Campaigning begins at home
Getting back to basics is generally a good idea, and explaining the federal government to ten year olds makes a good opportunity to do just that. So I tried to give them a basic five minute version of what the US government is supposed to be.
Just say no to an Indy light rail boondoggle
They're supposedly looking at spending $850 million to build something that might reduce traffic congestion on I-69 by maybe as much as 2%. That 2% is probably optimistic, and of course to get to the real price your best guess would be to drop another zero in there.
Al's Campaign Notebook: Clark County fair, July 30
As I explained it to one young working woman, that money she paid out in FICA taxes even just now in June is all gone. What did they do with it? It doesn't matter. They may as well have spent it on crack, and smoked it up, cause the money's just as gone as if they had.
Hey, there are guns in my alphabet soup!
We've got a whole vat of alphabet soup, the FEC, FCC, BATF, IRS, SEC and who even KNOWS how many others? How many of them get to carry firearms, and enforce unilaterally whatever edicts they like? Who is even to be held responsible?
Al's campaign notebook: Hamilton County Fair, July 24
I was, as Chuck Berry would say, "campaign shoutin' like a Southern diplomat" all night.
Why do they hate us?
An obvious key question in this is why do they hate us? The answers to this question are important in formulating our responses. Can we soothe their anger? Is there some way to make nice? Do we just have to lay waste to some people and blast them into submission?
My strange love for John Ashcroft
You could consider it a mitigating factor that he merely seized the building, rather than burning it down with the congregants inside. I suppose that constitutes an improvement over the previous AG.
Al's campaign notebook: Tippecanoe County fair, July 23
Not wanting to get beat up by a woman in public, I held my tongue about the president.
Please count my vote
They simply did not INTEND to count my vote - unless I voted for one of those few and highly unappealing names the state already had picked out for me.
My hawkish libertarian apostasy
It is more important to me to make the best interpretation based on observed facts on the ground in a particular situation rather than having the Correct Libertarian Response.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
I'm sorry I wasn't around here for the Al campaign days... would have been great fun.
Any future plans to run for office, Al?
2 - Al Barger
Good times. Feel free to leave new comments on any of these stories, especially policy things that have bearing beyond my campaign.
I'm pleased to note that my archived campaign website still six months later consistently gets 50 to 100 visitors a day- as much or more than all but a few days of the campaign.
Ya ought to slip over there Eric, and download my two television ads.
Who knows? Evan Bayh's obviously running for president. Maybe I will too.
Maybe this coming year YOU might run for office, Mr Berlin. That'd be groovy. Perhaps you could run for congress as a Green.
3 - Eric Berlin
Thanks Al, I'll check it out.
Bayh seems to always be one of those dudes who is talked about for the Big Game but never really gains traction. You really think he's jumping in no matter what this time? I wouldn't be surprised to see H Clinton squeeze out all perceived moderates and try to stake down the center-left as early as possible.
Believe it or not I'm something of a centrist Al, so I don't think the Greens would have me (nor would I fit in comfortably with them). I'm more of an Old School Northeastern Dem (which might make me a Commie in some people's books nowadays, who knows?) really.
And running for office? I think I'm a bit too green for that (ha ha) -- perhaps when I'm a bit more gray about the top of my head I'll consider it.
That said, I get far too distracted by movies and books and music and media and the Internet and podcasts and being lazy and on and on to ever be a serious politician...
But if Al Franken can do it (perhaps) maybe I will too one day... it's a wacky world!