My Blankee, Barack Obama

I'm having a hard time sleeping this week. Maybe it's the ridiculous amount of projects I've said I'll do and maybe it's the queasy feeling I get when I think of having a president I actually like, or maybe it's that I'm overeating....

Let's get back to the president part. For my entire life I have been politically aware. My parents hosted fundraisers and even ran for office in Wisconsin. Those episodes alone should have scared me off. Instead, I became an independent. I voted for losers. Almost always.

Now, to have a president whom I supported and who actually seems to have a plan that I can get my head around. It's makes me uneasy. I'm uncomfortable in this place. I have no bearings. I'm like a child.

One thing that brings me comfort is my signed copy of Obama's "Dreams from My Father". Mark recently dug it up. My friend Jane had invited me to a Senate fundraiser for him, I think, and I got a signed book. Who knew one day it would become a valuable collectors item? To date it's worth $250 on ebay. But I'm not selling mine. I'm holding on to it like a blankee. My feeling is that anyone who could write candidly about his childhood, has come to grips with it and has moved on. He's baggage free and ready to rock this world.

And the few times we did meet, well, I have comfort in that too. Because I have never been in the room or at a rally with any other president in history. But I have seen live, spoken to, known many friends of, and seen transform like butterfly, Barack Obama. He's a known quantity, like my blankee.

OK, I think I can get some sleep now.

Citizen Kate Takes a BITE Out of the Political Sausage

Many say they love encased meats, but do they know why they love their meats? Kate goes to Hot Dougs to better understand what goes in to a political sausage.

Rahm Emanuel Light

We here in Chicago know how to get things done. We're "the city that works". And we work hard. But do we play well?

Rahm Emanuel, known as "Rahmbo" will be the next White House Chief of Staff under President Obama. He's got the "sharp elbows" of a street fighter. He actually said "Rahm is Israeli for screw you!" How will that work in the kindler, gentler White House of Barack Obama? I can tell you right now that what we're going to see is "Rahm Light. "

Rahm Light, maybe his credo will be forty lashes with a wet noodle. I don't think so, what I think will happen is Rahm will be the Yin to Obama's Yang. And I understand that Obama is very accepting of divergent opinions and sensibilities. He wants the best brains and the sharpest wit, and maybe he also needs the sharpest elbows.

Whatever the reason he chose my Congressman, he's going to get his money's worth. Rahm may be a Rahmbo, but he's our Rahmbo and we like it that way, because it works.

The People's Press Area - Obama's Election Party

Con Con Confusion

As you can clearly see Mark thought he was casting his vote for the Constitutional Convention or Con Con as it was known, but in fact he was mislead by the ballot. The actual place to vote was on the flip side below the 100 + judge races - as if anyone would really read that far - even Mark, a seasoned voter, had a hard time with that one.

An afterthought - Mark said he had considered writing me in. But he couldn't find the line.

Post Election Coma

OK, that was one of the most exhausting shoots of the entire campaign. We spent two days filming. This day started at about 3pm filming Kate voting, then Obama's big night. That was like 10 hours on our feet, schlepping our gear, followed by the extremely overwhelming emotional wave that followed Obama's win. Still can't believe it.

I will never forget the sound of the wave of relief and excitement from the crowd that night - like a roar. The feeling was not an election night hoorah, it was much more like new years eve of the new millennium. And a lot more important if you ask me.

With me in the photo are Chris Peppey, who has shot this entire Citizen Kate adventure and Dave Skwarczek, a pal from Second City who volunteered to film Citizen Kate.

Election Night

Proud to say I was there from the start to finish. Proud to be an American, proud to be a Chicagoan.

Making the Movie: Obama and (Not) Me, The Citizen Kate Story

You know all those movies you love? You know all those TV shows you loathe? You know how every time you see something inane you shout at the TV, 'I could do better than that!' Yeah, everyone says that. I think my cat even thinks it, secretly, about my work, but he's a true diplomat and says nothing aloud. I love him.

Well, in the spirit of I can do better than that, I've decided to try my hand at it. I'm embarking on making the most important movie about a citizen journalist ever made! What's that? There haven't been too many movies about citizen journalists? So be it, we'll start a new sub-genre: movies about making shows about citizen journalists.

That photo above is an example of one of our great triumphs and failures. Kate commissioned the Butter Cow Lady of Iowa, Duffy Lyon, to sculpt a butter head of Obama. While doing research on Duffy for our piece I found the story on the NY Times, thousands of references to it and later that night on Keith Olberman. I was aghast! Also excited. Our butterhead was going to help Obama win. I mean, what self-respecting dairy farmer wouldn't want to vote for someone as wholesome as a butter president endorsed by the butter lady? Obama got a great positive bump, we got bupkus.

That story was not attributed to us. Why? If you're the Obama campaign and the Butter Cow Lady is making a butter bust of your candidate, do you want a story about an upstart group of nuts commissioning this or do you want a sweet old lady to just present it as a heartfeld, outsider artist kind of effort?

Ah, but in New Hampshire, we caught up with David Axelrod, he said of the butterhead "I think it was the secret to his success," we have that on tape.

How many citizen journalists, or real journalists, can boast that? I'm waiting. Yup, it's great to be a citizen, you can say or do anything.

In the coming months I will be tearing my hair out trying to turn these 200 hours of footage into a movie. Something tells me it may not be that easy. But I know that it will be funny, and hence, it will be successful.

Is that something that you would be interested in? You the audience or you the investor in this film. If you like it - drop me a line.

Peace and Hugs

Carey

October Tricks or Treats

Octobers’ Trick or Treat – Presidential Style

October is a tricky month. It's all about Halloween, the first chill of winter, and - the dreaded “October Surprise.”

The October Surprise is a term for an event or piece of information that turns an election around. It may also be a suspicious piece of candy in your plastic trick or treat pumpkin. Whichever it is, not to worry.

In the past, October surprises have ranged from Michael Dukakis looking like a goof on top of a tank to James Carville labeling Bush out of touch by saying, “it’s the economy stupid.” Oh wait, that would be a good slogan for today. Of course it might be updated to, the nation’s nest egg is missing, stupid, or, McCain is gonna die and Sarah Palin is stupid, stupid.

I get anxious when friends tell me either “I’ve had a gut instinct since July, Obama is gonna be president” or “We’re all going to be very unhappy on November 5th, mark my words.” Now I’m gassy.

Here's the end game strategy for both candidates: Obama starts by mobilizing a vast army of motivated volunteers, then seals the deal on national TV, then steals more Republican newspaper endorsements from McCain; McCain pays a sizable group of employees who make calls for a living - last month they were making calls for Countrywide Mortgage, then, lose more friends, including Chuck Hagel, when you lose the Haleator, you know you're sunk, finally, cap it off with some backstabbing from that upstart Palin.

To you worriers I say: enjoy your trick or treat candy, worry about your waistline and laugh at the Daily Show. Enjoy it. Savor it. The die is cast. The mistakes have been made. The vetting has been vetted. Those who are still “on the fence” between McCain and Obama are either total idiots or … total idiots. Yeah, I said it. Unless you're deciding between Nader and Obama, or Barr and McCain. You might be a big picture type and I understand that. Otherwise, consider America's future, here and abroad. What piece of information are you waiting for to make up your minds - The October Surprise?

Citizen Kate on Fox TV

Watch Kate go toe to toe with the hard nosed and not too huggy Jack Conaty.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/pages/News/Politics/Detail?contentId=7574839&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.14.1

In a search for the elusive "undecided voter" for my project called Citizen Kate, I have been asking for people who are undecided to let me interview them.

If you know anyone in Chicago that has a good reason why they're not decided, please forward their name!

We film Nov 3 and 4.

Peace

Paulson for President

It's the silly season and everything is supposed to be about our next president. But, someone has found a way to push Obama, Palin, McCain (and occasionally Biden) off the top of the fold - our old friends in the investment banking industry.

This week, me and millions of others who saved their hard earned money for our retirements, found ourselves having anguished conversations with our investment bankers. Mine is a friend and I don't want to see him lose his job the way I lost my $25K on Tuesday then made up half of it on Friday.

Yup, if anything can push the most highly rated presidential campaign in my adult lifetime off the front page it's the threat of losing my shirt and having to eat cat food, with my cats, in my senior years.

But, is it me or was "President" Bush abnegate the throne to Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson? Every word he uttered became the unquestionable wisdom we're going with to save our skins.

I want a president who will get out in front of the issues. This week, I felt like a Hurricane Katrina victim on top of a house, waiting to be rescued and looking in the sky for my great leader...and crying.

Citizen Kate on WTTW

They said she'd never hit the big time major markets - but things are looking up for plucky Citizen Kate.

Here is her recent interview from WTTW's Chicago Tonight

http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=42,8,1&pl=New%20Video%205

OMG - Barack is a gulp, politician!

Having lived inside the political sausage, in Chicago, I know there's one major reason why we have two parties in this country - money! Without it, you don't have a campaign. Dash too far to the right or left, and your chances diminish. Be Black or a woman and your chances go down even further. Raise more money and you're back at the table. Raise more money than anyone in history and well, you're on your way to super stardom.

I was able to attend the way underfunded Green Party convention last week, when I covered it for my site, Citizen Kate, you can watch it here. They raise money the old fashioned way - they pass a hat! I witnessed an amazing thing at there last week. During the acceptance speeches of the nominees, they listed the great civil rights leaders of this country. Guess which major Black leader was left off the list? That's right, that great humanitarian, the giant elephant in the room. the man from the Grammy winning Audacity of Hope, Mr. Barack Obama. At first, I was like, alright, I realize he's from a competing party, but then I realized, wait, exactly what has he done to deserve to be up there with MLK? Nothing. Yet.

Barack has become the world's Chancey Gardner. You can read what you wan into him. Most people see him as either - a man who might be the best thing to happen to America since Roosevelt, or, a future major let down who is now flip-flopping.

But to attend a Barack Obama rally is something not to be missed. He's inspiring people the way old time leaders did. That's why we love him. I mean on shear speaking talent alone - he's so moving it takes your breath away, not to mention he's got Stevie Wonder backing him up. It's the closest most of the under thirty generation have ever gotten to a peoples' movement.

Despite being called a terrorist, a leftist, and all manner of hateful things, je has stuck to his centrist values (as clearly outlined in his autobiographies). Another reason he deserves to be our next president. No, I don't think he's really a flip-flopper, but I do think he's smart enough to modify his message with new information. The New Yorker's profile this week, once you get past the ridiculously poor taste and soon to be collector's item cover of Barack and Michelle as terrorists, does a great job of rating his flip-flopping. Essentially, there's not much. Again, people see what they want and he's already clearly covered who he is, just read the books. Oh that's right, reading is for losers. I forgot.

That being said, there's still the little matter of the current hype situation. Fueled by $52M raised last month.

I redid this iconic poster to reflect a little more accurate portrait of Obama. I think he'll be a great president, but really, people, he's just a politician, just a man, just a guy doing the best he can...