Jefferson/Jackson Democratic Dinner in Des Moines

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Connie and Al Franken, the camara lens no
doubt covered in white wine (see below).

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3)  
 “Ed is the Governor of Pencil.” I think the machine MEANT to say
that Ed is or was the Governor of Pennsylvania.



4)    The word “Dear” is listed as “Deer.”



5)  
 The machine cannot make up its mind whether the choir of Gospel
Singers is from the Maple or Elm Street Missionary Baptist Church
Choir. At this point, the machine is introducing various tree types.
Things are very confused.



6)  
 We are asked to join hands with the person next to us. The person
next to me, on my right, is Thomas Fischermann, Economic Correspondent
for the German weekly “Die Zeit.” I tell Tom that holding hands in this
fashion in America means that we are now legally married. Tom tells me
that he knows this isn’t true, as he was raised Catholic. I admit that
I lied (which is more than I can say for George W. Bush). Tom turns out
to be a delightful seat-mate for the dinner, which we are not eating.



7)  
 At one point, after the droning of fully two dozen would-be
Democratic candidates, none of whom any of us knows, Tom says he might
have to go back to his hotel room and watch Al (Franken) on TV. (He
doesn’t.) He is disappointed that Sharon Stone isn’t going to appear
(aren’t we all?) I ask Tom whether he thinks Vanessa Kerry is wearing
nylons. He is too much of a gentleman to comment. Oh, those European
men. Especially those who had English teachers from Wisconsin.



8)  
 After about 2 hours of the droning and bellowing (the sound
system is REALLY bad), I say that it is going to be my goal to drink
three glasses of white zinfandel before Franken takes the stage. I am
actually doubting that Franken will EVER take the stage. This turns out
to be a really bad plan. Why? I have taken my college roommate as
photographer-in-residence, and, when I put my camera and the wine
glasses (small plastic cups at $5 a pop) on the floor, she accidentally
kicks a glass of white zinfandel over my camera and it completely soaks
it. Thomas rescues the camera from the ever-widening pool of wine. The
strap is soaked and the lens is “cloudy.” I do not get one single
usable picture from my trusty Canon after the unfortunate wine
incident, henceforth known as “Zinfandel-gate.” As I did manage to
secure two glasses of zinfandel prior to Zinfandel-gate, I don’t care.
Later, I will rue the day. Or night.



9)  
 To my extreme left is “Jane,” correspondent for “People”
magazine. She is covering the candidate’s children for a story. Jane is
very nice. She is dressed in black. She would like some food. We do not
get any food. We would not get anything to drink, either, if I hadn’t
made the infamous “Zinfandel-gate” run. (*Kids: Take note! Do NOT try
this at home!)



10)  
 Other errors on the sub-title machine that amuse me:  “Fill”
for a candidate whose first name is “Phil.” “He is a man of grass.”
(This may actually be accurate; we don’t know. Perhaps he meant that
“W” is an *ss? Or a man of *ss? Very confusing. Don’t know; can’t tell
you.)



11)  
 When someone says, “The future of this country is at stake. The
future of the world is at stake,” Thomas leans over and says, “The sky
is falling.” I laugh. Perhaps I should write this down? Again, don’t
know; can’t tell you.



12)  
 More machine sub-title errors: for “pirate suit,” (which is
connected to Al Franken’s remarks about George W. Bush wearing a
ridiculous flight suit with a huge cod-piece on his now-infamous
“Mission Accomplished” battleship appearance). The machine spells out:
“pie rat.” Perhaps this machine is smarter than anyone realizes.



13)  
 Other errors that I cannot explain, from the sub-titling machine:
“sash and acute” (?) “A mush mute, a big hat and a plum.”



14)  
 I enjoyed Al Franken’s remark that, after 9/11, the country was
very united. “My college roommate even got out an old T-shirt to wear
that touted America. Of course, it took him four hours to white-out
‘sucks.’”



15)  
 What have I learned from this experience? Never trust sub-titling
machines. Always trust the German correspondent for “Die Zeit.” He is
very knowledgable, very handsome, and we chat at great length about the
Diebolt voting machines and the potential for voter fraud in the
upcoming election. Please give Thomas a raise; I think he likes Vanessa
Kerry, and he will need it to win her heart.



16)  
 Never try to drink three glasses of white zinfandel while
simultaneously shooting film and taking notes. But it’s ok to laugh. A
lot.