Category Archives: 2012 Election

Obama Tix in High Demand

I would imagine that if you are only now thinking about getting in line to get an Obama ticket, your odds are lousy, as students began lining up last night:

Students began lining up around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and by early Wednesday, police estimated there were around 850 in line hoping to get tickets to see Obama’s speech at UM’s BankUnited Center Fieldhouse Thursday.

Students brought lawn chairs, tents and air mattresses to make their wait more comfortable. Many spent their time watching movies, sleeping and even studying.

The university wouldn’t say how many tickets were available, at the request of the White House, but most students said just the chance to see Obama was worth the wait.

The tickets will be distributed at 8:30 a.m. Officials said students who were in line by 6:30 a.m.

Still nothing about faculty tickets. I suppose the students have more money. They certainly will make a more attractive backdrop on TV.

Previously: Obama Visit: No Faculty Wanted?.

Posted in 2012 Election, U.Miami | Leave a comment

Obama Visit: No Faculty Wanted?

President Obama to Visit University of Miami on Thursday:

As he becomes increasingly active in his campaign for re-election, President Barack Obama plans to visit the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus on Thursday to deliver a speech at the BankUnited Center Fieldhouse.

The event is free but requires a ticket, and students will be able to get one if they line up fast enough. Tickets for undergraduate, law, and graduate students on the Coral Gables campus will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the University Center Ticketmaster window.

Only one ticket will be given to each student, who must present his or her own valid ‘Cane Card for swiping. Holding spaces in line for others will not be permitted, and students must remain in line until they receive their tickets, which will be non-transferable.

Doors to the Fieldhouse will open at 11:45 a.m. There will be very limited seating, so it will be primarily a standing-only event. All attendees must go through airport-like security and should bring as few personal items as possible. Students must also present their ‘Cane Cards upon entry to the Fieldhouse. Since it will take time to clear security, please plan on getting there early. Late arrivals will not be guaranteed entry.

No large bags, purses exceeding 8.5 by 11 inches, backpacks, sharp objects, umbrellas, food or drinks, video cameras, signs or banners will be allowed into the Fieldhouse. Still cameras and cell phones will be permitted, however. Students are encouraged to wear orange and green to show their ‘Cane Spirit.

Because of the high volume of vehicular traffic and parking expected around the Fieldhouse, students are encouraged to walk there from other points on campus, having parked in their assigned permit zones. The Yellow zone may be affected by extra traffic, so please plan accordingly.

The event will be streamed live at http://whitehouse.gov/live

If there was info about faculty tickets, I sure didn’t get the memo…

Posted in 2012 Election, U.Miami | 1 Comment

Arresting [Not] Charlton Heston/Chrysler Super Bowl Commercial: It’s Half Time in America [Corrected]

[Update: Corrected in the cold grey light of morning: As commentators more awake after the game than I noted, Charlton Heston has been dead for years. I knew he was Clint Eastwood, we even talked about it during the game; no I idea why I then substituted Heston in the post. One of my blogging rules is that when I screw up, I correct, but don't hide the fact of the error. This is a beauty.]

By far the most notable Super Bowl commercial was Charlton Heston Clint Eastwood reassuring America that it’s only half time and there’s still everything to play for. As his gravelly voice touted the resurgence of Detroit, I thought at first it would be an Obama commercial, and then it was Clint Eastwood/the Man with No Name/Dirty Harry/Walt Kowalski and Chrysler, and it wasn’t, overtly, pro-Obama after all.

But maybe it in a way it was Chrysler’s way of saying thank-you on the QT for the bail-out; if so, getting long-time Republican Charlton Heston to do the spot was a stroke of genius insurance against charges of partisanship. [Update: I still think it felt like a way to say thank you without having to admit it was a campaign expenditure; and I thought of Eastwood as a Republican -- see below.]

And a new catch phrase is launched.

[Update: I thought Eastwood was a Republican because he was elected as Mayor of a town in California on the Republican ticket. At least according to a Wikipedia article on the Political life of Clint Eastwood, however, his politics are more complicated than that.]

Posted in 2012 Election, Kultcha | 7 Comments

Red of Tooth and Claw

Republicans at bay, Gingrich edition: “Winning Our Future | Blood Money”.

Posted in 2012 Election, Florida | 1 Comment

Mitt Romney Jokes (About, not By)

These claim to be the Best Late-Night Jokes About GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney.

I sure hope the daytime ones are funnier.

(This post spurred by the also unfunny attempts at humor today by Maureen Dowd whose column complains about what Mitt Romney finds funny.)

Got a better one? Please?

Posted in 2012 Election | Leave a comment

Pass the Popcorn

The Florida intra-party slugfest begins with this Romney ad in Florida.

Posted in 2012 Election | 1 Comment

Have I Seen This Horror Movie Before?

“Newt Gingrich, is, of course, unelectable” says (to pick just one example) TalkLeft in “Great News For Dems: Newt On The Rise”.

This because Newt Gingrich seems to be trending up quickly and very substantially in South Carolina, while Romney is collapsing in South Carolina and nationally too.

Thing is, I remember when we said Ronald Reagan was unelectable.

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