happy winter, updates, etc

the writing of the Wellstone! play, "Morning in America" (full premise in post below) is sputtering along just fine, thank you. i've added a decent foil to the cast of characters, an idealistic wellstone volunteer, a college student named mindy, or kiersten, or kerstin, or whatever, who accidentally overhears paul talking "out of character" at breakfast and thus sheila is forced to tie her to a kitchen chair and attempt to de- or re-program her, as she says,

"damn it, paul - we're not offing another volunteer. mindy is just blinded by idealism - we can talk about it over some flapjacks; right, mindy? i said, 'RIGHT, MINDY'?!?!?"

i was worried that the critics would say that we didn't have a sympathetic female character, so, there is mindy. of course, sheila will be sympathetic, too - the audience will just hate itself for liking her.

lastly, congratulations to Ralph Remington for putting together a strong campaign and, more imporantlly, a win in ward ten. congrats to all the candidates, of course, but it's nice (and rare) to see the guy i supported (post-primary, of course) actually win an election. way to go ralph, and lisa (campaign manager) and all the volunteers (ralph had some hard core volunteers - he is/was a somewhat charasmatic candidate, and people are looking for anything resembling charisma, especially in progressive candidates. ralph definitely has a base of support in our ward.)

thanks for reading,
tom

Wellstone! the musical?

Twin Cities Public Television is airing Wellstone!, the documentary, tomorrow night (Thursday) at 8pm (Channel 17).

It's worth a watch, for sure - a very good, inspirational documentary. You can view the trailer here.

I'm writing a play right now, "Morning in America". The working title had been, "Shut the fuck up, Paul; No, you shut the fuck up, Sheila", but that seemed a bit long for the marquees.

The play is set in the Wellstone's kitchen, on the morning of their deaths. Sure to displease conseratives and liberals alike, the premise is that Paul is actually a neo-conservative player for "the racket" (headed by Barbara Bush itself). He was sent to Minnesota from his CIA upbringing in suburban Virginia to act as a liberal "straw man", until he was called, like his mentor, "Uncle Walt" (Mondale) to win the Democratic nomination for president, ensuring a mindless puppet picked by the Racket (Reagan/George W) would win the presidency.

But Paul bailed out of his run for the nomination. He's like a pro wrestler who, even knowing the game has always been fixed, doesn't want to give up his title. Uncle Walt helped him to step aside from the national campaign, but now the Racket wants Paul to lose to Norm Coleman, and in dramatic fashion (a campaign contribution scandal where Paul is laundering and accepting money from Saddam Hussein himself via the oil-for-food program and Koffi Annan, thus giving a boost to Coleman's U.N "reformer" role and thus his national profile, thus leading to Norm's own run to the Presidency in 2016.).

Yet Paul especially doesn't want to step aside for Coleman, who he loathes in real life and believes is backed by George W and not Barbara -

"this HAS to be the work of W, Sheila; Barbara would never stand for this; We must contact It today."

"Jesus Christ, Paul, shut the fuck up, would you? YOu're going to ruin this for all of us."

"Don't use my Lord and Saviour's name in vain, Sheila."

"Hey, what did Uncle Walt say? Stay in character ALL the time, Paul. Now, act Jewish, bitch."

and on and on and on...

Sheila is making flapjacks for breakfast, while Paul reads the paper.

So, Paul wants out of the racket, and Uncle Walt can pull no more strings for him. Or, can he? The play ends with a plane crash, but it may or may not end in death.

I'll update here over the next couple of months, as the final script is completed.

Maybe I'll get it into next year's Fringe Festival. Or, maybe we'll stage it independently, say, at the Theater Garage or Acadia Cafe.

However, we'll be sure to be adapting, "Morning in America... the Musical" (theme song, "shut the fuck up, Paul; No, you shut the fuck up, Sheila") by this time next year.

Yours in politics, art and commerce,
Tom Moore
former candidate, current playwrite
Minneapolis

update/endorsements/registration

Ten days since my last post? Really?

I'm chalking it up to mourning - i have low "emotional intelligence", to put it in Oprah/Dr. Phil terms. And maybe, despite all the denial, blaming and rationalizing, getting waxed in the primary was a little unsettling to this first time candidate. Yes, I lived in delusion, thinking that just putting my name on the ballot would give me a shot at City Council. Next time, I'll take a more humble and egalitarian approach, maybe accept help from others, maybe put myself out there with door knocks and ads, too.

So, political updates: the city primary is November 8th. To pre-register, you have to do so within twenty days of the election - so, get your registration form in by October 18th, I think.

But Minnesota has relatively democratic registration laws, and you can register when you go to vote - just have an i.d with your current address, OR have a photo i.d and a utitlity bill showing your current address, OR get someone who IS registered to vouch for you - the person vouching can same-day register, too - they just have to register before vouching, so, make sure that they're in line in front of you (and, you can vouch for up to fifteen people - seems like a lot, to me, like that's one opening for possible fraud, some day.)

ENDORSEMENTS:

I've endorsed Ralph Remington in the 10th Ward for City Council. Ralph is progressive, and he knows that city planning and decision-making has to be much more long-range and holistic than what usually passes for public policy. He's headed non-profits, and, importantly to me, he has been heavily involved in the arts, and must understand that artistic expression, nurturing and community are essential for any municipality worth creating or sustaining.

And, I'm going with R.T Rybak for mayor - not a passionate endoresement (I supported Farheen Hakeem in the primary), but I buy the following storyline: Rybak inherited a city in a weak, financial condition. He's been somewhat accessible, and he's been prudent with our resources. He definitely is left of center, too. And I just don't see how his opponent, another, fellow Pennsylvanian, would be a great improvement on Rybak. I just don't see a good reason for why Rybak's opponent even entered the race, in terms of the need for his public service in city hall versus just keeping Rybak in there

I'll research the other races (Park Board, Library Board, etc) before the primary.

Keep on Keepin' On,

Tom

My MN Daily Column linked on Tom-Moore.blogspot.com

The Minnesota Daily (student paper at U of M) has published my "letter to the editor" as its own column. click here to check it out.

Thanks,
Tom

Candidate Moore Starts New Blog (ed: since deleted)

(Editor's note: the "new blog" referenced below has since been deleted.)

Please check out my newest blog, www.tom-moore.blogspot.com -

This blog, Candidate Moore, may see some new postings, and it may not - I'll probably update on my support for Ralph Remmington (Council) and for R.T Rybak (Mayor) on this blog, over the next, two months.

Tom-moor.blogspot.com will be a general, all-over-the-map blog - everything from family photos to political rants to article links and recipes - just something to use when an idea hits me while at work or when checking e mail from home or what/whenever.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for any and all support and/or votes in the primary election. My 80-vote, 40-person political base will be heard from again.

Tom