Here's a new segment for your enjoyment, fun Anti-Bush quotes from the Research Interns closet.

(On removing American troops from Europe)
"Bush, you idiot, when we said end the occupation and bring the troops home we didn't mean GERMANY!"

(On John Kerry's Intelligence Committee attendence record)
"At least John Kerry's intelligence failures have nothing to do with his IQ."

So of course, my internet has stopped working...like that's a suprise. In an irony that's...you know...really ironic, we've had another internet problem. If you're not aware, Will and I have had some pretty terrible luck with Resnet, the interweb, and our computers in general. In fact, we haven't had two functional computers since about May. But no matter (I HAD INTERNET LAST NIGHT DAMMIT!) because as it turns it, it's my birthday. That's right 20 years ago today I was born...or so I'm told. Keep in mind I am adopted and that the early records of my first days on this earth are extremely sketchy, for all I know this only my birthday because they told me it was (I could even be 21...that's totally what I'm going to tell the bouncers from now on). As a child it used to bother me that I didn't know what time I was born at and I think my parents finally just arbitrarily decided on a time to shut me up (ironically we've all forgotten what time we decided, so now I don't even know when the FAKE time I was born was).

Anyway so this is your birthday blog. I hope some of you got to see the Olympics tonight, it was amazing to see Paul Homm grab a gold medal by 12/1000 of a point and come back from 12th place to 1st. That's the kind of thing you see made into a movie later, it was that impressive. Tack that on to the American men's swimming 800 medley relay last night that saw the Americans hold off the Thorpedo for the gold by 130/100s of a second, and tonight's shattering of the women's 800 medley relay world recond 17 years to the day after it was set, and it's shaping up to be a pretty exciting Olympics. The ratings have been pretty good too, finally something worth watching on TV.

Well that's about it for this birthday blog, feel free to explore the ability to leave comments at the bottom of my entries (there should be a link below), be nice to know if anyone was reading this.

Happy birthday to me...

Howard Dean in the process of ROCKING THE VOTE!

On Sunday night at the convention, after the Congressional Black Caucus Cruise, BBQ, and Clam Bake, we made our way over the hot party of the night. Located at the largest club in Boston, Club Avalon (home of my first experience with heartbreak, clubbing, and sketchiness. Good times) the price of admittance was spending a two days in grassroot training from a group called GAIN. The reward? A rocking party with Bill Clinton (and Hillary), Jon Stewart, Al Sharpton, Biz Markie, and many others...the line? Only FOUR HOURS LONG. For those of you who don't know Avalon is located next to Fenway, and the Sox were playing the Yankees. Actually, John Kerry (JK for short) helicoptered in to throw out the first pitch, pretty cool eh?


Jerry Springer giving a surprisingly inspirational speech. Ladies and gentlemen, the next democratic candidate for the governor of Ohio (no really).

So back to the line. After waiting in line for an hour we say "screw it," proceed to the VIP line, cut literally 3,000 or so waiting people, and walk in. Were we VIPs? Hell no. The trick is to act as if you belong and be extremely put-off and pissed-off if anyone gives you shit.


Natalie Portman caught in a moment of clear angst as she informs us that, yes, young people DO have the power.

Once inside it was a long list of political celebs; Dean, Natalie Portman, Jerry Springer, Biz Markie DJed, Mission to Burma played a set, Terry McAuliff, Alex and Vanessa Kerry, Kate Edwards...and more.


A picture that I will treasure for the rest of my life, Aaron Banks and I with the honorable Jerry Springer. This picture will also come back to haunt me one day.


Be still my heart. Alex and Vanessa Kerry make an appearance at the concert...Alex and I shared a moment...she just didn't know it.


Kate Edwards, a recent graduate of Princeton, also made an appearance. Not the dual wristbands on her arms, which means she's...42 years old.


In one of the more surreal moments of my life, the Revered Al Sharpton raps while Biz Markie DJs in the background.

IN a memory that I will never forget, Terry McAuliff, the chairman of the DNC, introduced "A GREAT DEMOCRAT...BIZ MARKIE!" DJing an amazing set (he knew his whitebread crowd) Biz introed the REVERED AL SHARPTON who then sang along to a James Brown song...remixed courtesy of Biz Markie. Surely the most surreal moment of my life.

Of course as it turns out, GAIN (the ones that threw the party) forgot to INVITE Bill Clinton...AND Jon Stewart. And then they forgot to tell us...so we waited while a crappy smooth jazz band set up and played a warm up set for two hours before Lauren Hill ascended the stage. And played one song.



After Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart, the party's headliners, were no shows, they placated the crowd with a brief one song appearance by Lauren Hill. Pretty badass though.

After which we were all promptly told to get the hell out because Boston closes down at 2am. Only after the crowd threatened to riot (partially inspired by me) did some squirrelly looking guy come out say that Clinton wasn't coming and for us to leave.

But it wasn't ruining our food, it was a great party! More convention stories and pics to come!

Your random photo of the day. A sign from the subway in Boston. "Outbound to Wonderland," doesn't it sound like some sort of old song from the "Who?" 

On the floor of the Fleetcenter at the Democratic National Convention


Some of you might not know that I somehow managed to sneak my way into the Democratic National Convention in Boston last month. Let me make it clear that I had absolutely no right to be at the convention and it was only through the grace of the good lord above that I was able to wrangle my way in with two of my co-workers at the Kerry Campaign. We were assigned as interns to staff the war rooms for the campaign in Boston (since we essentially moved our entire operation to Boston for the Convention).

Over the next few posts I'll share some funny stories, pictures, and lessons I learned from what really is the biggest (to use an uber-poli comm term) Political Spectacle in the land (Entman eat your heart out!).

Anyway it's a little late so I don't really have anything exciting to put down before I pass out, but stay tuned, there's definitely more to come.

The Proud Residents of 526 22nd St, NW...aka "The Gritty"


Where shall the future take us? Thataway...


It's nice to know that our maturity survived the summer intact.


So that's that...my summer comes a close and a new chapter in my life is set to begin. For those of you who I haven't been keeping in the loop (and for that I apologize) I will be taking the fall semester off from school to work full time on the Kerry-Edwards campaign where I have been working all summer. By the way, when I say take a semester off I mean I somehow managed to sweet-talk housing into letting me live in Ivory Towers if I took one class. So it's kind of like getting to go to school WITHOUT actually going to school.

Some of you may notice this is my first post in a good long while, I apologize this summer got so crazy that I didn't have time to keep up with blogging duties. Over the next few weeks I'm going to post stories from my crazy adventure of a summer (Kerry campaign, living in "The Gritty," the Democratic National Convention in Boston, etc.) to share with all of my loyal readers (Hi Dad).

Anyway, check back often because I'm now back on the blogging track.

Adam