Undercount of the Young Voter

I have priased this website for sometime.

But I may have to move it to my "can't say it better" category.

Polls will soon be out of vogue.

More Troops, more troops!

John Kerry has suggested that George Bush is waiting until after the November elections to call up additional troop reserves in Iraq.

Does it matter?

Uneducated voters don't care.

In this election year, cynicism is taking over. I'm not alone and fighting it off desperately.

The overwhelming evidence is that Bush has made this country worse off--through rolling back environmental policies, special tax cuts to his rich friends and causing a massive deficit, and trampling on civil rights.

Internationally, the United States is now disliked more than ever--making new, future alliances more difficult and inspiring the poor and destitute (men and women alike) to give their lives in a suicide bomb for promises of a better after-life.

Yet, swing voters still blow with the wind.

Ironically, people who vote for Bush--especially because of his religion--are America's version of a political suicide bomber. Bush Suicide Bombers don't trigger explosive devices on their bodies, they injure themselves and others in the polling booths.

Despite it all, I'm going to some very important states over the next two weeks. I hope you'll join us.

Tied Up

This will be a close presidential election.

Bounces have flattened.

Swing voters are swinging.

As we get closer to November, the attacks will get uglier.

Do Democrats have it in them to fight dirty like the Republicans have for the last two decades?

Who is to Blame for Bad TV

It's clear that broadcast networks are losing viewers to cable.

It's clear TV is losing viewers to video game players and the hyper-educated who snub it as bourgeois.

So, what to do?

Salon.com has surveyed a rag-tag group of entertainment personalities--none of whom are charged with the responsibility of advertising, programming or budgeting in a broadcast TV world--or have good knowledge about historical trends in TV in the context of business. Still, here they are.

In TV, actors are not to blame. Unfortunately for them, most are as disposable as a packet of Taco Bell hot sauce.

In TV, directors are not to blame. (See reason for "actors", above.)

Who is the blame? Drum roll...

The buck stops with...Writers and TV Executives.

The latter must make a pronouncement--a jihad, if you will--against Common Denominator TV.

And writers must resist from creating CDTV, despite the temptation.

It's hard to make non-CDTV. Only a few talents can make non-CDTV. But for TV to get better, it will take TV executives smart enough and courageous enough to reject CDTV; writers must rise to the occasion to develop excellent, scripted shows. (Or semi-scripted in the case of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.)

This is show business. Plenty of blame to go around. But we need to make a better product soon to make money once again. We may not have another chance.

Another gay Republican congressman who's anti-gay?

David Dreier, what's the truth?

Dreier is a Republican Congressman from Pasadena.

Dishonorable Capriati

Some of you may have heard about the US Open tennis controversy which took place during the Serena Williams / Jennifer Capriati match. The chair umpire made a bad overrule which many have said caused Williams to lose the game and eventually the match.

(As a fair disclaimer, I should tell you that I was at the US Open as a tennis official but was not on court during the controversy.)

To her credit, Williams said afterward that the overrule didn't cost her the match--implying that one bad call is not to blame for a loss of an entire match.

To her discredit, Capriati could have yielded the point to Williams, but chose not too. Instead, Capriati most likely lied when she said she didn't see the ball and therefore couldn't determine whether the ball was in or out. Replays clearly show the ball in. Replays also clearly show Capriati looking at the ball as it struck in.

Some have called for the immediate institution of instant replay in tennis. Most players seem to want to keep the status quo despite the human error rate (which is not possible to calculate with any certainty).

Others want more cameras on court which may better assess whether a ball is in or out. Still others think have nearly 10 officials for 2 players is ridiculous.

While the debate continues over instant replay, the debate over Capriati's behavior is likely closed. Simply put, Capriati's behavior is unacceptable and deplorable.

What makes tennis different from other sports (aside from possibly golf) is a special code of conduct. Good sportsmanship is written into the rules of tennis--for example--if a player is not certain that a ball is out, s/he must call it good.

Some argue that at the high level in which Capriati and Williams play, they are held to a different standard and need not capitulate points in gross error. I totally reject that rationale and, furthermore, believe it harmful to the game as a whole. When young players learning what good sportsmanship is emulate players like Capriati by lying and calling "in" balls as "out", it's bad for the game. Period.