• For those of you expecting a week-long party to start off the Obama Administration, prepare to be disappointed. There will be one public event welcoming you to D.C. on Sunday afternoon. Monday will be a day of community service, and the Inauguration will occur on Tuesday out in the cold, followed by formal balls you're unlikely to get into without connections. But if you want to rent an apartment anyway, I have really nice towels. [Politico]
• Barack Obama plans to announce the appointment of Clinton-era EPA Administrator Carol Browner to be the White House Energy Coordinator (they hate the word "Czar" as much as we do) and Nancy Sutley, a deputy mayor of Los Angeles, to be a chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Sutley will be Obama's first openly gay Cabinet appointment. [Politico]
• In the meantime, if you need some cheap electronics or office furniture, the McCain campaign has some they'll sell you cheap. [Washington Post]

• As rumored yesterday, law enforcement sources have confirmed that Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is Senate Candidate 5 from the Blagojevich indictment. [CNN]
• He says he's done nothing wrong. [Politico]
• Congressman Don Young, who is being investigated on corruption charges, is resigning the leadership role on the House Natural Resources Committee "for the good of the party." See, Chairman Rangel? It's actually kind of easy. [The Hill]
• That auto bailout is finally done, but it still might not pass the Senate. [Fox News]
• The Pentagon flew several of the family members of people who died in the September 11th attacks down to Gitmo to watch the tribunals and make Obama feel too guilty to shut it down and try the detainees in civilian and military courts on American soil with, like, rights and stuff. The families "marveled" at the rights the detainees do actually get in the tribunals (unlike in their holding pens). [Reuters]

• Just to prove to American voters that they are really unfeeling, the Republican National Committee released word today that the California Republican Party is filing an FEC complaint against Barack Obama for his visit to his dying grandmother, who passed away today. Is anyone home over there? [Washington Post]
• If you weren't already aware, Barack Obama doesn't want to see your underwear. Panty-flinging should remain metaphorical. [Politico]
• Sarah Palin is definitely not releasing her medical records. I want to be angry about this, but I wouldn't want reporters pawing around my gynecological exams either. [CNN]
• Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, having lived the last 8 years with his head firmly up his ass, thinks that the U.S. will "lose a lot of stature throughout the world" if we elect Obama. [Politico]

• Speaking of embarrassing America, the KKK is recruiting again in Ohio because of Obama. [The New Republic]
• In other embarrassing news, robocalls have gone out to voters in Toledo to try to convince them they can avoid long polling place lines by voting by phone. I'm sure they're totally not Republican-funded. [Rolling Stone]
• Calls telling Democrats to vote on Wednesday have been made to voters in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, too. [Huffington Post]
• And Republican Senator Roger Wicker is so worried that he'll be voted out of office he's handing out sample ballots telling Mississippi voters he's a Democrat. [Huffington Post]
• Republican groups have started hitting Obama on his support for reproductive rights again through commercials, which will totally change the race for McCain. [Time]
• As will neocon Fred Kagan's idiotic weekend editorial that voters need to stop paying attention to the American economy, Wall Street and Main Street and start voting on what's happening on Baghdad's Haifa Street. Spencer Ackerman's got video of what Kagan knows about pretty much any street, which is to say "nothing." [Attackerman]

• DVF's comic book, Be the Wonder Woman You Can Be, is here! The party sounds kinda crap, tho. "The green tome was stacked about the space, as were special DVF Wonder Woman tees and totes. Per the theme, bright red Wonder Woman cosmos completed the standard drink offerings of champagne, white wine and sparkling water. PR girls including Olivia Palermo and Whitney Port helped check off names at the door, and mingled with guests inside." [Racked]
• Oh, the woes of celebrity! LiLo was simply too famous to get into the Alexander Wang show. “I wanted to go to his show so bad, but his publicist said they weren’t allowing any celebrities to attend,” she said. “So I said, ‘Consider me a normal person then!’ But they wouldn’t.” [WWD]
• Screw the polls. What do the ties say? McCain's Windsor knot "screams old-guard Washington establishment, like a bolo screams cowboy." And Obama? 'He most often wears his necktie with a four-in-hand knot, an awkward and asymmetrical cinch invented by 19th-century carriage drivers (who held four reigns in hand) and popularized by Dilbert-types looking for a no-hassle way to spruce up for work. "It's a knot for someone who has 30 seconds for his tie in the morning...a knot for the masses.'" [Newsweek]

• In deference to our straitened circs, Vogue's gift guide is going low-end: nothing over $500. [New York Magazine]
• Wearing Thierry Mugler sounds horrible, actually. Reminisces model Nadja Auermann. "He liked to work with me because I could withstand the torture of some of his more extreme runway looks. We both thought the same way—if you wear a look, you go with it all the way. Once, I was in a gold robotic suit that I had to be sewn into, and I wore it for about half an hour, and I could feel my circulation was getting blocked. I walked in the show, and all I could think was, Oh, my hips are going numb! But I am nearly at the end of the runway; I can make it!" [Style.com]
• Charlotte, the designing Ronson, is the new face of Sebastien hair care. "Charlotte will represent Trilliant, a product that makes tresses stylish and manageable, while flaunting her I'm-so-downtown clothing as Nylon]
• Burberry sales mysteriously up. [FT]
• Wow they really make this People Tree ethical fashion book sound dreary: Browse our gallery of their latest looks, feeling safe in the knowledge that your fashion conscience is unsullied." [Guardian]
• H&M sales drop a bit. [WWD]
• 20-year-old Dior Homme model Randy Johnston dies; no cause given. [Fashionologie]
• Want to hear about an "eyebrow transplant" in exhaustive detail? No? Don't click on this link. [ElleUK]
• Louis Vuitton apparently shocked that that Gorbachev ad isn't popular in Russia. [AdAge]
• Avon tries to tempt more Avon Ladies into the game by offering incentives like gas money, "direct access to financial adviser Suze Orman." [WSJ]
• Remember Jack from Project Runway? (Yeah, he left pretty quickly.) He just made a wedding gown covered in condoms for this "Condom Couture" event. [Blogging Project Runway]
• Just what you've always wanted: how to get Oprah's look. No, no, we said "riches."[USA Today]
• The first high-end J. Crew "Collection" store "encourages mixing modern items with vintage pieces, uptown and downtown looks, and evening attire with a dose of the more casual in the same outfits." For a price, we're guessing. [WWD]
• Here's the new Patricia Field Marks and Spencer line. [Fashionista]
• Now along withersatz SATC threads, you can buy gas at M&S too. [VogueUK]
• Allen Schwartz on his Penney's line: “Today, what is exploding is the antifit look, the crop look, the boy jean, ruffle blouses and the new harem pant. It’s very baggy, very ‘I Dream of Jeannie.'" [FabSugar]

• LiLo's MySpace: "I'm thrilled to announce that my new fashion collection, 6126 is finally ready for launch!! I love to wear leggings, so it should come as no surprise that my first venture into the world of fashion design is with leggings! I named the collection after Marilyn Monroe's birth date, because to me she represents timeless, confident glam ­and that is the voice of this brand." [MySpace]
• Tyra Banks channels cult Diana Ross film Mahogany in some photo shoot. "Despite looking every inch the supermodel she is, Tyra's 'character' is that of the mentor, Carlotta Gavina, who transforms the character Tracey into the supermodel Mahogany." [Daily Mail]
• Apparently Project Runway L.A. is being dogged by WGA protesters. That would never happen in new York! [Perez Hilton]
• Patricia Field: "I don't have any social intentions. I am just creating stories, having fun and dressing Barbie dolls." [Independent]

• The credit crunch may kill the faltering domestic textile industry. [WWD]
• J.C. Penney is launching its own mid-priced clothing line, designed by Alan Schwartz of A.B.S. [WSJ]
• Payless is introducing a line of 12 green styles. "The new brand, which has yet to be named, will be made from materials with less effect on the environment, such as organic cotton and linen, hemp and recycled rubber outsoles." [Breitbart]
• Agyness Deyn shortlisted for British Fashion Awards. As...best moddle? [VogueUK]
• Amid market turmoil, J.Crew downgraded to "Sell" status. [Crains]
• Australia's Top Model host hopes to have a plus-sized winner. [News.com.au]
• Ridiculously high heels hit the marketplace, people fall, get hurt. [WSJ]
• Marc Jacobs hung up on ex. Adam Levine's brother and a Woody Allen movie somehow also figure in. [New York Post]
• The "Little Bra Company" makes push-ups for petite women. One hopes, not children.[FabSugar]
• You know what would be weird? One of these $1300 gold and diamond McCain or Obama rings as a wedding ring. Just sayin'. [NY Times]
• Agnes B probably approves; she's sporting a "Vote Obama" button. Despite being French. It's more of an order. [WWD]
• Geek chic specs are here to stay, not that geeks care. [ElleUK]
• President Bush signs an anti-counterfeiting bill that's good news for pricey purses. [Fashionista]
• Rochas still talking a big game about their comeback; still have yet to choose a head designer. [FabSugar]
• Juicy Couture's playlist for Nylon better than aural velour tracksuit. [Nylon]

Belkin also tells the story of an anonymous administrative assistant, whose Republican co-worker sends emails "slamming Obama, Clinton and Biden, and started distributing McCain yard signs out of his office last week." This vocal McCainiac is also her boss's friend, so she's afraid to complain. And, of course, there are the perils of assuming others share your views. I tend to test people by saying "Sarah Palin?" and kind of raising my eyebrows. Either they start to catalog her idiotic moments, or they just think I'm insane.

So what's the best way to talk politics at the office? Belkin tells the story of a young Republican at a tux shop, who began lecturing customers on Obama's inexperience. Her boss reminded her "that while the man who had the job before her was, at 49, more experienced, and she was barely into her 20s, he 'didn’t last a year' in the position, and here she was, practically running the shop." Cute, but doesn't exactly answer the question. Belkin adds that all workplace political discussion should be conducted "quietly and politely." But one person's politeness is another's harassment, especially on an issue as sensitive as the selection of the next leader of our country. So do you just keep your mouth shut? Or do you let loose, and worry about the consequences later?

Belkin's piece brings up another question: why are office prohibitions against political talk loosening now? Is it just a function of the kids these days, with their anything-goes workplace culture, their flip-flops, and their iPhones? Or are we talking more because we just can't help it? Is everyone — Republican and Democrat — so dissatisfied with the status quo that we can't keep our mouths shut, even in meetings? More positively, are people more excited about Obama v. McCain than they were about the lackluster matchup of Kerry v. Bush? If so, maybe things will start sucking less in this country — and maybe we'll still have jobs to go to in 2012.

Talking Politics in the Office [NY Times]

MEGAN: Hey, Spencer, long time, no see!

SPENCER: So when last we met, you were on your way to the Planned Parenthood party, where I suddenly opted not to pretend to be the guest-listed Adam Conner from Facebook. Speaking of Adam, I see he Twittered last night that he was at the Rock The Vote thing just in time to miss N.E.R.D. but catch Fall Out Boy. There is simply no way Planned Parenthood could have been worse than that.

MEGAN: Let us just say that when I did get in, the DJ decided to play Poison, which is great if it's late and everyone's drunk and happy, but it wasn't that late and I wasn't that drunk. I did get free condoms though. I snagged Jason Linkins' for you since he's married. The package says "Protect yourself from John McCain (in this election)." It's like he's a venereal disease!

SPENCER: When we at FDL thought we couldn't get in to the PPFA party, Jane Hamsher hatched a plan where she would promise to get me in by saying I knocked her up and was super-supportive during the abortion. Yes, during.

MEGAN: Dude, I don't think the girl with the list would've cared. She was harsh, for real. I saw her neg three guys from the Washington Post for being "only bloggers."

SPENCER: And yeah I have a bunch of those McCondoms. They handed them out to me at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre and I thought at first that they were either a) emblazoned with McCain on the shaft of your cock or b) for use on McCain.

MEGAN: I feel like novelty condoms with things written on them get as much use as light up vibrators.

SPENCER: Speaking of other things you wrote that I liked, good livebloggery last night. A lot less pissed off than mine. I thought Michelle was fantastic, but there's a really ugly undercurrent to her speech/bio/video.

MEGAN: My ass stayed cold for a good 30 minutes after I finally stood up, stupid concrete floor!

SPENCER:

Her brother Craig is introducing her. It’s a disgrace that this country has to be taught not to fear an accomplished African-American woman.

If i may quote myself...

MEGAN: Actually, that's totally true, so quote away. I mean, it was so cute last night with the kids that my uterus ached a little when Malia was all "I love you Daddy!" but then I ignored it. And drank.

SPENCER: That's the Planned Parenthood way!

MEGAN: I know! I was the perfect audience! But give me the scoop on Kennedy's speech, as I was stuck in the security line from hell.

SPENCER: I got really maudlin about it. He came out of the gate bounding to the podium, pumping his fist, conjuring up that old Kennedy-family vig-ahhh. Proceeded to speak for 7 minutes, frail but defiant, about redeeming the dream: health care, education, anti-poverty, liberal internationalism. The big closing flourish was "The Dream Lives On" in Barack Obama, a beautiful reference both to MLK and to Teddy's famous "The dream shall never die" speech from the 1980 convention. But WTF we can't be done talking about Michelle.

MEGAN: Sorry, I'm just still regretting missing it! It's not the same on TV. Okay, let me admit here that, from my vantage point, all I saw was the rear view of Michelle. And someone who I will allow to remain anonymous said, "Was her dress any less matronly from behind? Because how am I supposed to fantasize about her tonight?" And I was forced to admit that her ass looked amazing.

SPENCER: Please tell me that there were white girls next to you like, "Oh. My. God. Becky. Her butt is so. big." Speaking as a white person, do you fear Michelle Obama less now? Did the speech work on you?

MEGAN: God, I wish someone had thought of that. Unfortunately, I already loved Michelle Obama. I loved her when she was making fun of Obama for his morning breath and giving Ann Romney the infamous "Bitch, please" look at the wives' forum. So, I wanted her to be that Michelle. This one was fine, and I understand why she had to be this one, but I miss the other one.

SPENCER: Megan I am trying to have a serious discussion with you about race in America.

MEGAN: Oh, sorry. It's early.

SPENCER: Look, we still live in fucking Nixonland here. Operation Rescue's Randall Terry is handing out flyers in Denver talking about solutions to "the Negro Problem". There's a grace and a power to how conspicuously inclusive Michelle Obama's speech was, and how Barack Obama's candidacy is, but the frustration must be overwhelming. If it was me, I'd be in a clocktower opening fire, saving only the last bullet for myself. But that's my white privilege talking. She has to say that she loves America?

MEGAN: Honestly, by the end of it, I was like, Chicago! Hope! Change! Drink! But it was a little depressing that she had to be like, I have parents and I grew up like you, America, and married an awesome guy who loves me in order to help him get electred.

SPENCER: andBegorrah has it right: "Yes, but has she ever been a prisoner of war?? HAS SHE??!??!"

MEGAN: Well, luckily, neither has Cindy McCain!

SPENCER: That should be the theme of each day of the convention: Chicago (Michelle). Hope (Mark Warner). Change (Biden). Drink (Barack, with a Springsteen chaser).