama victory, I harbored a concern that the polls were wrong. That when pushed came to shove, there was still enough fear and buried racism in the America that those voters who said they would vote for Obama wouldn’t be able to pull the lever in his favor on Election Day for reasons other than an ideological or political difference with the Obama. In my mind, it is perfectly acceptable to not vote for Obama because you disagree with his tax proposals or you don’t think he has enough experience to be President. Just don’t not vote for him because he is black or because his middle name is Hussein. And on the flip side, you don’t vote for the man simply because he is black. Make him accountable for what he stands for and agree to that vision before you cast your vote in his favor. Or not. The sizable electoral count in Barack’s favor Tuesday night along with a popular vote count pushing close to 53%, I felt proud of what our country had done. Certainly there were slices of America that voted based on race – for and against Obama; but you can’t win (or lose) a Presidential election, in my opinion, on skin color alone. And even if a large number of people voted based on race, I don’t believe it would translate into the sort of voting results that came out Tuesday night. Simply put, the more popular candidate won because of his broader appeal to the people – and he just happened to be black. I like to think America is color blind, though I am not naive enough to believe this to be true. But the result of this Presidential election kindles within me the hope that true color blindness is a realistic and achievable goal. I am proud of the step we took as a nation yesterday.  Labels: Politics posted by Brendan | 7:50 AM | permanent link |
Goodbye Robo-Calls Regardless of which candidates you voted for today, one issue that I believe the entire population could galvanize behind and support in a unanimous manner is the ending of political campaign phone calls. In past elections, I remember Heather and me receiving a phone call or two in the weeks leading up to the election. But the number of calls we received in previous years paled in comparison to the volume of phone calls from volunteers, campaign committees, and automated systems that inundated our home phone over the last two months. Our phone was ringing two or three times a day from some representative of somebody’s campaign who wanted to know if they could count on our support on November 4. Heather just started saying “yes” to whoever was on the phone so she could hang up on them as quickly as possible. What was particularly annoying was the number of automated phone invitations to join virtual town hall meetings via the phone so we could ask questions of some candidate. An impromptu conference call on a Saturday afternoon? Lame. But now the calls will end. My proposal, before we pass any economic stimulus packages or bail out any more banks, there should be a plan to add a referendum to the ballot of the next election regarding the elimination of these annoying campaign cold calls.  posted by Brendan | 7:36 PM | permanent link |
Life Imitating Art - Unfortunately This was the front page of The Onion back in May 1993.  Replace Roy the Forklift drive with Joe the Plumber, and Rush Limbaugh with any recent McCain campaign rally, and the story still reads true. posted by Brendan | 12:48 PM | permanent link |
How to Really Appeal to Joe Six-Pack I love it when this country holds a Presidential campaign. It bring out the creativity in everyone.  Contestants take the stage during a U.S. Republican vice-presidential nominee Alaska Governor Sarah Palin look-alike stripper contest at a strip club in Las Vegas, Nevada October 23, 2008. Contestants competed for $10,000 in prize money and a trip to Washington D.C. for the presidential inauguration. Labels: Politics posted by Brendan | 11:00 PM | permanent link |
Figured It Out I thought something about this Presidential campaign between John McCain and Barack Obama seemed familiar. This little piece of artwork finally put the pieces together for me.  The 2008 Presidential campaign is an re-tread of an episode of the 1960's Batman TV show. Look, the campaign is even copying the debate. Can't way to see who shows up to play the Cesar Romero as Joker character to counter Obama/Batman and McCain/Penguin. Labels: Batman, Fun, Politics, TV posted by Brendan | 10:50 PM | permanent link |
MAVERICK!  Saw this ad (right) on the Chicago Tribune website today and it got me to thinking how over the course of the last few weeks, the McCain campaign has totally ruined the word "maverick" for me.The campaign's over-use of the word to describe both Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin is sapping the original meaning from the term. "Maverick" is drifting over into the realm of the single-word punchline instead of the a verbal embodiment of a personal philosophy or code of conduct. Like "liberal", "ring-wing", or "main stream media", "maverick" is becoming a hollow term used as verbal filler to pad around cliches and talking points in politicians and political pundits monologues. What do McCain and Palin mean when they call themselves "mavericks"? That they do whatever the hell they want, facts and common sense be damned? They do a bad job of defining what a "maverick" is and why I should consider this an honorable quality when deciding who should be the next President of the United States. And isn't it a little weird that McCain and Palin keep referring to themselves as "mavericks"? Isn't that something they should leave up to others to do for them? All this self-referential talk about being "mavericks" is beginning to sound like they are speaking in the third person about themselves. That's kinda creepy. With any luck, this "maverick" crap will end with the election - regardless of who wins - and I can work on re-establishing the word "maverick" with it's true meaning.  posted by Brendan | 4:47 PM | permanent link |
Greatest Campaign Photo This Year  Read the story behind the photo here posted by Brendan | 5:27 PM | permanent link |
Vote Fett in '08 Obama picks Joe Biden - that's already played out. What I want to know is who Boba Fett will be picking for his running mate.  Labels: Fun, Politics, Star Wars posted by Brendan | 8:15 AM | permanent link |
Dare to Hope This made me laugh:  Get the t-shirt. posted by Brendan | 11:29 PM | permanent link |
Quick Hits The photo collage he provides helps prove his funny, but I believe accurate, observation. This woman might be a little too unhinged to serve in the top office.    Now that Apple has announced that they are licensing Exchange ActiveSync from Microsoft so that they can build it into the iPhone for release this summer - thus making the iPhone infinitely more appealing to companies around the globe, do you think I there's a chance I will be able to convince the powers at be where I work that I need this uber-gadget?Yeah, I don't think so either.  Labels: Apple, Comics, Illustration, Politics posted by Brendan | 8:32 AM | permanent link |
Madness Is President Bush the President of the same United States that I live in? I don't think so. Consider the following quotes from this story I found on ChicagoTribune.com: Bush's view of the economy was decidedly rosier than that of many economists, who say the country is nearing recession territory or may already be there. "I'm concerned about the economy," he said. "I don't think we're headed to recession. But no question, we're in a slowdown." Maybe the situation is better up inside W's head, but in the rest of the country energy prices are up, wholesale prices are up, salaries are stagnant, jobs are declining, consumer confidence is at record lows, and in general the economy is going nowhere. Maybe the economists and the politicans don't want to call it a recession, but I think it's what the majority of American feel like we are in. I can understand trying to present an air of confidence so as not to further spook an already economically skittish American people; but Bush's comments come off sounding like an indication that he is out of touch with the public, not a steadfast leader of the country. To make matters worse, after he glosses over the economic challenges being faced, W keeps pushing for Congress to let him spy on everything that the American people do without judicial oversight. I can't wait for 2009. McCain or Obama will be light-years better than this. posted by Brendan | 12:47 PM | permanent link |
Yippie-Kay-Yay, America! U.S. Presidential elections always seem to get people's creative juices flowing. Case in point. Someone spent a lot time putting together a site dedicated to getting John McClane - of Die Hard fame - elected President.  The site is fairly amusing, and well put together. posted by Brendan | 10:55 PM | permanent link | Obama South Side I'm not someone who broadcasts their political views or candidate support through bumper stickers and signs, so this probably isn't for me. But if I wasn't that sort of person, I'd be ordering me up some of these T-shirts:  The Chicago Cubs version is okay, but the White Sox version shown above does a much smarter integration of Obama's name into the old White Sox logo from the late 1970's through the 1980's.Labels: Politics posted by Brendan | 12:10 PM | permanent link |
We Need a Extreme Double Mega-Visionary Now When it comes to what sort of candidate for President this country needs, today's Wondermark hits the nail on the head.  posted by Brendan | 8:32 AM | permanent link |
The Snub I didn't watch any of the President's State of the Union Address. I was stuck in Hinsdale because the train I was riding on hit a car. So I missed the big news that came out of the speech. Nothing about what the President said, it was Obama and Hilary who have everyone talking thing morning.  Obama was standing next to new BFF Senator Ted Kennedy. Teddy leaned over to greet Hilary, but Obama cooly turned his back to Mrs. Clinton and never acknowledged her. Some are calling it childish or proof that the man running a campaign on a theme of unity is nothing but a fake. While some other commentators have pointed out that Hilary didn't seem to seek out Obama at the SOTU either. So maybe the blame of incivility goes both ways. Frankly, I think it's fantastic. Dude doesn't like Hilary right now because of the nasty nasties being thrown back and forth, and decides he just isn't up to being civil with her at that moment. Doesn't make him a bad guy, just human. posted by Brendan | 8:41 AM | permanent link |
Ain't It The Truth  posted by Brendan | 9:28 AM | permanent link |
Kung-Fu Election Looking to kill time while waiting at home for the Iowa Caucus results to be tabulated? Play a littl Kung-Fu Election. Pick you candidate and then fight the other candidates - TO THE DEATH!  posted by Brendan | 9:45 PM | permanent link |
Please Bring Back the Old John McCain I rarely talk politics in this blog, but today I will make an exception. During the 2000 Presidential campaign one of the candidates I liked was Senator John McCain from Arizona. McCain had this sense of being a maverick that appealed to me. He came off as a smart, honest guy who was concerned with doing the right thing, not necessarily what the political party he belonged to told him to do. I thought this fierce independence in thought and position was refreshing in a political figure as high up the politico-food chain as McCain sat.  Even after he didn’t win the Republican nomination he didn’t stop challenging what his own party was doing. In particular I remember him taking President Bush and the White House to task over the capture and detainment of Taliban fighters. And McCain always seemed critical of the GOPs march into Iraq and the ensuing occupation. McCain was a man who had convictions and stuck with themWhat happened to that guy? In the past year McCain appears to have completely reversed his direction. He’s now a GOP policy puppet that was one of the biggest and most vocal supporters of President Bush’s plan to increase the war effort in Iraq. Where’s the guy that would challenge his party’s position on policy? That seemed to have thoughts original and separate from the party line? In the time frame of about sixteen months McCain has gone from a guy who was trying to lead his party – challenging them at ever step to do the right thing – to being a simple follower of the platform. I really don’t care if a politician is a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Green. What I look for someone who is their own person, with convictions and ideals that I support, and who is ready to lead and shape the country. Not regurgitate what the policy the political party has outlined. It disappoints me to see John McCain now from what I remember of him in years past. I kinda miss the old John McCain. posted by Brendan | 12:56 PM | permanent link | |
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