Okay, from Presidents to Britney Spears. This is why I love my job.

Yes, she deserved to have her kids taken away. Yes, she seems to have lost touch with reality which could make for some bad, bad parenting decisions. But yes, these celebrity blogs, websites, "news" outlets have been nasty. I saw on one website, a poll that asks "Do you think she'll go out tonight?" I read another article, where the writer called her a gum snappin, panty-less slut.

Wow.

Can Britney ever come back from this……? I mean as a performer? As a mother? As someone who people will root for? By the sounds of the viewing audience, things are looking really bad……understatement of the year.

www.suchinblog.mtv.com
Xoxo

Ok, so I'm writing this on my blackberry as I'm rushing to the airport. Holy crap, we pulled it off! And you know what, for what is often a stuffy politician boys' club, most of the audience in New Hampshire were girls and I was glad I was representing. I felt really proud today, of our team, the students and everyone who participated online. I had heard rumors last night that students weren't allowed in the room at Dartmouth to participate in the Democratic debates....and that's infuriating, and if it's true, I hoped we proved how fatal that mistake can be for any campaign.

I don't usually get nervous, maybe because P. Diddy and Britney Spears don't seem as serious as the potential next PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I bold that because that was screaming in my head the whole time. And you know, to be honest, I feel like a lot of the press and the other half of America don't believe young people, MTV and politics should mix, so there's always that added pressure that someone expects you to fail.

More...I was hoping to meet the senator before we started, but he was 20 minutes late and he got to the campus and walked right on stage. I have to say, again *geek* warning, it was kinda like "dude, that guy is famous." He felt more like a rock star to me than some of the real rock stars. I could tell, because he was rushing to get to our forum, he didn't know what to expect and looked kind of surprised and nervous once he saw the crowd, the lights and the set. I think he thought he was going to walk into a little conference room with some snacks and a couple of poli-sci students.

The real stars were the people online, though. They added an element of surprise and a "real" factor. We weren't sure how the polling thing was gonna work, but even Edwards wanted to see how viewers online were responding to his answers as he was answering!!!! After shaking his hand at the end of the show (he's got a strong grip) I asked him what he thought of it all and he said "this was one of the most real conversations I've had."

On that note, I thought he was weak on his points about Iraq and Darfur, but strong on education and healthcare. Best line: he was going to have Congress give up their own health care if they didn't pass a resolution for the rest of us. (That is, if he becomes president.) But the most poignant moment, and for me the one that makes it worthwhile is when I sit next to a student, like Josh, who is legally blind and asks what this fancy politician is going to do to help him find a cure for his degenerative ocular disease. That's what it's about to me.

On my way home! Xoxo

Well, in a follow up to a blog I posted about some students not knowing who John Edwards is (thankfully very few)….I thought you know what we need? I nice quick overview of the issues that the Senator will most likely want to talk about and some interesting facts about him that may be helpful for you guys when thinking about the dialogue and the questions you'll have for him on Thursday.

--He wants to create a national plan to pay ONE YEAR of public-college tuition, fees and books for more than 2 million students.
--Was the first candidate to create an agenda to address climate change, answering student activists and calling for a ban on all new coal plants.
--Edwards supports civil unions, but not gay marriage.
--While he wants to end poverty completely at home, by the year 2036, but has been criticized for that $400 dollar hair cut.
--Wants to have universal healthcare by asking businesses and government to work together and wants to create better health care markets that are more fair, diverse and extensive. And once insurance is affordable, require everyone to have it.
--Wants to stop the escalation and start an immediate drawdown of troops in Iraq.
--Wants to encourage and reward responsibility from fathers, requiring fathers on welfare to work and help them find jobs to help support single mothers. This is currently not a law in place for welfare reform.
--He wants to strengthen public schools by investing in good teachers and the retention of candidates in rural and urban districts.
--Wants to make sure we work with the cooperation of international community to aggregate intelligence to root out and shut down terrorist cells.
--Wants to control borders, stop illegal trafficking and at the same time end the backlog of background checks for people who already live in this country and are applying to become citizens. He does not think it is realistic to deport more than 12 million people, but rather believes that keeping families together should be a priority of immigration laws.

Some interesting personal facts:
--4 children (Wade, killed at age 16 in car accident), Cate (attending Harvard Law School, 25), Emma Claire, 9 and Jack 7.
--His wife, Elizabeth is battling breast cancer, they met in law school.
--His favorite musician is Bruce Springsteen.
--His favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption.
--First Car: Plymouth Duster

Okay, this is just a start….get your brains working and I know you will have plenty to ask about. Ask him to prove it, to back it up, counter his views, state your opinions and let's make sure these politicians know exactly how loud we can be!

xoxo

SuChin

So, to get you prepped for this historic event on Thursday, let's talk about some things that matter to you.

MTV, CBS and the New York Times did a poll of 659 17-29 year olds to ask them a whole lot of questions about politics, life, and this upcoming election. It's a big study, so I just pulled some interesting facts I thought you guys might want to know about before asking that amazing question online at MySpace on Thursday!

--80% of you guys believe you will have an impact on this election. (Now let's turn that into a promise!)
--More of you gals out there believe you will have an impact on this election than our male buddies. (Not that the brothers aren't out there!)
--Here are the top 5 issues that you care most about:
1. Jobs/Economy (including the issue of job training.)
2. Iraq (most of you think that things are going very badly over there.)
3. Education (especially the issue of student loans)
4. Environment (with a big want to reduce oil consumption.)
5. Health Care Coverage (duh!)
--When asked if our President is doing a "good job": 70% of the guys and 62% of the ladies disapproved.
--When asked the general question: is this country going in the right direction or on the wrong track? It was an almost even distribution of guys and girls saying we are on the wrong track.

Some other interesting facts: 7 out of 10 of those polled said they had no problem voting for someone who has smoked marijuana. (I don't know, that made me kinda laugh, so I thought I'd throw that in there….just goes to show, maybe we're a lot more concerned with some REAL issues.)

Another interesting Wiki fact, this is the first election without incumbents in the primaries since 1928! It just makes things more exciting…new blood, fresh ideas, BIG POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE!

Just a little research to help you get those burning questions out there on Thursday!

xoxo

Is it possible for politicians to be honest? I mean, isn't that expecting a little too much? Everyone has an agenda, let's at least agree to that. But, I think the whole thing about the world wide web is that everyone has a voice, not everyone will be heard, but that's up to the public, isn't it? And in a way, it's the truest form of democracy, we all have the opportunity to say what we want, to call out who we want and post it out there for anyone to see. Potentially, this could be the most "honest" election yet.

Check out this article I read in the Wall Street Journal from September 21, "Keeping the Debate in Politics to This Side of 'Pants on Fire.'" It's all about these really great, accessible websites like factcheck.org and Politifact where "facts" from candidates are researched and rated from "true" to "pants on fire". Funny right? The site doesn't rate the overall "truthyness" of a candidate or takes sides. Now, through the power of the people online, every time a candidate gives a speech where there's some really juicy number or fact that gives them an edge, there are places that will tell you exactly what it means and if it's TRUE! Hey, I'm not saying politicians aren't going to lie, it's just getting harder to get away with it. And I say booyakash! to that.

From the Road,
Xo

So, as I was going over some of the research on my tiny plane/canoe-in-the-sky, the nice gentleman sitting next to me (who I thought was a political speech writer from sneaking looks on his lap top) leaned over and asked which candidate I worked for.  He turns out to be Walter Shapiro, Washington Bureau Chief of Salon.com.  When he finds out what I'm doing in New Hampshire, he gives me some advice.  First, the quirkier the questions, the better and second, my job as moderator will be to cut the senator off from speech stumping.

Then he gets this big grin on his face and whispers, I'd like to hear someone ask the Senator, "what makes him think running a small law firm qualifies him to run a country?"

I hope that wasn't "off the record."  Thoughts?

From The Road, NH:
xo

At the airport, waiting to get on a plane to Manchester, NH. Firstly, I've got the worst allergies and I'm hoping that I won't be snotting while moderating the debates on Thursday. Secondly, this is going to be one of those small planes where they ask you to sit according to weight, like you're in a canoe or on a tandem bicycle…. I am not in the least worried about that.

But, back to the issue at hand, I'm off to what will hopefully be an historic journey of political magnitude unlike anything our generation has seen before! How's that for enthusiasm. I've been totally dorking out at my video on the MySpace page and refreshing every 15 seconds to see the views incrementally change. It's strangely the most gratifying thing I've done in weeks. You just sit there and hit refresh and scream…20 more people saw the video! I know, it's a pointless way to use my time, but really fun while I'm packing and getting ready for the trip. The thing about the "internets" is it's instant gratification. You can feel people clicking on to something you've done and that small task of someone actually reading your blog, taking time to comment or click on a video feels earned. Conversely, when things are "silent" you feel like you haven't hit the spot. TV is different, it's like working in a glass bubble, you never really know what people are thinking or if they're watching or what they would say if I were in the room.More...

Which leads me to my second point…I love all the comments up on the MySpace/Presidential forum page and on my personal page. To those that are complaining: I know MTV doesn't play videos, blah, blah, blah….I wish I could change that. I want you to instead, tell me what you want to know from J.Edwards or how you think this is going to succeed or fail or why politics gets you going or bores you to death. Oh and to those that have been wondering whether this will be "fake"….I can't assure you of much, but I can assure you that this whole thing is going down in REAL time, LIVE, un-screened, we're not getting the questions before hand. And what I don't think a lot of you may know, you'll be able to comment on Edwards' answers while watching the discussion and then myself or Gideon will be able to see how you're reacting. So, if you think the Senator isn't answering the question with honesty, then you can say so on the site and we'll call him out on it. It's a small detail…but crucial. We'll have no idea what the reactions or questions will be, but it'll hopefully be HONEST. Now, of course, I'm still at the airport in NY, so I don't want to get too ahead of myself. It always starts with such good intentions, doesn't it??? We have our first big meeting tonight in New Hampshire and then we're off!!!!

Thanks for the love, clicks and comments.

From the Road,
Xo

I'll Never Be President….
Ok, so I'll never be President…at least until Schwarzenegger gets the constitution changed….which isn't such a far fetched idea considering, well, I won't say the obvious. But, I get to meet the potential next president of the United States on Thursday in New Hampshire. There are many things that go through one's mind when offered an opportunity like this. The first is a series of…."uh-oh, I'm not smart enough or activist enough or white male enough (that's for another day)" and then the second thought is "holy sh*t, what do I wear?" I mean seriously, my wardrobe consists of hello kitty prints and skinny jeans.

I'm just being really, really honest and what I really want to say is that I'm nervous, excited and kind of vomit-ous at the same time. I hope that doesn't deter you guys from coming with me on this ride. It'll either be the coolest thing ever or fodder for a Christopher Guest movie.

We're going to be hosting this LIVE conversation with MySpace and it's not going to be one of those pre-screened, edited snooze fests that I never watch. At least that's the hope. I'll be writing and filling you guys in on what I'm seeing and hey, if it starts to become one of those fake "real-time" events, I'll be writing that as well. My job, will to keep my experience as honest as possible. That's all I can promise. (Until they tell me to stop….)

DAMN IT'S ABOUT TIME THOSE POLITICANS START TAKING US SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!! Or at least talking to US, the biggest demographic to suffer the consequences of bad decisions.

So for now, I ask….do you ever watch these kinds of political "forums", "living room chats", "real talks" and what do you normally hate or love about them? Hey, maybe I can pass it along to the bosses.

p.s. oh and if you have suggestions on what one wears to meet a possible-president-to-be, let me know that too.

READ THE FULL POST, WITH NEAT VIDEOS AND PICS: WWW.SUCHINBLOG.MTV.COM
xoxo

I have resisted and resisted about saying my opinion about Britney. There's not much to say about someone else's life, because who are we to judge and how do we know what's really going on? I know a few things about the media, tabloid magazines and celebrity blogs….and truly, truly, they are some of the scuzziest people on earth. Not the majority, but enough to make me kinda gag when they plead journalism or constitutional rights when it comes to what they print.

I digress….

The other real point I wanted to make about the story on yesterday's "TRL" about Britney losing her lawyers and her management and probably custody of those kids is that it seems no one is talking about postpartum depression. Okay, hear me out, I'm not a mom, puppies even make me nervous….but I was talking with some girlfriends of mine who do have babies and know nothing about Britney or Kevin Federline or care about countdowns or how "celebrities are just like us." I had brought up the rapid unraveling of the pop star and all of them kinda had the same look on their face, which was an all-knowing, nodding type of thing….they all seemed to agree that it sounded like the girl should be checked in to a hospital and treated or at least considered a vicitm of some severe PPD. I went online to do a little research and found all of these forums of mothers talking about erratic, emotional behavior, even a year after giving birth. I logged on to one site where this clinic has a quiz, just to see where a new mother might fall on a scale of possible PPD. Here are some of the symptoms and feelings they ask you to rate yourself on: confused thinking, crying spells, fears of harming baby, fatigue, feeling out of control, numb, panicky, trapped, unsupported, thoughts that your baby would be better off without you, loss of interest in your appearance, the list goes on and on.

Now, I'm not a doctor, I am not anywhere near what you would call an expert, but could Britney have a severe case of PPD, considering she had WAS PREGNANT WITH HER SECOND CHILD MONTHS AFTER GIVING BIRTH TO HER FIRST??? Add on top of that a divorce, a custody battle, rehab, paparazzi chases…. Again, I am not defending not wearing underwear or drinking till passing out, but I am saying that all of this could be triggered and perhaps healed by medical attention.

I hope this doesn't sound dramatic, but while I never really thought much about Anna Nicole Smith before her death, I have to say, while watching the 24 hour media circus of her unraveling, it came as no shock to me that the end was so tragic and final. I kinda felt that pit in my stomach when I read Britney's story on air yesterday….is everyone in her life going to just watch this happen?

Read the rest of the entry and see photos: www.suchinblog.mtv.com

I've been walking around all day in a daze, not here, not anywhere...just kind of stumbling around. I kept thinking maybe I'm just tired or maybe it's the crash of a very crazy VMA week.....but I just realized that I've been waiting for this day to be over just as it began. I live across the street from a small church and the bells woke me up very early this morning. I was so disoriented because they only ring on Sunday mornings and I woke up trying to figure out where I was and what day it was. But a friend just told me that all the church bells in New York rang this morning, precisely at the time the first plane hit the first building on 9-11....I'm not even sure how it came up in our conversation.....it just did....and I realized that I've been unconciously thinking about it all day. It rained and poured and thundered in New York today, part of the tent in Bryant Park actually collapsed before one of the fashion shows, and I over heard a girl say the noise freaked her out because she's been scared something was going to happen today after watching the news. I heard that comment, but it didn't register till now.

I'm in that category of folks that is just relieved that today is almost over.....tomorrow, thankfully is a new day. Sleep tight kids and say a little prayer tonight for everyone you love.

xoxo

www.suchinblog.mtv.com