As mentioned in the first installment of our 2008 retrospective, 2008 was a year of ups and downs for America.  While the “Yes we can” spirit was most certainly a high point, four men in particular showed us the damage the lowest common denominator of humanity can do to others – and to themselves.

Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Spitzer, the (now former) Governor of New York, made headlines early in the year when he was linked to a high-end prostitution ring.  The former New York Attorney General, Spitzer made a name for himself as a white-collar watchdog, relentlessly prosecuting various financial fraud cases.  Indeed, Spitzer was the Governor who was going to bring ethics back to New York State… right up until his own (lipstick-sullied) white collar was grabbed by the Feds after a wiretap recorded him making arrangements to meet a high-priced prostitute at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C..

Spitzer was known alternatively as “Client 9” and “George Fox” by the Emporer’s Club VIP who serviced him, and used “George Fox” to check into the Mayflower.  (The actual George Fox, a friend of Spitzer’s, was less than thrilled at the latter pseudonym.)

As the sordid details of Spitzer’s long, customer-satisfied history with the Emporer’s Club came into the public eye – including the fact that he used taxpayer dollars to fly to and from his appointments – Spitzer decided to take a cue from Snagglepuss and exit, stage left.  He resigned on March 12 – 2 days after news of the scandal first broke – citing “personal failings.”  (We might note that Rod Blagojevich does not seem to be using the Spitzer Scandal Playbook.)

Although it was a mere 2 days of headlines before Governor Spitzer resigned, in that time we saw a flood of Spitzer t-shirts being created, from off-the-cuff Client 9 and Emporer’s Club designs to interesting political commentary.

Spitzer’s replacement, David Paterson, saved the media the trouble of digging up a scandal by simply admitting that he and his wife had both had extramarital affairs during a rocky point in the marriage.  Neither affair involved a business transaction, and this news was treated as a minor bump in New York’s gubernatorial turbulence.  Paterson has been at the helm ever since; he’s most recently charged with choosing Hillary Clinton’s Senate replacement.  Another bonus: he’s stuck with his habit of avoiding inappropriate financial transactions, a behavior that other Governors would be wise to adopt.  And that segues nicely into…

Rod Blagojevich

Just when you thought that Spitzer bumped out Larry “Wide Stance” Craig (still in office until 2009) as the disgraced politician least likely to be invited to this year’s neighborhood Christmas party, Rod Blagojevich one-upped Spitzer with a litany of federal corruption charges.  Among them:

1) Putting Obama’s Senate Seat for sale;

2) Extorting the Chicago Tribune by offering state help with the sale of Wrigley field in exchange for the dismissal of journalists who’d been critical of him;

3) Shaking down a Children’s Hospital

That last one, however, does make Blagojevich a shoo-in to play “Scrooge” in the Metropolitan Correctional Center’s production of “A Christmas Carol.”

The 3-year investigation that led to the arrest carries an indictment that lists various other charges and evidence, but Blagojevich has not resigned and, instead, returned to work.  He continues to assert his innocence and shows no signs of stepping down; not surprisingly, the influx of Blagojevich t-shirts continues to grow.

While the ImpeachRod.org folks had been calling for Blagojevich’s removal long before news of this scandal hit, the Illinois house has just recently begun looking into impeachment proceedings.  One interesting sidenote: with a 20% corruption rate for its senior officials in the past century, Illinois also has sent 3 of its last 7 Governors to jail.  If Blagojevich is convicted, Illinois will have a 50% imprisonment rate for its highest official.

Plaxico Burress

Wearing fitted pants isn’t just a fashion tip anymore; as New York Giant Plaxico Burress taught us all during a wild weekend in New York, it’s a good safety tip too.

Burress is in crosshairs other than his own after accidentally shooting himself in the leg in Manhattan’s LQ nightclub, where he’d been detained by security after he’d admitted he was packing heat. Explaining that his bling needed a nickel-plated bodyguard, Burress was allowed to enter the club with his gun.

Unfortunately, Burress ostensibly doesn’t believe in engaging a safety. Nor does he apparently find a gun holster to be a fashionable nightclub firearm accessory, as it would seem he was instead carrying his weapon in his waistband.

Gravity and clumsiness did the rest, as the gun slipped down his pants leg, Burress fumbled to catch it, and he shot himself in the thigh during the process.

On the bright side for Giants fans, Burress is arguably more skilled at handling footballs than he is at handling handguns. On the not-so-bright side, Burress just signed a $35 million dollar contract with the Giants and is now sidelined due to both a pulled hamstring and, more recently, a bullet hole in his leg.  As upset as Giants fans may be, Mayor Bloomberg seems even less forgiving.

While his future as a professional football player is unknown, it’s safe to assume that Burress has lost any chance at a celebrity endorsement deal with the NRA.

Bernard Madoff

Wall Street didn’t let politicians, sports figures and the auto industry steal the limelight for long this year.  Coming in at the wire, news broke of the largest Ponzi (pyramid) scheme in history, to the tune of $50 billion dollars.

Madoff was turned in by his sons after he admitted to them that his investment advisory business was “a giant Ponzi scheme.” Although both sons worked for Madoff’s company, it seems they were in the dark on the fraud… until Madoff decided to tell them about it, that is.

The list of defrauded investors is as long as it is impressive, including a variety of banks, the owner of the New York Mets, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Steven Spielberg’s financial advisor.  Their actual or intended recourse is unknown at this point, as it will take years to unravel this house of Benjamins.  Although most victimes have declined to comment on the scandal, other people are speaking out for them via merchandise.

Many would assume that Madoff would be in custody, but they’d be wrong: he’s back at home in Manhattan with his wife Ruth. But he does have a curfew, so apparently bilking investors for $50 billion dollars gets you the same punishment as taking the skinny kid’s lunch money on the playground. No word on whether he was made to stand in the corner before heading home.

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2008 was a year of ups and downs – from politics to gas prices to the economy, this year was a mercurial one for America.

In winding down this 2008 we’re taking a look back at the four main themes we saw ’round these parts, with this post serving as the first installment.  As you may have guessed, one of the main themes of this year happens to also be the catch phrase of someone who inspired most a nation to believe it: Yes we can.  And as the shirts will tell you, yes we did.

But Barack Obama wasn’t the only person determined to succeed in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds this year.  There were others out there who put their noses to the grindstone and faced their challenges with the single-minded determination of an ant travelling uphill in a flood while carrying cargo 5 times its body weight.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton ran a campaign that had her as the Democratic front runner right up until Obama showed up in earnest.  Even when it seemed that the Obama train was running full speed ahead, she didn’t step out of the way.  When it seemed the numbers were insurmountable, she put her head down and stayed in it to win it.

And when political pundits started calling for her to drop out, Hillary ignored them with the bold determination to finish what she’d started.  Nobody was going to tell her she couldn’t win; ironically, Hillary embodied the “Yes We Can” spirit right down to her Primary Night Non-Concession Speech wherein it had been presumed that she would concede the race.  But she didn’t concede, and instead focused on the 18 million people who’d voted for her.

In the end, Yes We Can became a Well, We Tried Damn Hard for Hillary Clinton.  But that kind of grit didn’t go unnoticed by us – or the Obama camp – and so it is that Hillary, though she didn’t succeed as being the first female President of the United States, will in fact be our next Secretary of State.  So in a way, she succeeded in her mission to make it to the White House.  Yes,  she did.

Stand Up To Cancer

Stand Up To Cancer has a mission cure to cancer by funding the most cutting-edge research available.  Towards that end, SU2C partnered with an A-list celebrity lineup to produce a telethon that aired on all major networks and brought in over $100 million for cancer research.

In order to raise additional funds and help folks sport their support for a cure, Stand Up To Cancer launched an online shop carrying SU2C t-shirts, buttons, stickers and other gear.  All proceeds from the shop go towards curing cancer, thus allowing people to take part in a cure by virtue of their fashion choice.

SU2C was also the beneficiary of the “Fashion Rocks” broadcast that aired a week later.  This special brought together celebrities of sound, stage and style to celebrate fashion, music and the greater good.  An original song, “Just Stand Up,” was performed by a range of female artists – all wearing the Stand Up to Cancer t-shirt.

The Stand Up To Cancer camp believes that a cure for cancer – though a monumental task – is within reach.  Hats off to them for the “Yes, we can” spirit that dominated airwaves and reminded us all that banding together is the best way to fight the toughest battles.

T. Boone Pickens

Oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens has a plan for reducing both America’s dependency on and investment in foreign oil.  That plan hinges largely on the natural energy endemic to the Great Plains – the very force of nature that partnered with earth to define the Dust Bowl, has ruined uncountable hairdos and led to countless runaway kites…

Yep.  Wind.

The plan is, appropriately, called The Pickens Plan.  With American dependency on foreign oil having increased from 24% to 70% in the last 40 years, the plan goal is to lower that amount by at least 1/3.  Pickens calls the United States the “Saudi Arabia of wind power,” and notes that moving into wind will not only reduce our foreign energy investment,  but also revitalize the American Midwest with a new energy business.  While wind is the cornerstone of the Pickens Plan, it also calls for natural gas to be used in the trucking industry, as well as for a more concerted focus on solar and biofuels for the everyman consumer.

Pickens will also remind Americans not to get complacent with the recent fall in gas prices, noting that OPEC has spent the past several decades lowering oil prices whenever America gets serious about alternative energy.  To help their supporters spread the word about their vision, they have a Pickens Plan shop with merchandise available at cost.

Coming up with alternative energy solutions that plan to change the way that Americans live their everyday lives – as well as the American and global economies – may seem like a Herculean challenge, but T. Boone Pickens has a plan and he’s moving full-steam ahead.  Pickens seems to be running on the clean energy of sheer will, determination and the “Deliver a plan, plan to deliver” adage.  This style of effort, of course, is easily summed up by three little words: “Yes we can.”

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The sentiment among the majority of the nation’s voters is clear this morning: Yes, we can – and Yes, we did.

And in a stirring speech to the Nation, President-elect Obama repeated the familiar mantra that inspired millions – and a huge number of Yes We Can T-shirts – to a cheering crowd that echoed his sentiments on behalf of a beleaguered country with a lot of work ahead of it: Yes, we can.

It would seem that citizens are still voting today with their creativity and their fashion choices; not surprisingly, Yes We Can and Yes We Did are the winners of the day, but the anti-Obama faction is also making it clear that they will not go quietly.

So whether your new mantra is Yes We Can or NOBAMA, you can still make your voice heard.  Because this is America, where your freedom of speech allows you to celebrate or criticize the President-Elect within minutes of him winning the office.  And you can do it on your bumper, in your yard, on your chest… or you can just make your voice heard in the privacy of your pants.

Yes, you can.

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He has a slogan.  He has a seal.  And now Obama has his own salute.

Some are calling it The Big-O, some are calling it The Obama Salute.  And some are calling it a gang symbol, a Nazi salute or a cult phenomenon.

Other critics are comparing it to a Star Trek salute made famous in “The Way to Eden” episode.  Hmm.

Whatever you want to call it, Rick Husong’s creation is raising eyebrows and headlines this week as people from both sides of the political fence voice opinions as to how they feel about it.

As of today, supporters of the salute can go hands-free with official Obama salute t-shirts, relieving salute-happy California drivers everywhere.  And if you like to keep your salutations private, you can always start a thongversation.

I spoke with the salute creator today, and he explained that he created the symbol out of a desire to do something inspirational because this is a “moving time in history,” and that after the last 8 “despicable” years he feels that it’s high time that America is inspired by politics.  He also, for the record, has not seen “The Way to Eden.”  But perhaps he might watch it now…

One interesting point in the debate behind the salute is that this kind of debate didn’t arise with Nixon’s double-handed V, Phil Jackson’s trademarked “threepeat,” or even George W. Bush’s prong-fingered inaugural contribution to the custom salute.

(Well, not this debate specifically, i.e. the debate of gangs and cults and Hitler and Star Trek.  Apparently the Norwegians misinterpreted the Bush salute as a nod to Satan, but hey.  That’s Norway.  Norway has, however, thus far not commented upon the Obama salute.)

Coincidentally, we do publish official Star Trek scripts.  So out of curiosity I took a look at the “The Way to Eden” script today to determine whether the salute in question was specified by the writers, and whether the Big-O might be one in the same.

It seems that this episode is about a bunch of space hippies cruising around the galaxy.  It would also seem that the symbol in question means “One,” which is interesting given that the script seems to call for an egg shape rather than an “O.”

Indeed, the Big-O may have been more appropriate for this episode than the actual symbol demonstrated.  And Leonard Nimoy seems to have taken some artistic liberties with an egg shape, unless Vulcan eggs are in fact triangular.  Hmm.

So: pop culture phenomenon?  Inspired contribution to political history?  Worrying evidence of despotism, a cult following or gang mentality?  Or a sign that Obama’s popularity reaches beyond our atmosphere and into the realm of intergalactic hippies?

That, readers, is for you to decide.  And some good homework to do on the matter is reading some “Star Trek.“  Or, if you prefer…

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Barack Obama raised some eyebrows recently when he unveiled a campaign seal that seems to be a derivative of the Presidential seal. The Obama seal contains the Latin phrase “vero possumus,” which loosely translates to “Yes we can.” As noticed by certain bloggers, this phrase might be more likely to evoke images of an opossum than it is to inspire a rally cry.

Though the story made a mere blip on the mainstream media radar, the campaign finally saw the flipside of the Internet juggernaut that it’s thus far harnessed so well. And that’s to say that the blogosphere wasn’t so quick to let this seeming error of hubris go unnoticed.

The seal underwent serious scrutiny and ridicule online (Google yields a variety of commentary); The Swamp hit the streets to interview locals about their thoughts on the seal. (That video is here.)

The seal was subsequently dropped and has been written off by the campaign as a “one time thing for a one time event.”

Here’s the thing, though: the people don’t seem to be ready to let this go as a one-time thing. Which is to say that we’ve seen a variety of derivations on the Obama seal, all created by y’all. And so we say: why make this a one-time thing? If at first you don’t succeed, try try again… or let the people try for you.

In any case, here’s some of our favorites:

If you’ve come up with your own groovy seal, feel free to share it. For my part I’m wondering if I need to come up with my own buzzcowboy seal. Hmm.

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