Category Archives: All Politics is Local

All Politics is Local, Downtown, Life in the Capital, Technology, The Daily Feed
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DC Loses CIO to Obama Administration

Photo courtesy of
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courtesy of ‘ckramer’

Hearty Congratulations to DC CIO Vivek Kundra, who is the latest victim of Obama Abduction. Well. I suppose it’s not exactly Abduction if they ask and you consent, right? Okay. We need a new word for that. Anyhow. Mr. Kundra is headed to the OMB as administrator of e-government and information technology. Not quite the cabinet-level CIO position that he was suspected to be considered for, but not exactly entry-level work.

Kundra will see Government-wide IT budgets of something on the order of $70,000,000,000. First task? Maybe some Macs for the Obama staff at the White House? I hear they’re jonesin’ hard.

All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Barry Angling for Obama Appointment?

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Marion Barry by cliff1106

The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto seems to think that Marion Barry’s latest tax woes are really part of a plot to get him into the Obama Administration. Taranto notes that the top slot at the ONDCP is currently open, and might be a good fit for Barry, but I think he’d probably do just as well as maybe the FDA, or perhaps somewhere at Health & Human Services?

All Politics is Local, Downtown, Entertainment, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Jamming inmates cell phones – or not?

Cell phone zombie, originally uploaded by erin m.

Just because the inauguration is only a week away shouldn’t mean we avoid any other controversy. Like, for instance, a battle over jamming cell phone signals.

As Tom reported earlier, DC is going to test a system to jam cell phone signals coming from one of the DC prisons.

But, the prisoners have a new ally in the fight to keep those unlawful cell phones. CTIA – the cellular phone industry’s lobbying group – has filed suit today trying to stop the DC department of corrections from testing cell phone jamming equipment.

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All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, The Mall, WTF?!
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Anti-Photography Bullies at the National Christmas Tree Don’t Want You Getting Pictures of Santa’s Workshop

Over by the National Christmas Tree there is a Santa’s Workshop where children can line up to visit Santa Claus and have a picture taken. I don’t have kids but when I visited Saturday night, the view through the window was a cozy, picturesque scene of a jolly old man smiling as he held wide-eyed children on his lap, and I had to get a photo — which, of course, came out blurry in the dark.

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As I was fiddling with my ISO settings an elf-suited girl told me, “You can’t take photos through the window, the flash will just reflect off the glass and distract Mr. Claus.”

“Thanks,” I replied amiably, “I have flash off.”

“Well, you still can’t take photos!” said a man by the exit, bodily moving to block the window. I believe he may have been trying to sound intimidating, but it came out as more obnoxious than anything else. Not wanting to make a scene, I said nothing more, put away my camera, and walked off in a huff.
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All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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White Obama on Metro Billboard

Dental Ad on Metro with Obama Lookalike
Originally uploaded by brownpau

I was about to comment on this earlier but Life Outtacontext beat me to it: doesn’t this guy in a stock photo on the DC Dental Spa billboard ad in various Metro stations look just like a white version of Barack Obama? I do a double-take everytime I see it.

All Politics is Local, Arlington
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Working the Polls: All over but the waiting

Photo courtesy of erin m

courtesy of erin m

Did you read part 1 and part 2?

If it seems like forever since part 2, you have only the smallest inkling of what the second half of the day was like at the polls. It wasn’t just that we had less than a hundred people – under 10% of our total for the day – come through between 2pm and closing time at 7.  It was the three hours it took to do the closing procedure once we did close the doors.

The lack of any kind of afternoon rush was a surprise to all of us, particularly considering the debacle it was if you tried to vote in the evening of the primary earlier this year. For five hours we had a steady trickle of folks, though such a small number that the eighteen of us workers usually outnumbered voters by more than 5 to 1. If there had been people in line at 7 we’d have been required to stay open till we’d processed them all, but you could have fired a cannon down the hall without hurting a soul. So we closed the doors right on time, and that’s where the truly long wait began. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Talkin' Transit, The District, WMATA
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WMATA Talks Inauguration

Photo courtesy of afagen
Working better to serve YOU, courtesy of afagen

Metro dropped a press release today outlining tentative plans for Inauguration Day.

That’s right, “tentative plans.” Since we still don’t have any official word on expectations (ranging from the FBI’s 800,000 to Mayor Fenty’s 4 million), it’s kinda useless to plan anything at this point. But I’ll give Catoe and Co. credit – at least they’re trying to do something about it.

I mean, it’s more important than escalator repair, right?

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All Politics is Local, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Hill
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A Marriage Equality Protest, this Saturday

There seems to be a sizable across-the-nation protest shaping up for this weekend. In our area it’ll be in front of the Capital, of course, but there are sites listed in Baltimore and Richmond as well. Here’s hoping the 2,500 maybe-attending folks listed on the DC protest’s Facebook page will brave the rain and make some noise.

1:30pm Nov 15th
U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool:
100 Constitution Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002

All Politics is Local, Arlington
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Working the Polls: The Big Day

Photo courtesy of Me

Badges, courtesy of Me

You read part one, right?

I’m not sure I’m prepared to say “I woke up on the morning of the 4th” because I was up at 4 am, an hour of the day best suited for garbage-eating raccoons and Paris Hilton. 4am is not an hour for civilized people. 4am is not morning, it’s pre-morning. However if you expect to get up, shower, and be at the polling place at 5am that’s the time you set on your alarm.

I felt marginally bad about my mental grumblings when I showed up at 5 on the dot and discovered half a dozen people already in line, waiting for the polls to open at 6. For a moment I stopped and stood with them because I assumed they were other workers, waiting for the doors to be unlocked. Once I realized my mistake I went in and joined the ten other people already inside. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Arlington
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Working the Polls: Getting started

Polling Place Sign

Voting Place Sign, by Jonathan

Insert your own lame stripper pole joke here. I’ve heard a dozen and I’m over it.

When the chatter started up that this election would have the largest turnout ever, I started to think that perhaps I should volunteer my time. Part of my benefits package as a Virginia state employee includes 16 hours of volunteer leave, which I can use towards any worthy endeavor. Given that advantage over other folks who might have resistant employers I felt like I was somewhat obligated.

So I volunteered to be an elections officer and Arlington County took me up on the offer. Let me tell you about it. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Downtown, Essential DC, History
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Flashback Special: Nov 4, 2008

Photo courtesy of Yelp.com
Vote for Yelp! Election Night Soiree, courtesy of Yelp.com

As all my friends can attest, I don’t talk politics with anyone, save my wife. (My vote is always a closely guarded secret.) So yesterday was a pretty quiet day for me. And that was actually kinda cool, because I didn’t get caught up in any hype or despair, and pretty much enjoyed just being in DC during a major, national election – which just happened to make history.

What I’m most pleased with is just how awesome the voter turnout was. This, my friends, is what democracy IS. Not who’s “team” won or lost, but the fact that we, as Americans, have the privilege to have a say in who our leaders are to be. And to see such excitement, such passion for the chance to exercise our voice – THAT is what the United States of America is all about.

So take a moment and enjoy a cross-cut of photos taken yesterday by citizens just like you and I, as they shared how they spent their Election Day.

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All Politics is Local
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President-Elect Obama

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Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign by Barack Obama

While the final totals are still being tallied, it’s readily apparent that Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States on 20 January 2009. Virginia, DC & Maryland will cast their electors all for Senator Obama in December, the first time they’ve all been cast for the same party since 1964.

Kwame Brown and Michael Brown lead in the At-Large City Council race, with Patrick Mara and Carol Schwartz in 3rd & 4th. Eleanor Holmes Norton will return as our Delegate to the House. Maryland will get both Early Voting & Slot Machines. We still have no freaking idea what happened in Arlington. Well, we do, but it’s hard to believe that DC got their votes up before Arlington county did.

I’m exhausted. It was a rollercoaster tonight, and it ended with an incredible speech by President-Elect Obama. This was the end of his speech tonight, and I think it deserves to be printed here:

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes we can.

Congratulations, Mr. President-Elect.

All Politics is Local
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It’s Like Christmas in DC!

Capitol Christmas Tree, by flickr user flickr-rickr
Capitol Christmas Tree, by Flickr user flickr-rickr

In college, I found it inconvenient for a number of reasons to celebrate Halloween, but I still found myself, needing the rhythm of a fall holiday before Thanksgiving. Being a political science major, Election Day fit the bill nicely. I sang Election Day carols, decorated my dorm room with red, white, and blue paper chains, and convinced my long-suffering roommates to humor me by participating in the festivities. Okay, so it was more like Christmas than Halloween, but when your holiday falls right after midterms, you do what you can, all right?

I still think that Election Day in DC is a lot like Christmas.  We have all manner of parties to attend, time off to participate in the relevant observances, drinking and merrymaking, and hey, we even get presents!

What Christmas does for “good will toward men,” Election Day does for democracy- for all the flaws, inefficiencies, and mass media-age self-consciousness of our political process, the act of queuing up to choose our leaders reminds us what a rare thing in human history government by, for, and of the people actually is. Ninety years ago- one lifetime!- I wouldn’t have had the right to cast a ballot to determine the leaders who would legislate the laws under which I would live. With that in mind, Election Day is too important for me to shrug off as just another day.

All Politics is Local
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It’s a Day Like Any Other

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Union Station Commuters by Zizzy

While you’ve heard how Election Day in DC can be like the day before Christmas, for those of us who don’t work in politics, near politics, around politics or within smelling range of politics, it can be just another day. Perhaps being a non-political guy in DC on Election Night is like being Jewish on Christmas? If it means ordering Chinese and heading to the movies, that doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

I have friends on both ends of the spectrum. My friend Brittany worked for left-leaning groups here in the District before she escaped to California, and my good friend Mike is a co-founder of RedState.com. My friend Ben started draftobama.org, and my other friend Ben used to be a speechwriter for various Republicans on the Hill. They live & die by the progress of their respective sides, while I sit on the sidelines addressed by neither party. I am that peculiar independent that finds neither party’s message or drive compelling to forsake my pleasant place between them.

So, today, as you gorge yourself on election news (make no mistake, I’ll probably be doing the same, just so I can talk to my friends), remember that not everyone is living and dying by it. Buy ’em a beer, talk about that local sports franchise, or that art exhibit they’re dying to see, and remember that DC is more than just politics, more than the beautiful marble & bronze. This city is full of people who don’t eat, sleep & breathe the politics that we’re host to, despite it all. Give them a bit of a break, yeah?

All Politics is Local, Arlington, Technology, The Daily Feed
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Incredible Turnout for Early Voting

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Washington DC Paper Ballot by NewsHour

The news was out this morning that 2.6 million people had already cast their ballots in North Carolina. You’ve probably seen reports here, and elsewhere, that lines in Arlington & the District were quite lengthy, up to several hours over the weekend.

So, how did our region do? Great question. No one seems to have the answer, or, if they do, they’re not telling. My phone call to the Arlington Electoral Board went unanswered, and Dan Murphy of the DCBOEE’s voicemail is so full it’s not taking more messages.

I guess we’ll have to wait to see if they’re going to unveil the statistics now, or after the election’s complete. Either way, I suspect we’ll see some of the best turnout this region’s seen in quite some time.

[Update 1] 35,021 people voted via absentee ballot in Arlington County, through Saturday, according to the Arlington County BOE.  That’s roughly three times the number of people who voted absentee in 2004, and approximately a quarter of eligible voters.  That’s more people that voted absentee in 2008 than voted in the 2007 general election.

[Update 2] Dan Murphy from DC BOEE got back to us late in the day and said: “I can tell you that we had somewhere around 12000–I can be more specific as we go through and process them, but that is a good ballpark at this point.” So, 12k out of 300k or so. Impressive!

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed
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Gee Thanks for Nothin’ ACLU!

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So, if you run into trouble at the polls tomorrow, there are a bunch of great sites for Voters’ Rights. The ACLU brings us a whole plethora of voting rights guides for varying states and territories. However, DC isn’t one of them! In 38 of the 52 territories, you can find SOME resource for your voter’s rights on election day from the ACLU, including both Maryland & Virginia, but not in the District. D’oh!

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed
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Another Angry White Male for Obama


Uh okay Originally uploaded by carlweaver

I didn’t know what to say when I saw this bumper sticker. I am all for political and personal expression, especially if it means do-it-yourself bumper stickers. However, it just looks a little funny for some reason. I find it hard to take this one seriously. If this were my car I might omit the angry white male part, although I suppose the term fits.

Are you angry about anything? Share with the group.

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed
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Obama Made Me Cry Last Night


Photo by kcivey

Yeah, last night he did. This jaded Washingtonian, who tries to live in DC totally separate from politicians and the whole “The Hill” establishment, who hasn’t voted in years (my dirty secret, now exposed) actually wept after watching Obama’s infomerical.

Beyond who you are voting for, or even this election, this is the type of political ad we should be seeing from our politicians. Ones that offer hope and guidelines of what they promise to do. Not more sniping and backstabbing.

Maybe then we can have people refer to Washington DC in the positive instead of the pejorative sense. And I’d be able to fraternize with “Hill People” without that dirty feeling.

Alexandria, All Politics is Local, Arlington, Life in the Capital, Sports Fix, The District
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Absentee Voting Attracts Crowds

Polling Place Sign

Voting Place Sign, by Jonathan

As we close in on the election next Tuesday, the press has been having a field day with the “early voting” going on across the country.  Not to be left out, and having to file an absentee ballot myself, I decided to see just what was happening in Arlington.

First, all the registrars wanted me to point out that no one in the area has “Early Voting”.   Maryland, Virginia, and the District all provide for Absentee Ballots, which means you can only vote early if you have a valid reason.   Both the District and Virginia provide for absentee voting in person or by mail.  In Maryland, you can only vote Absentee by mail.  And that deadline has already passed, so if you missed the absentee ballot in Maryland your only chance is Tuesday.  (Don did a great job of covering all the details in his previous post, so I won’t belabor the point.)

So, if you want to vote in person, when should you go?

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