I’ve noticed these signs up all over town. Would you find it acceptable if DC got one voting congress seat or are you holding out for full statehood?
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Politics
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How was your voting experience? Seems like everyone I spoke with said the polls were dead quiet.
As a kid in central Pennsylvania I came to DC for Museum field trips. In the early nineties, I commuted from Baltimore City to DC for over two years for grad school. I moved to the burbs and commuted in to downtown for work, and then finally, a few years ago, I actually came to live here.
Besides getting my Taxation without Representation license plates and my zone parking sticker, the defining moment, for me, of being an actual Washingtonian was showing up to vote as one. (I’ll save Jury Duty for another post, since I think my two years are up again soon.)
My polling place in Ward 5 is a high school down the street. Thinking I might write about the experience, I brought my camera. I came expecting to meet at least some enthusiastic supporters. I found none. The grass in front of the school had a few signs for candidates, but that was the extent of the hoopla. Given that it is not a year to pick a Mayor, and the precedence of the national campaigns, I suppose it’s not that surprising. I settled for taking pics of the red Voting signs.
Despite the light drizzle, there were some poll workers taking a break outside the front door. There seemed to be an abundance of poll workers. Although it was the middle of the day, I thought maybe some people would stop by during lunch. The last time I voted, it was in the morning, but after the start of the work day, and there was a long line of lively octogenarians. Today, there was no line. Story continues after the jump. (more…)
A number of people have written me asking who I’m supporting. At first I was going to sit this election out but what the hell. For what it’s worth, I’m supporting Muriel Bowser for Ward 4 City Council. I’ve been impressed with her energy and ideas for the abbreviated term. I’m very interested to see what she can accomplish in a full term.
The only other seat I’ll note is for Shadow Senator. I’m supporting Paul Strauss. I’ve known Strauss for a number of years now and he is a tireless advocate for DC statehood. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in this unpaid position will devote as much time and energy as Strauss will and has already.
So whoever you decide to vote for just make sure you get out and vote!
Thanks to a reader for sending. DCist also posted. The whole video is pretty hilarious but Ms. Bowser has only a brief appearance. How do you think Ms. Bowser did answering the questions? Besides the Bowser appearance, my favorite part was when the reporter tries to kiss the one delegate near the end of the clip. Too good.
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I thought this was super cool. It was on the window of Queen Sheba’s in Shaw.
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From an email:
“Friends –
At the Board of Library Trustees meeting Wednesday night, July 23,
2008, Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper presented a grim picture of the
FY2009 Library Budget and staffing plan. While the Library Budget
will go up slightly (by $16,000), that budget includes $5.6 million
in earmarked enhancements and the elimination of 74 library
positions. This is a 14% reduction in the staffing for DC Public
Libraries. The DC Public Library needs $2 million by October 1, 2008
or the Library will be forced to drastically cut the hours of
operation of all our libraries. Continues after the jump. (more…)
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Petworth/Park View represent. But to be honest I don’t really know what these city wide council members do. I believe our specific Ward representatives like Muriel Bowser (Ward 4) and Jim Graham (Ward 1) have a huge impact on our lives and thus have a lot of accountablity. But the citywide reps have always seemed a bit nebulous to me. Brown is running against incumbent Carol Schwartz. So I’m just curious how much attention have you paid to this race? Do you feel that it will impact your experience in DC at all? Do you have any interest at all in this race? Do you have an opinion about Councilmember Schwartz? (I, sadly, feel like I know nothing about her and her influence on our neighborhoods and their development.) I feel like it should be very important yet I don’t hear too much about it.
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Candidate Dee Hunter has hired some sign spinners. Pictured here is Ray Rivera who made it clear that he is a sign spinner and most definitely not a sign twirler. This picture was taken at the corner of 13th and U. How you going to top this Council Member Schwartz?
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I was walking down Princeton when I spotted the sign pictured above. I was pretty curious because I had seen a number of their fliers around town. You know the ones that say “You are not Alone” with a lone soldier staring at a makeshift memorial. I was staring at the sign and a gentleman came out and invited me to talk to some members inside. I was a bit hesitant at first but the folks could not possible have been nicer. They seemed like honest, thoughtful, caring people not fanatical zealots like I initially suspected. So the Iraq Veterans Against The War DC chapter has been located on Princeton Place since November of 2007. I learned that there are 40 members in the DC chapter and that they have no political affiliation (members are Democrats and Republicans). They stressed that they are not against all wars but do advocate the immediate withdrawal of all troops in Iraq. What I found most interesting was the support group that they host every Sunday. It is called Homefront Battle Buddies. They meet every Sunday, 3-5pm for “Today’s veterans coming together to heal the wounds of war because our obligations to our brothers and sisters in arms and to our values do not end when we are out of uniform.” I also like the fact that they provide legal advice for those who are having difficulty getting their VA benefits.We don’t get too political over here at PoP but I thought it was noteworthy that the DC Chapter was located in Petworth.
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A reader had a good suggestion that I highlight a particularly good comment of the day. I like it. So the first one is from Odentex who commented on the Supreme Court Overturning the DC Handgun Ban. The following quote is from a larger comment discussing why he will not be purchasing a handgun.
“This is not an invitation to break in to Chez Oden, mind you, as Lil’ Gal is a biter and the dog (the famed Slightly Confused Watchdog) might knock you over trying to hide under the bed, but we just don’t see the need. I am much more concerned about somebody breaking down the door when I’m not around and stealing my alligator boots and my complete collection of Jim Reeves LP’s then somebody coming in during the night while I’m dreaming of BBQ brisket and longnecks.”