Preppycrat Inspiration

Wow...a real live honest to g** post! I wanted to make sure I got one in before going to Disney so here it is, and inspired by something I saw on my lunch hour, Esquire magazine's Obama commemorative issue. It's hard to walk past any rendition of the now iconic Shepard Fairey image of Obama and this was no exception. Ok...I'm racing against the clock and needing to get back to work before the catty clatch notices I'm back late from lunch. But magazine still in hand, I flip open the little opening on the cover, an opening within an opening and there it is, a quote from Joe the Vice President, "this is the worst of times to come into office . But the flip side of that is, if you're ever going to do this job, this is the time to do it." p. 78.

And there it is, an article about the man himself, his now familiar rides on Amtrak to DC and interactions with other commuters. But then about nine paragraphs in, the author begins a riff on The Shirt. That Joe Likes the Shirt. The shirt in question is a sportshirt with blue vertical stripes on the body, horizontal stripes on the placket, and red stripes inside the collar. A shirt one could see on any Nantucket denizen.

Having West Virginia roots, I have to respect a man who can go into Castleberry Virginia, deep into coal country and bond with coal miners. But growing up in Northern Virginia, in an area where Lilly and Vera are available in numerous places within 20 minutes of my house I also appreciate that this same man can just as convincingly fold a pocket square or don a snazzy nautically inspired shirt worthy of any smart Preppy man.

It still seems like a dream -Barack Obama is the President, Michele Obama is first lady, Dr Jill Biden and Vice President Joe Biden reside at Observatory Circle. But they have style, smarts and decency enough to fill all of DC and then some.

I haven't had a chance to read the article yet or track down a pic of The Shirt but will find it as soon as possible. I'm sure he wore it well.

But What Will the Bidens Wear?

There has been alot of happy speculation in the blogosphere about what the Obamas will wear on Inauguration Day and to the balls later that night. The Preppy Princess has been closely following what the Obamas and their daughters might be wearing on the big day and night and she has links to that eye candy that is the WWD slideshow of potential looks for President Elect and Mrs. Obama and their daughters. No doubt all of them will look great - all four of them wear clothes well.

I'm curious though about that other couple the day will be honoring - the Vice President Elect and Dr. Biden. It's pretty obvious the Vice President elect cares about dressing well and judging from the article from the November 2008 edition of Vogue, Dr. Biden likes clothes as well. Though I wish I knew both of them personally, I don't, but I think it's safe to say she is probably looking forward to choosing a gown for the inaugural balls and will want one that's fashionable but ladylike and flattering - hey, if I ran 5 miles daily, I'd want to show off my figure too.

I'm guessing the Veep elect will wear a business suit with a blue tie, a combo he's been wearing quite a bit of lately and that works for him, then at the balls, a traditional tuxedo. I'm thinking his wife might be interested in looks similar to these:



This Badgley Mischka is a gorgeous color and unfussy, elegant style.



Ah, red. And the interesting thing about this gown is it also skims the body but the sleeves make it ladylike, a little more "serious" and less Hollywood. Not that Hollywood is a bad place but the Inaugrual is not the Oscars.

Both lovely choices, but then I saw this from a designer called Helen Morley:



And thought that this would be the look I'd love to see Dr. Biden wear. When I went to the Helen Morley website and saw a simpler version of the gown above with a lace bolero - I wish I could have uploaded the pic but dratted Flashplayer kept me from doing so - I was convinced all the more. Her designs are beautiful without being froufrou, grown up without being dowdy or sack like. And the shapes are simple enough that anyone who's preppy at heart would feel great in them. I would love to see Dr. Biden in a gown from this designer, and for more people to get to know Helen Morley's clothes.

He Went to Jared

Seriously. Here's an excerpt from the latest Communications Workers of America update:

A leading economist who has been a tireless advocate for working families and unions has been appointed by Vice President-elect Joe Biden as his chief economist and economic policy advisor.

Jared Bernstein had been at the Economic Policy Institute for 16 years, reporting and analyzing a wide range of economic developments and their affect on America's middle class and workers.

Bernstein frequently slammed Bush economic policies in articles posted on popular blogs that include Huffington Post and Daily Kos. During the campaign he wrote about why John McCain's wealth and his attitude toward it matters:

"I don't care how much money our president has (though the seven homes thing really does seem beyond the pale given today's housing climate). But I deeply want him or her to understand the economic plight of those with less, and the evidence regarding the policies allegedly designed to help," he wrote last August. "To listen to McCain, and to do so while poring over his policy agenda, really does suggest the dangerous degree to which he's out-of-touch."

This is wonderful news for me to hear as a union activist and what's icing on the cake is Jared is a blogger too. Joe proves again why he was a smart, smart pick as Barack's running mate and now Vice President elect.

Sometimes Real Feminists Wear Ties

And I'm not talking about those horrid 1980s floppy bow ties us poor women had to wear so we could be imitation males in the workplace. Thank G*d those days are gone.

What I am talking about is that 4th person in the mix in Campaign 2008 who, for liking to talk, isn't getting much attention, Joe Biden. Many people hope he lets That Woman do most of the talking in the debate tomorrow night. Including me. Many hope he refuses to pile on about who he knows and what he's done in his 35 years in the Senate lest he seem condescending. Others hope he treats That Woman exactly like he would another man because fair is fair if she is going to accept being John McCain's running mate and enter the bigtime. And everyone is saying women could make the difference between us having a President Obama or a President McCain (I'm choking as I type those last two words, yuck).

With that in mind, here's advice I have heard touched on here and there but only indirectly. This year, the running mate more interested in women, who's done more for them is not the woman, it's the man. Also, the nominee who's been a single parent is yep, the guy, not the woman. "Doc" stays home with our kids and I am eternally grateful. But even though he does, it's hard enough finding that work/family balance. Sometimes my girls want Mommy. Only Mommy. So I can only imagine how hard it must have been to commute 2 hours each way from a new job with huge responsibilities back home to his two kids under the age of 5. After having lost his wife in that car accident. In his book "Promises to Keep" Joe says he had a lot of help from his sister Valerie and his mother but again, there had to be lots of times the boys wanted and needed their Dad. He also said in the book that he asked his staffers to put his kids through to him when they called regardless of where he was or who he was meeting with. He gets it. I hope tomorrow night he lets everyone who is watching know that he gets it. He need not discuss That Woman returning to work three days after having a child with Down's syndrome (I'll do that and bash away because to me it's not bringing her family into the spotlight, it's bringing her callousness and judgment into the spotlight).

I know damn near every woman watching who's wrestled with work/family balance will nod their heads knowingly if Joe discusses this. And I wonder what That Woman will be able to say in response. It might be another deer in headlights moment.

From Night, Into Day

I know it's a chunk of time but please play the video of McCain on the view, then this one of Joe Biden in Wooster Ohio. The contrast is amazing:

Biden Now More Than Ever

This is many things; alarming, depressing, interesting and I truly hope the spokesperson quoted in the article isn't playing down tensions when he says the freeze on Russia's NATO activities is a regional issue that needs to be sorted, and not a global issue.

As that old song "Anticipation" is going through my head and I'm checking email way too often for that promised first heads up from the Obama campaign, I'm going through all of his possibilities in my mind and thinking of all the crap that's going on in the world. I like them all, they have great credentials and all seem to work well with other people but THE one person who has the right combination of qualities keeps being Biden. He's fiesty, he knows everyone in DC and many leaders overseas, he's smart and knowledgeable, and Barack's said it himself, he needs someone with experience who could if - God forbid - need be, take over as President himself.

Hillary despite her gaffe about sniper fire, is knowledgeable as well. But Biden is more so, he's been working in foreign policy since 1972.

Him sitting down with the Russians and Georgians would not only be interesting theater, it might be just what they need to resolve their differences sanely, and safely. The world needs this.

Obama/Biden 2008

I know, I've changed my mind about this one. At one time, I wanted Barack to pick Hillary as his running mate. However, with the exception of certain extreme trouble makers (who are quite possibly not even Democrats to begin with so who cares what they think anyway) I believe Democrats are uniting behind Obama already regardless of who he chooses as his running mate. And I think there would be poetic justice in Hillary becoming the next Attorney General with all the BS charges levelled at her and her husband in the 1990's.

Then there's the situation in Russia and Georgia. It's interesting to me that Senator Biden and not any of the other potential running mates was the one to travel to Georgia over the weekend. Despite there being an official ceasefire, unofficially it appears that Russian forces remain there.
I love Tim Kaine, being a Virginian myself and want to see him remain as my state's Governor. But of all the picks, it's Biden who hands down has the foreign policy experience and contacts overseas. Plus, he knows EVERYONE in Washington.

Can Biden be blunt (or more) at times? Sure, but let's be honest, the US's rep overseas has gone to hell in a handbasket, and understandably. He has the foreign policy chops to help Barack fix it.