- Guto Harri
- 6 Nov 06, 08:28 PM
"People come out to Jazz clubs ... to forget about political struggles." So said the thoughtful Latin trombonist a few years ago.
Music, said the man, "should be there for entertainment and for art's sake and to instruct, but politics should be kept separate from that act".
But that's not what he thinks these days. Last night at the cosy upper West side venue , Washburne dedicated a song to Nutville, making it clear he was referring to Washington, DC.
He urged everyone present in the packed room to vote on Tuesday, and though he did not name a party or candidate, he gave a clue by suggesting the process could be a "cleansing" experience. He dropped another clue between energetic bursts of song by backing the "peacemakers".
He tells me that 9/11 changed his view on the relationship between performance art and the so-called "art of the possible".
"As time has progressed and our political climate has changed, I couldn't remain silent anymore. I was compelled to say something, and the outlet that I have as a musician is a jazz club on stage or in a dance club on stage, so I take those few moments to state my perspective and move on."
I'll go back to Smoke to hear him and his SYOTOS band again - and if I'm not tired of the electoral post-mortem by then, I might even head back next Sunday to find out what he thinks of the results.
Guto Harri is the 大象传媒's North America business correspondent.
- Gavin Esler
- 6 Nov 06, 05:25 PM
Two facts, two figures, and one big question stick in my mind this US election.
Fact One: the United States has now been at war in Iraq longer than it was at war against Hitler during .
Fact Two: Saddam Hussein has been an American enemy for more than 16 years, far longer than Hitler.
Now the two figures: 15 and 6. It will take a switch of 15 House seats for the Democrats to take control of the in Tuesday鈥檚 mid-term election vote, and a switch of six seats for the to change hands.
And now the Big Question: What does the Iraq war have to do with the precise number of seats which will be won and lost on Tuesday?
Many American commentators say this election is a referendum on the Bush presidency and on the conduct of the Iraq war - which is true, up to a point.
One of the best attack weapons for Democrats has been to say that the Republican candidate 鈥渧otes with George Bush 97% of the time鈥.
Some Republican candidates are running away from George Bush like scalded dogs.
But Mr Bush has been campaigning as though his own political future depends on Tuesday鈥檚 result - which it does, up to a point.
And two days before the vote - no doubt entirely coincidentally - we learn Saddam Hussein is to be executed. The verdict may well help Mr Bush.
Almost all the pundits and pollsters agree that the Democrats will gain control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994. The Senate is thought more likely to stay with the Republicans.
And so those of us trying to predict what might happen are left speculating how far the Democrats will feel empowered - if they win the House of Representatives - to launch a series of inquiries into the conduct of the Iraq war.
Presidents at the end of their second term - Reagan with the , Clinton with - often find they are bedevilled by hostile Congressional investigations.
But my gut instinct is that instead of being hobbled by all this, Mr Bush may well be liberated.
A Democratic House of Representatives would give Mr Bush the kind of opposition he has so sorely lacked for the past six years. Mr Bush would be forced to seek bipartisan consensus - no bad thing during wartime.
And of course after Tuesday Mr Bush never needs to worry about leading the Republican Party in any election ever again. The end of the Bush presidency may begin on Tuesday, but my guess is - to quote Ronald Reagan - you ain鈥檛 seen nothin鈥 yet.
Gavin Esler presents 大象传媒 TV's Newsnight programme
- The Reporters
- 6 Nov 06, 03:51 PM
The Carpetbagger Report is furious about automated nuisance calls allegedly coming from the Republican Party but pretending to be from Democratic candidates.
Macsmind responds to a New York Times article about automated calls with an acerbic comment about dead people appearing on voter rolls: At least Republicans call live people.
Hoffman's Hearsay has a joke about a barber giving free haircuts - and how it shows not to vote for Democrats.
- Lourdes Heredia
- 6 Nov 06, 01:30 AM
D-Day is getting close and I can feel the ghosts of 2004 swirling around me.
On the night of those elections - 2 November 2004 - I was at headquarters. Some of my friends asked me how I decided which party's party to go to.
I told them it was a gut feeling, but I was lying. (Sorry!) After two years I can admit that I made the decision after attending the parties' conventions.
The electoral machinery of the Republicans impressed me. I conducted 60 hours of interviews at their convention, and when I reviewed my tape, I heard the same message from every interviewee.
It did not matter what position they held, nor did my questions matter. Like a tape recorder, they gave me the same answer over and over again.
The , on the other hand, were more willing to debate. Each one had their point of view and they were much more open to the press.
A silly example, but one which shows the difference: I was invited to go to any party at the Democratic convention, but with the Republicans I had problems getting access even to the 鈥淗ispanic party鈥 - the Republicans were apparently much more concerned about what might be said in unguarded conversations.
Comparing the way the two parties went about dealing with the press - getting out their message - I sensed Republican headquarters was going to be the place to be on election night.
(I am not trying to say what is good or what is bad, I am just pointing out a difference of tactics.)
That night (it was actually early morning) I ended up walking around the White House. I knew I was going to go back to London and was thinking of the new life ahead of me.
The police kept a very close eye on me, so I ended up sitting in just in front of the White House. Some guy came and sat next to me. After a while he said: 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry, not much will change鈥.
With this Election Day so close that鈥檚 exactly how I feel. Will there be a really big change if the Democrats win control of Congress?
This time I find myself wondering: 鈥淲hat's next?鈥 And I feel lucky that I don鈥檛 have to choose a 鈥減arty鈥 to go to.
Lourdes Heredia is Washington correspondent for the 大象传媒's Latin American service.
