Left, Middle [East], Right…

I honestly cannot believe those of us on the left that are frothing and chomping at the bit for radical change to the makeup and practices of the United States still do not realize the value in moderacy. We cannot run willy-nilly, pushing our agenda like we’ve only got 4 years to make up for all the lost freedoms, injustices, and societal ills from the past three decades or so.  It looks panicked.  The U.S. has enough going on that just needs to be fixed, or at the very least, stabilized.  An economy in shambles, with nearly every single major  American industry affected, job losses like we haven’t seen in a while, and a war on a distant front (three of them) that is all but forgotten and our medicaland social support systems can’t do much for the wounded and broken young men and women when they get back…the American dream  is weaker than ever. Let’s test out the minds of a younger, more team-solution oriented American workforce to solve some problems in the financial sector.  Let’s see what deadlines do for the car manufacturers, and apply those deadlines (in a more creative way ) to TARP and stimulus funded states on those shovel-ready programs we promised before we were sidetracked.  Let’s take dead US manufacturing jobs and create an in-house green supply industry; working to build the parts that will make green energy attainable, get our best scientific minds finding the best methods,  or fund building the systems that make our wind, solar and geothermal energy sources work for us. If we do well enough at this, we fix the job problem (by creating some), we fix the global warming/dirty energy issue  and save the earth, and we fix the trade issue by creating a product that other countries would invest in or purchase. Let’s also stay away from as many special interest groups as possible.

If our party wants to do the greatest good, we need to first strengthen what we know is broken, win the support of the very people our party is founded upon–even if they are not Democrats–and once the danger of utter collapse is past, then take our newfound support and make America great again by proving that if our ideas are great when we’re working with the “big ticket” items, wait and see what we can do with the emerging ideas, job markets, and concerns.  If we focus on this “strategy”, we may have at least four more years of time. Instead of splitting our energy into a million + one things that liberals have wanted to accomplish for a long time (and feel like Obama’sadministration is the perfect time to do so), we probably need to focus on restoring our image as a party of the people and do the most beneficial work for as many Americans as is possible.  Sure that may sound socialist, but given the alternative…an America in despair…I’d rather sound socialist.

Speaking of that distant war, remember the war in Afghanistan that turned into the war in  Iraq that turned into the war in Pakistan (which, save the border areas, we are largely uninvolved in)?  See if we can name all the countries in the middle east that haven’t made the news for conflict lately.  Let’s see–there’s Oman, which from the lack of fiery reports, sounds like a wonderful country to take a holiday in. I haven’t heard much about Lebanon lately,  or Jordan, or Yemen or oddly enough, Saudi Arabia.  The last one concerns me, since the entire region is suffering through no small amount of instability and they are second only to Iran in size, smack in the middle, but why do we not hear the Saudi voices of concern about the state of their region?  Now, I am not a Saudi Arabia hater–no!–I was just as enthralled by all the cool stuff that Air Force Dad brought back from Saudi as the next military kid, but I just find it so odd that they are so silent. Maybe they’re not talking to us since we crashed the stock market–that was full of their money.  If anyone has any insight or any news from al Jazeera that I may be missing, please don’t hesitate.

Poor Pakistan. Is this the price a country that appearsto be an ally of the US must pay? Pakistan went from a normal country, fairly progressive even, in the Middle East to a warzone in a relatively short amont of time. They were warned, though.  Even the Bush administration had enough sense to warn Pakistan to get their border region in check, but they only half listened.  Our drone attacks haven’t helped any.  I worry about my Pakistani friends’ families and if they’re in an affeccted region, because as bad as it already is, it could get worse relatively quickly.  I feel like the U.S. as “visitors” in the region are at a distinct disadvantage simply because we are in the middle of some really fierce “family feuds” right now and do not adequately understand the culture after all this time, becuase through all the years of the random acts of west-hating terrorist attacts, Iran-Contra and even prior transgressions (such as creating Israel and the ensuing fallout) we never tried to understand who they were, we just assumed they would conform to the ways of the western world and simmer down.  To make matters worse, Iran is poking at the exposed wounds of several countries in the area to provoke…well…I don’t know, but they are certainly provoking some kind of response.  There is no action great enough and no words wise enough to help even a single person in the most embattled parts of the Middle East, and I feel so sad and powerless to make this any better in my lifetime.

Heading back to the Right, I have to say I have had this incredible craving for news radio, and so during my lunch breaks, there is only a 2 minute blurb of the day’s events so far on NPR, and I indulge in the Rushbag’s show.  I have to say, some of his rantings are coherent and well thought out.  but lately he’s been on this “blah, blah…this only shows who Obamais…blah, blah” kick.  Sotomayor proves who Obama is. The auto bailout proves who Obama is. So on, and so on.  I’m not sure what that’s all about, but I do agree with him on the fact that Republican party does not need to “cow down” to every popular opinion.  It makes even the real, good, and conservative politicians seem less real.  I still have a soft spot in my heart for John McCain who is real (he just picked a dumb running mate) and out of every politician in D.C., I’d like to hear more of what he  has to say about the torture memos.  Speaking of those, does Dick Cheney know that he is not in charge of destroying the United States anymore? I don’t want to be scared to death–I want a solution to make the world insurgents live in more stable so that they want to function as a part of the normal  society in their home country, which makes ours more stable as a desireable by-product.

Honestly our country is in a make or break position.  We have some real challenges that cannot be tackled when our pols on the left or right cannot refrain from sensationalizing their displeasure in anything that wasn’t their idea.  This is destructive, and we need to drop the partisanship now.  Especially now that millions of Americans are suffering through the temper tantrums without jobs and homes.

Neat!

I just added the RSS from President-Elect Obama’s change.gov site on the right sidebar of my blog.  Same kind of setup as his candidate site, but we’ll see how popular this one is.  Spread the word!

“Everybody look up, and feel the hope that we’ve been waiting for…”

Written on Wednesday, Nov. 5th (early in the morning)–have been in the bed since, so I never published!  Just a few thoughts….

Barack Hussein Obama will be our 44th President.

I am just waking up from a long, emotional night.  I’ve been sick as a dog, but last night, I just wanted to await the results with the supporters and volunteers that I’d worked so hard with on this campaign (albeit, late in the game) from the county headquarters and beyond.  We didn’t carry the county, or the state, but we carried the NATION.  I will admit I’m a little surprised the Democratic vote didn’t take this area, but I think people are genuinely concerned that their jobs will come to an end (several defense contractors in the area).  I hope they have nothing to be concerned about–they have been working for the Department of Offense for several years now, and I think a return to the former should stimulate growth.

I am elated, awed and humbled–all at the same time.  This is what we worked so hard for.  To see the happiness and tears on the faces at Grant Park and in the impromptu celebrations all around the nation, as well as the sheer joy in the room during the Democratic election party I attended last night, made me so hopeful for our future as a nation.  I’ve been aware from my first introduction to Barack Obama, through his books, that he was a man of mixed heritage from the union of a White American and a Black African (not of American slave descent), but the election is so much sweeter for the Civil Rights Movement activists that lived to vote for him, and lived to see his victory. It is only because of their struggle to simply be equal, that any of this was possible.

I do not expect President Obama (oh GOD, it’s nice to finally type that) to change the world in 5 minutes, nor do I expect him to bring about the end of days.  I do expect him to continue to bring this nation together, as evidenced by what we’ve seen in his campaign management and in the unity of his enthusiastic, diverse  supporters…hopeful for a new direction. 

Government may not always be the answer, but we can’t rule it out for the biggest questions.  I don’t feel that this administration will use government for evil, because he has stated over and over again how much he wants America to progress.  Being realistic, I know that I won’t even agree with 100% of his decisions; but the level of concern he has for our well-being means he knows that the decisions he will make will not just affect me, or just Alabama, or just the Southeast, or just the United States. I think the world feels that way too, hence their shared enthusiasm.

We have just opened the floodgate of possibilites, folks.

One gripe: I was disappointed in the choice for his victory music.  Since I heard him speak at the Democratic National Convention, I just imagined “Brand New Day” (Everybody Rejoice) from The Wiz playing as he left the stage. No preference here–either the Broadway musical or the Movie version.  I have been hearing this song bounce around in my head for about 22 months now.  Every time I heard him speak–soaring rhetoric though it might have been–I just heard this song.  I was surprised that it never surfaced as a theme for the campaign.  I think they missed a genuine, heartstring-tugging opportunity.  Look it up, and tell me what you think.

Today is the day.

I will be maintaining radio silence today.  Not because I’m mute on the status of the election.  I’ll just be busy.

I have planned to go get in line at my voting precinct at 7am.  Then I will check in at the local headquarters (if I have time left over) before I go and work as a Democratic Poll Watcher.  I will pick up my roommate from work and take her to our polling precinct, then, go back to the headquarters and see if anyone else needs a ride to the polls. 

After that, I’ll probably take some medicine (I’m sick as a dog) and a nap before I head to the election party. I’m so excited that we have a chance for CHANGE!!!! It really is a beautiful thing to speak to a woman that is taking care of an 84 year old African-American woman–one who marched in Selma, Alabama and who has waited her whole life for this chance; now, she has validation that her fight during the civil rights era was worth it.  Yes, maybe this is not based on the facts about the candidate, but the symbolism is so important to a dying generation, and I cannot deny their reason for getting behind Barack Obama.

On a serious note, I’d like to see two things happen:

1. No matter which candidate wins, I want us to CONTINUE to hold them accountable.  But I want to also lend the President-elect support as the future leader of our country.  As much as I am a supporter of Barack Obama, ifhe renigs on promises or brings about detrimental changes (doubtful, but for the sake of argument), I WILL BE THE FIRST TO SCREAM LIKE HELL. My hope is that neither of them could possibly be as bad for America as Bush and his administration, so lets all hope for the same thing–and make our voices heard.  This is supposed to be a participative democracy, right?
2. Let’s go back to being neighbors, spouses, lovers, friends, acquaintances–and do it civilly.  If this election is all it took to fracture our nation irreparably, then we need to really re-evaluate what it means to be an American citizen in a geographically vast, intellectually diverse, country.  The distance separates us, but our opinions shouldn’t. The First Amendment not only protects what we say; it also gives us cause to tolerate/encourage others to exercise their right as well.

I AM VOTING FOR BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN TODAY. ARE YOU?

Hopes & Fears

One day to go, and both campaigns are hammering home their messages.  As I see it, the messages boil down to Hope on the left, and Fear on the right.  For various reasons, we Americans have chosen the basic message that we cling to, and thereby cling to our candidate.

Hope against hope that we are capable of better days. On the world stage and on the homefront, there are issues to solve, but we need to remember that America’s untapped promise is great.
OR
Fear being unprepared for what might happen tomorrow. America needs experienced leadership that will defend our position and be on guard against future threats.

These are both very powerful messages, and they reach to the core of our fragile human psyches.  They are most assuredly interconnected, these two. In mentally reviewing the past year, I realized that many people let a war between hope and fear rage internally and externally–think about the viral e-mails and personal testimony or the inspiring artwork, videos and music. Those of us who really weighed the candidates had to decide between hope for all of us or fear for all of us, and, at least in my mind, there’s plenty of room for bleed-over. I have:

Hope that the United States is on an upswing–we have already reached the bottom, and the only way is up.

Fear that we will be unprepared against a threat–because we will have alienated all allies that might have otherwise cared.

Hope that we really are “the ones we’ve been waiting for”–that America’s great strength lies in the talents of ALL of our people.

Fear that the greed of a few will sacrifice the needs of the rest of us–and that it will continue to be sanctioned.

Hope that the next generation will be the best educated and best prepared we have produced yet–and that the education necessary will really leave no child behind.

Fear that our entrenchment in the bailout will lead to major corruption–from either party.

Hope that we have a bright future.

Fear that we do not.

For me, hope wins, because succumbing to the fear might just paralyze me.

The values that American citizens have will define where on the spectrum their hopes and fears lie, and which ones really “grab” them.  Consider the various amendments on the ballot this time–gay marriage, abortion rights, educational funding–all with supporters and opponents.  It is hard for me to step out of my liberal ideas to try and comprehend why anyone would try to govern someone else and their heart’s choice (in the case of gay marriage amendments), but I’m trying to understand where they are coming from.

Before this election, nothing inspired me to try to reach out for understanding like this.  All to often, I discounted those who had wildly different (i.e., dumbly conservative and closed-minded in my opinion), and shunned their company.  Now I am trying to understand them, and realize that maybe their hopes and fears are simply different than mine.

Someone that I love very, very much went out and bought a new gun this weekend–because he is afraid of losing the right to own one. Naturally, this is driving part of his decision on a candidate, but I can’t fault him. It is not my place.  Please remember that NONE OF US ARE ANY MORE OR LESS AMERICAN BECAUSE OF WHAT WE BELIEVE in this election and otherwise.  Historically, it is the very freedom to believe what we want that makes us Amereican, and at this point we are so divided, I worry more about repairing the damage in the months ahead than the outcome.  With the Bush years as a reference, division is catastrophically destructive to us as a nation.  So regardless of what happens tomorrow, we need to reach out to those very same neighbors that might or might not have stolen our yard signs, and remind them that we are here with them; as an ally, as a fellow American, and as a friend–just like before the election, or in the best case scenario, unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before.

The era of “Us vs. Them” needs to be over. The central hopes and fears have to be about recreating “ALL of US” for the 21st century.

With my hopes held high…I AM STILL VOTING FOR OBAMA!!!!

Forget about voter registration fraud…

…fake people cannot vote.  The real problem I’m worried about is good, old-fashioned…voter supression.  I suppose I’m not alone in my concern.

Watch this.

At last, a diversion.

No, not some new incredible fact about either candidate.  This is a game, but a neat one (and no, not PalinAsPresident either).

This game is called Budget Hero, and I’d run across it before, but forgot to post the link.  From the site’s FAQ, I learned that:

Budget Hero seeks to provide a values- and fiscal-based lens for citizens to examine policy debates during this election year. Partisan messages tend to cloud the real issues at play during campaigns, and most candidates are loath to attach detailed financial impacts to solutions which make up their platform. Budget Hero provides an interactive experience involving policy options that have been extensively researched and vetted with non-partisan government and think tank experts to enable players to objectively evaluate candidates. 

What exactly prompted Marketplace (you might recognize the radio program’s name from NPR/American Public Media newscasts) to feel a need to create this little game as a vehicle for information?  Hopefully we’re not so simple nowadays that a game is the only way we’ll understand it all!  As someone who has used and seen such devices being used in the classroom, I can tell you that playing around with Budget Hero is well worth the time for students and the rest of us adults. I learned that I am a fiscal conservative–tell that to my checking account–but still, I learned something!  As a plus, it outlines the rules and gives information for any choices you might make on spending and taxing fairly well.

Excellent game!!

Play it here.

76 of the most intelligent and well-informed people on the planet…

…have endorsed Barack Obama.  Obama has been endorsed by 76 Nobel Prize winners. That’s the kind of news I want to hear. 

White Walls|Black Ink pointed me to this endorsement and also had some interesting thoughts on the fact that these highly intelligent people choose Obama. They’ve also linked to the original article documenting these endorsements.

Sorry, but brilliance trumps precedent.

I am STILL voting for Obama.

I’ll buy it.

Nice info-mercial for Obama.  I haven’t heard this much actual planning from McCain yet.  Perhaps the silence from his end says more about HOW MUCH HE BELIEVES EVERYTHING WE’RE DOING RIGHT NOW IN AMERICA IS A-OK.  Was it too extravagant? Some people will say so.  But it is also a dignified message from someone who has been fighting the B.S. and mud slung about him throughout the campaign–and he really wants you to know that he is for the Progress of America.  Just keep hammering the truth in over and over and over…”America can be great. America can be great! America can be Great!! America Can Be Great!!! AMERICA CAN BE GREAT!!!”

Seems to be working, eh?

I am STILL voting for Obama

The implications of “8 more years”

Barack Obama has consistently used the message “8 more years of failed Bush policies” to discredit McCain–effective, but vague.

Last night, I really got to thinking what this would mean.

8 more years of Banks “gone wild”

8 more years of broken government agencies (like FEMA)

8 more years of “saber rattling” and international bullying

8 more years of real socialism–Corporate lobbying and outright greed

8 more years of international allies and NATO turning away from us

8 more years of empty nest eggs and retirement savings

8 more years of inadequate, inaccesible medical coverage

8 more years of Congressional misdeeds corruption on a grand scale

8 more years of human rights violations, a la Guantanamo Bay and the death of Habeus Corpus

8 more years of rewarding non-intelligence while belittling education and innovation

8 more years of botched “Domestic Surveillance”

8 more years of sanctioned gay-bashing

8 more years of violating women’s rights to their own bodies

8 more years of a Fundamentalist Christian agenda in a country of many faiths

8 more years of legislating through fear

8 more years of cronyism

8 more years of substandard education for ALL children

8 more years of religious and cultural intolerance

8 more years of preconditions

8 more years of minorities falling further behind

8 more years of “lassez-faire” on important domestic issues (not abortion and gay marriage–energy and 21st century education)

8 more years of poor judgment

8 more years of inconsistent facts

8 more years of declining in the world’s ranking system

8 more years of poorly cared for returning war veterans

8 more years of supressing your vote

8 more years of dividing Americans

8 more years of agenda injected into the highest court in America

8 more years of pretending global warming does not exist

8 more years of stomping on the Constitution

8 more years of so much more I don’t even know or can’t remember.  So far, this has been my adult life and I feel completely let down.  All of the previous shortcomings cannot be corrected immediately by just one incoming President, Democrat or Republican. Not in four, eight, twelve or perhaps even sixteen years will we be able to pull ourselves out of a rapidly deepening sinkhole…but we can change direction.  Similarly, some of the previous shortcomings are not necessarily the fault of the administration; rather, they are because of the current administration’s mindset.  After reading the list, I hope you can see that maybe–just maybe–we need a new mindset. There was so much promise for our future while I was growing up, but somehow Americans lost their way.  I hope we can close the chapter on “America’s Decline” next Tuesday, because we can’t afford to fall any further.

For the record, I no longer care who Barack Obama has been associated with. It is what can be associated with the United States of America that concerns me.  It’s not that image is everything, but how we believe we are being perceived by the world either depresses us as a nation or makes us extremely defensive (we’ve been both for a while now), and we no longer even know who we are or what we’re made of as a country.  I don’t believe John McCain can restore our sanity; he’ll be too busy promoting fear, as he has in this election.  I don’t believe John McCain can restore integrity to the office; he’s too entrenched in the way things were to step out any further than he already has.  I don’t believe John McCain can restore our belief in ourselves; he’s been so erratic we wouldn’t be able to focus on his message or call to action.  I also don’t believe John McCain is a bad man; I just don’t believe he has a good idea, either.

I’m still voting for Barack Obama.