Real Washington: Show Preview (September 12, 2010)

"Hello! May I buy your vote today?!": We are going to talk about how the fiasco over vote-buying on the final days leading up to the Democratic Primary on Tuesday is becoming a big issue for both campaigns. Markus gives his opinion

Candidate for Delegate to Congress, Doug Sloan: We will be talking with a candidate for DC's Congressional Delegate to the House of Representative, Doug Sloan, about his platform, his campaign. We will also be taking listener questions via email (markusbatchelor@gmail.com) and via twitter (@markusbatchelor, with the hashtag #rw).

Delegate to Congress for the District of Columbia, The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton: We will sit down with Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton to talk about her time in the House of Representatives, her 2010 Race, her 2010 opponent and her plans for the future if elected to a 11th term. We will also be taking listener questions via email (markusbatchelor@gmail.com) and via twitter (@markusbatchelor, with the hashtag #rw).

Tomorrow! Big Reveal at the Big Chair! 5:30pm

Tomorrow, the writer of Congress Heights on the Rise, Nikki Peele (also known as the Advoc8te) will be hosting an event tomorrow at the Big Chair called the "BIG REVEAL". Its a tremendous surprise and very few people know what its all about, but I will definitely be there. It has been publicized in the area very heavily and a lot of time and preparation (and most like- money) has gone into this event, and I won't miss it. Will you?

I will be taking photos and posting them here tomorrow night! EXCITING!

Quote from NBCWashington.com (click for article)

For weeks, TheCostia.com has been teasing D.C. residents with a "big reveal" coming Friday, Sept. 10.

At least we have the Where and When, if not the What.

At 5:30 p.m. Friday, the "biggest thing to happen in Anacostia sincethe Big Chair" will be unveiled -- at the Big Chair, appropriately enough. The event, whatever it might be, will run until 8 p.m. The first 50 people to arrive will receive a free gift. The Big Chair is located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue S.E. at W Street S.E.

The Gallery at Vivid Solutions (2208 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. S.E.) will host a sneak peak event at 4 p.m.

D.C. Councilmembers Marion Barry and Kwame Brown are slated to attend.

CBS News Speaks with Mayor Fenty

Mayor Fenty has an interview with CBS News about his four years as Mayor, the campaign and what he plans to do differently when elected to a second term.

Let the Brown-Bashing Begin! Will the Real Michael Brown Please Stand Up!

With one week left before the Democratic Primary, campaigns for At-Large (and their supporters) are out to make sure voters know the distinction.

From campaign website postings, to robo-calls, to prime-time television commercials, opposing campaigns for At-Large member of the City Council are out in full force in the weeks leading up to the September 14 Democratic Primary to make sure that people know that "Michael Brown" is no "Michael Brown".

Michael D. Brown, Shadow Senator, is NOT Michael A. Brown, sitting At-Large city councilman, but the name has been earning the Shadow Senator ward endorsements and votes from those who haven't made the separation between the Senator and his much more popular "name-twin" on the Council.

I saw a commercial a little while back with Council member Michael "The Real Deal" Brown, sitting in a chair warning the voters that "I am not running" in this year's election, "This Michael Brown is". He warned the voters "don't vote for this Michael Brown, vote for Phil Mendelson...".

The homepage for the reelection of Phil Mendelson, the incumbent, scrambling to take back control of the race, flaunts the title, "The Two Michael Browns- Here's what you can do".

Therefore, this looks like what the final days of the At-Large race will be about. "Don't vote Michael Brown".

From NBC Washington Blog: Meet the Future Mayor

Meet the Future Mayor

Ward 8's Markus Batchelor has big ambitions

By P.J. ORVETTI

Updated 6:40 PM EDT, Mon, Sep 6, 2010

BUZZ UP!

2retweet

Markus Batchelor

When many Washingtonians hear the words “Ward 8” and “teenagers,” they think of crime. Delinquency. Hopelessness.
To them I say: Meet Markus Batchelor.

Batchelor, of Congress Heights, is the executive director of a nonprofit organization called Teenocracy. He is the deputy campaign manager for Nate Bennett-Fleming’s campaign for shadow representative. He hosts an Internet radio talk show.

He’s 17 years old.

Batchelor got interested in politics during the tumultuous 2000 presidential campaign. He recalls using crayons and scrap paper to make a Gore 2000 sign. From there, his interest grew. He served as student body president at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School before he went citywide. He currently serves as D.C. Youth Mayor.

The Youth Mayor, elected annually, “is a young person elected to express the views on youth to our city leaders,” Batchelor told me. “The youth mayor is a very public figure and I have made it a priority to be very visible with the mayor, our Council chairman, members of the Council, and candidates in this year’s election.”

Last year, he founded Teenocracy, which is intended to educate D.C. teenagers about politics and government and provide a forum for discussion. Batchelor believes that “a deep misunderstanding and pleasant ignorance to politics, political beliefs and government operations” have led to “political extremism” in the District that holds the city back.

“It started with a group of four or five of my closest friends getting together to talk about politics and current events in a local restaurant or coffee shop for a few hours,” he said. He later expanded the idea and created a formal organization that has co-sponsored candidate forums and performed community service. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Councilmember Kwame Brown, and Colorado U.S. Rep. Jared Polis have signed on as honorary co-chairs.

He met Bennett-Fleming -- who is just 8 years older than him -- at a campaign event in March, and volunteered for his campaign. Batchelor has nothing bad to say about current Shadow Rep. Mike Panetta, who Bennett-Fleming is challenging in next week’s Democratic primary, but said he was “was impressed with the type of passion and dedication Nate brought” to the push for D.C. voting rights and statehood.

Batchelor also has a favorite in the race for mayor, but he’s keeping it to himself. “I definitely do have a preferred candidate in this race,” he said. "However, as Youth Mayor, I don’t feel that it is my place, especially as a representative of all D.C. youth, to make my personal opinions public.”

Nikki Peele, who blogs as The Advoc8te at Congress Heights on the Rise, told me, “I fondly recall my first meeting with Markus Batchelor. I was working on the Charles Wilson for Ward 8 City Council campaign and here comes this enthusiastic, well-spoken, and almost too mature for his age young man -- wearing a tie no less -- and he was volunteering with us. I remember thinking at the time, ‘Wow, how many 16 year olds would spend their free time pounding the pavement for a political campaign?’”

Batchelor says he plans to have his own name “on a local ballot sometime very soon, possibly even as soon as 2012,” and would like to sit on the D.C. Council by the end of the decade. “I definitely want to be mayor of the District at some point,” he said. “The city definitely needs good leadership and if I get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be chosen to serve, I will not hesitate to jump in.”

He already has at least one backer. Peele, who profiled Batchelor on her blog earlier this year, told me, “I always tell Markus that while he may be too young for office now, he definitely has my vote when the time comes.”

First Published: Sep 5, 2010 5:12 PM EDT

Real Washington: Premier Show Preview (September 5, 2010)

Here is a preview of what you can expect on Real Washington today at 6pm EST. www.blogtalkradio.com/realwashington

"Apologies, Mistakes, Apologies, Mistakes": How the final weeks of the 2010 DC Mayoral Campaign are starting to sound like a Catholic church confessional and how each candidate is pushing the other to repent his political sins.

Ward 8 ANC Race Heats Up as Attacks on Incumbent Grow Sour: Featured from the blog- Markus talks about the contentious and controversial race in Single Member District 8C03 between Incumbent Mary Cuthbert and newcomer Larry Pretlow.

(Photo left) Candidate for At-Large member of the DC City Council, Clark Ray: We will speak to former Parks and Recreations Director and candidate for the At-Large seat of the DC City Council, Clark Ray about his campaign, his platform and the recent controversy over Shadow Senator Michael Brown's candidacy, that has bumped Ray into a 3rd place position against incumbent Phil Mendelson. For more information, visit www.clarkrayforcouncil.com (First half)

(Photo right) Independent Candidate for Virginia's 6th Congressional District, Jeff

Vanke: We will be joined by Jeff Vanke, an independent candidate for the Congressional seat for Virginia's 6th District, who has become one of the leading candidates in the race, posing a great threat to long-time incumbent, Republican Bob Goodlatte. With no Democrat in the race, Vanke is gaining support for his centrist views from Democrats, Independents and defective Goodlatte supporters. He will talk with us about his platform and his prospects for November. For more information, visit www.jeffvanke.com

New Fenty Ad says Gray can't admit mistakes; cites wrong record

The Fenty Campaign released a new ad today, accusing his opponent, Chairman Vincent Gray, of not being able to admit mistakes he has made as a city official. The ad begins with a myriad of public officials such as President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in interviews admitting to committing some "mistake". The ad then flashes to Vince Gray on yesterday's Fox 5 Debate saying that he is "proud of the record" he has as a councilman when asked what mistakes he had made thus far.

The ad then diverts to his record as DHS director, citing that Vince Gray was responsible for losing millions in city money and losing track of foster children (all quotes flashing up from articles in the early 1990's). The ad would have been good: except, the question posed in the scene before was NOT what his mistakes were in his entire political career, but the mistakes he has made during his tenure as a member of the council (the past 5 years). So, the ad would have been good, but definitely did not prove the point it had intended to.

It was definitely a good attempt to try to pull Vince Gray into conceding his mistakes, as Mayor Fenty has been doing for the past month or so, but it definitely undermines the relevance of the Chairman's past mistakes when they are a decade old.

I am sure Vincent Gray has made mistakes on the council, but the ad released gave no insight into it.

Back to the drawing board.

Early Voting Widens Its Availability Today: Get Out The Vote and Vote for these Guys!

Today, more polling places for early voting are opening. If you can't get out on September 14th, its time to go now! These additional locations are opening today:

Chevy Chase Community Center
5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Hine Junior High School
335 8th Street, SE

Southeast Tennis and Learning Center
701 Mississippi Avenue, SE

Turkey Thicket Recreation Center
1100 Michigan Avenue, NE

Along with this location, the original location at One Judiciary Square will also be open:

One Judiciary Square

441 4th Street, NW

Polls will be open from 8:30am- 7:00pm

Polls will be OPEN on Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 2010, but will be closed on Sundays.

When you go, make sure to mark these candidates on your ballots!

• Kwame Brown- Chairman of the DC City Council
• Clark Ray- At-Large Member of the Council
• Nate Bennett-Fleming- U.S. Representative
• Eleanor Holmes Norton- Congressional Delegate

In terms of the Mayor's race, you are on your own for now. But make sure to find out the FACTS and make an INFORMED decision.

ANC Race in Ward 8 Heats Up as Attacks on Incumbent grow sour

The race for the Advisory neighborhood commission seat in 8C03 has grown sour within a few short weeks as Larry Pretlow, amateur rapper and youth rights advocate, has attempted to unseat long-time incumbent Mary Cuthbert.

The controversy between Pretlow and Cuthbert, neighbors, began when Pretlow released a barely audible video to news sources early in August, which allegedly captured Cuthbert calling her opponent a "dumb nigger". Cuthbert never denied the claim and was even captured escaping the eye of news media at a Ward 8 Candidates forum held a few days after the story was broken. The story never reflected extremely bad on Cuthbert and the story passed very quickly without threatening her run for reelection. However, it did sour many people's feelings about Pretlow both because of attacks on Cuthbert and their personal interactions with him.

Since the controversy began about a month ago, sites such as www.wehatepretlow.wordpress.com have popped up, citing Pretlow's debatable record, challenging his claims against Cuthbert and doubting his motives for running for the office. His name is a staple of gossip within the Ward. One resident says that when he asked Pretlow the purpose of the ANC, the response and answer was very vague and skimped in detail, giving hint that Pretlow might not know what his job would actually be. Others say that Pretlow was recruited to move to Ward 8 a few months ago by Cuthbert's enemies on the commission to oust her. Even the Mayoral race has made it into this controversy, as many cite that Pretlow has shown support throughout the race for Leo Alexander, while "playing politics" and campaigning for Chairman Vincent Gray.

Despite this, Pretlow is getting some show of support, even recruiting Liz Pecot as his campaign manager, a large supporter and volunteer for Mayoral Candidate Leo Alexander. Which, will make for a contentious and exciting ANC race East of the River on September 14th.

Welcome Back!

I have not been posting for a while, but I am ready to get back to the job, bringing you commentary in one of the best election seasons in DC and one of the most exciting times in America.

I will try to post very often, hopefully everyday. So, stay tuned and Welcome Back!

-Markus

Great New Campaign Commercial- Weaver. Ward One.

Great New Campaign Commercial by the Weaver Ward One Campaign. Hilarious and informative! Great job! Best one of the season so far!

Keeping it Alive: Keeping a 29 year old cause going, if even for a moment

It is a well-known fact if you have been near the White House since 1981, that there is a dedicated crop of demonstrators posted in Lafayette Park, protesting many different issues from nuclear proliferation to United States policy in Israel. While wandering past the White House today, right before a lightning storm prepared to hit, I took about 15 minutes to speak with a man named "Start Loving", who was midway through his 8-hour shift on the 24/7 vigil, now in its 29th year (June 3, 1981).

He told me his great story about leaving his well-paying job to devote his time, and life, to this cause for human justice in the United States and across the world, not neglecting to converse with me on the topics I was interested in, including my school, DC Statehood and the recent DC Mayoral race (not censoring his sour opinion of Vincent Gray and the affect his Mayorship would have on DC education).

He has been taking part in this vigil full-time for over a year, since the death of the vigil's founder, William "Doubting" Thomas in January 2009, just a few days into the Obama administration. He told me that he has committed all of his time to his vigil because he believes in the potential of human beings to end the strife and human suffering going on all around the world. He is definitely not one of the "wack-jobs" that people have perceived the people there to be, but really is a regular guy down for the cause. It was very inspiring to see him talk to a passing school group and signing autographs on little slips of paper the students handed him.

When I asked him how exciting the sights were living in front of the White House were, he turned and simply said that with the time he spends talking to guests and working on the cause, "there's not time for sightseeing".

I watched him kneel over in the makeshift tent they have pitched and pull from the conglomeration of stuffs an empty water bottle, which in reflection on the heat and humidity of the day, disheartened me. "Hey, Markus...", he said to me, unexpectedly. "Will you stand here within like 3 feet of the signs for four minutes while I go get some water?". It shocked me, but I jumped at the chance to do so. So there he was, walking clear across Lafayette Park, out of sight, and there I was, on my own, continuing the 29-year-old movement that had defined Pennsylvania Avenue for 3 decades. I watched the very few visitors there were pass by and read the signs after the light rain had passed over, myself being the difference between a continuance or a Secret Service-induced end to this long-time protest.

When he returned, bottle filled, I gave him a hand shake and made my way down Pennsylvania Avenue, knowing that I had just experienced 3 minutes that I would never forget, playing my small role in preserving history. But, after a picked up a short meal at a local McDonald's, I couldn't help but return and get a picture with Start Loving to commemorate the day.

Start Loving and Concepcion Picciotto, our hearts are with you and we wish you the best of luck.

VIDEO: Watch "Start Loving"s interview with Roseane Barr.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pymatyIJEZo]

Visit Start:

Website- Directory to ALL of his blogs. lol

Facebook

Twitter

Kojo Speaks on the Tone of the DC Mayor's Race: The Politics Hour- June 18, 2010

This video above is Kojo Nnamdi talking about the tone of the Mayor's race and the obscene display of the electorate again Mayor Adrian Fenty. He makes some good points about how DC residents choose their battles, even when the battle they are waging is less smart than the one they need to wage.

And is Kojo right? Do people look for style over substance? Definitely! Why do I say this? Because at the moment, Gray is the "it" candidate. He has presented himself solely as the Fenty alternative, but has lacked to present any real platform on what he wants to do as Mayor (except reverse the policies of Mayor Fenty- unless you're talking about Michelle Rhee, now that's a "maybe").

Gotta love Kojo!

Freshman Year: Not as bad as you think

The United States Government has become more and more interactive over the past century. From fire-side chats with FDR, televised Inaugurations and C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, C-SPAN3 and so forth and so, comes a new way to see behind the scenes and behind closed doors into the Elected Officials on Capitol Hill.

Freshman Year, a look into the everyday operations of Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colorado) and Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), is a new internet sensation on CNN.com, giving you a first hand look into the work, play and all the things in between of two men during their first year, and first term as members of the United States House of Representatives.

They have published episodes occassionally since the 111th Congress took office in early January 2009, which has chronicled many behind the scenes issues of a first-term U.S. House Representative from attending government formal functions, to travelling back and forth from their districts to Washington, meeting the President, voting on bills, preparing speeches and sitting in staff meetings.

More in-depth and more fun occasions would be "leg wrestling" with Stephen Colbert, sleeping on a cot during the legislative week in their office and hanging out with the floor-cleaning guy in the house office building at 1:30am.

No matter how funny it may get, Freshman Year is a great way to look into the lives of your congressman or woman and what they do everyday to fully represent you during their 4 days a week on Capitol hill and back in your neigborhoods. I give Freshman Year a aye!

Honoring Edward M. Kennedy

Senator Ted Kennedy has been in public service for the past half century. He entered the United States Senate in 1962, some 47 years ago, along the way serving as Majority Whip and chairman to many influencial Senate Committees.

He was a candidate for the Presidency in 1980, a council and brother to brothers with backgrounds as Senators, attorney general, Presidential candidates and President. Not to mention beng an advocate for much groundbreaking legislation during his time in Congress and playing an influencial role in the inception of his collegue Senator Barack Obama as the first African American and 44th President of the United States of America. This great patrairch of a long line of public servants has led a life of service, longer than many of his collegues in Congress and has moved forward the ideals of his three brothers, whose lives ended before him, at the beginning of his political career.

Edward "Ted" Kennedy is now being honored as the great public servant he has always been. 47 years after he took foot to Capitol Hill, and more than a half century after he began his ventures in service, he has been knighted as Sir Edward Kennedy by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Her Majesty of the UK. On March 26, 2009, a bill funding national service programs, including Americorps, which turned out to be a great bi-partisan feat in congress, was unanimously and without objection chosen to bear his name, after which he recieved a standing ovation on the floor of the Senate.

Edward Kennedy is a great servant, whom America owes a great debt, and that is why this blog honors the man, servant and Senator, Edward M. Kennedy.

Government Filled with Talk of Economy: What Good is it Doing?

For the past three months since democrats took control of both sides of the Pennsylvania Avenue, a lot of talk has passed through halls of the White House and the Capitol about the effects of the economy and different solutions to the issue. 

But where has that gotten the country as of today? The United States Government has been debating, writing legislation and talking to the American people about what America needs to do and what we can do, but no real progress has been made.

Partisanship has delayed the process of fixing the economy, with bills being given the cold shoulder by Republicans, and democrats being given a hard time for about their policies on congressional floors and on White House lawns. The United States Government is totally responsible for providing a proper economic situation for it's people, and it is time for politicians nation-wide to get ready to cooperate and get our country stable now.

Dick Cheney: Where Did You Come From!?

Former Vice President Richard "Dick" Cheney seemed to be rather quiet during his time at Number One Observatory, not speaking much for or against anything the President had done on a major public sphere. But now, it seems that since he's left the bubble of Washington and emptied his office at the White House, leaving it to his succesor, Joseph Biden, he has had alot to say on the actions of Joe Biden's boss, President Barack H. Obama.

Just a few months after he choppered out of Washington on January 20th, leaving it to a new era in American politics, the former Second in Command has become majorly opinionated about the Obama Administration Policies, and also many of the policies his former boss, Former President George W. Bush, concocted in his presence during their eight years at the wheel.

The Former VEEP is beginning to appear more and more on Sunday Morning Political shows, speaking his mind about what he thinks is right and wrong in Washington, something you rarely heard from the Dick Cheney of Jan 2001 to Jan 2009. Critisisms of Guantanamo Bay Closing, Obama war and anti-war policies, the economy and a few war and economic policies of his Commander in Chief have been airring nation-wide recent weeks, whereas when he had a seat in the White House, a second of Where is he now was about to be airred for him.

This great burst of opinion from Dick Cheney has surprised media personell and even myself, as I wonder why Former Vice President Dick Cheney decided to critisize Bush Administration Policies in 2009 after he left the halls of power and not in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Well, it looks like the "I really had to get that off my chest moment is over for Richard Cheney and he'll sink back into the Where is He Now conversation of America...at least until he shoots another colleague in the face.

Republican Resistance in Congress: What's the Problem?

Since Congress took oath back in early January, there's been somekind of animosity between the elephants and donkeys in Congress.

Not the usual kind of animosity either. There's some deep steming partisanship since Democrats took control on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.

The prime example would be the 2009 Obama Stimulus. Republicans intially made a fuss over not wanting to give support to the highly democratic bill. And what did President Obama and his congressional counterparts do?

Despite the highly philibuster-proof majority of dems in congress to pass the stimulus, Dem leaders in government conducting weeks of talks and nagotiations with GOP members to come the a concensus. And what happened? After all of that wasting of time and talks, only 3 GOP members vote for it in congress becuase the talks "didnt help the process".

Bipartisanship has been a big thing for the Obama team since day one, but Republicans are not biting. Its really for Dems now-a-days to take their high victory to stride and completely take elephants out of the equation in alot of liberal legislation, but bipartisanship has still been key.

Im in favor largely for bi-partisanship, but it's a two way street. No need to be bitter Jeb Bush Sarah Palin 2012 supporters. Call your congressmen and women and tell them "be cooperative with the other side of the aisle, or else ur not gonna get too far".

DC Voting Rights: Constitution or True Democracy?

One ethical question facing the conscious of the people of the United States and currently the United States Congress, more specifically, is the question of DC Voting Rights. The prominent question in DC Voting Rights is if the United States should stick to its commitment to the United States Constitution, which specifies nothing about the representation of any place other than ratified states. Or should we choose to stick with the ideals of the United States to properly represent all American citizens, giving all Americans an equal chance of having their voice heard?

As a life-long resident of the District of Columbia and a person who has known what it is like to never have a voting member in the House of Representatives and absolutely no representation in the United States Senate, I feel as though the United States is, and should feel, obligated to represent the nearly 600,000 (and growing) people who live in the District and pay taxes to the government in which they are not fully represented in.

Despite what the words of the constitution may say about the District of Columbia, the American ideology has always been to be democratic and give everyone a proper voice in their government. It is, and has been for the past 200 years, hypocritical for the United States Government to not represent the residents of the District of Columbia in both houses of Congress, and this hypocrisy will continue as long as Eleanor Holmes Norton, or whomever may follow cannot walk on the House or Senate floor and cast their vote and give their constituents a voice in the nation in which they work and give back to.

In this time where the American people are questioning their government’s loyalty to the people, it is not time to talk about the logistics of a document that was made to be amended when the time came anyway. It is time to restore the people’s trust in their government, restore the promise that all men are created equal and give the District of Columbia full voting representation in the United States Congress.

For more information on DC VOTE and what you can do to help, visit http://www.dcvote.org/

Cabinet or No Cabinet: That is the Question

Since Barack Obama took the oath of office on January 20th, it seems he hasnt been able to keep a full house. Certain circumstances have left many cabinet seats in the White House collecting dust over the past two months. Scandelous activity and differences in opinion have driven cabinet members from the White House, so much that many have not been able to keep track.

The most odvious would be the commerce secretary position. With the economy in a dead heat for death or survival, the United States Senate is in the process of vetting the third hopeful for the commerce seat.

With President Obama half way through his first 100 days, stability needs to find it's way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue very soon. With the nation preoccupied with the economy, the war, healthcare and much more, attention has pulled away from the still empty seats in the White House Cabinet room. But, in order for the country to be stable, it's leaders have to be stable. So, get it together, Presidential Cabinet. It's time to fill those seats up and get to work.

To see the latest updates on empty seats and filled seats, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/