Egads. I'm hanging out with Al Franken and John Kerry tomorrow.

[WilliamPitt]

It just kinda hit me as I was getting myself together here. I'm on a train tomorrow morning to New York City because I got invited to a lunch at Franken's house with Kerry and something like 18 other political writers. Krugman, Ivins, Friedman, Bill Schneider from CNN...all gonna be there with a bunch of others.

In case you were wondering, PeteNYC had the ear of the Kerry guy organizing the thing, and demanded that they invite me. Therefore, PeteNYC rules the known universe and all other dimensions of space and time.

Freaking out a little.

Will it be the kind of event where I can peer into the soul of Friedman and ask him where he gets the will to defend Bush on Iraq? Will the crowd be appalled if I bow before Paul Krugman? Do you think Franken will let me wear his glasses? Would Kerry assault me about the head and shoulders if I explained to him that he is, in fact, a BFEE mole who is planning to take over the world with his high-school hockey buddy Robert Mueller, aided by the unstoppable power of an army of undead Skull & Bones members from the last three generations who will claw themselves out of their mouldering graves to lay an assault upon all that is Good and Decent? Hey, I heard that last bit on DU, so it must be true, right?

Fun times, fun times. I'll tell you how it goes when I get back Thursday night. Did I mention that PeteNYC rules my mind?

[Booberdawg]

1. Don't forget to have a good time while you're at it.

:D

[fishnfla]

2. So, what are ya gonna wear?

she made me say it

[buff2]

3. That's great news!

Sounds good to me! Think you can find out if any of them lurk here in DU? :evilgrin:

[WilliamPitt]

4. It might come up

:)

[KC21304]

10. Sounds like a wonderful time. Enjoy it. You deserve it.

[never cry wolf]

16. If it doesn't, bring it up

I'd love to have DU's message get out to the masses.

Have a great time, be yourself and you'll surely open some eyes!

[knight_of_the_star]

50. Please let them know about DU!

Maybe they'll finnaly be able to know the truth about what the base feels.

[seaglass]

75. I'm sure Chris Heinz has reported back to Kerry about

this site, though with the number of crackpots that responded to Chris, I'm not sure what impression he has of this site.

[Myra]

59. "Think you can find out if any of them lurk here in DU?"

Oh cool!
And if they tell you "off the record" just wink
at them then come running back here and spill the
beans. They'll never be able to trace it back to you.
Remember, this is an anonymous forum.

[frank frankly]

5. stand your ground while learning

you belong in that crew, well, except for the POS Friedman.

I would, however, bow to Paul Krugman. Let them be appalled...

[Clark Can WIN]

6. Could you have Al sign my book?

Oh, wait. That's right. I'm still stuck here in Nebraska.

[gristy]

7. Well, have a great time Will

Dopey me thought it was last Thursday... I understand the lunch is "on the record". What does that mean? Will you have to rely on memory? Or does everyone bring a notepad and a bunch of pencils?

[FrenchieCat]

8. Very, very

Cool!:thumbsup:

[Forkboy]

9. Ask Kerry WTF he was thinking with this Baker crap.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

19. No kidding! That was a major mess-up, IMHO.

[JI7]

20. watch cspan speech

watch him mention it himself in the speech. it makes much more sense when you hear it. it wasn't just baker, but others he mentioned who have worked on middle east peace before. there are many reasons to not like james baker, but he did have a positive role in helping to start peace negotiations between israel and palestine along with others in the first bush administration which is a total contrast to how this current bush administration is dealing with the situation. the clinton administration continued with it and that's how clinton's name came up. along with carter for his experience in the area.

[Forkboy]

22. I dont deny any of that

but again Kerry shows that he's either ignorant of the anger some have towards Selection 2000 and Baker's role in it or he doesn't care.Not a good thing either way.

[Vadem]

38. James Baker??? No way do I give him any leeway!.....

He is as (or more so) corrupt as the Bush BFEE group. Never give him any leeway!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

66. Give that guy leeway, and he takes your country!

[WilliamPitt]

40. I don't have to ask

Kerry has lost the base to Dean and Kucinich over his IWR vote. His Patriot Act work lately will bring some back (those, like me, who can forgive him the IWR vote because of his overall extraordinary liberal resume), but not enough. Only freaks like us know how much bad news Baker is; everyone else sees Baker The Advertisement. Kerry is reaching out to the kind of voters who want to see internationalism in a candidate because they are freaked out by Bush. On the surface, the Baker thing works in that regard. Sadly, as we know, it is in fact an incredibly bad policy decision. Policy and politics, sadly, have trouble running parallel.

That's the political assessment. On a personal level: :grr: :grr:

[NewYorkerfromMass]

43. A Sec. of State choice does not make for a "bad policy decision"

a person is not a policy. ...anyway, have fun.

[WilliamPitt]

49. Baker does not represent a whole policy mindset?

I think he does.

[hlthe2b]

48. I still have an incredibly difficult time understanding how

Kerry could perceive Baker as any kind of honorable statesman, given his Carlyle dealings, his blatant cover for ths Saudis, and most obviously, his despicable dealings in FLA2000.

I just can not fathom how Kerry can go double barrel after Bush and then say something like that re: Baker. Just boggels the mind....


But, have fun and report back soon, Will

[Eloriel]

60. Good point, esp. since

Kerry is the one who's gonna expose the whole BFEE thing, doncha know?

Bwaaahhahahahahahaa

Eloriel

[blm]

81. and Dean LOVES Poppy's "excellent" foerign policy

and drools over Powell as a great Sec. of State. Waddya expect from a guy who had "mixed feelings" about illegal wars in Central America and saw no reason to stand against Reagan and Bush on those wars.

[KoKo]

11. Good luck......and tell us if Bill Schneider is as bad as we think he is!

Should be fascinating. Look forward to the report.

[eleny]

12. Would it be okay if you brought along 35000 aquaintances?

[WilliamPitt]

15. "Whadaya mean, you're out of chips?!?"

:)

[eleny]

18. Well, we each bring a dollar!

[kentuck]

13. Give our best to John Kerry from a fellow Viet Nam vet...

I hope he hasn't forgotten what he stood for back in those days... I don't think he has forgotten...He's trying too hard to be the perfect "politician", I think?

[GalleryGod]

31. Kerry Shall Never Forget!

:grouphug:

[Eloriel]

63. Nor let us! n/t

[Closer]

67. ROFLMAO!

[brook]

14. Listen here, Mr. Goofus...

calm down. Imagine that they are all naked in scrungy underwear - and pay attention.

You do remember, don't you, how many of us are waiting on tenderhooks to hear every damned word spoken at said luncheon? I'm serious, Will...screw up and I will demand Sandwich and the Vineyard back from that Commonwealth!

My advice? -
Make the train. Get there. Have fun. Report back. - Oh - and breathe.

[WilliamPitt]

17. Breathing and listening

On the menu.

[brook]

25. that's why we love you...

oh - and please tell Molly that I think she's a world class dame.

[molly]

21. JEEZ - I'm so envious!

PLEASE bow before Paul Krugman - he is a god.
You don't need to wear Franken's glasses - he should wear yours.
Kerry will laugh his ass off!

HAVE FUN!!

[Room101]

34. Hey William........

Don’t forget to thank AL Franken for acknowledging Truthout.com in the back of his book. Thank Paul Krugman for finally writing about BBV, I love that guy. Enjoy your self you deserve to be in the company of these people, I wonder if it will turn out to be like that costume party scene in “Eyes Wide Shut” Hee Hee. Molly Ivins is so funny; you are such a lucky more so deserving bastard!

I can't wait for the report:)

[welshTerrier2]

23. how cool would it be

if we could have a moderated q&a with kerry or franken ... or any of the other attendees for that matter ...

i have a couple of million questions i'd like to ask these guys ... and a couple of million ideas i'd like to share with them as well ...

why can't DU support this type of forum? it seems to me candidates and other "big shots" would enjoy being beaten on a wee bit here in DU heaven ...

[Fleshdancer]

24. don't forget to invite them all to DU!

on second thought...the ass :* kissing on this forum if Franken posted would be a little too much to handle.

[Oilwellian]

26. You lucky dog!

Have a GREAT time! :hi:

[janx]

27. No need to freak, Will.

You're going there for a reason. Enjoy it! Keep your mind on your writing and enjoy it. That should keep you standing steadily on your pins.

[FDRrocks]

28. Wow Pitt...

Congratulations. Sounds to me like this might be a huge turning point in your career. Those are some high level connections you're about to make (not trying to make you nervous). Good luck. I'm sure you'll fill us in.

[AlFrankenFan]

29. You're very fortunate - you're living my dream!

I hope you have a great time! :)

[Kool Kitty]

30. Don't be freaked out.

You have very much in common with all of them, you're a published author, a liberal progressive (okay, so that doesn't apply to Schneider) and you have accomplished much at your young age. You should be proud. (And I thought I was going to have a good day tomorrow, er, today-putting up the Christmas tree and making pizzelles. Sheesh. Let them know how respected they are here, again, except for Schneider. Enjoy, and tell us every word and gesture.)

[madrchsod]

32. how we going to keep

you down on the farm once you`ve seen the big city?? have fun!

[kskiska]

33. What's Schneider doing with that bunch?

Isn't he from the American Enterprise Institute?

[blm]

72. Yep...mediawhores know how to weasel their way in.

They've been controlling our Dem primary for 11 months, why stop now?

[AWD]

35. Have fun Will!

Don't forget to slip them my info!

You rock!

[Closer]

45. Jeff,

make your banner a hotlink to your campaign site, so we can donate to ya, my friend :hi:

[bpilgrim]

36. wow

amazing, you must be psyched :bounce:

well you certainly earned your seat bro :toast:

peace

[virgdem]

37. By all means, have a good time - wish I could be there

Just to meet and speak to Krugman and Molly Ivins would more than make my day.

[TheDonkey]

39. Tell them to post at DU!!!

:D!

Have fun! It sounds like an incredible oppurtunity. I'm sure you'll fit right in.

[Cleita]

41. That's an impressive group.

You should buttonhole Molly Ivins if you can. She's the sum total of the rest of them IMHO.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Closer]

44. Good luck, Mr. Pitt

We'll look for a play by play when you're back :hi:

[Myra]

46. Aright Will. I'll give you the same advice I always give in this situation

To DU members who are invited to lunch at Al Franken's
house with the greatest columnists of our time (ahem):

Eat as much as you can as fast as you can.

Oh, and one more thing. Trust me on this:
Run up to Paul Krugman, grab his hand, and scream
"I LOVE CHEESE!"
This is an inside joke that all Princeton professors are in on.
He'll *love* it. Trust me...I'm from NJ.
(And by all means report back afterward.)

:evilgrin:

And my final bit of advice:

You get to meet the absolute best of the best:
Molly Ivins and Paul Krugman and Al Franken.
Just friggen savor it.
There's a good reason why you were included.
(And, fer the love of god, don't make eye contact with John Kerry.)

[WilliamPitt]

51. "don't make eye contact with John Kerry"

Will I turn to stone? :)

[Myra]

58. "Will I turn to stone? :)"

You'll turn into whatever he's made out of.
...
Think about that.

[DrFunkenstein]

47. They Will Later Mention This As The First Time They Met You

Think about that.

[WilliamPitt]

52. ...Before The Arrest And Extended Detention In Guantanamo

:)

[Myra]

62. "Before The Arrest And Extended Detention In Guantanamo"

They've only been holding people for a couple of
years in total secrecy and without an attorney.
You'll still be a relatively young man when you get out.
...
Most likely.

[Myra]

53. That's a very good point Doc...

First impressions stick like glue.
Should someone (god forbid) trip over their
shoelaces and fall, or (god forbid) throw up on them,
they'll never ever ever forget it.
Ever.
Ever.

I know the Japanese Prime Minister will never
forget being vomited on.

But try not to think of that Will...

[WilliamPitt]

54. *urp*

[janx]

55. REMEMBER NOW--Keep your mind on your work, your writing.

It'll carry you through.

[Missy Vixen]

56. Molly Ivins -- the Goddess Of Journalism

Okay, Will,

Would you give my fondest regards to Ms. Ivins? I met her several years ago in Seattle. I think she was afraid of me, especially after I told her that my friend Sharon and I referred to her as the "Goddess of Journalism".

In the meantime, it is up to you to explain to those present that "going to the Right" is a stupid, stupid mistake.

Go with God. Have a great lunch. Don't throw up on anyone's shoes.

Julie

p.s. Will you also mention to Al Franken that I am the only living SNL fan that remembers the "Al Franken Decade"?

[Eloriel]

57. Uh oh

Molly Ivins just came out for Dean.

Will -- does this mean you're gonna come back a Kerry supporter again?

:evilgrin:

Have fun.

Eloriel

[Closer]

65. No Eloriel

He's on his Pro-Gephardt kick tonight. LOL

Hoping that a Gephardt win in Iowa would help his man Kerry in NH.

How should we let him down easily? ;-)

[RevolutionStartsNow]

61. That's amazing, Will

I'm sure they will all be thrilled to meet you, too. :)

Can't wait to hear the report. Tell Krugman especially to keep up the great work.

What an amazing collection of people in one place.

[Myra]

64. Lord I hope you can get to sleep tonight...

I hope you don't lie awake nervously unable to sleep.
Tick tock.
Tick tock.
If I fall asleep now I'll get 8 hours.
If I fall asleep now I'll get 7 hours...
I sure hope that doesn't happen.
(Tick tock.)

[spindoctor]

68. So what's for lunch?

that's the real question.

[minkyboodle]

69. thats pretty amazing

You are doing great work. Please give us all the details here on DU when you can.
Scott
Kudos :toast:

[aquart]

70. Take Franken seriously and laugh at Kerry's jokes.

They'll love you.

[aquart]

71. Kiss Krugman's feet for me, okay?

And maybe the hem of Ivin's garment.

[sistersofmercy]

73. Hey Will, I'm quite sure you'll be fine and a wonderful asset to the

luncheon discussion. Good Luck!
PS Where the heck have you been lately? I really miss reading your threads! Best of Luck!

[farmbo]

74. Remember...the salad fork's the small one on the right...

...And no drunken "Carrier Landings"* on the table.


* After a running start, the participant belly slides, arms outstreached, lenghtwise down the table, (unless "waved off" by the host) careening to a stop,hopefully, before reaching the opposite end.

[catmandu57]

76. You've paid your dues

You deserve to be in that company. There are some hard working folks here, though I would be hard pressed to name anyone who has worked as hard as William R. Pitt, for as long as I've been fortunate to read his work. Way to go! have a ball.

[KoKo]

77. And BTW, Will.....Do not suck any of those "Sour Balls" on the train!

:P remember :-)'s

[curse10]

78. I'm excited for ya!

I'll be at the Kerry b-day bash next Friday here in Boston and that is exciting for me, this must be amazing!

[realFedUp]

79. Be a good sponge please

We want to hear everything! Nice work PeteCA!

[Generic Other]

80. You carry our collective voices in your pocket!

And you may find that many of those big names actually know and read you!

I actually read a student paper that quoted you the other day! And yes, he mangled the documentation. Sigh...Will Pitt, Thruhout.com.

[JI7]

82. report back

the bad AND the good. and tell kerry to keep his hair short and trimmed as it is now. i like it better like that than when it's big and poufy.

[Vadem]

83. LOL, Will! Have a wonderful time and just tell Bill Schneider....

for us that we are on to his and Candy Crowley's game of kissing * ass to bring up the ratings on CNN. We also know that they are Repubs (they can't hide it from us). Tell him also that I spit and curse at the TV when the two of them are on and kissing * ass! Please, kiss Paul Krugman for me (hopefully, he won't take offense) teehee.

[Jacobin]

84. Call back when you get to hang out with the presumptive nominee

[WillyT]

85. Goddamned Name Dropper !!!

LOL!!!

I'm exited for ya Will!!! When ya comin back to S.F.?

I'll buy the first round or two!

:hi::beer::hi:

[Lisa]

86. try not to spill onion dip on Molly Ivins ...

oh, and if you're at a loss for conversation (AS IF!), ask Al Franken to do his party trick. I've always wanted to see it.

http://www.yale.edu/opa/v29.n14/story6.html