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I was watching "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" (available on HBO On Demand), and I noticed one of those funnier-in-hindsight moments that pop up sometimes.  This documentary reveals much of the artifice involved in any political campaign, but on the heels of Sarah Palin's much-hyped "Handgate" gaffe, there's a neat pre-echo of that incident during a debate prep sequence. I think it underscores the silliness of the media's newfound obsession with "optics," and their misunderstanding of them.

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Imagine, if you will, that you happened to be one of the many people (many in 2004 numbers anyway) watching the 2004 Democratic Convention. You happen to catch then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama's roof-raising, career-making (to put it mildly!) speech and you decide, wow this is a guy going places. I should get a camera and follow him! Amy Rice does not need to imagine this scenario because this is exactly what happened to her. And instead of thinking I should get a camera and follow this guy, she actually did, for four years. (more...)

I can't say I started crying during the opening credits of the upcoming HBO documentary By The People: The Election of Barack Obama, because I got to the theater five minutes late. But as I slid into my seat and arranged my concessions — at the Landmark Sunshine theater, where the movie just finished screening for a week, they have 12 kinds of flavored powder you can sprinkle on your popcorn, and it's magical — the smiling faces of Sasha and Malia popped up on the screen and I lost all hope of keeping my composure. (more...)