CHANGE WE BELIEVE IN
Obama's First 100 Hours: A Seismic Shift In Government
HIPLASH NEVER FELT SO GOOD, nor was it ever so welcomed.
Of course we're speaking in the political sense: During President Obama's first 100 hours in office, I could feel the Earth's rightward tilt reverse itself with a quick jolt back in balance.
With a dance across paper, Obama has already junked Bush policies that had transformed America from human rights' sentinel to scourge. To wit, he:
* Signed executive orders setting new ethics restrictions for political appointees and limiting "executive privilege" to only the president, and required executive staff to sign a pledge "restricting their interactions with lobbyists and their ability to rotate employment between goverment and industry."
* Implemented a salary freeze for White House staff earning more than $100K annually, saying that "in these austere times, everyone must do more with less, and the White House is no exception."
* Ordered the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, closed within a year. The center has become a purgatory for mostly Muslims men rounded up during America's reaction to 9/11, with those imprisoned having no rights to criminal trials. The center became a worldwide symbol of the Bush administration's blithe disregard for the ideals upon which America was founded.
* Signed Executive Order 13440 prohibiting government officials from relying on legal advice on interrogation (code for 'torture') issued between September 11, 2001 and January 20, 2009. He also forbade the CIA to operate detention facilities in the future. "This is the right thing to do morally, diplomatically, militarily and Constitutionally,'' said John D. Hutson, a retired admiral and law school dean who witnessed the signing.
* Repealed limits on funding for international organizations that promote or provide abortions, reversing one of the first orders that Bush implemented when he took office. (The restriction has see-sawed in and out of favor, depending on the political party in office, dating back to Ronald Reagan's order in 1984.) “For the past eight years, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries,'' Obama said. "For these reasons, it is right for us to rescind this policy and restore critical efforts to protect and empower women and promote global economic development.”
* Released a memorandum dictating more "transparency" from governmental agencies, with the first line reading, "A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, "sunlight is said
to be the best of disinfectants."
Among the memo's other edicts: "All agencies should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure"; "Agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public. They should not wait for specific requests from the public. All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their Government": and "Disclosure should be timely."
And that's not all! The icing on this party's cupcake is Obama dissing Rush Limbaugh by telling Republicans they need to stop listening to the Hatemeister if they want to get things done.
Finally, in a study measuring blacks' performance on a standardized test, "Researchers pinpointed that Black Americans who did not watch Obama's nomination acceptance speech lagged behind their White peers, while those who did view the speech successfully closed the gap."
I'm still finding my equilibrium with the plate tectonic shift in the country's direction. But there's been an immediate change for the better: my frown has turned upside down and is now a smile.Permalink
Posted January 24, 2009
POLITICS
Obama's Stimulus Package: A Quick Fix to Systemic Illness
HAT A FIX WE'RE IN. With the economy in a free-fall, and HOPE's Washington arrival only days away, I've got an uneasy feeling about the latest $775 bailout being readied for President-elect Barack Obama to sign into law.
Okay, something's got to be done. But this RX seems frighteningly reminiscent of what was once derisively termed "voodoo economics" when the same economic logic was practiced by none other than Ronald Reagan.
As Reuters reports, "Despite such challenges as the ailing economy, two wars and an estimated 46 million Americans without health insurance, the opening day of Congress promised to be something of a victory party for the Democrats who expanded their control of the Senate and House of Representatives in the November election."
Surely it won't be hard to get the Dems to sign-off on more spending; ditto the Republicans' on a reported $310 billion in tax cuts for businesses and the middle class.
Obama has already shown on the campaign trail that he can win support from both sides of the aisle; what he hasn't proven is that he can hold Congress' accountable.
It's easy to print more money and throw a welcoming party, but so far there's a lack of evidence that the country has the discipline to wean itself off oil and endless credit.
I'm ready for the celebration of new leadership in Washington. Heck, I may even buy some commemorative Obama stamps from QVC come inaugural weekend. But the clock is ticking, the bill is ballooning, and I can't help but ask: where's our finacial fix if we forever refuse to pay up?
I'll try to be patient but someone needs to remind Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid not to get giddy yet. Washington needs to implement legislative and systemic changes to our economy -- i.e. more business oversight, increased ethics legislation, a reward system for improved efficiencies and better products -- and not just a thumb in the dyke.Permalink
Posted January 6, 2009
CHICAGO POLITICS
Chicago Conspiracy Theory Alert
T SNOWED LAST WEEK IN CHICAGO, AND I HAVE YET SEE A CITY TRUCK OUT SALTING THE STREETS. In any other city in the nation, residents could come up with some logical rationale for the lack of service. But in Chicago, everything is suspect.
As local pundits report breathlessly on the indictment of Governor Rod Blagojevich and his alleged "political corruption crime spree, what's missing from the debate is the timing of his arrest.
Blagojevich was imminently expected to name a successor to President-elect Barack Obama's former Senate seat (the one he pledged to hold at least for one term before he sought to run for president, but that's another story). Blagojevich has been accused of offering the seat up to the highest bidder, and the list of Senate wannabes is long: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Danny Davis, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan among others. It was state AG Madigan who conveniently petitioned the state's Supreme Court to remove Blagojevich from office on Friday, thus yanking his privilege to appoint the next winner in the "Win-For-Life" lottery known as the U.S. Senate.
Here's why I'm scratching my head and siding with Jim Lehrer, who asks, ''what's the big deal here?"
Do not construe my indifference to the dealmaking as acceptance, but more as the resignation that comes with knowing that this is how the game plays. And anyone in government who pretends otherwise is either deluded or lying.
We need look no further than to the new appointees of President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet to find examples of this quid-pro-quo schema.
Read the complete post here.
Permalink
Posted December 14, 2008
POLITICS
The "Obama Affect": National Joy After A Long, Emotional Winter
SINCE BARACK OBAMA’S ELECTION WIN, I’ve had strangers speak with such sincerity to me and my children that it makes my heart swell. There’s been an overwhelming surge of goodwill in our country since Obama’s victory.
Despite the far right’s love of war games. and Sexy Sarah’s media blitz, even conservatives are bowing to their forthcoming commander-in-chief. A new Gallup poll shows an increase in the number of conservatives who believe Obama will make an effective president
We all listened on that momentous night, as John McCain shushed his booing supporters and challenged them to accept Barack Obama as their president. But his comments to Jay Leno are the ones that gave me the most optimism for the future. “You know, one thing I think Americans don't want is a sore loser.” It was that calm surrender that finally won John McCain my respect.
Elizabeth Hasselback is also working hard to be a team player. The graciousness from The View’s token Republican comes as great surprise. On the morning after the election, I tuned in to hear what Elizabeth had to say now that her candidate had lost. She talked about watching Obama’s acceptance speech that morning with her daughter Grace on her lap. When Grace asked who’d lost the election, Elizabeth told her no one had, and I agree. No one loses when millions of people rise together to speak with their votes. There are no losers when an African American breaks the race barriers man and ascends to the White House.
It appears even Mrs. Palin is willing to set aside her differences with Obama. Just a few days ago she told Wolf Blitzer she’d be glad to assist the Obama administration any way she could, especially when it came to energy policy and special-needs children. I appreciate her helpful offers, even in they’re superficial in nature.
Collectively, our country is embracing the decision its majority made. And though there are reports that hate has reared its ugly horns the wounds to our national psyche inflicted by the last sad eight years have begun to mend. The good-will flows, and my face is sore from my exercising atrophied muscles: I can’t stop wearing a smile.
MzEll is a stay-at-home mom who writes, reads, knits, and tries to maintain sanity on a regular basis. You can read her blog at Cookiemonks.Permalink
Posted November 15, 2008
HISTORY
Hope Delivered: Black Americans Joyous, Proud, Fearful
TEARS UNCONTROLLABLY ROLL DOWN MY FACE as I think of the Americans who fought and gave their lives just to gain the right to vote. I am basking in the glory and celebration that is this monumental day.
Never in a million years did any of those individuals dream of a black man in the White House. They just wanted -- at the very least -- the chance to choose the white man that would end up there.
I was overcome with emotion when I saw Sasha and Malia playing on stage with Joe Biden’s daughters --Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream materialized in those little girls. Black people just generations from slavery are alive to see a black president. For the first time in my life, I have faith in this country.
At 10:01 I heard the words “Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States of America.” I cried. I took pictures. Hell, I may just write a letter to my unborn children.
But although we voted for change, we still need to work toward it. There are so many strides to make. I would love to believe that black people can now change the words from “we shall overcome” to “we HAVE overcome.”
Unfortunately, we have not. I am so proud to be alive to see this day of change, to witness where this country has come. But I look forward to the progress to come. The next four years may be harder than the last 21 months. But I’m strapping my seatbelt and getting ready for the ride.
Throughout the last couple months I’ve always been that black person that has tried to look past the color of Barack Obama’s skin. Sure I loved him because he’s black. But I loved him even more because he was the right man for the job. Regardless of his ethnicity, I always felt like Obama was the better candidate—and I wanted every white person I talked to to know that.
But as Election Day came closer and closer I realized how much this election really was about race. My email was constantly being stuffed with chain mail begging black people to maintain appropriate etiquette on November 5th if Obama actually won. Although I chuckled at so many of the emails advising us not to bring chicken and watermelon to work, or give each other high fives on the street, or (worst case scenario) not show up to work at all, the humor was veiling the more important issue.
Now that Barack Obama has become the 44th president all eyes will be on black people. And while it is a huge victory, I fear that others will expect us to shut up. “You got the damn president, what else do you people want?”
Americans may forget that there’s still A LOT of work that needs to be done -- this became even more evident to me as I skimmed the facebook statuses of dear friends who happened to support McCain.
Danielle Cadet is a Danielle is a journalism student Northwestern University who likes to write about fashion and popular culture catastrophes.Permalink
Posted November 4, 2008
HISTORY
A Black Man President? Change We Can Believe In
LIFETIME AGO, THIS WRITER DID A FEATURE STORY exploring the consequences of growing up “biracial.” What always comes back to me is when one biracial woman said that she had come to see herself as an “ambassador” to the world.
This, she said, was the gift of growing up biracial.
On this eve of history, when America appears poised to elect the first man of color as president, even if we can’t agree on taxes or global warming or international strategy, let us agree that the rise of Senator Barack Obama is a turning point in America’s race relations, when all things became possible to all men. (The women will have to wait.)
The excitement, and, of course, hope, that this candidate generates among people and in particular, African Americans, awakens potential for our entire nation. It is impossible to read about the joy and engagement that Obama’s candidacy has created among blacks in particular without getting goose bumps.
• To the New York Times, 20-year-old Bianca Williams says she returned to college after seeing Obama in the first debate. “I started thinking maybe I could help my community like he did. If he could do it then I could do it. It woke me up, careerwise. It just gave me the willpower to go on.”
• In Kenya, 22-year-old Ida Atieno tells the Associated Press, "Obama represents hope. I see myself gaining from an Obama victory because of the inspiration he gives me."
• In France, Kama Des-Gachons, a 28-year-old Frenchwoman whose parents came from Mali, says, “He makes me dream. I even bought a T-shirt with the American flag. America is the country where you can make it."
Barack Obama, a biracial man born to a Kenyan father and a white mother, is indeed America's ambassador to the world.
"With Obama, a certain idea of America is back: that of a generous society where equality of opportunity is not an empty promise,'' said an editorial in France's Le Figaro newspaper last summer. "Hope and change, key words of his campaign, reinforce this rediscovered ideal, which resonates as much inside the country as beyond."
And even if he achieves nothing as president -- an unlikely possibility from one so smart and tempered – Obama will have forever change how blacks see themselves, and how whites and blacks regard each other. And no matter what your politics, surely this is change you can believe in.
Permalink
Posted November 4, 2008
POLITICS
Selling Political Wives' Short By Selling Perfection
ITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW BAD HAIR JOKES, I don’t recall any male politicians’ sartorial splendor or lack thereof making headlines. But the detailed review of the physical and style attributes of the women on this year's campaign trail have been some of the sexist -- and regressive -- politics I've witnessed.
Hillary Clinton has always received a good amount of attention for her perfunctory personal style, but the fashion police jumped the shark when they forced her to eschew the diamond ring Bill gave her to cut down on the bling, as though carat size presaged political platform.
There was also the harrumphing about the cost of the outfits that Cindy McCain and Laura Bush wore to the Republican National Convention. Mrs. McCain's allegedly cost $300,000! (Thanks largely to three-carat earrings estimated to be worth $280,000.) Joe the Plumber would have to unclog a whole lot of pipes to afford his wife a similar outfit. Mrs. Bush's ensemble was more modest, costing about $4,000, a tasteful sum considering the event.
Then there was the hue and cry over the $150,000 the RNC apparently spent morphing Sarah Palin from hockey mom into VP contender. But the brouhaha was muffled when Hillary Clinton's own stylist was quoted as saying that she was surprised any candidate would pay for designer clothing. She found it "strange" that Palin hadn't been gifted the clothing outright. That expectation was even more shocking to me than the GOP’s campaign clothing budget.
The amount these Republicans spent on clothing seemed to illustrate the differences between the two parties, the so-called haves and have-nots. But even Michelle Obama was not safe from having her style deconstructed, with some wondering aloud whether Oprah was behind her polished first-lady look. And the New York Times went so far as to suggest that Michelle had undergone the “Oprah-fication” of her public persona. All the talk just makes me wonder if Jackie O's style was really her own or something cultivated by a team of high paid stylists.
There is a crisis of vanity in America, and the women of the 2008 Presidential campaign have not escaped its (we suppose “Prada alligator”) clutches. These women on the political frontlines deserve to enjoy the experience that the travel to the White House brings, but not at the expense of their humanity. As our economy falters, America’s obsession over what a politician’s wife ought to look like sends the wrong message about beauty and financial pragmatism.
I too am guilty, as I found myself commenting aloud how Sarah Palin needed to wear her hair down. And my guilt was not assuaged when the next day I read that she'd been advised to do exactly that . Really, should the length and subtleness of Palin’s hair win votes?
It's sickened me when the GOP made such a stink about Palin's lack of retouching on her Newsweek cover . I don't want any of these women – Democrat or Republican -- to be "retouched." Who they really are as mothers, citizens, and females, is drastically more important to them, and to me.
Making the calculated decision to shape them into grandiose projections of perfection belies what this election is supposed to be all about: making changes we can believe in, and protecting our freedom to be you and me.
MzEll is a stay-at-home mom who writes, reads, knits, and tries to maintain sanity on a regular basis. You can read her blog at Cookiemonks.Permalink
Posted October 28, 2008
POLITICS
Minister Of Divine Vibrations? Speculating on Oprah's Future Role In The White House
S OBAMAMANIA REACHES FEVER PITCH, talk now turns to who will serve in his cabinet. One name on everybody’s list: queen of all media Oprah (sorry, Perez), because she anointed him early as “the one,” risking her brand with the very people who made her one.
Yesterday’s The Daily Beast suggests that Senator Obama create a post specifically for Miss Winfrey. Crabby suggests that it’s always media folk who have probably never watched an hour of Oprah (the one exception being when they appeared), and who have read more of her press releases than her show scripts, who make such suggestions. So, with a special warning to Michelle to keep Her Highness away from the family quarters (because she does not play second fiddle to anyone), Crabby has come up with several potential titles she could wear in the new administration:
Minister of Divine Vibrations -- Devotees of Oprah know that she is gifted with the power of special personal communication from on high. Along the way she has had the help of seers such as Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, James Redfield, Iyanla Vanzant, Gary Zukav, Rhonda Byrne,Eckhart Tolle, Nate Berkus, Bob Greene, and Dr. Phil. As MDV she could be placed in charged of NASA, directing them to listen closely to those parts of heaven from which the latest messages are being signaled.
Chief Stimulant Spending Advisor -- As one of the economic machines that feeds America’s fevered consumerist appetite, let’s put the business titan in charge of advising Americans how they should spend any future stimulant checks. America is in desperate need of an influx of spending, and O could advocate for the purchase of the many luxurious items on her annual “Favorite Things” list. Opraphiles, eager to please and look wealthier beyond their means, will rush out and max out their credit cards to feed their inner hunger while getting the economy chugging again. I can hear Oprah now: CHAAARRRGGGEE IT!
Public Image Director -- This job usually falls to Machiavellian types like Karl Rove, David Axelrod, Lee Atwater, a group that Oprah would fit in nicely. All of them worked their magic as image makers to persuade the public that their man was the man for the job. But Oprah can teach these masters new tricks: she can introduce her ironclad confidentiality agreement to these political operatives, making sure that no insider ever authors a book to challenge the authorized word. Unless, of course, they start a snarky blog and poke good fun!
All of this talk flies out the window in the off-chance that Senator McCain -- who adamantly claimed yesterday that he was "going to win it," -- actually goes all the way. But even then Oprah will win, as she can say, "See? I told you! The Secret really works! Permalink
Posted October 27, 2008
POLITICS
Rewriting History: If McCain Chose Judge Judy for V.P.
AS SENATOR MCCAIN SURELY CRINGES FROM THE LATEST RANTS OF HIS RUNNING MATE SARAH PALIN, I'LL POSIT THAT HE'D be much better off in the race if he had chosen Judge Judith Sheindlin as his running mate.
No joking! She’s an experienced jurist, is whip-smart, and has a great New York accent that could help "balance the ticket." Her "tough broad persona" is no joke, and people like her anyway!
What else could a president want in a glass-ceiling-busting partner? Can you imagine Judge Judy in a debate with Joe Biden? He’d be toast. Judy wouldn’t need no stinking talking points cue cards, either. You think she doesn’t know the issues? You're crazy! And as she'll tell you in a minute, she didn’t get where she is because she’s cute.
She cows nor bows to no one. Judge Judy would not allow herself to be fed "code" words, would not be “intimidated” into incoherence by Katie Couric. And she’s no Kool-Aid drinker for partisans. A recent article in The Guardian quoted her as a friend of McCain -- whom she calls a "a real meat-and-potatoes guy" -- but nevertheless says she likes Obama.
Diplomatic! Smart! I have never heard Palin say one nice thing about Obama, ever.
John McCain, I’m sorry you’ve tried for the presidency so many times and failed. This could’ve been your year! If only you had chosen the right running mate. Judge Judy for VP!
SexyChattyCatty periodically comments at CrabbyGolightly.com on TV, America's favorite snack food.Permalink
Posted October 21, 2008
HEADLINES
Divine Intervention In The Campaign, and Other News Ephemera
EORGE BUSH IS SET TO DELIVER A A PEP TALK TO THE NATION ABOUT THE ECONOMY TODAY. Has he not yet figured out that the best thing he can do is lie low and quietly exit through the back door? Bush demanding the national stage just reminds us all why we're in this mess, and probably costs his party's candidate McCain points in the election. Mr. President, you did too little, too late. If you want to help the nation, say as little as possible. And save your explanations for your memoir.
Proving that these two men are the best the nation has to offer, Barack Obama and John McCain traded comedic riffs at the 63rd annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a New York charity that benefits deprived children. The candidates poked fun at themselves and each other while helping to raise $4 million dollars.
McCain joked of Joe The Plumber, "What they don't know is that Joe the Plumber recently signed a very lucrative contract with a wealthy couple to handle all the work on all seven of their houses," in a reference to he and Cindy McCain. And Obama mocked himself when he said, "Could somebody tell me what happened to the Greek columns that I requested?"
The competitors praised each other, with McCain complimenting Obama for his "great skill, energy, and determination, and Obama thanking McCain for the "honor and distinction" with which he's served America. Regardless of who wins the race, something tells me that these two will end up being great friends.
And while in New York, McCain delivered his mea culpas to David Letterman for canceling on his show when the Dow took a nosedive two weeks ago. Then Letterman proceeded to grill the Republican like no media figure has done yet during this political season, leading McCain to crack, "I haven't had so much fun since my last interrogation." Dave, Dave, you used to be such a hero of mine, especially when you aimed your zingers at Oprah. Now you cow to the Queen but pick on the weaker, showing once again your streak of bully.
Permalink
Posted October 17, 2008
POLITICS
Obama Seals The Deal: Even Joe the Plumber Can't Save McCain From The Can
ENATOR JOHN MCCAIN IS ONCE AGAIN IMPRISONED, THIS time by his presidential gambit going nowhere. It ended abruptly last night during the final presidential debate when Senator Barack Obama delivered a preternaturally calm perform while explaining why he ought to be the next president of the United States. And my guess is that even Joe the Plumber can't rescue McCain from the can.
Senator McCain tried to change the inevitable, but all night it looked as though he was boxing at shadows. In one of his best lines, he told Obama, "I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against Bush, you should have run four years ago." The line caused some titters from an audience sworn to silence.
The Arizonan even dared to mention former 60s radical Bill Ayers, one of the cast of questionable characters that have littered Obama's campaign. Very calmly, Obama explained that he had served with Ayers on an education reform board financed by a former ambassador to Ronald Reagan, adding his own footnote to Republicans' favorite hagiography. And without any evidence to the contrary, America has little reason to doubt him. He then flicked the topic away with the remark that McCain's focus on Ayers "says more about your campaign than it says about me."
In short, the night's overall picture was of that an outsized fighter bobbing and weaving around the taller heavyweight champ.
Unlike the first debate, when Obama felt the need to address every debate point McCain made, Obama oozed confidence and control. He discarded soundbites and opted for a heartfelt conversational tone while admonishing McCain that America's youth aren't a "special interest'' but our future. He also said he "didn't mind being attacked for the next three weeks," but that the public can't afford four more years of bankrupt government.
In short, Obama ended the night without a scratch. And he didn't gloat or flinch when, during his closing comments, he looked straight in the camera and delivered his knock-out blow:
"The policies of the last eight years, and Washington's unwillingless to tackle the tough problems for decades, has left us in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. And that's why the biggest risk we could take right now is to adopt the same failed policies and the same failed politics, that we' ve seen over the last eight years and somehow expect a different result. We need fundamental change in this country and that's what I'd like to bring...His competitor congratulated him, saying, "Good job, good job, good job,'' with a vigorous handshake. Which made McCain himself look forward to being sprung from his self-imposed sentence three weeks from now.
It's not going to be easy, it's not going to be quick. It's going to require all of us, Democratics, Republicans, independents to come together and to renew a spirit of sacrifice and service and responsibility. I'm absolutely convinced we can do it. I would ask for your vote. And I promise you, if you give me the extraordinary honor of serving as your President, I will work every single day tirelessly on your behalf and on the behalf of the future of our children.
Permalink
Posted October 15, 2008
POLITICS
No Longer Favored Son, Texans Feel 'Bush'-Whacked By George W.
IF YOU ASK MY TODDLER ABOUT GEORGE W. BUSH, he'll tell you that he lives on a refrigerator magnet, and that he is a "yocky man!," his two-year-old's Texas twang turning the 'U' into an 'O.' But in Texas, it's not that simple.
I grew up in Midland, TX, from where Bush hails, and called it my home until I had my own family. I was also raised in the same Methodist traditions as President Bush, and am in essence a member of his extended congregation. So it’s hard for me not to feel sympathy for the man, if not for the "President," behind the public's scorn. In the newsletter of the church I attend in South Texas, there is a permanent entry to pray for President Bush, and I do so almost every night.
Yet I’m ambivalent about Bush, as many Texans are. Four years ago while attending the local community college, I was stopped by a smart female student because I was wearing a ‘Democrat’ pin. My schoolmate’s reaction? Basically all Texans should vote for Bush because he ‘s Texan, and that Afghanistan and Iraq should just be blown up. I was aghast, embarrassed that someone so smart had such a childish response.
That down-home pride has all but disappeared for Bush. Last week I talked to a few students on that same college campus, and all were either angry or chagrinned about Bush's job performance.
Salon’s Bill Sasser wrote about the turn against Bush in the Lone Star State. “Back in the day you couldn't swing a dead cat around here without hitting one of those 'W' stickers,'' he wrote. "But feelings around here started to change about a year ago, when guys started going back to Iraq for their third deployment.”
Sasser points out that more Texans have served in Bush’s wars than any other war, and that only California has sent home more dead soldiers. Even the editor of Texas Monthly, Paul Burka, who's covered politics for 30 years and voted twice for Bush, is embarrassed by his past votes. And James Henson, a University of Texas public policy professor, said in the same article that finding Texans who admit to voting for Bush “is like trying to find people who voted for Nixon in his 1972 landslide."
My mother-in-law has voted Republican in every election since Goldwater ran for President. Even she is disappointed by Bush’s last term; she shakes her head and covers her eyes when talking about it. Last week she confessed that she just might sit this election out.
As my husband says, George W. like Coca-Cola to Texans: We still prefer Coke to Pepsi (Democrats?), it's just this case the Coke has gone flat and rancid.
MzEll is a stay-at-home mom who writes, reads, knits, and tries to maintain sanity on a regular basis. You can read her blog at Cookiemonks.Permalink
Posted October 12, 2008
TELEVISION
"The View" In Black And White
HE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS GETTING EVERYBODY'S HACKLES UP, EVEN THE LADIES OF THE VIEW.
Full disclosure: I've never watched a complete episode of The View. I will not wear that one. But the firestorms that erupt between the five hosts sometimes break through the headlines, and so I got to see Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd's "passionate" exchange about Barack Obama's eyebrow-raising ties and John McCain's disloyalty to his first wife. My reaction? "Wow! A real conversation on TV!"
The sentiments expressed by Hasselbeck and Shepherd are spilling out all over America, so why shouldn't they raise the same questions? It does a nation good to clear the air.
The media acts as though America is divided into two camps: liberal or conservative, racists or not, but the truth is far more complicated, nuanced and ephemeral.
The only comment out of line was Joy Behar's flippant remark, "You're listening to Sean Hannity too much!" after Elisabeth rightly pointed out the Democrats' hand in bolstering up a shaky Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
That was below the belt, Joy. And, FYI, brush up on your facts.
Even the Washington Post, a media outlet with some of the best liberal cred, reported the Dems' involvement as fact. So does Tina Brown's latest media creation, The Daily Beast, which labeled Congressional Dems as "enablers" in the country's finacial fiasco.
So here's my plea to the ladies, as well as to the nation. Can you stop ganging up on Elisabeth? There's a whole lot of people like her out there, even in Barack territory, except they only say privately what Hasselbeck said publicly.
Geesh, used to be Republicans were the vicious bomb-throwers who thrilled at sowing contempt. This campaign the Dems' have borrowed a page from that playbook. Can we bring some civility back to the debate?Permalink
Posted October 9, 2008
POLITICS
Obama: Calm At the Eye Of the Storm
AN WE GET THIS THING OVER WITH?
This "thing" being the interminable Presidential campaign and Tuesday night's "town hall" debate during which few words from either candidate caused an uptick in active listening.
At the end of the world as we know it, Senator Barack Obama seemed fine: unflappable and cool and ready for whatever the afterlife delivers. And Senator John McCain showed he is ready to go out with figurative guns blazing.
Today, I'll not participate in partisan hair-pulling. Last night I saw both men as honorable and disciplined and well-intentioned, but with different world views. Unlike during the first debate, when McCain played offense with his can-do comments and attacks on Obama, last night he paced like a hungry lion waiting for prey.
Obama wasn't in danger; he was the elephant on the horizon.
The race is near over, and political fortunes can change with the wind. But this year the economic gales are foretelling a long winter. Stock up on food, conserve fuel, bring your rosary and batten down the hatches.
Change is arriving at the station.
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Posted October 8, 2008
POLITICS
Pelosi Et. Al -- Wipe The Smiles Off Your Faces
HAT THE HELL DID THEY FIND SO FUNNY?
Here they were, Congressional Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barney Frank and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson sharing a laugh while announcing to the media that they reached an accord on the repulsive $700 billion bailout of Wall Street’s Masters of the Universe at the expense of ordinary Americans.
But the self-congratulations were premature and the pictures taken Monday showed grimmer expressions on the dealmakers’ faces.
While partisans threw pot-shots at each other – the Dems blamed the Republicans for the failure of the bailout plan and vice versa -- the reality is both political parties’ got us into this quicksand. And Congressional leaders who face November elections weren’t willing to absorb the voters’ anticipated zings and arrows.
When the votes were tallied, there were 228 nays versus 205 yeas against the biggest market intervention since the Great Depression. Of Dems, 95 opposed the bill while 140 voted in favor; 133 Republicans nixed the plan while 65 supported it.
Meanwhile, back at the race, the Obama and McCain camps pointed fingers at each other.
During a presidential campaign with lots of talk about chickens coming home to roost, this story was the foulest. We are all complicit in this mess; the media for spoonfeeding us stories about Jesus’ face in cat fur stories while ignoring real crises. Or for dismissing what they surely thought shrill complaints from Ralph Nader about lax governmental regulation and corporate welfare for the likes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Today’s reporters seems to do little more than yap like little dogs at bigger dogs; but as usual their bark is bigger than their bite. The sleaze-fest that Congress has become can be directly traced back to the money from wealthy individuals and corporations who want to a piece of America’s pie when legislation is written, and candidates’ open palms.
Count me among the millions who are glad that they issue hasn’t been resolved quite so quickly to Congress’ satisfaction. Yes, yes, I’m aware that something must be done to avert another Depression. Americans rely on ol’ Uncle Sam to play both mommy and daddy.
But there’s lots more work to do to ensure that all of those who contributed to this fiasco are forced to sweat before the final tally is deducted from the next generation’s future.
Here’s where they can begin: Bush, Pelosi, Reid, Paulsen, et.al – stop laughing at our expense.
Permalink
Posted September 30, 2008
POLITICS
The Kids Aren't All Right: Cracks In The Facade Of The Palin Family
Iam slightly addicted to Celebrity Baby Blog. I first visited there to find out what Elizabeth Hasselbeck was naming her baby. If it weren’t for that odd inquiry, my ear would never have been tuned in to the name Sarah Palin. The pregnancy and birth of the VP contender's fifth child, Trig, were both reported there, and since then my original impressions about Mrs. Palin have completely changed.
At first I thought, “Wow, what an inspiring woman! To conceive another child with so many other responsibilities, and then return to them so completely, even with her son’s disability.” I didn’t know anything about Sarah Palin except what I read at the CBB and her general appearance. Her decisions then seemed to be those of a modern, working mom making good choices for her family.
Then John McCain nominated her for VP, and I noticed she was a Republican. Almost immediately afterwards, there was speculation that her baby was really her daughter’s. That’s a lot of Mama drama! Next, was the news that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. Up until this point, she had the benefit of my doubt. Being a mother is challenging, and you can’t be with your children all the time.
Another confession: I also frequent Perez Hilton, where I drank up alleged pictures of Bristol Palin posing with a bottle of "Captain Morgan" and a scantily clad friend. (Although the girl doesn't look a thing like Bristol to my eyes.)
Then there were rampant rumors all over the internet about Track Palin vandalizing a school bus. My faith in Palin as a mother was lost. Sarah Palin’s views on sexual education, evolution, and religion as a whole didn’t improve her standing as a mother.
How do the church-going kids of an American governor have the space to drink, vandalize buses and and get pregnant? Where was Sarah Palin when all of this was happening?
The lack of communication and understanding required for that much family drama is astounding. Devotion to your day job should never outweigh dedication to raising competent adults.
I feel bad that her children have been forced into the spotlight. I also remember from my own teen years that your parents cannot control you, or even know you completely. But I feel a mother who represents America has a responsibility to have done a better job.
You can preach abstinence and promise rings, but when your child is old enough to have sex, there needs to be something more than talk.
I don't doubt that Sarah Palin loves her children more than her own life. For the sake of her younger children, I hope that she has done and continues to do the best she can. For this mom, however, she hasn't done good enough.
MzEll is a stay-at-home mom who writes, reads, knits, and tries to maintain sanity on a regular basis. She blogs at Cookiemonks.Permalink
Posted September 27, 2008
POLITICS
Ron Paul Is Right: The Only Chance For 'Change' Is To Vote For A Third-Party Candidate
Both Obama, McCain, Guarantee More of the Same
he crash of America's economic markets is a timely reminder of the importance of the upcoming presidential election.
The American Dream is deferred for millions teetering under higher gas, electric, housing, medical costs and overextended credit cards.
While thousands of Americans lose their homes to foreclosure, corporate welfare continues unabated, with the government's $85 billion bailout of insurance giant AIG.
As admirable as both presidential candidates are -- Barack Obama with his charm, intellect and swagger, John McCain for what Time calls his twin conflictions of ambition and honor -- neither man has the righteous indignation necessary to change the status quo. And to suddenly aspire to it would mean eschewing the political machines that have brought them to the top of the presidential heap.
Like every campaign before it, this presidential race is turning out to be the most expensive to date, with more than $1 billion raised so far, much from "bundlers" who have an economic interest in influencing legislators. The largest piece of that pie will be spent on television and internet advertising, estimated to exceed $3 billion, thus enriching broadcasters who are the primary source of news and information for Americans. So it should be no surprise that what passes for news coverage can at best be described as a "pig wearing lipstick."
Barack Obama, the people's messianic hopes aside, is unlikely to turn this corrupt tide. To date his campaign has raised $390 million-- more than any single presidential candidate in history. He's also now part of the Richard Daley Chicago machine, which runs the City of Clout like a family of sanctioned mobsters. The system is so broken here that elections don't matter so much as political appointments. Residents, distracted by the Cubs or their Wiis or their car payments or by television's somnambulistic influence, routinely re-elect incumbents, who then quit and hand their seat to a family member or political operative. Those who think Obama will deliver the promised land have ignored his lack of reform in Illinois and Congress.
McCain, who has to date raised $174 million for the campaign, has a longer history of falling on his sword on behalf of change. Caught in the Keating Five scandal, political pundits say that McCain's dutiful reaction to that embarassment was to become a bipartisan reformer, leading to his stewardship of the McCain-Feingold Act, which limited the impact of "soft money" and "issue ads" in presidential campaigns. As moderate as his record is compared to Republicans in the Senate, McCain is handicapped for being from the party that has enabled big oil and business to gorge themselves at the public's expense. And up until this week, McCain had little to say about re-regulating an out-of-control and collapsing marketplace.
All of which brings home former presidential candidate Ron Paul's point that made last week while calling on voters to support a third-party candidate.
"I've come to the conclusion, after having spent many years in politics, is that our presidential elections turn out to be more of a charade than anything else, and I think that is true today,'' Paul said. "It is a charade."
According to CNN, Paul said the "two major parties and media had 'colluded' to avoid discussing issues and falsely presenting the difference between McCain and Obama as real."
What -- other than the dismantling of civil rights, consumer protections and regulation -- has been accomplished by Bush and Congress during the last eight years? Do we really want to perpetuate financial practices that devalue our economic system? Play world cop by enforcing "pre-emptive" hegemony? Spend billions on an unwinnable war on drugs?
When hundreds of thousands turned out in Berlin to hear Obama speak, pundits chalked it yet again to his charismatic pull. But in a 2002 report comparing elections around the globe, Germany ranked 33rd for voter turnout while America ranked 120th. Germans are in general more politically engaged.
This year we saw several examples of populations turning out in force to pressure their governments for change. More than 40,000 South Koreans marched to protest their country's renewed imports of U.S. beef. And hundreds of thousands of Colombians marched to protest abductions by leftist guerrillas in the South American country. What America needs is a good, old-fashioned revolution.
Ron Paul is right; the two-party system is a fixed-game for those on the inside. And until Americans shake off their apathy and turn out enmasse at the polls, nothing's really going to change.
Permalink
Posted September 18, 2008
POLITICS
Sarah Palin Proves She's Expert Marksman, Takes Aim At Obama, Media Critics
O BULLDOG EVER LOOKED SO GOOD IN LIPSTICK, nor roused a crowd to such a clamor.
In a reversal of political winds, Republican VP nominee Alaska Governor Sarah Palin powered through her televised introduction to the nation Wednesday, wowing Republicans and Independents with the idea that Mrs. Smith was heading to Washington.
After a weekend of character assaults by the media and blogosphere, and flanked by her picture-perfect family, soccer-mom-turned-Governor proved she was up to the fight of the national presidential campaign, taking some of the best swipes yet at Barack Obama with the sincerest of smiles.
"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities,'' said Palin in a sly dig at Obama.
"I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening.
"We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco."
The Alaskan hunter had hit her target with a bullseye! In fact, all night long Mrs. Palin proved herself of steely aim.
"And though both Senator Obama and Senator Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, "fighting for you," let us face the matter squarely. There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you." Bang!
"I've noticed a pattern with our opponent,'' she said. "...We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers. And there is much to like and admire about our opponent.But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate." Pow!
Palin went on, "But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away,when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot, what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet?
"The answer is to make government bigger, take more of your money ... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world."
Well, actually Sarah, no one has succeeded at that quite like Republican George Bush, which is the big problem for your ticket. But you did cleverly remind us of the messianic complex of Obama and his followers.
I had begun to lament the off-the-deep-end partisan punditry increasingly practiced by both sides of the political divide. I was peeved at the sexism used like a baton against Hillary and Sarah. I don't agree with Sarah Palin on a lot, but to my mind that doesn't mean I can cast vile insinuations about her daughter's baby's father. (Who turns out to be a hottie, hence a political plus for Sarah!)
Now do I worry? Not so much.
Ladies and gentlemen, have at her. The Governor will take your questions now. Permalink
Posted September 4, 2008
POLITICS
Sarah Palin As VP: One Step Forward, Three Steps Back
THE LATEST AND MOST REVEALING NEWS ABOUT SARAH PALIN might just prove she's the worst choice for America right now, but the best choice for McCain’s campaign.
Bristol Palin reportedly plans to marry her baby’s father and make family dinners super awkward for years to come. The McCain campaign announced Monday the seventeen year-old daughter of Republican vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is five months pregnant.
Sarah Palin is an old school politician in a girl’s body. Her cocky, unwavering close-mindedness is directly proportional to the number of skeletons in her closet. A look at her impressively ass-backwards political history shows she doesn’t have a place in her heart for sissy, forward-thinking “trends” like equality or ecology. McCain’s unlikely candidate:
~ Is pro-life, even in circumstances of rape and incest (and wayward daughters).With all this said, I am glad to see that Palin has embraced at least one popular trend in America. Nothing says “I’m so 2008” like a knocked-up, underaged daughter.
~ Supports “abstinence only education,” which means when students ask about STD’s, the health teacher shrugs and mutters something about marriage. (It’s literally the opposite of “education,” which leads to the opposite of “abstinence.”)
~ Opposed gay marriage or health care for gay couples (which I guess is OK, because gays aren’t technically people).
~ Opposes the legalization of marijuana (because Republicans are still having issues admitting they smoked their way through college).
~ Supported Bush’s fight against terrorism (which I think means she supports the war in Iraq).
~ Has stated she doesn’t believe people caused global warming. (Really?)
~ Supports oil drilling in Alaska. (That makes sense, nature’s gay anyway.)
My first thought upon hearing about Palin’s nomination was literally “Is McCain fucking drunk?” He’s capitalizing on the push for a minority in office despite her obvious lack of qualifications.
This transparent attempt to keep up with the Jones made me think, “Well, there’s the nail in his coffin. Hello Obama.” But with the campaign’s new pregnant daughter scandal, I’m feeling that voters might give him a shot.
America has a soft-spot for the Cinderella story. Only four years ago George Bush was reelected, a decision Americans seemed to base on some unlikely fairy tale ending. Obama is the big man in town now (hipsters, gangsters, and Oprah in tow) and McCain, regardless of how slimy, is the underdog.
Obama and Clinton spent almost 18 months breaking stereotypes while McCain was the odd man out as a rich, white male. Now with three months to go, McCain’s campaign smartly jumps on the minority bandwagon to capitalize on the Democrats’ recent political success. It’s a timely tactic, but picking Palin after a long campaign of Obama and Clinton is equivalent to watching the Dukes of Hazard Movie instead of the original TV show.
Benjamin Bradshaw B. is a fashion merchandising student who blogs at CrabbyGoLightly.com on culture, ads, and corporate monsters. You can reach him at Myspace.com/taterzz.com.
Permalink
Posted September 3, 2008
POLITICS
Calculating 'Baby Bumps' and Other Inanities of the Blogosphere
F WE NEVER HEAR ANOTHER WORD ABOUT ALASKA'S GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN, IF SHE FALLS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH TODAY, HISTORY will record her as the only would-be VP accused of faking the birth of her daughter's Down Syndrome baby.
Surely this is the most ludicrous slander that any candidate has ever faced? This abysmal excuse for political engagement is even more ridiculous than news stories about Oprah crying her fake eyelashes off during Barack Obama's powerful speech at the Democratic National Convention.
But what we've learned during this presidential campaign is that female candidates engender a particularly virulent strain of evil from some males who labor in the new and old media.
Most recent case in point: someone with the nom de plume "ArcXIX" wrote on the Daily Kos, the left-wing's looney response to Matt Drudge: "Sarah, I'm calling you a liar....Trig Paxson Van Palin is not your son. He is your grandson. The sooner you come forward with this revelation to the public, the better."
The rationale for the accusation that Palin was pretending her daughter's illegitimate child was her own? Palin only announced seven months into her pregnancy that she was expecting and those around her were shocked, shocked! because of her size. (Palin revealed over the weekend that her 17-year-old daughter Bristol is in fact five months pregnant, making it unlikely that mother delivered her love child last April.)
Speculating on the innards of wombs has become a favorite pastime among bloggers and low-brow media during the last two years. What looks an awful lot like bloating to the rest of America passes as "baby bump" when it shows up on the frames of Paris Hilton, Kate Moss, Jessica Biel, Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson. And many might consider this a mindless, sinless distraction.
But I'm betting that the ideologues at the Kos might have done more damage than good with their bizarre conspiracy theory.
Any politically astute person can see that while Palin is a conservative Republican, she is the only populist on the presidential political scene, and that archetype holds great appeal in the public's imagination. She is smart, charming and from "salt-of-the-earth" ilk. In addition, she challenges Obama for the "charisma" vote.
I doubt that a McCain-Palin ticket derails Obama's ascension to president. But the ideologues at Kos have tread on dangerous ground. Many women rightly feel that Hillary Clinton was forced out of the race by sexism in the media. If some of these women, particularly those Reagan Democrats who reside in the western hills of Pennsylvania, decide that one of their kind has been dissed again, it's possible that there'll be hell to pay in November for Democrats' who made the same mistake twice.
Permalink
Posted September 2, 2008
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