Nothin' better than the real thing

I've bought a series of books on the black regiments that served honorably and bravely in the Civil War because it's always been a side interest of mine. Seeing the Battle of Olustee re-enactment in Florida rekindled it for me.

I've finished one of the books so far and it didn't take to me. The style was pompous I thought and the only really interesting sections were the quotes from the original sources.

It brings up a continual challenge--working with original sources. It's that balance between preserving the spark of the original words and complementing them with context and splicing them together with even more original text. At times, you wonder whether you can ever improve on the original--whether you're talking about a series of letters or a diary or an official document. Why commentate at all? But we know that the sum is often greater than its parts. So the work of biography keeps rolling along...

Yale Discovers Door-Knocking

Two Yale political scientists publish more confirmation of the age-old concept that face-to-face vote-getting works...people like the Walk.

Ancestry Questions

In reading my usual haunt, electoral-vote.com, I found a link to this demographic map. I'm not confident about the other categories but getting a bearing on the African counties gives you a nice snapshot of the Democratic base in the old slave states. Especially in Florida, you can see where the plantation legacy is still alive in politics.

As you can see, Leon, Gadsden, and Jefferson counties can and should be seen as simply the southernmost point of the former cotton plantation lands stretching across southwest Georgia.

Century's Ebb

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while...the way culture, whether pop culture or political paradigms, change when they feel like it and not according to calendar.

Some examples, and then I'll get to the punchline.

Consider the Victorian Age in England. It ended when Queen Victoria died, not when 1899 changed to 1900. In a way, the 19th century didn't ultimately end culturally and politically and socially for the Western world until World War I's end. The 19th was a long century.

Now a more trite example, 80s pop culture in America. In CD stores and on film, did the 80s really end at the New Year's celebration welcoming 1990? I would argue no--not at all. It ended when grunge outsold every hair metal CD on the market, and that didn't happen till 1993 or 1994, after Nirvana and company hit it big. Early 90s movies, whether Pretty Woman, The Distinguished Gentleman, or sequels like Beverly Hills Cop 3 and Back to the Future Part III, had their feet firmly planted in previous decade's humor. Maybe it was post Cold War euphoria, the inauguration of a young "hip" president like Bill Clinton, or just love of Eddie Murphy's laugh, but people just couldn't get enough of 80s cheesiness in ten years. So they demanded more.

Which brings us to politics. Now, in rhetorical terms, you might say that the 21st century began with Bill Clinton, since he "build a bridge to the 21st century." But how did it play out in Florida? I'd argue that Lawton Chiles did the same on a local level, in terms of agency reform and reorganization, introduction of high-tech refinements to government, and coming to terms with Florida's "megastate" status. But it's up for debate nationally and Florida-wise, did the Bushes kick of the new century politically or did Chiles and Clinton? Did the 21st century begin politically and culturally with 9/11. I think a lot historians will say yes.

Electoral "C"

An excellent analysis of Ohio's elections the geography of Democratic and Republican victories.

The gist of Florida's victories is easier to visualize I think than in Ohio.

Tawes Crab Feast

Again, outside of the Florida political realm, but the stuff of lore--the Tawes Crab Feast on Maryland's Eastern Shore is this Wednesday and I'm sure it will be a repeat of previous festivities. Hot, very hot and hazy. Without a big-ticket political race in Maryland, the First District congressional race will command center stage. And Obama vs McCain will be huge.

Expect to see at least a hundred political signs spread throughout the field, if you can make them out in the Old Bay spiced afternoon haze.

I don't know that Florida has a similar political rite in its history, one that pulls from nearly every region of the state and is a must for every statewide politico.

The Butterfly Effect

More beachside fun.