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October 19, 2008

The following exchange was edited out of Saturday Night Live’s coverage of the final presidential debate, in order to allot adequate time for applause:

  • Moderator: “Since you two clearly do not endorse the negative words your campaigns have used against each other in the last few weeks, would both of you care to summarize your campaigns in a single, hopefully positive word? Sen. McCain, you first.”
  • “Joe-the-Plumber.”
  • “One word?”
  • “Hyphenated.”
  • (Headline: “Joe-the-Plumber’s Name Hyphenated”)
  • “All… right, and you, Sen. Obama?”
  • “Look—”
  • “That’s all the time we have for tonight, live from all of us at Saturday Night.”

That’s about all the politicking you’ll find on Minh’s Notes this election cycle. TV comedy – Fox News and MSNBC included – have done a wonderful job covering the campaigns this time. Though I wonder if I’d have more to say (read: more fodder) were I still in Ohio around now, deep in the heart of Pro-America.

Entry №1268, posted by Minh Nguyễn at 1:18 PM | Edit |
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May 22, 2008

The old joke goes: if you know three languages, you’re trilingual; if you know two languages, you’re bilingual; and if you know only one language, you’re an American.

Ohio has struggled with immigration from Hispanic countries more than the small number of immigrants would indicate. Late last year, four illegal immigrants from a poor village in central Mexico were found stabbed to death inside their home, vividly symbolizing the hostility that immigrants face in that part of the country.

Continue reading "A smile and nod" »

Entry №1220, posted by Minh Nguyễn at 9:05 PM | Edit |
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February 6, 2008

All this year, students on campus have been frantic, anticipating the big new role California was to play in the presidential primaries yesterday. After all, when was the last time California was at the starting gate, Super Tuesday, deciding who gets the nomination and who gets written off? This was a big deal for the state, and students on campus – who are allowed to vote in California, regardless of their state of residence – were strongly encouraged to vote here rather than their home state.

I didn’t vote yesterday. I received a few snickers from peers who found out I’m planning to vote in a month, in the Ohio primaries, because by then the nomination would’ve already been settled.

As it turns out, although California will award more of its delegates to Clinton, the “settled” race is far from over, so look to the Other Super Tuesday on March 4th, when Ohio, Texas, and a few other states actually decide who makes the cut. Wouldn’t be ironic if – in an election cycle where the states tripped over each other to be the first to hold primaries – the states that, undeterred, kept their late contests mattered more?

I predict Iowa will feel mighty irrelevant come the party conventions. As for California, enjoy the 15 minutes of fame.

Entry №1169, posted by Minh Nguyễn at 11:50 AM | Edit |
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  1. In a word
  2. A smile and nod
  3. Fifteen minutes
  4. My dorm is your dorm
  5. Treachery
  6. Politics in brief
  7. Musical instructions
  8. Half the candidate
  9. Margin of error
  10. What goes around
  11. In English we trust?
  12. Consequences
  13. War on Christmas
  14. Consensus
  15. Ten things that irk me
  16. Armchair relocation
  17. Field day
  18. Intelligently designing science
  19. Link fest!
  20. Catching up on everything else
  21. Going Out: Breaking the rules
  22. Ignorance is Strength
  23. Freedom is Slavery
  24. Shooting the messenger
  25. Deterrence
  26. In memoriam
  27. Blueprint delivers timely issue
  28. Tell me the truth
  29. When reason triumphs
  30. In brief
  31. Patents for the Belgians
  32. Top this: Weber 2005
  33. Holding back
  34. Serving others
  35. Two moons in your moccasins
  36. In the third person
  37. Disenfranchised
  38. Four more years either way
  39. Pipe dream
  40. A new religion
  41. Steak and Hummers
  42. Between the lines
  43. Walk for X 2004
  44. Swinging and spoiling
  45. Preferencial treatment
  46. Political hack
  47. Anyone else?
  48. Devalued
  49. Political science
  50. Anything you can do I can do better
  51. It’s really not fair
  52. No fair!
  53. On security
  54. The computer ate my homework
  55. Arrival
  56. Slowing down (to look at all the signs)
  57. Speeding up
  58. Weber 2004
  59. On to JNG!
  60. Analyzationism
  61. Garage Doors and Copyright
  62. No Fair!
  63. Wanna Bet?
  64. Chief Prisoner
  65. Incentive
  66. Smoking Gun
  67. Changin’ times
  68. Due
  69. Prior responsibility
  70. As it comes to war
  71. One-Way Diversity
  72. Hacking a Democracy
  73. Cheap Channel
  74. Legalities
  75. Parody
  76. Reasons
  77. Politicking
  78. Copy-right?
  79. Enough Already
  80. The Crooked N
  81. DVD-Jon: the American front
  82. Bushism of the Day
  83. Election Day
  84. Stomp... stomp... stomp
  85. I pledge