POLITICAL PLAY of the WEEK: Barack Obama for free

A Political Play of the Week entitled Firestone Salsipuedes was tempting, if for any reason just to use that title.

The angle about Third District County Supervisor Brooks Firestone would have been all about why did he retire to the vineyards, are enough people who count really mad enough at him, who are the credible candidates to take over in January 2009, will Doreen Farr prevail atop a rabble of Republicans splitting their voter base, just what IS Jim Anderson thinking, blah, blah, blah, blah. But somehow this mere Stringer thinks plenty of opportunity for all will be available during the upcoming months to analyze the Third District race, and no doubt by the fourth comment someone will blame Das Williams for something.

The real Political Play this week scored points even before the local game began.

After months of local hype and shallowly hidden jealousy morphing into resentment about the wholly unaffordable swanky soiree with Barry Obama partying with The Oprah at her Montecito Mansion --with no freebie tickets lavished onto pseudonymous blogger commentators-- the plague of disgusting Big Money Presidential Politics seemed to have arrived in Santa Babylon yet again. Some of us instead need to pay the monthly mortgage with that $2300 admission price to see Barry and Oprah.

But then, the announcement was made only three days ago that Barack would meet the masses at Santa Barbara Serious College. Called a grassroots rally at the Obama web site calendar of events, the event later today, Saturday, literally will be on the grass at SBCC, overlooking the ocean and a few oil rigs offshore.

What Obama really says does not matter at this point. It will be a rousing, stimulating, and uplifting speech, like dozens he will make this month and hundreds he has made. Many locals remember Bill Clinton also speaking well to thousands at SBCC in 1996.

Will Santa Barbara have to wait another 10 or 11 years for a Big Dem Presidential candidate to visit again? Will Hill visit soon and also go slumming with the unpaid masses? Hopefully, yes. For Rudy, probably not.

Barack Obama for free. On the lawn. At City College. At noon. On a Saturday. Priceless.
And that is the Political Play of the Week!!