Nobody’s better at the internet than Johnn - yesterday he began a viral internet campaign, that for all my uninterest in baseball, I 100 percent support. Please copy/paste/forward/consider/contribute:

Subject: $42 for Obama in honor of Jackie Robinson, Thursday, January 31
Hey guys,

Please excuse the unsolicited political e-mail, esp if I haven’t been in touch in a minute otherwise (sorry, hectic etc!) - but if we’ve talked politics recently, you probably know how much *I’ve been feeling Barack Obama’s candidacy*. Not only do I agree with most of his policies, but, maybe more importantly, *I agree with his politics*. In recent weeks he’s been faced with some cynical and divisive politicking by his opponents, not to mention internet smears exemplifying the worst of America/humanity etc, and in response he’s been unfailingly gutsy, shrewd, and most of all, classy. For the first time in my life, I’m watching a candidate conduct a presidential campaign that I can really respect, and it’s kind of blowing my mind.

A couple of days ago, it kind of struck me that the whole situation is vaguely reminiscent of when Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, becoming the first black major leaguer in 1947 - a year in which he also won
the first Rookie of the Year award, the beginning of a MVP-World Series Champ-Hall of Fame career. I remembered reading a book about him when I was a kid, and there’s this famousish part where Dodgers GM Branch Rickey is
basically telling him that people are going to say horrible things to his face and behind his back, but in order to gain acceptance with the fans and really inaugurate a new, integrated era etc he would have to endure it and rise above it, and not let the haters provoke him into reacting angrily. It’s terrible that one man had to be the first, to bear the brunt of that hate and shoulder that fundamentally unfair burden of confronting it with more civility than it deserved, and it’s truly a measure of how extraordinary a player and a person that Jackie Robinson was that he pulled it off. I think Obama also has what it takes, to transcend not only race but the ineffective and depressing brand of partisan politics that has helped make US politics such a bummer for the past 16 or so years.

So anyway, out of curiosity, I looked up Jackie Robinsonon Wikipedia and it just so happens that *this Thursday, January 31, would have been his 89th birthday*. Which got me thinking about a Ron Paul-style fundraising* ‘moneybomb ‘* in his honor, just in time for the critical Feb. 5th Super-Ultra-Enormo-Tuesday primaries across the country (including my/our
own New York!).

*This Thursday *I* at least am going to donate $42 to Obama’s campaign, at BarackObama.com* - *$42 in honor of Robinson’s uniform #42*, which in 1997 was retired for every team in the major leagues, an unprecedented and unique honor. (Active players wearing the number at the time were allowed to keep it. Today, the only player still wearing #42 is the New York Yankees’ Mariano Rivera , the greatest closer and greatest post-season pitcher in baseball history. But that, much like a lengthy discussion of his many mind-blowing post-season records, such as his *34.1 consecutive scoreless innings* (!!!), is neither here nor there.)

I am not involved with his online activist community or anything like that or whatever and I’ve never tried to do anything ‘virally’ but I do know all of you people, and I know that many, maybe even most of you could probably afford to donate a bit of cash to probably *the most important candidate at the most important time of the most important election of our lives*. Just as importantly, I know that many if not most of you are well-connected, generally important and respected people, with e-mail address books filled with other well-connected, important people who might be receptive to this idea. There’s only a few days but if we spread the word quickly we might be able to make a little wave of positivity, a little news story to remind the media about why we all like Obama so much during a week that’s sure to be filled with some pretty heavy negativity and lots of distractions from you-know-who. So, spread the word, and donate with me Thursday - this is definitely the time to do this.

V best
John.

“Barackuda” is trademark Brian H. If you know him, you’ve probably guessed that already.

Last Modified: Monday, January 28th, 2008 @ 12:41