2024 11 05
It’s election day. Please make sure you vote! I won’t get into the politics beyond this, aside to say this will be a historic day in American history, regardless the outcome.
Be safe, be kind, and good luck to all.
-Clayton
Trump fan on the roll during the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
It’s election day. Please make sure you vote! While far from a perfect candidate, I think Kamala is the clear choice for the top job. I won’t get into the politics beyond this, aside to say this will be a historic day in American, regardless the outcome.
Be safe, be kind, and good luck to all.
-Clayton
2024 10 15
Relying on any one source for a majority of your information intake is never a good idea, no matter how fair and balanced that source is. Yesterday morning, on twitter, I read a demoralized tweet from a buddy about how Kamala’s campaign was focusing way too much on catering to Jeb Bush Republicans. Reading this plunged me into a hole of despair. He was right, there’s no enthusiasm and she is not doing enough to get out there and convince new voters she can be the change candidate or excite existing voters to actually show up to the polls! Or so I thought, likely because all of the shit I’ve been reading on twitter has seeped into my brain and caused me to believe the situation is as grim as it is.
I’ve always been someone who likes to explore all sides to a story, to see every perspective. I’m strong enough not to allow clear narrative manipulation to rub off on me, right?
Later that night, while working late at the studio, I got a push notification from WSJ about how drones have been flying over military installations for weeks now and The Pentagon has no idea where they are coming from—possibly from space (!!!). This is the kind of headline that a decade ago would’ve made people very curious to learn more but now usually gets completely ignored. It was exciting to think about how, when I got home, I could open up what has become a mecca for conspiracy theorists (twitter) to get all the “takes” on what is actually going on. Surely if the mainstream media and US military are openly reporting on it, there has to be a ton of people looking into it. I shut down the computer and headed home.
Arriving home, I was distracted with dinner waiting for me and Bob’s Burgers so forgot about the drone attack report for a few hours. Then, we switched on CNN and they were doing a big segment on the election. Immediately, I was releived. The coverage of Kamala’s campaign was far more positive than twitter (of course) but it also seemed like she was doing well and saying the right things. Positive and enthusiastic. Their campaign strategy is clearly less traditional, and likely for good reason, however, it seems to be giving the appearance to some of us (me!) that she’s not out there enough — front-and-center. The problem is, front-and-center is now inside our pockets and different for everyone. You can run an entire presidential campaign from your basement (Joe Biden proved it!) and probably win if you’re hitting the right podcasts and youtube channels.
Finally, I remembered the push notification and opened the twitter app, excited to hear more. It was crickets. Nothing. I had to search and still had a hard time finding anyone talking about the mysterious surveillance drones circling military bases. Crazy allegations about Tim Walz were plentiful, however. Brutal fights and car crashes and gun battles plentiful. People dying right in front of my eyes. Twitter has become the gnarly video repository to show everyone the proof that everything Trump and Fox News says is true. They are eating the cats. They are destroying the cities. They are controlling the weather and stealing our land. They are killing and sex trafficking the children. Of course, some of this stuff is happening (shoutout Diddy!) but if you spend too much time on twitter, as I do, you start to feel like it’s happening all around you. It seeps into your brain, even if you know what they’re doing and think you’re strong enough to combat it.
-Clayton
Where we are headed. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Relying on any one source for a majority of your information intake is never a good idea, no matter how fair and balanced that source is. Yesterday morning, on twitter, I read a demoralized tweet from a buddy about how Kamala’s campaign was focusing way too much on catering to Jeb Bush Republicans. Reading this plunged me into a hole of despair. He was right, there’s no enthusiasm and she is not doing enough to get out there and convince new voters she can be the change candidate or excite existing voters to actually show up to the polls! Or so I thought, likely because all of the shit I’ve been reading on twitter has seeped into my brain and caused me to believe the situation is as grim as it is.
I’ve always been someone who likes to explore all sides to a story, to see every perspective. I’m strong enough not to allow clear narrative manipulation to rub off on me, right?
Later that night, while working late at the studio, I got a push notification from WSJ about how drones have been flying over military installations for weeks now and The Pentagon has no idea where they are coming from—possibly from space (!!!). This is the kind of headline that a decade ago would’ve made people very curious to learn more but now usually gets completely ignored. It was exciting to think about how, when I got home, I could open up what has become a mecca for conspiracy theorists (twitter) to get all the “takes” on what is actually going on. Surely if the mainstream media and US military are openly reporting on it, there has to be a ton of people looking into it. I shut down the computer and headed home.
Arriving home, I was distracted with dinner waiting for me and Bob’s Burgers so forgot about the drone attack report for a few hours. Then, we switched on CNN and they were doing a big segment on the election. Immediately, I was releived. The coverage of Kamala’s campaign was far more positive than twitter (of course) but it also seemed like she was doing well and saying the right things. Positive and enthusiastic. Their campaign strategy is clearly less traditional, and likely for good reason, however, it seems to be giving the appearance to some of us (me!) that she’s not out there enough — front-and-center. The problem is, front-and-center is now inside our pockets and different for everyone. You can run an entire presidential campaign from your basement (Joe Biden proved it!) and probably win if you’re hitting the right podcasts and youtube channels.
Finally, I remembered the push notification and opened the twitter app, excited to hear more. It was crickets. Nothing. I had to search and still had a hard time finding anyone talking about the mysterious surveillance drones circling military bases. Crazy allegations about Tim Walz were plentiful, however. Brutal fights and car crashes and gun battles plentiful. People dying right in front of my eyes. Twitter has become the gnarly video repository to show everyone the proof that everything Trump and Fox News says is true. They are eating the cats. They are destroying the cities. They are controlling the weather and stealing our land. They are killing and sex trafficking the children. Of course, some of this stuff is happening (shoutout Diddy!) but if you spend too much time on twitter, as I do, you start to feel like it’s happening all around you. It seeps into your brain, even if you know what they’re doing and think you’re strong enough to combat it.
-Clayton
2024 06 28
Tonight we witnessed the death of a Living American President. Quite a sight, really.
It’s hard to comprehend how the Democratic party could get so far down the road to re-election while firmly believing the idea that Biden is fit for office today, let alone for another four years.
The debate was a reckoning. Now we all know it’s over. The only thing left to find out is if the people in control of the government agree with the rest of us.
This is by no means an endorsement of the man attempting to become president again, after throwing the country under the bus in favor of himself. Neither should be up on the debate stage. The entire CNN telecast felt like a subtle hit job orchestrated by shadowy figures on the sidelines without the power, currently, to make the changes themselves. I’d be shocked if both Biden and Trump are the final two candidates come election day. Something is cooking. My money is on a Harris-Newsom stew.
When I was down in Atlanta recently, I noticed I was near the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. The man was a bit before my time but I’ve always appreciated his level of authenticity, esp for someone who ended up in charge of the nation. Figuring I owed him an hour of my time, I ventured over to the museum only to realize they were scheduled to close thirty minutes after my arrival. Upon entering the well-manicured facilities, the room was empty and I set on a path towards the entrance, thinking I’d just walk in and do a quick lap. Just as I neared, a uniformed-employee made herself visible and asked if I was looking to purchase a ticket.
“Is it worth it, for thirty minutes?” I asked, not wanting to spend the money.
“Not in my opinion!” she snapped back.
Well, alright then! Off I went. Laughing with myself about how all that history, time, money, and effort that went into all of this could be so easily disregarded by someone actively being paid money to support it.
The measure of a person is not made by what they can accomplish alone, it’s the effect we can have on others. Eventually, even the best of us become dead and gone. Clinging to power because we think we deserve it or think we can provide investors the best return are neither valid reasons when the stakes are as high as they are, for duty of country. Unfortunately, the system we have puts us in the predicament we are in. The next three months will not be fun, but the result, whatever it is, will have massive consequences for the entire world.
-Clayton
Grounds of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Atlanta, Georgia. May, 2024. © Clayton Hauck
Tonight we witnessed The Death of a Living American President. Quite a sight, really.
It’s hard to comprehend how the Democratic party could get so far down the road to re-election while firmly believing the idea that Biden is fit for office today, let alone for another four years. But really, what choice did they have? It’s his call.
The debate was a reckoning. Now we all know it’s over. The only thing left to find out is if the people in control of the government agree with the rest of us.
This is by no means an endorsement of the man attempting to become president again, after throwing the country under the bus in favor of himself. Neither dudes should even be up on the debate stage. The entire CNN telecast felt like a subtle hit job orchestrated by shadowy figures on the sidelines without the power — currently — to make the changes themselves. I’d be shocked if both Biden and Trump are the final two candidates come election day. Something is cooking. My money is on a Harris-Newsom stew.
When I was down in Atlanta recently, I noticed that I was near the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. The man was a bit before my time but I’ve always appreciated his level of authenticity, esp for someone who ended up in charge of the nation. Figuring I owed him an hour of my time, I ventured over to the museum only to realize they were scheduled to close thirty minutes after my arrival. Upon entering the well-manicured facilities, the room was empty and I set on a path towards the museum entrance, thinking I’d walk in and do a quick lap. Just as I neared, a uniformed-employee appeared out of nowhere and asked if I was looking to purchase a ticket.
“Is it worth it, for thirty minutes?” I asked, not wanting to spend the money.
“Not in my opinion!” she snapped back.
Well, alright then! Off I went. Laughing with myself about how all the history, time, money, and effort that went into all of this could be so easily disregarded by someone actively being paid money to support it.
That response felt like the debate tonight. What’s the point of any of this? What are we doing here?
The measure of a person is not made by what they can accomplish alone, it’s the effect they have on everyone. Eventually, even the best of us become dead and gone. Clinging to power because we think we deserve it or think we can provide investors the best return are neither valid reasons when the stakes are as high as they are — for duty of country. It’s not crazy to think Biden believes he’s still the best person for the fight, but had he made the choice to step aside, his affect would’ve been far more positive than what is unraveling now. Clearly, Joe is someone who cares about lists made by experts as he brought it up multiple times last time. His place on these lists will be lower the longer he remains in this race.
Unfortunately, the system we have puts us in the predicament we are in, with two candidates who should not be running at the top of each of their parties’ ticket. The next three months will not be fun but the result, whatever it is, will have massive consequences for the entire world.
Buckle up, Chicago.
-Clayton
2024 02 05
One of my favorite things in life is, any opportunity I’m given to do so, bragging that I’ve read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker. It is a large, imposing book. It is also an amazingly detailed, informative (esp for urbanist nerds but also full of great general human stories), and well written.
I recently stumbled upon this video below while browsing YouTube and pondering if I will finally start up my own channel after years of contemplating it. This video both got me excited to finally crack Caro’s four book LBJ series (I just have to do this — book review to follow in approx. twelve years time) and start my own YouTube channel… not for social media fame but simply for the motivation to make new stuff and put it out there. There are so many pages that just exist, filled with great content and not many views. While I imagine this is turnoff for most content creators, I love the idea of consistently making work, largely for myself, grinding away in true Robert Caro style, and putting it out there for people to discover, or more likely completely ignore.
-Clayton
Street scene I stumbled upon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. November, 2023. © Clayton Hauck
One consistent thing in life is, any opportunity I’m given to do so, bragging that I’ve read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker (have I mentioned I’ve read Robert Caro’s The Power Broker? Every last word of it!). It is a large, imposing book. It is also an amazingly detailed, informative (esp for urbanist nerds but also full of great general human stories), and well written.
I recently stumbled upon this video (below) while browsing youtube and pondering if I will finally start up my own channel after years of contemplating it. The video both got me excited to finally crack Caro’s four book LBJ series (I just have to do this — book review to follow in approx. twelve years) and start my own youtube channel… not for social media fame but simply for the motivation to make new stuff and put it out there. There are so many channels that just exist; they are filled with great content but not many views. While I imagine this is turnoff for most content creators, I love the idea of consistently making work, largely for myself, grinding away in true Robert Caro fashion, day in, day out — shoot, edit, post, repeat — and putting it out there for people to discover; or more likely completely ignore. Sometimes it’s the process that has the most value.
-Clayton
2024 01 21
*Warning: Political Content*
While I have no idea how this upcoming political election will play out, other than it being an unbearable experience for most of us, I wanted to air some thoughts on the topic.
Preface: Local politics have vastly more impact to most of us and are surprisingly easy to get involved in and make a difference. Of course, they are also wildly boring and therefor almost universally ignored. On that note, let’s chat about the Big Ticket Item, the president of the united states!
One angle that I think gets mostly forgotten or overlooked in US political discourse is: things change. Both the Democratic and Republican parties were vastly different not that long ago as they are made up of varying coalition of groups, interests, rich people, corporations, etc. My skrewball vision over the last few years is that we’d soon see the rise of a third viable party in this country — which would be a progressive/socialist party fueled by the anger of young, disenfranchised, and “left behind” voters — while the traditional conservative strong-government stability-rules types would side with an increasingly-conservative Democratic party (mostly because they still have the old power structures firmly in place) and the MAGA burn-the-system folks would complete their takeover of the Republican party.
While I have no love for Trump or the party he has commandeered, one thing I give Republicans credit for is having a bit of flexibility. Most of us had no confidence that Trump would actually win the nomination and become president. Even after he demolished the competition, debate after debate, we thought surely there would be something to stop this mess from happening. The same thing was playing out on the other side and that’s exactly what did happen! The Dems, terrified of losing their grip on the levers of power to an unknown, Independent entity named Bernie, used all their sway to make sure he didn’t take control away from them like Obama had done eight years prior. These two decisions: the GOP deciding to listen to voters and the Dems doing their best to ignore them, is likely what gave Trump the victory. If it does not bend, it will break.
So what happens next? Apparently the Supreme Court (which Trump largely installed) will tell us in the coming weeks after they decide whether states get to decide who goes on the ballot. You know, typical democracy will-of-the-voters stuff!
The political landscape of this country has shifted before and it is currently shifting again. How it ends nobody yet knows, but the parties that largely control our political destiny will not be the same as they are now forever.
I’m linking below a recent video from my favorite geopolitics writer Peter Zeihan which I think does a nice job summing up not how things have changed, might play out, and surely will get even weirder.
Vote!
-Clayton
Portrait of a participant at a Beer & Cameras event I hosted at my See You Soon studio. Novermber 12, 2023. © Clayton Hauck
*Warning: Political Content*
While I have no idea how this upcoming political election will play out, other than it being an unbearable experience for most of us, I wanted to air some thoughts on the topic.
Preface: Local politics have vastly more impact to most of us and are surprisingly easy to get involved in and make a difference. Of course, they are also wildly boring and therefor almost universally ignored. On that note, let’s chat about the Big Ticket Item, the president of the United States!
One angle that I think gets mostly forgotten or overlooked in US political discourse is: things change. Both the Democratic and Republican parties were vastly different not that long ago as they are made up of varying coalition of groups, interests, rich people, corporations, etc. My skrewball vision over the last few years is that we’d soon see the rise of a third viable party in this country — which would be a progressive/socialist party fueled by the anger of young, disenfranchised, and “left behind” voters — while the traditional conservative strong-government stability-rules types would side with an increasingly-conservative Democratic party (mostly because they still have the old power structures firmly in place) and the MAGA burn-the-system folks would complete their takeover of the Republican party.
While I have no love for Trump or the party he has commandeered, one thing I give Republicans credit for is having a bit of flexibility. Most of us had no confidence that Trump would actually win the nomination and become president. Even after he demolished the competition, debate after debate, we thought surely there would be something to stop this mess from happening. The same thing was playing out on the other side and that’s exactly what did happen! The Dems, terrified of losing their grip on the levers of power to an unknown, Independent entity named Bernie, used all their sway to make sure he didn’t take control away from them like Obama had done eight years prior. These two decisions: the GOP deciding to listen to voters and the Dems doing their best to ignore them, is likely what gave Trump the victory. If it does not bend, it will break.
So what happens next? Apparently the Supreme Court (which Trump largely installed) will tell us in the coming weeks after they decide whether states get to decide who goes on the ballot. You know, typical democracy will-of-the-voters stuff!
The political landscape of this country has shifted before and it is currently shifting again. How it ends nobody yet knows, but the parties that largely control our political destiny will not be the same as they are now forever.
I’m linking below a recent video from my favorite geopolitics writer Peter Zeihan which I think does a nice job (although I disagree with him that Trump can’t win) summing up how things have changed, might play out, and surely will get even weirder.
Vote!
-Clayton