NYC Dems Vote Tuesday - Support Liu & De Blasio

Tomorrow, New York City Democrats should go to the polls to vote in two contested elections: Comptroller & Public Advocate.

In the race for Comptroller, I’m voting for Councilman John Liu. He's progressive and damn smart. He majored in Mathematical Physics and spent years working in finance at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He knows how to handle the city's money. Liu has been a real leader in the City Council, constantly standing up for what's right regardless of political consequences. He has also lived the classic New York immigrant experience and if elected would be the first Asian American to hold a citywide office.

Check out his short YouTube documentary on John.

In the race for Public Advocate, the clear choice is Bill de Blasio. Bill has run a strong, impressive campaign. Taking down the former front-runner Mark Green, who ran a campaign based exclusively on name recognition. He didn't bother to show up to debate, after debate. Green's campaign is largely funded by real estate and his interest in Public Advocate stems from his never-ending desire to be elected Mayor. Bill is forward looking and seeks to take the office in a new direction. I'm happy to support him in this race.

Check out Bill's runoff ad here to see the wide range of endorsements he's received.

Find your polling location here.

Both Liu & De Blasio have also been endorsed by Brooklyn's Lambda Independent Democrats, where I currently sit on the Executive Board.

Iowa Says Yes, We Can

Iowa's Supreme Court handed down an amazing unanimous decision striking down a 1998 gay marriage ban.

Equal protection under the Iowa Constitution is essentially a direction that all persons similarly situated should be treated alike. Since territorial times, Iowa has given meaning to this constitutional provision, striking blows to slavery and segregation, and recognizing women’s rights. The court found the issue of same-sex marriage comes to it with the same importance as the landmark cases of the past.”

This is great news. No doubt that the cultural zeitgeist is changing and Iowa is on the right side of history. This is the best thing Iowa has done since giving Barack Obama a big win in the Democratic Caucus.

Yesterday, I blogged about the disconnect between the American gay rights movement and the big picture. My argument stands that gay marriage shouldn't be at the top of our agenda. Bob Ostertag's brilliant piece on The Huffington Post is well worth a full read - but I'll give you a taste.

The fact is most of us won't marry even if we have the right to. We are putting all our resources into winning a right that only the few of us in long-term conventional couple relationships will enjoy. What's more, we are creating a social climate in which young queers are encouraged to recast their vision of the relationships they seek to favor the married couple. This is not only a loss for the vibrancy of queer culture, it is a disservice to young people who will not be well served by their nuclear family ambitions. Just consider the high number of gay and lesbian divorces (yes, the rate is already high despite the fact that we have not even fully won the right to marry yet).

It is no secret that marriage isn't working for straight people. That's why religious institutions are so up in arms about it. The institution of marriage is in crisis. On what basis does anyone imagine it is going to work better for queers?

Through years of queer demonstrations, meetings, readings and dinner table conversations, about gay bashing, police violence, job discrimination, housing discrimination, health care discrimination, immigration discrimination, family ostracism, teen suicide, AIDS profiteering, sodomy laws, and much more, I never once heard anyone identify the fact that they couldn't get married as being a major concern. And then, out of the blue, gay marriage suddenly became the litmus test by which we measure our allies. We have now come to the point that many unthinkingly equate opposition to gay marriage with homophobia.

As Bob says, marriage is a largely failed social institution. We're talking 40-50% of marriages fail, no small amount. Marriage doesn't have anything to do with my life, I only know it as something my parents did before they got divorced.

Elections Today & Tomorrow

Today is a big day, with four contests.

The caucuses in Washington State wrap up at 5 pm ET, with the Virgin Islands contests ending an hour later. Nebraska's caucuses conclude at 8 pm ET, and polls in Louisiana close at 9 pm ET.

Maine has a caucus tomorrow as well.

Look for Obama to do very well this weekend. He'll win Washington, Nebraska, and Louisiana. No polls for the US Virgin Islands or Maine, but Obama could do very well there.

Tuesday is the "Potomac Primary" - DC, MD, VA. He'll win all three by solid margins.

The Next Two Weeks

I've got quite a bit going on over the next two weeks and wanted to let everyone know what's happening.

Broadway For Barack

I'm Executive Producing a benefit for Senator Obama's Presidential Campaign on Monday, February 11th.

Playbill Says:

Jenn Colella, Kate Rockwell and Manoel Felciano are among the performers to appear at Broadway for Barack: The Voices of Hope, a benefit concert at Off Broadway's Zipper Theatre.
Ryan J. Davis and Adam Wagner produce the one-night-only event scheduled to play the New York City venue Feb. 11 at 9:30 PM.
...
Performers currently scheduled include Aaron J. Albano (Bombay Dreams, Spelling Bee), Jenn Colella (High Fidelity, Urban Cowboy), Manoel Felciano (Sweeney Todd, Brooklyn), Adam Halpin, Kate Rockwell ("Grease! You're the One That I Want"), Caesar Samayoa (Hot Feet, Carmen) and Marty Thomas (Xanadu, Wicked).
They will sing tunes by Nick Blaemire (Glory Days), Joe Drymala (White Noise), Felciano, Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk (Henry and Mudge), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Edges), Eric Svejcar (Caligula), Jeffrey Thomson and Jordan Mann as well as Zachary Dietz and Adam Wagner.

Broadway World covers the premier of Joe Drymala's new musical Street Lights as well:

Street Lights, a new R&B/Hip-Hop musical by Joe Drymala will receive its first public preview during the evening. "Barack Obama's been talking about the same things that inspired me to write Street Lights -- community organizing, fixing public education, bringing the promise of the American Dream to every American, and healing the divisions between us," author Joe Drymala said. "Watching his campaign catch fire all over the country has been the most extraordinary political event of my lifetime." Street Lights will feature performances by Timothy Anderson, Andrew Arrington, Krystal Brown, Kevin Curtis, Domonique Porter, Alessia Thompson, Dwayne Washington, & Natalie Weiss.

My Life On The Craigslist

Jeffery's hilarious one man show about finding love (or sex) on Craigslist returns to NYC for three performances only.



Broadway World covers it:

After a sold-out performance at Off-Broadway's New World Stages, My Life On The Craigslist returns to New York for three performances only! My Life On The Craigslist, a solo show written and performed by Jeffery Self (Mr. Broadway, Big Tent) and directed and developed by Ryan J. Davis (White Noise, Breaking In), will be performed Off-Broadway at The 45th Street Theater (354 W. 45th Street) for three Fridays: February 15, 22 & 29 at 11PM. Lights by Solomon Weisbard & Co-Presented by Chris Ryan.
"Jeffery Self plays Jeff Miller, who is sexually frustrated, terribly self-conscious and willing to do anything to spice up his life. After finding the "Men 4 Men" section, his sordid dreams become reality and he begins to live life 'On The Craigslist.' Dirty, sleazy, and funny - this is a one night stand you don't wanna miss," explain press notes.

Tickets are only $10, come check it out!

Tammy Faye Sings

The Tammy Faye Musical, Big Tent, that I directed a big reading of in May is returning for a night at New York's The Metropolitan Room.

Playbill has the details:

Tammy Faye Sings is the title of a Feb. 18 concert at the Metropolitan Room, which will feature songs from the musical Big Tent, which is tagged "The Tammy Faye Bakker Musical."

The 9:30 PM concert at the Manhattan nightspot will feature the talents of Wicked's Stephanie J. Block and Jersey Boys' Sebastian Arcelus as well as Leah Hocking, Jim Stanek, DB Bonds, Kate Rockwell, Jenny Hill, Natalie Douglas, Quiana Parler, Linda Balgord, Jodie Langel, Eric Briarley, Casey Clark, Ryan Driscoll and Hedi Weyhmueller. Jeffery Self, who penned the book for the Tammy Faye musical, will host the evening.

The band will feature Big Tent composers Ben Cohn and Sean McDaniel on, respectively, piano and drums as well as Ric Molina on guitar and Dave Kuhn on bass.

That's all the theater for the next couple of weeks.

Off topic - I've also become a political pundit for The Hill, a widely read political D.C. daily paper. Check out my post here.

South Carolina Friends: Please Vote Saturday!

Hey guys,

I'm here in chilly Saluda, SC working for Barack Obama! I hope you can get out and support the man who deserves more than anyone to be our next President.

I wrote an endorsement of him that gives you some background on my support for his candidacy.

If you live in South Carolina, PLEASE GET OUT AND VOTE Saturday. The polls are open from 7AM to 7PM.

Now more than ever, we need change and Obama is the only candidate who will deliver.

Thanks for you support!

Ryan

My Funny ’Conservative’ Friend

My funny GOP friend Jammy and I were chatting on AIM.

rjdavismd2 (1:44:37 PM): you're a registered republican right?
burgwithonions (1:44:52 PM): yes I am
rjdavismd2 (1:45:21 PM): who would you vote for
burgwithonions (1:45:56 PM): at first I was going to register as independent but I wouldn't be able to vote
burgwithonions (1:45:59 PM): Ron Paul of course
rjdavismd2 (1:46:09 PM): oh fun
rjdavismd2 (1:46:10 PM): you should vote
burgwithonions (1:47:38 PM): yeah, I like him. A lot better than the other republicans
burgwithonions (1:47:42 PM): I wish he would get more attention
rjdavismd2 (1:47:52 PM): he's my favorite racist candidate for sure
burgwithonions (1:49:21 PM): hah, well I think Hillary is my favorite racist candidate, if only she was republican
rjdavismd2 (1:50:11 PM): She's run a more racist campaign than anyone but Mike Huckabee.
burgwithonions (1:52:20 PM): Mike Huckabee is the worst, but she's just as bad.

Anyone think he's wrong? I don't.

I'm For Obama (My Huffington Post Endorsement)

We Can Begin Change Now
A Featured Article on The Huffington Post

For me this election is about change. Changing our party, changing Washington, changing the nation, and ultimately changing the world. I was only six years old when George Bush Sr. was elected president and ten when Clinton followed. They are the political families that I was always conscious of and are the personification of the gridlocked political system.

We can move beyond that system beginning January 3rd, in Iowa, and then spreading across this country as the people nominate Barack Obama for President.

As much as the names of decades past represent the DC gridlock and in some cases the shamefully-centric Democratic Leadership Council, Obama represents a vital, legitimate step forward. He plans to unite the country to reinvigorate our tired political process. We get the best of both worlds here, jump starting America to move toward progress together while allowing us to be proud to be Democrats again.

This party -- the party of Jefferson and Jackson, of Roosevelt and Kennedy -- has always made the biggest difference in the lives of the American people when we led, not by polls, but by principle; not by calculation, but by conviction; when we summoned the entire nation to a common purpose -- a higher purpose. And I run for the Presidency of the United States of America because that's the party America needs us to be right now. - Barack Obama

In December, Andrew Sullivan wrote a beautiful feature on Obama for The Atlantic Monthly, entitled "Goodbye to All That." In it he argues passionately for the transformational possibilities of an Obama Presidency that will even move to heal our generational scars. "We may in fact have finally found that bridge to the 21st century that Bill Clinton told us about. Its name is Obama," he closes.

What's exciting is you can see what Sullivan is saying everywhere. Obama supporters at rallies don't all "look like Facebook" as some campaigns want you to believe. In fact, the latest Des Moines Register poll shows Obama with huge support from men and woman, all age groups, income levels, rural and city voters, and union members. His spectrum is so large that it includes nearly 40% of independents and 5% of Republicans. This isn't just a campaign, it's a movement.



He has supporters from my mother, Judy, a public school special-ed teacher in Maryland, to Taus, a Danish doctor friend of mine, who wrote me today, "The world needs a man like him." The supporters I'm with each day here in Peterborough, New Hampshire are wonderful, passionate, and creative people - even entire families - who don't fit into any particular mold. One potential voter, that I spoke with today, was a retired police chief from a small town who told me, "Obama is what America needs right now." He was introduced to Obama by his college aged daughter and it's actually strengthening their relationship.

Obama is loved by many daughters and sons, all over the country, who are converting their parents to Obama. (I'm one of those sons.) The Des Moines Register poll shows Obama has an astonishing 56% of voters under age thirty-four. He's woken up my cynical generation and made them believe in being Americans again. It's brought out a patriotism that nearly eight years of Bush had stripped away. When Clinton's campaign mocked Obama's young supporters, I was offended at the message these career politicians were sending to young people who were getting involved for the first time; "Go away, we don't think you even count."

Obama embraced his young supporters and gave them a campaign based on hope and change, not on fear, like Clinton, or on anger, like Edwards. The truly stunning thing about Obama's candidacy is that it's actually positive. When he tells us that, "Your voice can change the world." I think he actually believes it. Hell, he makes me almost believe it.

Other people absolutely believe him too. While Clinton raised a ton of money from the establishment, even leading the Republican candidates in donations from pharmaceutical companies and the defense industry, Obama looked to regular Americans to build his populist campaign. With nearly 500,000 contributers, 90% of his donations have been under $100. He doesn't accept lobbyist money, while Clinton famously said at the YearlyKos Convention, "A lot of those lobbyists, whether you like it or not, represent real Americans, they actually do." Obama's built the grassroots support to win a general election with a real mandate to pursue change, he hasn't catered to Washington for his shot at victory.

Although much has been said about Obama's opposition, from the start, to the war in Iraq, he deserves more credit for showing such foresight. Clinton and Edwards both voted for the war, without even bothering to fully read their intelligence reports. To their credit, both Obama and Edwards opposed the Kyl/Lieberman Amendment, which Bush could use to justify a war with Iran. Clinton incredibly and unbelievably voted for the resolution. It showed, yet again, that her foreign policy votes are either: a) politically motivated or b) super scary. Stephen Elliot correctly noted last week on Clinton's Iraq Vote; "We're not talking about any mistake, we're talking about the great mistake of our time. She might as well have voted to authorize the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand." It's fair to worry over Clinton's foreign policy judgment and to give Obama due credit for his.

Clinton's experience argument has been largely dismissed by the press, The New York Times' Patrick Healy wrote last week that "during those two terms in the White House, Mrs. Clinton did not hold a security clearance. She did not attend National Security Council meetings. She was not given a copy of the president's daily intelligence briefing. She did not assert herself on the crises in Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda." Obama's experience outside of Washington should be seen as positive to voters. His work as a community organizer, civil rights lawyer, constitutional scholar, Illinois State Senator, and US Senator give him a wide and varied pragmatic background.

You may still believe I'm a crazy idealist for believing Washington can change. You may think that my judgment is lacking because I supported McCain in 2000 and Dean in 2004 in the Primaries. But, I came to support them out of my anger toward the establishment. I wanted someone to go down to DC and knock some heads around, even if I didn't think they'd have been able to actually get much done. But my endorsement of Obama isn't a choice made in anger or fear, it's a choice made by my belief that Obama is a candidate who can actually transform Washington, not just push it around during recess. I'm more optimistic than I've been in a long time and totally fired up.