TresSugar

The National Postal Museum Says "You've Got Victory Mail"

CitizenSugar — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:00:00 -0700

The Smithsonian's National Postal Museum is my third favorite Smithsonian, right behind American History and Air and Space. Yes, it sounds odd to have a whole museum about who's gotten mail, but it's really good. Trust. One of their current exhibits is on Victory Mail - getting mail to soldiers overseas.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War II, letters became the primary source of communication between soldiers and their families. According to the 1945 Annual Report to the Postmaster General, mail in that year alone reached 2.5 billion dispatches and that was only for the Army!

During WWII, because the only way people could communicate was through letters, mail was almost as important as food for those serving. The Red Cross even advocated frequent letter writing and offered recommendations on dos and don’ts. Here’s one piece of advice:

Men in war have neither the time nor the emotional energy to be interested in boring details about housekeeping, rationing problems, and family troubles. Unfortunately, many women’s minds run that way. . . . Soldiers are occupied with the fundamentals of existence. Yours, as well as theirs, only most of you are too far away from the terribleness of war and what a Nazi-dominated world could mean, to realize it.

In addition to an exhibit in DC, the Smithsonian has a great online version of the Victory Mail display to check out. Why did I find out about the display? I had a little mission to DC this week to participate in the Google/National Journal panel discussion on politics and pop culture. It was a great time - and if this story whets your appetite to see the whole program, it will be on C-SPAN this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

Karl Rove Gets Protested, Audience Boos, Yells "Tase 'Em"!

CitizenSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:33 -0700

C-SPAN has never been this rowdy! At a speech given at the George Washington University, former Bush adviser Karl Rove received a heckling to remember. But the yells of "Tase 'Em"? Not directed at who you might expect! Check it out.

"The tail and the horns are retractable." If you say so! And for the Rove quote I'm getting put on a t-shirt? "Look, I'm a myth!" Ohh, and about that "war criminal" sign? That reminds me - there's an appalling amount that we don't know about the run up to the war. Heard of "Curveball?" If not, read more.

In case you weren't home Friday night watching BBC America (I don't blame you if you weren't!) they ran some exclusive footage of the informant, "Curveball." Never heard of him? You're not alone, but he's entirely worth learning about. You know that speech Colin Powell gave in front of the UN Security Council? He's quoting Curveball almost verbatim.

If you want to learn more about this Iraqi defector who may have fabricated all of the WMD stories that led to the Iraq War? You can watch the entire Frontline: Bush's War special from last week online. It's four hours, but it's an unflinchingly honest look at just how we got where we are today. The website has transcripts, check out this one from David Kay. He launches into Curveball about halfway through.

Have you heard of him? Are you shocked and awed?

Executive Producer Mark Squier Gives DNC a 9 Out of 10

LibertySugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:00:00 -0700

The Democratic National Convention, and the Obama-bump that followed, may seem far in the past, but the event will surely live on in history. I got a chance to ask a few questions to Mark Squier, an executive producer of the extremely successful (and fun) Democratic National Convention. When he's not coordinating massive political pageantry, Mark masters smaller-scale political messaging. He has produced ads for numerous members of Congress and governors, and acts as a strategic adviser to many more politicians. Now that the dust of both conventions has settled, take a behind-the-scenes look at the DNC with Mark!

On a scale of 1 to 10 how happy are you with how the DNC turned out?
10 being the highest - a 9. Nothing is ever perfect but this was close. When you consider we had a late primary so we didn't get guidance from a nominee until June - and we had two venues. We didn't have a major malfunction. You have to be happy with the way it turned out. And a shout out to everyone who worked at the Denver convention - the team that was put together was outstanding and it was easy to look good when you had such a committed and hardworking team in your corner. Oh - and not to mention Barack Obama - an incredible candidate to work with in every way.

How do you explain viewership that beat even the Olympics Opening Ceremony?
Americans are worried - it's human nature - they know things are on the wrong track; the wars, the economy, gas prices, health care costs, high unemployment, the national debt, the mortgage crisis. Voters feel these things every day and they know that this election is critically important to getting our nation back on track - so they watch.

To find out if Mark would have done something differently if Hillary Clinton would have won the nomination, how he kept the convention from looking like C-Span, what he thought of the RNC, and if there were any close calls with disaster, read more.

How do you keep the convention from looking like C-Span?
By using the best of all technologies. Television is a great amplifier of communications but it is not interactive. The Internet and all the new technology tools are great for making people feel connected - but it can't compete with the visual spectacle of Thursday night at Invesco field with 80,000 people on television. Using them both - TV to entice and the new technologies to connect - we think really helped get voters to be more involved and take a stake in electing their office holders and their democracy.

You began working on the convention before the Democrats chose Barack Obama. How did the message, or your approach, change once he became the presumptive nominee?
Not a lot. Change has been the message and theme really since Democrats were elected to the majorities in the House and Senate in 2006. In fact, you can see that McCain himself has now gone from arguing experience to trying to be an agent of change with his pick of Governor Palin for VP. Voters are angry - they think the country is off on the wrong track - they want change.

What was the closest call with disaster backstage that the viewers at home had no idea about?
Not telling - but there were a couple.

How do you think the RNC went?
Well. The Palin pick for VP created a lot of curiosity and that drives viewership.

Source

She Said, She Said: RNC Rolls Out Obama/Celeb Quote Game

CitizenSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:45:59 -0700

The game rolled out by the RNC today called "Who Said It? The Celebrity Edition" takes a quote, and makes you choose who said it between three Hollywood-famous types and Obama, my favorite quote being: "Who knows what a hitch ball is? This is a hitch-ball cover. We don't know what a hitch ball is. Anybody know?" It's harder than you'd think.

Given the prevalence of the big c-word this week (that's celebrity, dirty minders) and the fun-meaning yet controversial nature of the game, Liberty and I found ourselves at odds on what to make of it, so here we go: She Said, She Said: Obama vs. The C-Word.

Citizen: Perhaps the question is not what a celebrity is, but the behaviors we associate with someone seeking fame - rather than someone seeking service. Lest we forget, that's the essence of all of this. This game is designed to be a lark (and it is) but truth under it remains: famous is, as famous does. There are scads of people who behave as, and we follow as "celebrities" who don't follow any definition of celebrity - but because they act the part, and we respond accordingly. "Celebrity" is not tied to wealth, or fashion, or time on screen. Celebrity is the cultivation of adoration, plain and simple, and Obama has that in spades.

Anyone seeking fame knows they have to be seen by as many people, as often as possible, regardless of propriety - and the stunt of giving his nomination acceptance speech in the Thunderdome-setting of Denver's Mile-High stadium, affecting rock concert rather than party business, is an appalling display of hubris that completely circumvents the meaning of humbly accepting the nomination to serve one's country. There is a difference between political showmanship, and spectacle bordering on farce.

How many covers of Us Weekly and People has John McCain graced? None have crossed my desk, but I know of at least two Obama covers, (including the issue that hit the week before this ad was released) plus a fashion spread, plus debuting his kids' first interview on Access Hollywood. Not Meet the Press, not C-SPAN - but a show specifically designed and devoted to following celebrities. Ahem. I call your Maria Menounos and raise you a Scarlett Johansson. Obama is, and carefully curates, that very celebrated image.

Don't agree with me? You're in luck. To see what Liberty has to say, read more.

Liberty: With this quiz the GOP has invented its very own convenient definition of
celebrity: Barack Obama. As the celebrity narrative pushes on, the media happily turns away from the facts that: McCain is married to a blond heiress, wears shoes worth half a grand, has hosted Saturday Night Live, and had a movie made about his Vietnam experience. And today we have news reinforcing the notion that the GOP is the party of big business, but Obama is the elitist, arugula-eating celebrity, right?

What's even more disheartening? When you stop looking at Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, the facts in the celebrity ad are false. For example, Obama never said he wanted to raise taxes on electricity.

While the GOP tries to tell Americans that they should be skeptical of a
candidate that gets them, and other people around the world, excited about the US and their future (a pretty impressive feat after eight years of apathy and cynicism), it distracts voters from finding the candidate that has a better substantive plan for America. And that campaign tactic is more sizzle than substance.

Who's Watching the State of the Union Address With Us?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:40:39 -0800

It's President Bush's last State of the Union Address. We're watching the pre-game show on the fantastic C-SPAN, and playing our exclusive SOTU Scavenger Hunt. Turn on the tube and play along! We'll be here, let us know what he says that moves you. Are you standing and clapping with Pelosi, or Cheney?