Ignorant and Careless Action By Ruby

Jane Prendergast has the follow-up on Jeff Ruby's Political newspaper advertisement in the sports section.

In an interview about the ad, Jane reports that Ruby wrote it based on talking to one police officer who obviously had read the talking points from the FOP. So Ruby likely got a copy of the talking points and wrote about them without any validation or analysis of their obvious inaccuracies.

It is too bad that Ruby can't tell the difference between false rhetoric and fact. It is good, however, that he's not going to reach a lot of voters who were on the fence on who to vote for. The sport section is a suburban man's front page, so the bang for the buck was lost, unless the GOP is planning on lots of voter fraud. I mean Joe Deters was all over that last year, and didn't find a wave of crime at the polls, but I am sure he'll be checking this year.

Face to Face Politicking a Waste Of Time?

Is pressing the flesh becoming a waste of time as some political operatives are suggesting in this Howard Wilkinson article?

Are political campaigns just giving up on reaching people face to face? Have we stooped to such a level? I think candidates that avoid getting out and meeting their voters are making a mistake. You don't always need the candidate there, but you need volunteers. You need a presence. If people care about a candidate and can speak to other about it, that personal connection goes farther than a TV commercial. It is hard to do for local elections, since building enthusiasm for a council candidate is difficult. How does one get a team of dedicated volunteers who can communicate one on one with voters, in a positive way?

If on a local level we run campaigns like a presidential race, we further erode the few strands of respect people have for politicians. Face to Face political activity is key to an engaged public. This puts us on a path to politics by proxy, where why have a real person, why not just outsource it to a corporation to act on your political behalf?

Incivility Abounds

Some of you may have noticed that my blogging frequency--particularly with respect to political blogging--has gone down considerably over the past six months. That trend is no doubt partly related to the ebb and flow of business as a solo practitioner. Things are busy at the office, so blogging goes down. But some of it is because of a disturbing trend I've noticed, both here and elsewhere: it seems impossible to have a civil disagreement here--or anywhere.

One of the things that initially attracted me to blogging was the great discussions that can (and should) ensue among the blog's readers. Those used to take place regularly here. Lately, though, any political post devolves pretty quickly into name-calling and nonsense. In particular, we have a couple commenters who routinely refer to poor people as "pig filth" or "human trash." I'm not interesting in trying to engage in a serious discussion with such people.

If this were only happening here, I'd wonder if Griff or I were doing something to foment the incivility. But it seems to happen everywhere. The summer town halls about health care are an example: people were literally shouting down their elected representatives rather than engaging in any attempt to actually have a civil discourse with them. And I don't want to suggest it's just the right. The left, too, is becomingly increasingly shrill. During the Bush regime, anyone who dissented was unpatriotic. Now anyone who does so is a racist. Neither label is true, but both are (or were) bandied about with a great deal of frequency. And I'll admit: Griff and I sometimes feed our trolls, too. Some of my posts may have been more inflammatory then they needed to be, and Griff has lately been as guilty as name-calling as anyone.

But it's not just the political arena where people no longer feel the need to be civil. Last week, Julie posted a mildly critical review of Local 127. Some of the comments it generated were appalling. I can understand and respect being passionate about food. (Heck, earlier this year, when liz posted only a lukewarm review of Adriatico's, I briefly considering calling an IT-oriented friend and seeing what would go into a denial-of-service attack on get in mah belly. (I'm kidding, of course. That's illegal. Don't do that.)) But passion aside, really? People are engaging in pretty vile name-calling because Julie wasn't as effusive with her praise as others would have preferred?

I don't know what the answer is, and I won't pretend to. I don't know how we get back to disagreeing without name-calling, to expressing strong beliefs without raising our voices and questioning each other's motives. I don't know who's to blame and I don't care.

I just know that somehow, we have to get back to a place where we can discuss difficult issues with civility and grace. Climbing that hill isn't nearly so easy as it was to fall down it, but we must strive to find a way.

MidPoint Closes Big

Day Three of the MidPoint Music Festival brought me back to the tent at Grammer's for Eat Sugar and the hot local band's new material is as good as their debut EP. The MC said it best when introducing the group, they will be the next big band out of Cincinnati.

When I got to Grammer's exactly at 6:30 the band was starting and I heard the sound and was confused. There's not current a female lead singer. After some slight confusion and a realization that I was hearing a sound check, I understood that I hearing Micachu and The Shapes, the next band up on the bill. The UK band was another fresh sound that can best described as Hip Chick Brit Pop. The Trio mix an indie vibe with pop and some eclectic instruments include a great use of empty liquor bottles. I didn't get a chance to get their CD, but I will look for it on iTunes.

Next our gang shot down to the Know Theatre and caught Zest of Yore, from Austin. A decent band, they lacked distinction, but were earnest.

Back Downstairs Twightlight Revival filled the Know's cabaret space with a roots tone that had catchy tunes and a subtle charisma.

Another find of the festival is StephaniesID. A fun pop sound with an edge. Stephanie was walking around the Upstairs area before her show in a little bit of a nervous burst of energy. When she got on stage she let out the nervousness with a cheerful attitude with drop of darkness that gave her just a little bit of mystery. The North Carolina based band is a Midpoint Veteran. They should plan on coming back next year right now.


Next up was local masters Wussy who are the top dog in town. They have an experienced connection that is unmatched in Cincinnati. I could go on forever, but the fact that you couldn't move upstairs at the Know during their show, says it all.

The closer of the night Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles lived up to the word on street. Her Americana feel leaned over the county music line enough for a flavor, but held closer to a roots feel.

Another year and another great festival. I'm so very pleased with the event, the crowds where great everyone I went. I think CitBeat should be very proud. I think they made great progress from last year's event, which says a lot with its success in 2008. I think the Grammer's model was perfect, it gave a start and a headliner a place to shine, but then left the rest of the night to other venues and bands and pushed the crowd to explore. At the same time, themed stages and partnerships with local labels and artists gave options to all types of fans. I give this years festival high marks and only with 1 minor exception, everything worked. I look forward to MidPoint 2010.

Let the Ranch Know They Messed Up #mpmf

Send your Civil comments to the Cadillac Ranch management here. Let them know their actions are not what good members of the Business do. Let them know they have lost your business. Please keep it civil, we don't need insults or vulgarity or other negativity tied to the festival.

Super Sucky Cadillac Ranch Kicks Out #mpmf

Reports have been confirmed that the bar Cadillac Ranch has cancelled the remaining shows for tonight's MiPoint showcase. In what can best be said as the worst PR move in recent Cincinnati history, I for one will never again set foot in that location under the current management/ownership. It is classless act to break agreements and ruin the experience of visitors to our city.

If you support local music and local development, then join me in skipping this cheesy bar in favor of other more honorable establishments.

Yeah, you weren't going anyway, but now you have a reason that has purpose.

UPDATE: More from the Enquirer

MidPoint Day Two Recap

So, if you haven't been to the massive tent behind Grammer's, you are a fool and missed a great lineup of bands on day two of Midpoint. I started things off early with Lions Rampant, and I didn't get everything I expected. I was expecting the rough and tumble rock-n-roll band that snorkels in the Tyler Davidison Fountain. Instead a got a 5 piece line-up with a really new and frankly more polished sound. I think a Pearlene influence can be heard, and maybe that's just adding a keyboard. I really look forward to picking up their album. They ended their set with a fake fight, so the costume wearing guys are still there, just a little more polished.

Once I was at Grammer's I was staying for the full line-up so Wildbird was next. There were good, but didn't capture my attention. I guess my local bias played into my take on them, since the Lions Rampant and Heartless Bastards got my focus and attention.

The Heartless Bastards were great as usual and sound fuller with the addition of another guitarist. This was my first time seeing them as a four piece and I was impressed. I was really happy they came back home. The crowd was huge and filled the tent. I only wish my camera battery didn't quit on me, so my iPhone pictures from the rest of the night will have to suffice.

After Grammers we made a quick stop over to the Blue Wisp for the All Night Party stage. A good crowd at a bar I've never felt comfortable at. I was glad to see the support for local music coming from the All Night Party team. I look forward to more events from the in the future.

The Night ended at the Know Theatre for the Pomegranates, who are indie pop at its best. They have a great sound and I finally realized one of the band members works at my favorite coffeehouse. It always adds community when you know artists off stage. Only then can you fully appreciate two things. First, they are real people. Second is that you understand when they go on stage they have so much talent, but are still real people. I loved that about the Heartless Bastards and with Wussy. It makes living in a town with a great music so special, as long as you take the time to respect and appreciate the artists as real people first and talented performers second.