Adam Schiff joined us on the Midnight in Washington Book Club Zoom last night, and I think it’s fair to say that it was as exciting and wonderful as we all thought it would be!
In case you missed the zoom, you can read about it courtesy of our amazing crew of live-bloggers in the post last night:
Midnight in Washington Book Club: Adam Schiff Joins Us Tonight at 8 pm ET
Let’s give it up for our live-bloggers last night: A Good Woman, Chmnna, egorlick, Lyrebird, Nancy and Scamp Dog!
You guys were fantastic! Are you willing to do it again for the Feb 2 zoom with Adam Schiff?
And a shout-out to our fantastic questioners from Almost Retired (Curt) and WaterGirl!
Also, a major shout out to questioners Athenaze, Argiope and MomSense for asking great open-ended questions – and for asking them in an engaging and personable manner, as opposed to reading from a script. Also, thanks again to CaseyL for introducing the hostile workplace analogy, and to Ohio Mom, Geg6 and others for expanding on that in earlier comments to help us form the opening question. Adam really ran with that and it helped set the tone for the rest of the evening.
And a major shout-out to Almost Retired (Curt)
Almost Retired (Curt) deserves applause for his outstanding facilitation of the conversation with Adam Schiff. Curt was a brilliant choice for facilitator, if I do say so myself! :-) He set the tone from the outset – a conversation rather than a Q & A.
Many thanks, Curt, for a fantastic job.
We recorded the zoom, so you can look for the portion with Adam Schiff on the front page in the coming days.
I have to figure out how to just include the first 45 or 50 minutes of the files, so if anyone has experience editing a video file (mp4) or audio file (m4a) please drop me an email with some tips. I use a Mac and I have GarageBand, but I have never used it.
I would like to do something to thank Congressman Schiff after each of the two zooms he attends.
Let’s do a word cloud for Adam Schiff!
If you didn’t attend the zoom, comment in this thread as you always would.
If you did attend the zoom, please comment as usual but if you like you can list up to 5 descriptors for how you felt / what you thought about his time with us last night, or his book, whatever you want. If you don’t supply an actual list, I will choose up to 5 words or phrases from your comment, and I’ll include those in the word cloud.
Subaru Diane suggested that we also send some BJ swag, I believe an email with ideas will be coming from her soon. Feel free to add any of your ideas in this thread, too.
I am headed out for curbside pickup at our old time meat store. It’s 6 degrees here, but weather underground says it feels like minus 10. I say it feels really fucking cold. But I need some meat, so off I go. Back in 20 minutes or so, hope I am not frozen solid.
Open thread.
Baud
Seconded.
And of course a shout out to WaterGirl for being the best blog manager in all the blogosphere.
MazeDancer
Mensch
frosty
@Baud: Second (or third) the kudos for WaterGirl. This week she simultaneously …
– Managed the third B-J effort to donate over $75,000 for GOTV.
– Organized the book club Zoom and recruited live bloggers. This after reaching out to Adam Schiff and persuading him to participate.
– Solicited more submittals to On The Road after it came close to running out of posts.
Nice job!
Almost Retired (Curt)
I didn’t read the live blogging thread until this morning. Wow, what a great job you all did of capturing both the substance and the spirit of the event. The whole thing felt more like a bunch of friends bullshitting around a pitcher of beer than a Q&A session with a guarded politician.
I mentioned that for her next act, I want Water Girl to recruit the Rolling Stones for my 60th birthday party. I. was. not. joking. Please get on that, Water Girl, once you pick up your meat.
For the word cloud: relatable inspiring
SiubhanDuinne
WG, I love the Word Cloud idea! Is it something that could be printed on good stock and framed or laminated? Would make a nice presentation.
I had been thinking along the lines of a calendar and a mug each for Congressman Schiff and his wonderful CoS Patrick. Maybe one mug with the BJ logo (man with megaphone) and the other an image of the Mighty Tunch, or Steve, or Rosie. I want both these gentlemen as honorary Jackals!
I’m prepared to foot $50 of whatever it costs to purchase/prepare/send thank you gifts. Heading into class now for the next 90 minutes but will check back later.
It was a wonderful book club meeting. Adding my thanks to everyone who made it a success
Old School
Well done everyone involved with the live blogging. It was fun to read after the fact.
The Dangerman
6 degrees? I’d look like that that dude in Goodfellas. The one in the truck. I think meat was involved there, too.
ETA: Oh, yeah, major props (and a nice hot beverage to those who need it; thaw slowly) to all.
WaterGirl
I am back from the store and can attest that -10 degrees is indeed really fucking cold. I wore long pants, leg warmers down around my ankles and my calf-length down coat. Oh, and I warmed up the car for 10 minutes.
So except for getting in and out of the car twice, I was fairly warm. I am not a winter girl, except for snow. Of which we have gotten exactly zero inches all winter. Not fair.
Spanky
I too looked in post facto, and I gotta say it was well done all around. Kudos!
And besides a word cloud, maybe a way to thank the good Representative is with an Actblue thermometer?
Joy in FL
First, thanks to WaterGirl and Curt and the live-bloggers. And to everyone who helped make last night’s Zoom be so cool and informative.
Second, the word-cloud:
– Reality-based and also hopeful.
– Specific.
– Not scripted or formulaic. Responsive to the question as it was asked.
– Used his words to convey meaning, not to conceal or distort it ( and of course I expected Rep. Schiff would use words that way, but I am contrasting his use to that of a lot of other politicians).
– the feeling that we are in this together; no condescension (now I hear Mr. Collins say that Lady Catherine De Bourgh is “all affability and condescension”. That will rattle around in my mind all day.)
Third, I love the idea of swag for him and his CoS. I will be happy to help cover costs.
BeautifulPlumage
Zoomer, so my words:
Optimistic, honest, strategic, thoughtful
Athenaze
My descriptors would be: candid, encouraging, thorough, down-to-earth (as in it felt like a normal conversation with a normal person who wasn’t trying to put on any sort of pretense), and connection. I know the last one isn’t an adjective, but I was struggling to come up with a good word. Some of the things he said affected me rather profoundly because it spoke to other issues going on in my life, even though he wasn’t speaking directly to me or my situation.
WaterGirl
All these word cloud entries are great!
Note: we do not discriminate against words that are not adjectives!
#AllWordsWelcome
Brachiator
I was too busy to even think about participating, but I thought that this book club thing was a great and exciting idea. Kudos to all who participated and made it work.
I love stuff like this, when the Internets is used for good!
Gin & Tonic
@Almost Retired (Curt): Not up on all the current slang – what does “pick up your meat” mean?
Almost Retired (Curt)
Also, a major shout out to questioners Athenaze, Argiope and MomSense for asking great open-ended questions – and for asking them in an engaging and personable manner, as opposed to reading from a script. Also, thanks again to CaseyL for introducing the hostile workplace analogy, and to Ohio Mom, Geg6 and others for expanding on that in earlier comments to help us form the opening question. Adam really ran with that and it helped set the tone for the rest of the evening. For the record, I didn’t think he was shifty at all :)
Almost Retired (Curt)
@Gin & Tonic: Ha! Let’s make up our own definition, and submit it to the Urban Dictionary.
laura
Civic engagement, responsive government. No power without accountability! Deep genuine compassion. Tenacity in the face of facism. Bearing witness and marking historical moments.
That’s what I took away from the book and the conversation. Back pats all around for the made it happen crew.
WaterGirl
@Almost Retired (Curt): Yes!
I realized when I got back from the store that even though my plan was to thank our three amazing question-askers in this post and wax poetic about what a wonderful job each of them did, that had apparently fallen out of my head as I was trying to finish the post before I had to leave to “pick up my meat”.
I was just starting to add an update to the post when I saw your comment, but you worded yours so nicely that I think I will just steal that and add it up top as a thank you from both of us. :-)
Yarrow
Really appreciated the livebloggers. You guys did a great job and it was so interesting to see the same interactions from various viewpoints.
One consideration for the swag – is there some monetary limit to gifts MoC and their staff are allowed to accept?
zhena gogolia
@MazeDancer: Ooh, Mensch is a good one.
Brilliant
Genuine
Friendly
Inspiring
My husband (who lurked around the room) said, “If only we had a Congress full of people like him, we’d be in great shape.”
THANKS TO WATERGIRL, CURT, AND THE LIVE BLOGGERS!!!
Spanish Moss
Zoomer here. It was a wonderful experience, I can’t stop thinking about it! Descriptors:
authentic, conversational, fascinating, uplifting, and FUN
UncleEbeneezer
I didn’t attend the Zoom session but I saw Schiff speak back in 2018 and I’d add the words:
Commitment,
Integrity,
Hope,
Democracy,
Accountability
Schiff made me so proud to be a Democrat, especially when you think about the contrast between him and the vile, ignorant and treasonous counterparts on the other side of the aisle (Boebert, MTG, Cawthorne, McCarthy etc.)
Almost Retired (Curt)
@Yarrow: Good point. I believe it’s $50, but I’ll double check (Yuck…legal research).
And although a Tunch mug is priceless, I think we can easily keep the gifts within the limit.
WaterGirl
Added up top:
And a shout-out to our fantastic questioners from Almost Retired (Curt) and WaterGirl!
Also, a major shout out to questioners Athenaze, Argiope and MomSense for asking great open-ended questions – and for asking them in an engaging and personable manner, as opposed to reading from a script. Also, thanks again to CaseyL for introducing the hostile workplace analogy, and to Ohio Mom, Geg6 and others for expanding on that in earlier comments to help us form the opening question. Adam really ran with that and it helped set the tone for the rest of the evening.
And a major shout-out to Almost Retired (Curt)
Almost Retired (Curt) deserves applause for his outstanding facilitation of the conversation with Adam Schiff. Curt was a brilliant choice for facilitator, if I do say so myself! :-) He set the tone from the outset – a conversation rather than a Q & A.
Many thanks, Curt, for a fantastic job.
Another Scott
Thanks to WG, the live bloggers, and the people asking the excellent questions. Very well done.
Meanwhile, in Richmond, VA….
Every election matters. Every time.
Cheers,
Scott.
Miss Bianca
@Joy in FL:
That phrase being one of the many, many reasons why Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book ever.
FelonyGovt
I attended the Zoom and it was wonderful. Rep. Schiff was friendly, sincere, brilliant and dignified. I am so proud that we have people of that caliber on our side.
CaseyL
Zoomer here. My words:
Refreshing.
Candid.
Optimistic.
Insightful.
A memorable experience, and many thanks to WaterGirl and Curt for making it happen, and happen smoothly!
Alison Rose
It was so fantastic, and he is the best for agreeing to do this. Looking forward to seeing him again if he is able to stop by the other meeting!
Hmm, for the word cloud:
Also maybe we can get the deets on that desk from Boland :)
Baud
I keep seeing “zoomer” and wondering how BJ attracted all these Gen Z people.
Nelle
@Miss Bianca: This is old but hey, it is cold and wintry and some days we don’t want politics. BBC observes the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pt99b
narya
Words: Steadfast. Mensch. Clear-eyed.
I thought it was brilliant to lead off with the “hostile workplace” question–it let him know just how on his side we really are.
YES to calendars!!
Taphozous
Hearing a representative speak in coherent, well-constructed, complex sentences felt like a real treat. I noticed a few people in the chat mentioning that he sounded professorial. I would agree with that. It might be a mark of how much rhetoric has been debased in recent years. Like others, I found Schiff’s optimism infectious and his call to “do something” is something that is going to sit with me for a while as I figure out exactly what that something will be for me (besides donating $$.)
Thanks to WaterGirl for all the organization. Thanks to Curt for excellent moderation. Many thanks to our panel for their excellent questions which provided Schiff with a great chance to show off his oratory.
Suggestions for wordcloud: articulate, inspirational, thoughtful, relatable, candid
Scamp Dog
Thanks for the shout out! I get off work early on Wednesdays, so I should be able to live blog the February 2nd meeting as well. I’m looking forward to it.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I’m still listening to the book, will be caught up by the next virtual meeting of the book club, but I want to say:
If Mr Schiff, the Congressman’s father, is willing and able, I would like him to campaign for Val Demmings. That is all.
Juju
HinTN
Word cloud
Candid, Personable, Knowledgeable, Optimistic, Funny
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Almost Retired (Curt):
Piker, I want The Beatles for my 62nd party. WG, you have until tomorrow. Get to work!
Juju
@Yarrow: if there’s a value limit have the gifts given by different attendees of the zoom meeting. Also, there is a beautiful picture on the Representative’s Facebook page. The powers that be here should consider putting Mia in one or both of next year’s pet calendars.
A Good Woman
@WaterGirl:
Count me in to live blog the next one
Also, tweeted a comment last night about the Zoom, tagged Schiff & he liked the tweet!
StringOnAStick
Words for the cloud:
Inspirational
Personable
Knowledgeable
Realistic
Candid
Since I didn’t have time to change my zoom screen name, I was present as “Kit”. Nice to see Werebear again, who has consulted with me twice about cat behaviour.
opiejeanne
I’m sorry I had to miss this yesterday. Yesterday was my son’s wedding in Las Vegas. I’ll read through the thread while I’m waiting in the airport.
it sounds like the Adam Schiff meeting was a roaring success, and I’m glad.
HinTN
@SiubhanDuinne:
I’m in to support this token of our appreciation.
Egorelick
Already confirmed w watergirl to liveblog the next time. It was a pleasure. I would have done it for free.
Thank you to the other livebloggers. It was fun reading the thread after the fact and seeing the differing perspectives.
And a huge thank you to watergirl!
HinTN
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Who knew you were such a puppy?
Happy Birthday ? in advance.
Nancy
Zoom feelings
excited, hopeful, impressed, admiring, practical
Thanks to all for the kind words about live bloggers, thanks to the other live bloggers for stellar efforts, to the question creators, the question askers, the facilitator,
and to WATERGIRL for organization and to JOHN COLE for the possibilities of this forum.
Madeleine
What I took away from the liveblog was choose one thing and DO IT! Thanks all who participated. I read the blog last evening/this morning and found its multiple viewpoints so informative and interesting. I think I need to read it again. This is exciting! You Zoomers actually sat around and chatted with Adam Schiff!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@HinTN: Actually, my co-workers at the Home of the Orange Apron are quite surprised when they find out how old I am. They usually think I’m much younger.
zhena gogolia
@opiejeanne: Congratulations!
zhena gogolia
@Madeleine: IT WAS AMAZING
WaterGirl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Ha!
That’s kind of short notice. :-) But happy birthday!
WaterGirl
@A Good Woman: Glad to know we can count on you for the next one, too!
Great job on the tweet. That’s fun.
Miss Bianca
@Nelle: Ooh, very late back to the thread, but that looks like it will be a delightful diversion, many thanks!
Ramalama
@WaterGirl:
I urge you to not post the video to Balloon-Juice except to embed the video from an actual video hosting company. I am guessing that the web hosting resources for Balloon Juice central is sufficient for just the website and visitors. If you add a large video file to the server, and run the video from here, you’re likely to have some lagging and other issues that you don’t already have. If you have any.
I suggest you get a separate account with something like Wistia and upload the video there. Then grab a link / embed code from Wistia and post it into a regular ol’ post at Balloon-Juice.com.
I’m familiar with a bunch of different video hosts, and all seem to be just fine. I guess I’m more particular to Wistia because they offer a free account and their marketing isn’t super obnoxious, and their hosting works just fine. Get the free account – 3 videos. And go from there.
Another useful thing for video hosting is that you can upload most any kinds of files and Wistia/AWS/Vimeo – even jetpack (but I haven’t used them for video hosting specifically but know they’re a responsive and good company too) – will convert the video files to whatever their servers need to make playing the video from your website a no-brainer.
I’m kind of not a YouTube enthusiast for video hosting. Not sure why. But YouTube will also convert your video for playback.
Garageband is usually for audio files. I mean, I’ve only used it for audio. iMovie and QuickTime pro will allow you to do some edits and convert to whatever file type is required by whatever video hosting you end up using.
Hit me up if you want help.
Sandia Blanca
I did not attend the zoom, but followed the discussion in the liveblog, and am very grateful to all who documented the conversation. The word that I would suggest is Courageous. Rep. Schiff is a stellar example of the legislator as a true public servant. He dares to push for the truth even when it puts him in danger. Thank you to Watergirl and all who made this happen.
P.S. Did John wear his dress overalls to the zoom meeting?
zhena gogolia
@Sandia Blanca: We don’t know. You think John turned on his video?
JaySinWa
@Ramalama: I’m using YouTube regularly now for long Zoom videos. I had reservations but I can’t beat the hosting price ($0 so far) They (YouTube) and Vimeo have simple trim / clip editing that runs on their servers. It takes a while but it doesn’t tie up your machine.
opiejeanne
@zhena gogolia: thanks. It was a nice event, far nicer than we expected considering it was in a Las Vegas “chapel”. The celebrant was very good and the party later was fun.
Our son is ecstatic, and the bride was happy. I really hope this is good for both of them.
Joy in FL
@Miss Bianca: Yes, Pride and Prejudice is brilliant and wonderful.
Lyrebird
@Baud: Yes yes! WaterGirl does amazing work.
And thanks across the board for the kind words, it was an honor to be on the call, and I am glad my adding my notes was a contribution.
Words:
honorable
undissuaded
courageous
inspiring
committed
Sandia Blanca
@zhena gogolia: Ha ha, good point! So for all you know, he was sitting there in his long johns?
Ramalama
@JaySinWa: Easy then. Tons of video hosting. Yay.
eachother
Is Balloon-Juice getting famous or is Balloon-Juice already famous?
Almost? Already?
Open thread.
Is there another Act Blue thermometer in the works?