Barney Frank offers up this little nugget for President-Elect Obama. You know, the guy who has been putting together his administration faster and more effectively than we've seen in decades? The guy who has put together a pretty amazing cabinet thus far, who is getting kudos from a majority of the public in polls pretty much whenever he announces something?
"He's going to have to be more assertive than he's been," House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., told consumer advocates Thursday.
"At a time of great crisis with mortgage foreclosures and autos, he says we only have one president at a time," Frank said. "I'm afraid that overstates the number of presidents we have. He's got to remedy that situation."
Well, that's very glib, Congressman. But hey, isn't asking the guy not yet in power, who is trying to observe the Constitution, to "get more assertive" a bit hypocritical when you and your idiot cronies are the ones who gave Paulson a blank check to further fuck up the economy?
The speed with which the liberal blogosphere and the Democrats in Congress have turned on their new party leader, *before he's even in office*, is astounding. Are we *so* determined to put the Republicans back in office that we're going to undermine our leader a full month and a half before he's even sworn in? Even when pretty much every indicator is that he's on a pretty solid path?
Look, I get a little cautious needling and questioning around the edges. But there seems to be this huge panic that Obama isn't doing whatever they want him to do right this minute, even if he's *legally prevented from doing so.* I'm not a "My President, right or wrong" kind of guy. If Obama turns out not to be able to do this, then hey, yeah, call him on the carpet.
But at least let the guy get to standing up before you try to cut him off at the knees. We elected him to lead, let's see if he can lead, huh?
Showing posts with label Obama 08. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama 08. Show all posts
Friday, December 05, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Rahm Emanuel - Chief of Staff?
The New York Times has this piece, with the headline "Capital Asking - Politics As Usual?"
Really? Less than two days after the election, we're already dipping into that well?
But despite the headline and editorial slant of "this looks like a bad idea," it actually gives me a lot of hope for Emanuel. I don't know the guy, although I'll be doing some research in the next couple of days, but here are my takeaways from the piece:
*He swears a lot. It's implied that he loves the "F" word. So we've got that in common.
*Like Obama, he looks like a relatively (49) young, ambitious guy who hasn't been a decades-long fixture in the current political machine, but who nonetheless has become "one to watch" very quickly
*He's willing to go at his own party, which included pissing off Hilary Clinton when he was in the White House. Look, I'm not a Hilary hater, but somebody who ruffles Hilary's feathers is at this point, a plus to me.
*The Republicans hate him for his partisanship. Which, of course, I like. Just because Obama plans to run a bipartisan administration, that doesn't mean there shouldn't be some die-hard Democrats in there. Especially if they're going to have to battle it out with Republican appointments in his cabinet or staff as well. He has some Republican friends, but it's clear that he leans Democrat. That's about where I'd like him to be.
*Joe Scarborough thinks it's a bad idea. For that alone, I'd almost say it's the right way to go. ;)
He may turn it down, for family reasons, which I could totally respect. But if Emanuel does take the job, to me, it looks like a good first pick.
Really? Less than two days after the election, we're already dipping into that well?
But despite the headline and editorial slant of "this looks like a bad idea," it actually gives me a lot of hope for Emanuel. I don't know the guy, although I'll be doing some research in the next couple of days, but here are my takeaways from the piece:
*He swears a lot. It's implied that he loves the "F" word. So we've got that in common.
*Like Obama, he looks like a relatively (49) young, ambitious guy who hasn't been a decades-long fixture in the current political machine, but who nonetheless has become "one to watch" very quickly
*He's willing to go at his own party, which included pissing off Hilary Clinton when he was in the White House. Look, I'm not a Hilary hater, but somebody who ruffles Hilary's feathers is at this point, a plus to me.
*The Republicans hate him for his partisanship. Which, of course, I like. Just because Obama plans to run a bipartisan administration, that doesn't mean there shouldn't be some die-hard Democrats in there. Especially if they're going to have to battle it out with Republican appointments in his cabinet or staff as well. He has some Republican friends, but it's clear that he leans Democrat. That's about where I'd like him to be.
*Joe Scarborough thinks it's a bad idea. For that alone, I'd almost say it's the right way to go. ;)
He may turn it down, for family reasons, which I could totally respect. But if Emanuel does take the job, to me, it looks like a good first pick.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
I Promise I'll Stop With The Gloating... Maybe in 2010
But this is just as sweet and uplifting as it was before the election. Better, actually, because now I know that all my hopes aren't going to get dashed like they were in 2000 and 2004.
Politics: More Thoughts and Linkblogging
You know, I'm a little worried... I thought my political obsession would end when Obama won. But it hasn't. I'm still much more casually interested in comics, TV, movies and videogames than I was about a year ago. Everything I've written about, what my career has become (in the case of comics), has taken a bit of a backseat to politics. This is worrisome, because unlike my place in the small pond of comics, I'm not really in a place to get there with politics. I'm way too old to work my way up to political pundit, and way too atheist to actually get into politics. ;)
I've been spending much of the night catching up on the very early post-mortem reactions from all the blogs I follow, and here are some of the pieces that moved me, in one way or another:
Margaret and Helen:
"I feel good, but I will feel even better when Barbara Walters slaps the crap out of Elisabeth Hasselbeck."
Fivethirtyeight.com: Chicago The Day After:
"We suspect we're not alone. Right now, organizers, full-time volunteers, campaign staff, and everyone else who gave single-minded effort toward November 4 are waking up and saying to themselves and each other, "what do I do with myself?" Their cars are messes, their rooms disaster zones, and they've been cut off from friends and family for God knows how long."
23/6: President Bush's Legacy: President Obama:
"Speaking of Bush, it is clear now, if it wasn't before, what his legacy is going to be: Obama.
Bush will be known for ushering in the Obama era, the way Herbert Hoover was known for ushering in FDR or Pete Best was known for preceding Ringo."
Paul Krugman: The Monster Years:
"What I mean by that is that for the past 14 years America’s political life has been largely dominated by, well, monsters. Monsters like Tom DeLay, who suggested that the shootings at Columbine happened because schools teach students the theory of evolution. Monsters like Karl Rove, who declared that liberals wanted to offer “therapy and understanding” to terrorists. Monsters like Dick Cheney, who saw 9/11 as an opportunity to start torturing people."
Christopher Frizelle at Slog: Majority Rules:
"One got the startling sense last night that we were bigger in number than we realized. It is possible to deeply internalize your family’s fucked up Republican arrogance, to believe on some level that you are outnumbered—as another of my relatives, also a diehard Republican, likes to chirp whenever we talk about politics, “Majority ruuu-ules!”—and one great gift of last night was the realization not only that there are lots of liberals out there (duh) but also that there are enough people out there who like liberals to make this happen (easy to forget). Obama has made liberalism likable again."
Savage Love Letter: Gay Days in Utah:
"I think there are many gay and lesbian citizens who, like me, are enraged by the campaign in support of prop 8. As you know a large chunk of the funding came from the Mormon Church. Instead of just bottling our rage, let’s all get on planes and trains, and in automobiles, and go to Utah. The plan would be for gay and lesbians to visit Utah en masse to make the point that if religious folk are going to encroach on our lives, we will encroach on theirs."
Dan Savage: Black Homophobia:
"I’m not sure what to do with this. I’m thrilled that we’ve just elected our first African-American president. I wept last night. I wept reading the papers this morning. But I can’t help but feeling hurt that the love and support aren’t mutual."
Paul Constant at Slog:
"When Obama gave his speech last night, he looked relieved, yes, and assured, yes, but he also looked tired. And it was the kind of tired you see on the face of someone who’s run five miles and has to go fifteen miles more before he or she sleeps. Intellectually, he realizes the burden of a presidency, and he’s getting ready for it. It’s amazing to watch. Here’s a man who’s giving up the rest of his life for this national service, and, completely understanding what it means, he’s doing it willingly. That’s a kind of heroism."
Talking Points Memo watches The Republican Party begin to eat itself:
"Randy Scheunemann, a senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain, was fired from the Arizona senator's campaign last week for what one aide called "trashing" the campaign staff, three senior McCain advisers tell CNN.
One of the aides tells CNN that campaign manager Rick Davis fired Scheunemann after determining that he had been in direct contact with journalists spreading "disinformation" about campaign aides, including Nicolle Wallace and other officials.
"He was positioning himself with Palin at the expense of John McCain's campaign message," said one of the aides."
Greg Sargent: Obama's Win A Death Knell for 1960s Cultural Politics?
"There's a tidy symmetry in the fact that Obama defeated, in succession, both the Clinton machine and the Rove-Atwater brand of politics that Republicans have honed for so long.
In so doing, Obama defeated not one, but both of the leading practitioners of that 1960s-rooted cultural politics. More to the point, he did this by quite literally running against politics as both those groups practiced it."
Jeff Parker: Congratulations Obama:
"What a night. I’m so ridiculously, unabashedly proud of America right now I can’t tell you. Maybe our motto should be, as would also apply to our stalled entry into World War 2, “We’ll screw up and drop the ball most of the time, but right at the very last minute of the eleventh hour when it’s almost too late- we’ll do the right thing!”"
I've been spending much of the night catching up on the very early post-mortem reactions from all the blogs I follow, and here are some of the pieces that moved me, in one way or another:
Margaret and Helen:
"I feel good, but I will feel even better when Barbara Walters slaps the crap out of Elisabeth Hasselbeck."
Fivethirtyeight.com: Chicago The Day After:
"We suspect we're not alone. Right now, organizers, full-time volunteers, campaign staff, and everyone else who gave single-minded effort toward November 4 are waking up and saying to themselves and each other, "what do I do with myself?" Their cars are messes, their rooms disaster zones, and they've been cut off from friends and family for God knows how long."
23/6: President Bush's Legacy: President Obama:
"Speaking of Bush, it is clear now, if it wasn't before, what his legacy is going to be: Obama.
Bush will be known for ushering in the Obama era, the way Herbert Hoover was known for ushering in FDR or Pete Best was known for preceding Ringo."
Paul Krugman: The Monster Years:
"What I mean by that is that for the past 14 years America’s political life has been largely dominated by, well, monsters. Monsters like Tom DeLay, who suggested that the shootings at Columbine happened because schools teach students the theory of evolution. Monsters like Karl Rove, who declared that liberals wanted to offer “therapy and understanding” to terrorists. Monsters like Dick Cheney, who saw 9/11 as an opportunity to start torturing people."
Christopher Frizelle at Slog: Majority Rules:
"One got the startling sense last night that we were bigger in number than we realized. It is possible to deeply internalize your family’s fucked up Republican arrogance, to believe on some level that you are outnumbered—as another of my relatives, also a diehard Republican, likes to chirp whenever we talk about politics, “Majority ruuu-ules!”—and one great gift of last night was the realization not only that there are lots of liberals out there (duh) but also that there are enough people out there who like liberals to make this happen (easy to forget). Obama has made liberalism likable again."
Savage Love Letter: Gay Days in Utah:
"I think there are many gay and lesbian citizens who, like me, are enraged by the campaign in support of prop 8. As you know a large chunk of the funding came from the Mormon Church. Instead of just bottling our rage, let’s all get on planes and trains, and in automobiles, and go to Utah. The plan would be for gay and lesbians to visit Utah en masse to make the point that if religious folk are going to encroach on our lives, we will encroach on theirs."
Dan Savage: Black Homophobia:
"I’m not sure what to do with this. I’m thrilled that we’ve just elected our first African-American president. I wept last night. I wept reading the papers this morning. But I can’t help but feeling hurt that the love and support aren’t mutual."
Paul Constant at Slog:
"When Obama gave his speech last night, he looked relieved, yes, and assured, yes, but he also looked tired. And it was the kind of tired you see on the face of someone who’s run five miles and has to go fifteen miles more before he or she sleeps. Intellectually, he realizes the burden of a presidency, and he’s getting ready for it. It’s amazing to watch. Here’s a man who’s giving up the rest of his life for this national service, and, completely understanding what it means, he’s doing it willingly. That’s a kind of heroism."
Talking Points Memo watches The Republican Party begin to eat itself:
"Randy Scheunemann, a senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain, was fired from the Arizona senator's campaign last week for what one aide called "trashing" the campaign staff, three senior McCain advisers tell CNN.
One of the aides tells CNN that campaign manager Rick Davis fired Scheunemann after determining that he had been in direct contact with journalists spreading "disinformation" about campaign aides, including Nicolle Wallace and other officials.
"He was positioning himself with Palin at the expense of John McCain's campaign message," said one of the aides."
Greg Sargent: Obama's Win A Death Knell for 1960s Cultural Politics?
"There's a tidy symmetry in the fact that Obama defeated, in succession, both the Clinton machine and the Rove-Atwater brand of politics that Republicans have honed for so long.
In so doing, Obama defeated not one, but both of the leading practitioners of that 1960s-rooted cultural politics. More to the point, he did this by quite literally running against politics as both those groups practiced it."
Jeff Parker: Congratulations Obama:
"What a night. I’m so ridiculously, unabashedly proud of America right now I can’t tell you. Maybe our motto should be, as would also apply to our stalled entry into World War 2, “We’ll screw up and drop the ball most of the time, but right at the very last minute of the eleventh hour when it’s almost too late- we’ll do the right thing!”"
My Less Gracious Obama Victory Post
Awash in the unity mantra of my candidate, happy with an election that actually went for my party, feeling for the first time in eight years like we started digging up instead of deeper to get out of the shithole that over 50% of the country seemed to want us in, last night I offered up a fairly congenial "we're all in this together" post with only the slightest bit of anger in the form of the late, great Bill Hicks.
This is not that post. Chris Hunter, you can probably stop reading now.
We've won a great victory. Those of us who voted for Obama realize it now. Many of you who didn't will hopefully realize that in the next year or two. But as I said on Twitter last night, we've won a battle, not the larger war for our country.
Michelle Bachmann, she of the "let's root out the un-Americans in Congress" McCarthyite opinion, was re-elected.
Ted Stevens, convicted felon, author of the Bridge to Nowhere who famously refused to relocate funds for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, is looking like he's getting re-elected. (Between that and Palin, is Alaska this year's Florida?)
George W Bush, Dick Cheney and their many cronies both corporate and government, are going to walk away from their thorough, unrepentant fucking of our government, its economy and its military without so much as a slap on the wrist.
Bill O'Reilly is still being paid $10 million to be a douchebag spreading a mixture of hatred and bullshit on the air.
Despite my fervent wishing and hoping, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter continue to draw upon our nation's precious oxygen reserves.
And most noxiously, the Mormon Church funneled obscene amounts of money from their tax-free churches into passing Proposition 8, which *took away* the right of marriage from gays in California. Anti-gay measures passed elsewhere (including Arizona), but in the blue state of California, it stings even more that it passed with such a near margin.
There's still plenty to be pissed about. Do not think we will forget. We may forgive, in order to move towards a unity this country desperately needs, but we will not forget. Unfortunately, while everyone was busy talking about how great this country is for getting past its racist roots and electing a black President, many of the same people who voted for a black President also voted to strip the rights from homosexuals. The hypocrisy of this position seems lost on many. But while yesterday was a huge step in the right direction in terms of living up to our promise of "all men being created equal" we've still got a lot of steps left.
Btw, "men" in the "human" sense, not "male" sense. But clearly the country still has some equality issues with women to deal with as well.
For those who hoped that the election ending would put an end to my political posts, sorry... I've still got plenty to say. More than ever, in fact. We're taking baby steps in the right direction. It's up to us to make sure that in all ways, large and small, we continue on that path.
This is not that post. Chris Hunter, you can probably stop reading now.
We've won a great victory. Those of us who voted for Obama realize it now. Many of you who didn't will hopefully realize that in the next year or two. But as I said on Twitter last night, we've won a battle, not the larger war for our country.
Michelle Bachmann, she of the "let's root out the un-Americans in Congress" McCarthyite opinion, was re-elected.
Ted Stevens, convicted felon, author of the Bridge to Nowhere who famously refused to relocate funds for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, is looking like he's getting re-elected. (Between that and Palin, is Alaska this year's Florida?)
George W Bush, Dick Cheney and their many cronies both corporate and government, are going to walk away from their thorough, unrepentant fucking of our government, its economy and its military without so much as a slap on the wrist.
Bill O'Reilly is still being paid $10 million to be a douchebag spreading a mixture of hatred and bullshit on the air.
Despite my fervent wishing and hoping, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter continue to draw upon our nation's precious oxygen reserves.
And most noxiously, the Mormon Church funneled obscene amounts of money from their tax-free churches into passing Proposition 8, which *took away* the right of marriage from gays in California. Anti-gay measures passed elsewhere (including Arizona), but in the blue state of California, it stings even more that it passed with such a near margin.
There's still plenty to be pissed about. Do not think we will forget. We may forgive, in order to move towards a unity this country desperately needs, but we will not forget. Unfortunately, while everyone was busy talking about how great this country is for getting past its racist roots and electing a black President, many of the same people who voted for a black President also voted to strip the rights from homosexuals. The hypocrisy of this position seems lost on many. But while yesterday was a huge step in the right direction in terms of living up to our promise of "all men being created equal" we've still got a lot of steps left.
Btw, "men" in the "human" sense, not "male" sense. But clearly the country still has some equality issues with women to deal with as well.
For those who hoped that the election ending would put an end to my political posts, sorry... I've still got plenty to say. More than ever, in fact. We're taking baby steps in the right direction. It's up to us to make sure that in all ways, large and small, we continue on that path.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, I'm a bit jubilant at the moment.
To the young voters: Thank you. You guys actually showed up this time. It made a difference.
To my fellow Obama voters and supporters:
To those Republicans who voted for Obama, or who took the words from his speech, or McCain's concession speech to heart: Let's concentrate on our common ground, and maybe we can hammer out our differences on gay marriage, birth control, church and state and other issues in a rational way.
And to those Republicans who booed Obama during McCain's speech, and the many Palin supporters like them, I offer this:
To the young voters: Thank you. You guys actually showed up this time. It made a difference.
To my fellow Obama voters and supporters:
To those Republicans who voted for Obama, or who took the words from his speech, or McCain's concession speech to heart: Let's concentrate on our common ground, and maybe we can hammer out our differences on gay marriage, birth control, church and state and other issues in a rational way.
And to those Republicans who booed Obama during McCain's speech, and the many Palin supporters like them, I offer this:
Monday, November 03, 2008
The Last Pre-Election 2008 Post From Randy
Get out and vote, if you haven't already. Obviously, I'm less fanatical about this if you're planning on voting for McCain/Palin. ;)
But I'd really love it if we could set some kind of turnout record for this election. The first step in a democratic republic that works is showing the politicians that you give enough of a shit to try and use the process for (and against) them. Even if they can game the system through voting machine hacking, purging voter rolls, etc., there are still a hell of a lot more of us than there are of them, and purging 5% of the electorate wouldn't matter much if 100% of the electorate were voting.
I'm off from work tomorrow. I expect I'll be glued to MSNBC from the moment I wake up, and probably Twittering, at least until Twitter inevitably explodes from all the extra political traffic.
A warning to my conservative friends and acquaintances... I'm going to be insufferable tomorrow. I'm either going to be gloating like I just won the Superbowl single-handedly or expressing the most violent hatred of your party and its pundits that you've ever heard.
Probably both, actually. Even on a good day, I keep hoping Bill O'Reilly will have a fatal collision with Ann Coulter, and the resulting ego explosion will take out Rush Limbaugh. ;)
But I'd really love it if we could set some kind of turnout record for this election. The first step in a democratic republic that works is showing the politicians that you give enough of a shit to try and use the process for (and against) them. Even if they can game the system through voting machine hacking, purging voter rolls, etc., there are still a hell of a lot more of us than there are of them, and purging 5% of the electorate wouldn't matter much if 100% of the electorate were voting.
I'm off from work tomorrow. I expect I'll be glued to MSNBC from the moment I wake up, and probably Twittering, at least until Twitter inevitably explodes from all the extra political traffic.
A warning to my conservative friends and acquaintances... I'm going to be insufferable tomorrow. I'm either going to be gloating like I just won the Superbowl single-handedly or expressing the most violent hatred of your party and its pundits that you've ever heard.
Probably both, actually. Even on a good day, I keep hoping Bill O'Reilly will have a fatal collision with Ann Coulter, and the resulting ego explosion will take out Rush Limbaugh. ;)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
And Another Reason to Hate That Austin is in Texas
23% of Texans believe Obama is a muslim. As comedy/political site 23/6 puts it, "The remaining 77% probably live in Austin."
I love living in Austin. And I love a lot of things about Texas, including the climate, the wide variety of good Tex-Mex and (God help me) the Texas accent and cowboy aesthetic, which I just find kinda charming and imitable.
But most of the culture of Texas makes me want to shake my head, because there is a lot of "racist hick" in that culture.
23%. Jesus. You dumb bastards.
I love living in Austin. And I love a lot of things about Texas, including the climate, the wide variety of good Tex-Mex and (God help me) the Texas accent and cowboy aesthetic, which I just find kinda charming and imitable.
But most of the culture of Texas makes me want to shake my head, because there is a lot of "racist hick" in that culture.
23%. Jesus. You dumb bastards.
Another Reason I Love Austin
We have women like Helen Philpot living here.
82 years old, and blogging hysterically mean things about McCain-Palin, but there's this great undercurrent of sweetness to her. I hope I'm half this articulate, and even a quarter this funny, when I'm her age.
82 years old, and blogging hysterically mean things about McCain-Palin, but there's this great undercurrent of sweetness to her. I hope I'm half this articulate, and even a quarter this funny, when I'm her age.
The Positive Side of Things
I've written a lot of negative things on this blog, talking about politics. I am, without a doubt, one of those "angry liberals." I'm flat out disgusted by a lot of what I see in politics, and almost everything I see from the Republican party. I don't extend courtesy and respect to the George Bushes, Dick Cheneys, Bill O'Reillys, Rush Limbaughs of the world. I'm not sure I'd even tap the brakes if I saw them crossing the street in front of me. ;)
I was always going to vote against John McCain, or whoever else the Republicans ran. I voted against George W Bush in 2000 and 2004, despite not having any particular affection for the candidates I voted for.
I'm not voting against John McCain this year. I'm voting *for* Barack Obama. For the first time in a long time, there's a candidate I believe in. I'm as cynical as they come, in a lot of ways, but I believe what Obama and his campaign have to say. Do I think they're going to accomplish everything they're setting out to do? Of course not. Part of me finds it impossible to believe that we're ever going to see our healthcare system fixed... too many people are making too much money off of it. Part of me knows that corporate interests have their roots so deep into the infrastructure of this country that no matter what party is in power, there's always going to be a sharp divide between the haves and the have-nots. But I believe that we might move just a bit closer to having a middle class again, a middle class that isn't just barely hanging on by its fingernails to avoid being dumped into that lower middle class, struggling to survive situation that so many others live with every day. I believe that an Obama administration is actually going to work towards energy independence and environmental responsibility, instead of hinting that they're not even sure global warming is man-made.
I believe in Barack Obama. I've been inspired not just by his speeches, but by his policies. Tonight I watched the Obama campaign's half hour special, and it reminded me that for all of the anger, and fear, and worry that this political season has stirred up in me, for all the snark and sarcasm and derision I've aimed (and will continue to aim) at McCain and Palin and their campaign team and their surrogates, that's not why I'm in this. I'm in this because of hope, and optimism. I actually believe things might get better under a President Obama. I'm not voting for the lesser of two evils. For the first time in my life, I'm voting for the person I want to be voting for.
This, among so many other reasons, is why I'm voting for Barack Obama:
I was always going to vote against John McCain, or whoever else the Republicans ran. I voted against George W Bush in 2000 and 2004, despite not having any particular affection for the candidates I voted for.
I'm not voting against John McCain this year. I'm voting *for* Barack Obama. For the first time in a long time, there's a candidate I believe in. I'm as cynical as they come, in a lot of ways, but I believe what Obama and his campaign have to say. Do I think they're going to accomplish everything they're setting out to do? Of course not. Part of me finds it impossible to believe that we're ever going to see our healthcare system fixed... too many people are making too much money off of it. Part of me knows that corporate interests have their roots so deep into the infrastructure of this country that no matter what party is in power, there's always going to be a sharp divide between the haves and the have-nots. But I believe that we might move just a bit closer to having a middle class again, a middle class that isn't just barely hanging on by its fingernails to avoid being dumped into that lower middle class, struggling to survive situation that so many others live with every day. I believe that an Obama administration is actually going to work towards energy independence and environmental responsibility, instead of hinting that they're not even sure global warming is man-made.
I believe in Barack Obama. I've been inspired not just by his speeches, but by his policies. Tonight I watched the Obama campaign's half hour special, and it reminded me that for all of the anger, and fear, and worry that this political season has stirred up in me, for all the snark and sarcasm and derision I've aimed (and will continue to aim) at McCain and Palin and their campaign team and their surrogates, that's not why I'm in this. I'm in this because of hope, and optimism. I actually believe things might get better under a President Obama. I'm not voting for the lesser of two evils. For the first time in my life, I'm voting for the person I want to be voting for.
This, among so many other reasons, is why I'm voting for Barack Obama:
Monday, October 27, 2008
Obama's "Closing Argument"
Damn. Whatever else folks say about him, you've got to admit the man can give a hell of a speech. And I think the closing line of the speech is very telling, and very appropriate. "Let's get to work!"
I'm ready for this guy to be our President. And at this point, although everybody on the left is pretty much scared of admitting it after the shocking upsets of 2000 and 2004 and plenty of attempted voter suppression clearly at work, I think he's going to be.
And if you want to watch the whole thing, like I did, here it is:
Saturday, October 18, 2008
An Important Reminder
Nobody gives a fuck what Stephen Baldwin thinks
I'd say I'm going to boycott his movies and TV from now on, but, with the exception of Usual Suspects, I've already been doing that by accident. I mean, the man's credits that include both Bio-Dome *and* The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas.
I'd say I'm going to boycott his movies and TV from now on, but, with the exception of Usual Suspects, I've already been doing that by accident. I mean, the man's credits that include both Bio-Dome *and* The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Something I Noticed...
Obama's speech on economic policy is a specific plan, with details on how he would help small business owners, secure current jobs and create new ones.
McCain's speech on economic policy includes the borderline delusional "We've got them right where we want them" (even if the election did turn in McCain's favor here in the last three weeks, you can't tell me this is *ever* where they wanted to be, and trying to spin it as if this was all the plan looks crazy) and a lot of the same type of thing he offered up in the debate. "I've got a plan for that." He's got a plan to get Bin Laden. It's simple, he says. He knows how to do it. He's got a plan for the economy. The full speech text is in this link, the "we've got them right where we want them" bit is in the video below.
What never comes up is, what is that plan? Why is that? Is he afraid that it's sooo good that Obama will abandon his plan and steal MCain's? Or is it, as is more likely, that he *doesn't* have a plan? Or is the plan really $5000 tax credit to insurance companies for health insurance, government spending freeze and the ever-popular, ever-vague "low taxes for everybody!"
Now, in fairness, the McCain campaign is now claiming that they will release an economic plan tomorrow. This is much like what they said a couple days ago, though, so you'll forgive me for being skeptical.
McCain's speech on economic policy includes the borderline delusional "We've got them right where we want them" (even if the election did turn in McCain's favor here in the last three weeks, you can't tell me this is *ever* where they wanted to be, and trying to spin it as if this was all the plan looks crazy) and a lot of the same type of thing he offered up in the debate. "I've got a plan for that." He's got a plan to get Bin Laden. It's simple, he says. He knows how to do it. He's got a plan for the economy. The full speech text is in this link, the "we've got them right where we want them" bit is in the video below.
What never comes up is, what is that plan? Why is that? Is he afraid that it's sooo good that Obama will abandon his plan and steal MCain's? Or is it, as is more likely, that he *doesn't* have a plan? Or is the plan really $5000 tax credit to insurance companies for health insurance, government spending freeze and the ever-popular, ever-vague "low taxes for everybody!"
Now, in fairness, the McCain campaign is now claiming that they will release an economic plan tomorrow. This is much like what they said a couple days ago, though, so you'll forgive me for being skeptical.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
I Feel A Bit Dirty, But...
I'd totally watch a "Paris Hilton's West Wing" on MTV now.
See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Another Reason to Love Dan Savage
Btw, how can you tell when Randy is supposed to be writing and is putting it off? The blog posts get even more frequent.
Sarah Palin's interview style
You know, it hadn't clicked for me until a co-worker said it, but don't Sarah Palin's rambling non-answers like this:
and this:
Remind you of this?
You can take the beauty queen out of the pageant and make her governor, but you can't take the nonsensical pageant-level answers out of the beauty queen masquerading as a vice presidential candidate.
Or something to that effect.
and this:
Remind you of this?
You can take the beauty queen out of the pageant and make her governor, but you can't take the nonsensical pageant-level answers out of the beauty queen masquerading as a vice presidential candidate.
Or something to that effect.
Monday, September 22, 2008
And Here It Is WIth Video
I should say, I'm not blind here. I'm aware that Obama wants to raise the minimum wage, and as a business owner just barely scraping by, that's going to increase challenges for me. I'm aware that the 7 sick days a year, paid medical leave, etc. is a cost my business will have to absorb.
But I think that's a fair challenge. The fact is, the minimum wage is too low. First thing I did when I bought my store was give a raise to every employee, and we're well above the current minimum wage. And if I need to raise it again to meet a new minimum wage, I'll find the money to do that, because it's clear that the minimum wage isn't accurate anymore... you can't live on one minimum wage job.
But overall, what I'm hearing from this economic plan is much more promising than what I hear from McCain, or what we've seen from Bush (Jr. and Sr.) or Reagan. Trickle down economics DO. NOT. WORK. The higher-ups keep the money. Those lower on the ladder spend their money upward... the rich are going to stay rich, they just might not be as rich.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
If You're Voting On Money...
Here is it, very clear, with pictures and everything, why you should vote for Obama.
If you're making over $603,000 a year, you're going to pay more taxes. But there's nobody reading my blog who makes that much money.
If I'm wrong... can I have some money? ;)
If you're making over $603,000 a year, you're going to pay more taxes. But there's nobody reading my blog who makes that much money.
If I'm wrong... can I have some money? ;)
A few thoughts around the web
Aaron Sorkin writes up a fictional meeting between Jed Bartlet and Barack Obama.
Tom Beland links to a piece by Tim Wise on White Privilege and the role it has played in the race. My wife sent me this one via email the other day as well.
I have to say, these two factors (white privilege and anti-intellectualism) are probably the biggest factors in how close the race is, and also the most frustrating reasons. It boggles my mind that people want a President who doesn't seem smarter than they are. Isn't that the point of a representative Democracy? Seriously, I wouldn't want me as President (although I'd take me over Palin... at least I know what the Bush Doctrine is.)
Tom Beland links to a piece by Tim Wise on White Privilege and the role it has played in the race. My wife sent me this one via email the other day as well.
I have to say, these two factors (white privilege and anti-intellectualism) are probably the biggest factors in how close the race is, and also the most frustrating reasons. It boggles my mind that people want a President who doesn't seem smarter than they are. Isn't that the point of a representative Democracy? Seriously, I wouldn't want me as President (although I'd take me over Palin... at least I know what the Bush Doctrine is.)
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