FDC Twitter Round Up

• heading to mn. #rnc08 #
• sandals = comfortable and easy to tie. bad idea for airport bathrooms. gross #rnc08 #
• in MN!! #rnc08 #
• in the MN airport…H. Wolfson’s driver can’t find him in baggage claim #
• in the MN airport. H. Wolfson’s driver can’t find him in baggage claim. #rnc08 #
• events are being canceled left and right. #rnc08 #
• looks like RNC is turning events into service events. #rnc08 #
• LOTS of people still here: delegates, dc, k street, members..but parties dropping off quickly #rnc08 #
• with everyone leaving, will people in crappy hotels upgrade? #rnc08 #

House Tax Man Follows His Own Drools

The temperature on House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel has recently been dialed up - and only partially due to his love for sunbathing.

Leave it to the New York post to uncover the possible shady dealings by Congressman Rangel.

Cash Cow:
…
For 20 years, Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel has owned a beachfront villa in a sun-drenched Dominican Republic resort, yet has only sporadically declared income on the property in federal filings. While the villa was rented to paying guests for the past two years, for instance, Rangel reported no income from it in 2006 and 2007, The Post has learned. As a congressman, failure to fully list all income and investments can result in civil penalties or criminal charges.  [moo]

Rangel, ironically, is chairman of the House committee that writes the nation’s tax laws.

It’s been a rough week for Uncle Charlie, who was snubbed and then un-snubbed by DNC organizers who were not excited about giving him a speaking role. [poor Chuck]

At least he was able to catch a quick nap before controversy began to swirl.

Hyper Hill

Happy Hour [DC Damsel]
Bragging Rights [rosslyn]
Goodnesss [Agent Zero]
200 posts [mad cabbie]
Rule the World [alaska]
Campaign Song [Palin]
Fast Acting [bloggers]

Twitter or Die Tryin #RNC08

The FamousDC Twitter machine will fire up again for the RNC convention.  We had one regular contributor in Denver and we will have two in Minneapolis/Saint Paul.  You can sign up for our alerts here.

If you’re heading to the convention and would like to contribute, please email FamousDC–AT–gmail.com

We doubt we’ll meet Craig or Anne, but stay tuned for up-to-the-minute updates from the convention floor, daily brunches, and of course, the ever-popular late night party.

Go ahead, sign up for the FamousDC #rnc08 alerts. You need updates from one of the beltway’s favorite bi-partisan blogs on assignment.

FDC Twitter Round Up

• Does this rock concert play right into the Republicans’ hands? They called this three weeks ago with the Britney/Paris commercial. #
• 67 days until the election….so many game changers lately…here we go! #
• Waiting for McCain event: Why are there cheerleaders? Who are the ad geniuses behind that one? #

Play By Play Announcer Proves He Is No Larry King

If you give listening to this interview more than a few minutes, it becomes painfully uncomfortable.  And you’ll spend the rest of the time praying that it ends.

Granted, the kid doing the interview is a play-by-play announcer, and a great one at that, but his innate ability to ask really misguided questions, rivals only Gerarldo Rivera.

Our favorite line, as he clearly gets bored with the interview, “So, what else do we have here…” - then quickly moves on to what is the most uncomfortable question of the interview: “Off the record [as he rolls tape], how many politicians have you wanted to shoot personally?”

And finally, he asks the Governor [who at this point is probably looking around at the next staffer she's about to fire] how she deals with being labeled as “hot” - only to nearly interrupt her answer so he can proudly get back to his job announcing the game, “no balls and two strikes to Ortiz.”

The whole damn interview is bizarre, but worth a listen.

Back to the Matters at Hand

Redskins kickoff in 6 days, 6 hours and 45 minutes…

For up to the minute Redskins analysis [worth it], check out our friends over at the DC Pro Sports Report.

Yes, people - it’s that moment you’ve waited so long for. Your months of praying, preparation and speculation have no come to fruition: The World’s Most Prestigious Power Poll is back! For years it has been the most important thing in your life, shunting aside lesser concerns like money, family and oxygen. Now it is back and you can find some joy in life again.

It’s also more important than Alaskan Governors - in case that whole scene had you worn out.  So check it out.

Hyper Hill

Respect [sugar n spice]
Weekend Picks [dcist]
Yep [interesting]
Ask Gavin [balls]
Cycle [Guzman]

Hillary Supporters In Love With Palin

Good Lord, read the comments.  Look out Obama.

The Right Blogosphere, Wrong Again

Just when they thought they had it all figured out - and after weeks of…

It’s gonna be Romney.
No, it’s Pawlenty.
No, wait, how about Cantor.
No, yeah, definitely Romney.
No, yup, it’s Bob Vila.
Cantor.  We like Cantor.
Figures, Pawlenty.  Makes sense.

Not even close.

McCain picks Palin.

UPDATE: Wikipedia nerds already updating Palin’s page.

Dare We Say..

Keeping the leaks hidden,
Rolling out his VP pick the day after Obama’s speech,
Announcing Palin, a female Governor from Alaska,
Dare We Say: RETURN OF THE MAC!

Has McCain Found Himself a New “Pal”in?

FDC Twitter Round Up

• Obama couldn’t let Biden get all the credit tonight. He couldn’t stay off stage - #dnc08 #
• all the corporate people are leaving denver…the “change” masses are still here for the speech. will all of these people vote? #dnc08 #

SMART

Hyper Hill

Major Crush [Clinton]
Presidential [poodle]
Our Best [America]
Fashion Fail [swift]
Arlington [skinny]
New Logo [Giant]

Yes We CANtor

The Eric Cantor for VP train is gaining momentum.

And proof of that is in the fact that RedState, a neighborhood for conservative junkies, recently endorsed Cantor.

And with less than 24 hours until an announcement is made, the question remains, will their bid yield influence?

According to the Politico, the decision has already been made and was finalized this week.

John McCain has chosen his running mate and the person will be notified on Thursday, a senior campaign official said.
…
A friend said McCain had pretty much settled on his selection early this week, and it crystallized in the past few days.

Insert key word,”crystallized.”  Which is what has the right blogosphere peeing their pants today.  Does that mean the last minute push from the conservative blogosphere might be working?

We’ll find out soon enough.

Ranthworthy: Why I love DC Radio

To: FDC

My morning…

So because it was drizzling this morning, I caught the shuttle bus from the Ford building over to Longworth on my walk into work.

The nice bus driver lady had on Majic 102.3 (no, not kidding, ‘Majic’ with a ‘J”) and the Tom Joyner Morning Show was on.

Today’s guest was comedian/actor D.L. Hughley.  In speaking about last night’s Dem Convention, D.L. says “I mean, it’s historic, 40 years after the JFK I Have a Dream speech….”

…at that point I stopped listening.

First off, it’s been 45 years since the “I Have a Dream” speech was given.

Second off, it was given by MLK not JFK…

This interview went on for the entire ride, so about 8-10 minutes.  He repeated ‘JFK” at least a half dozen more times, and Tom Joyner never corrected him, never went to commercial to tell him privately off the air that he is referencing the wrong individual, or that he’s got the time-frame wrong (a minor mistake considering the acronym mix-up).

I love DC radio….

Seeking Search Engine Optimization Help

You could see it coming from miles away, but it has been made official- Jim Slattery’s campaign apologized to Sen. Roberts for calling him an a-hole.

Democrat Jim Slattery’s campaign has apologized for an e-mail sent to thousands of people that contained a crude word to describe Republican Sen. Pat Roberts, whom Slattery is challenging in the November election. [my bad, Pat]

So, that’s the end of the story, right?  They apologize and then this whole thing goes away.

Nope.

Why stop there, when as campaign manager for Slattery, you can do some under the bus tossing.

The e-mail, which also contained bogus quotes criticizing Roberts, was written by Slattery’s deputy communications director. It was released inadvertently Tuesday to donors, volunteers, reporters and others who regularly receive Slattery campaign updates.

Well, at least they didn’t actually reveal the poor bastard’s name.  Oh wait…

No decision was immediately made Tuesday about the future of deputy communications director, Ian Staples.

At this point, everybody who has half a brain knows Slattery himself didn’t send the damn email, so why is it even necessary to lay blame?  [Note: It was also blamed on a software malfunction, as if that's believable]

At the end of the day, shouldn’t the campaign manager be held responsible or maybe even the candidate himself?

We here at FamousDC would like to personally reach out to young Ian and offer our condolences.

We also thought we’d share this letter we wrote on his behalf.  Ian, just print this out and send it when you get a chance.

Dear Google,
…
I’m not claiming to be the brightest young man on the planet, but if you could please show just an ounce of mercy on me and help erase what will inevitably be a political scar on my search history for the rest of my life, that’d be swell.
…
I recently, and jokingly, referred to a very respected Senator from Kansas as an a-hole.  And while I’d love take backs, or some sort of time machine – the only real chance I have at saving my career is if you help me optimize my search history.
…
Right now when you Google my name, bad shit happens.  And as you well know, it’s only going to get worse.  At this point, I’d rather optimize as some sort of French porn star, as opposed to the scarlet letter currently affixed to my virtual biography.
…
Thanks in advance for helping salvage my career.

Ian, if that doesn’t work, email us – we’ll find you a job here at FamousDC.

You Better Check Your Twitter Post Before You Wreck Yourself

Someone please give the NPR Politics team a Congressional directory or at least send them a link for google or wikipedia.
Twitter/NPR Politics

James Clyburne of North Carolina is talking about the Greatest Generation and America’s perseverance. /andy

That would be Jim Clyburn, House Majority Whip, from South Carolina.

 

Boulder Police Pissed Denver Cops Are Having All the Fun

So to prove they’re still bored relevant, they arrested an ABC News reporter for doing their job.  Cuffs and everything.

h/t RedState

UPDATE: FishbowlDC has much more - including pictures.  Cuz they’re that good.

FDC Twitter Round Up

• how to talk your way into a convention party 101 — tell them you’re with the press and dont have credentials yet…works every time #
• Name Calling is the Most Sincere Form of Slattery
  http://tinyurl.com/5pmj9u #
• just met Criag from Craigslist and #
• just met Craig from Craigslist….he said he’s saving jon stewart’s search history #
• Doesn’t Mark Warner look like a young Dick Nixon?? Seriously, it’s creepy. #
• does it ever end? #
• SAG party…. #
• midnight means drop your signs. seriously #
• champ Bailey just blew off the vip line and john legend came on too early #
• drive thru starbucks! #
• no open bar brunch today, now that’s change we can believe in #
• still lots of hillary stickers around town…some ppl must have missed unity email #
• everyone here is dressed “crunchy chic” #
• Roll Call: Pelosi Predicts Smooth Roll-Call Vote Tonight #
• every event has food an open bar. we’re all gonna get “convention butt” #
• Bumper sticker at #dnc08: Obama for rock star. McCain for president. #
• it is official from #dnc08 - Obama. will it be Clinton at #DNC12? #

Vote or Fly [Commercial]

Legendary rapper Puff Daddy has had about enough of these high gas prices.  They’re so high, he’s been forced to travel on a commercial airliner. [like the rest of us]

His only, very simple request, “Whoever the next president is, please lower the gas prices.”

Vote or Fly!

Note:  Every other word out of his mouth is profanity, so beware.  Damn funny, but beware.

Hyper Hill

Follow us on the ole Twitter machine [Tweets]
Terrible sitcom [re-runs]
Ace all stoked about the Alaska primaries [bastards]

Remote Control Politics

Below is an email buzzing around the Senate office buildings re; tv outages and channel changes.  For those Senate staffers playing at home, yes, this is the 11th notice you’ve received.

According to a FDC tipster, they’ve changed all of the television channels so many times,  “I barely watch TV anymore because it’s too hard to find the channel you want!”

CSPAN, still a great option when you’re looking to nap.

Email from Larry Brown [not the coach] below:

Subject: FW: Notification - Senate Cable TV Outage (Update #11)
For those of you who are keeping up with these daily changes…
…
From: Larry Brown
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 9:55 AM
To:
Subject: Notification - Senate Cable TV Outage (Update #11)
…
Update #11:
…
Unless there is an unforseen emergency, there will be no change in the Senate Channel line up for the week of August 25, 2008.  The attached line up is correct and not expected to change.
…
This weekend, staff will be coming in to perform additional work to bring more channels on line.  We expect to issue a finalized channel line up on Tuesday, September 2.
…
v/r,
Larry

Why Should Romney Be Chosen? Because He Likes Pizza

And so the jockeying and speculation as to who McCain will should pick as a running mate continues…

Robert Bluey is all in for Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor - and is reporting that his name was somehow dropped from the RNC speaking roster - perhaps lending clues as to whether or not he’s one step closer to joining McCain.

And in a last minute attempt to convince folks who don’t need convincing, MyManMitt.com is reporting that Romney is the only logical choice because he likes pizza.  Extra cheesy.

What will we do with ourselves once the conventions and VP speculation are over?

Our Twitter Feed Is Straight Blazing

If you’re not on our Twitter page, then you haven’t heard what Craig from Craigslist said about Jon Stewart’s search history … join in

FDC Twitter Round Up

• fugees on stage….fraz….no lauryn hill….talking about skid row in los angeles #
• praz wants to close the gap….”something is happening…” #
• more security than delegates…. #
• can we go to another brunch? YES WE CAN #
• is every street in denver shut down? #
• too much change, not enough AC. hot!! #
• ritz camera sold out of blackberry chargers….dc is most def in denver #
• just met THE Capt. Morgan. he’s totally running for President. we’re on board #
• obama and mccain flip-flops for sale…what will they think of next? #
• bar = open #
• conventions = open bars, politics, name badges, name dropping and event swag. america! #

Name Calling is the Most Sincere Form of Slattery

Here’s a quick lesson in campaigning … don’t give interns administrator privileges - ever, or let them drink on the job.

The below email [believe it or not] was sent out by Jim Slattery’s campaign earlier today.  Jim Slattery, [sweet name] is the brave individual who was tricked by his friends into thinking he could beat legendary Kansas Senator Pat Roberts this November. [Like showing up to knife fight with a Popsicle stick]

Text of the email: In an effort to share the story of average Kansans, we need your testimonials on where Pat Roberts went wrong and how he let you and your family down.  This is your chance to share your motivations.  Getting our country back on the right track is going to take a lot of work and step number one here in Kansas is removing Pat Roberts from office.

So far so good, until you scroll down and read this…

John from Dodge City shared this, “Pat Roberts…is an asshole”

We don’t much about politicking here at FDC, but we do know that this probably isn’t the best way to lend credibility to one’s campaign.

Wow.

Screen grab below.  [note: we added the arrow]

Do Sherrod Brown and Billy Mays Have the Same Mama?

This is a must see clip - so let us set the stage…

Sherrod Brown is a Senator from Ohio. He’s also notorious for his over-the-top delivery and has, on several occasions, been compared to Billy Mays. But never like this. Thank you YouTube.

Don’t know who Billy Mays is? Well, he’s the infomercial sales guru - that tends to grate on your nerves within seconds of hearing his voice. [insert, the Oxiclean guy]

Enjoy.

When is the Virtual Cage Match?

GOP web pioneer Michael Turk is at it again - and by “it”, we mean he’s again going after Democratic rival and good “friend” Matt Stoller.

This dust up is over Stoller’s admission that McCain is hiding cancer.

It is very likely that McCain has cancer or some other serious illness.  There’s no reason McCain wouldn’t let reporters look at his records otherwise.  McCain is 72 years old and he was a POW, a member of a group with high rates of illness due to ill-treatment on the part of their captors.

Mr. Turk, not happy about Stoller’s accusations, fires back:

Stoller, compared to real journalists, doesn’t actually need facts.  He just makes stuff up, or quotes what sounds like they might actually be facts without ever backing them up.

This isn’t the first time Turk has taken a shot at his arch nemesis. [I wanna kick your ass]

And likely won’t be the last.

Our question - when is the virtual cage match - and have these two ever actually met?

NY Delegates Warned About Boozing at DNC

Look, altitude does crazy things to your tolerance. [boozy]

DENVER — The New York state Democratic party devoted a page in its information packet to three separate warnings to its delegation about how hard booze hits the system in mile-high Denver.
…

On a page titled “high-altitude tips” in a packet sent to traveling New York Democrats, there were repeated reminders that the air up here is different.
…

“Please monitor yourself, and remember that drinks may go to your head faster than you’re used to in New York,” was the first cautionary paragraph. “We don’t want any of our members to miss Delegation events or proceedings, so please stay safe.”

The Utah delegation was apparently not warned.  Weird.

McCain Lands a Very Flavorful Endorsement

In case you were wondering [because we were] who Latin hip hop sensation Daddy Yankee was going to endorse for president, wait no longer.

His boy… John McCain [for reals]

Which brings us to this - will McCain embrace this endorsement and learn how to do the Daddy Yankee dance?

And if so, will he get lessons from either of the tone deaf dancers below?

Hyper Hill

Lands a date [great recs]
Anarchy at the gym [primal scream]
Who does this? [bicycle tree lock]

Get Your DNC Tweet On

Our Twitter feed is straight blowing up.  Follow us here.  Don’t be shy - trust us, you’ll be the first to get all the juicy tidbits from our tipsters on the ground.

Do it.

The Sunshine State. Denver. Gorgeous. [Update]

The actor Danny Glover is getting his DNC on.  And rocking his MLK shirt.

He has been spotted pulling up to a Gospel Hill Brunch w/ Creative Coalition. BUT not to worry, he’s on message and pulled up in a hybrid Saturn.

Gospel Hill Brunch
…

Gospel Hill is a film by actor/director Giancarlo Esposito that reflects the power of the human spirit to overcome the pain and hatred of racial and generational division. Cast includes Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, Taylor Kitsch, Nia Long and the RZA.

Apparently the Gospel Hill group is entertaining breakfast patrons by singing and dancaing and the Mimosas have started flowing.

We Called It

…and of course, so did three quarters of the world. But we did leak a tip about Biden’s security detail being “doubled”, well before he was named Obama’s running mate.

But, beyond the hype of actually naming a VP running mate, is how Camp BO did it.  Or “promised” to do it.

If Barack Obama’s pick for vice president taught us anything, it’s that the Democrat nominee for president will stay up late to get the job done. His text message naming Sen. Joe Biden as his VP picked arrived at 3:04 a.m. on my phone. [Robert Bluey Blog]

We’re not quite as convinced as some are about the timing of the text, but regardless of whether it was planned or a Hail Mary attempt at pleasing supporters who were duped into thinking they would actually find out first- point to Team Obama for stepping outside the cell phone towers.

The Sunshine State. Denver. Gorgeous.

Welcome to what we hope will be a string of FDC tips coming straight out of the DNC in Denver.  We’ve already had a few loyal readers [who are on the ground] send us tips and tidbits, which is awesome - so if you have any tips, send them our way at tips@famousdc.com.

Tips we’ve gathered thus far…

Amazing how many public affairs ads are here (AMA, NAB, Clean Coal) — you’d think you’re at Cap South.

Saturday night the place to be seen was Palace Arms restaurant.

Gwen Ifill [PBS], John Fox Sullivan (Nat. Journal), and several other a-list media types skipped the all-media party to dine on bison.

Yesterday the Tim Russert tribute brought out pollster Charlie Cook - who was seen chatting up chuck Todd on the way in.

Unity not yet completely caught on - lots of hope and change buttons and surprisingly LOTS of Clinton 08 stickers.

We heard Oprah rented an entire floor at Ritz.

Keep the tips rolling in, kids. [tips@famousdc.com]

The Sunshine State. Denver. Gorgeous. 

Happy 50th Ben’s Chili Bowl

Nothing celebrates a 50th Birthday like multiple MOON BOUNCES!

If they had these all the time, all of the city’s problems would be solved. Streets would get fixed, crime would come to a grinding halt, Pepco workers would be helpful - simply, the world would be a better place.

We love you Ben’s Chili Bowl!

Hyper Hill

Oldest Domain Names [100]
Finale [online dating]
Good Luck [stand up]
Stay Away [NY Ave]
Weekend [training]
Nice Pad [McCain]

Captain Chaos Loves NKOTB

We’re still big fans of the Washington Redskins Blogging All-Pro Tight End, but Backstreet Boys? Really?

Captain “Christy Has Me Whipped” Chaos:

Chris Cooley taking his wife to the Backstreet Boys show at Wolf Trap on Monday. The Redskins star (yellow shirt, backwards Atlanta Braves cap) gamely fist-bumped a fan, posed for a photo. Seems Christy Cooley is the true BSB groupie — she stood and sang through the whole show while he spent a lot of time on his cell.

We’re embarrassed for you, but still drafting you on our fantasy football team.

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