12 posts tagged “obama”
Obama went to the White House and strongly encouraged Bush to act on the big 3 automakers and a stimulus package for the middle class.
Obama is heard to be keenly interested in closing Gitmo.
There are also plenty of other things that don't require legislation to pass through, like allowing stem cell research and lifting the global gag rule. SCHIP is also back, and some environmental regulations.
The right continues to tear itself apart, and Sarah Palin is interviewing more than ever.
Obama has a lot of low-hanging fruit waiting for him. I wrote a longer post, but then it got eaten, so I'll just leave this post here.
Every news story is about how he has a massive challenge waiting for him on January 20th. I'm glad this is being reported everywhere, because it's true and Obama is going to need some wiggle room. Things will get worse before they get better, and it's important people know this.
The BBC interviewed some people in a NC hair salon and everyone seemed to understand the difficulties that Obama will face. One person even pointed out that it's going to take two terms to really work things out. Interesting point.
Obama had a press conference that was remarkable only by its lack of drama. He's cool, he's businesslike, he can crack a joke or two from the podium. I like the style. I find it extremely presidential.
Iraq has already made noises that they're feeling more confident about their political process now that we have a president picked out. There seems to have been an immediate uptick in global respect, which is what many expected.
The human side of Obama is starting to come out a little more. Everyone seems very interested in the new puppy that the Obama family is about to adopt. It's not significant news in any serious way, but I think people are craving details about what our next president is like when he's not giving a speech. The dog conversation is going to fit in nicely.
The right is imploding. I'm not just saying that as a liberal cheerleader, I think it's clear fact. There's a lot of soul searching about whether the party should move further right or try to reclaim the center. There's a right answer and a wrong answer here (and I'm speaking purely strategically considering demographic trends, not from my own opinion) so we'll see what they do. All signs currently point to making the wrong decision.
The stock market was pummeled this week. Bad news continues, including signs that the auto industry may need to be bailed out.
Obama's team has already posted http://www.change.gov . That was fast. Impressive job.
Some thoughts.
Emanuel will probably be tapped to be Chief of Staff. I trust this choice, though it will be controversial.
I don't have strong opinions about the the cabinet yet.
I feel like I know Obama personally. I'm sad to call it "branding" or "marketing", but whatever it is, he made me feel like I could storm Washington and make change if I fought for it. So I did. He did. We did. And here we are. I'm positively giddy. And this skill is going to help him enact his agenda.
People are already arguing that Obama is too cautious. I don't expect a liberal administration, I expect a competent one. Caution assists competence.
I feel a little sorry for Obama, not just for the enormous burden he's taking on, but just that he's not going to be human anymore, at least not for 4 or 8 years. He's turned into an icon. He's going to the president. And I hear it's lonely.
But if you trust that he just wants to help the country he loves, which I do, he couldn't be in a better position right now. I just hope a) he survives b) he is allowed to be human.
Ok, so the black guy won. And that's huge, but I think that's been covered enough.
The one with integrity won. The one who treated us like adults, with real speeches that talked about real issues, he won. The one who built an online grassroots following won. The levelheaded, cautious one won. Nice guys don't finish last. In fact, Obama's character was part of the reason he did win. It helped that McCain completely melted down and lost his honor.
The better man won. And I'm thrilled.
If this man told me to volunteer, I would. If this man told me I needed to pay higher energy costs, I would. He's a true leader. We're lucky to have him. He is not perfect, I will not always agree with him, and there will be missteps. But I trust him to do his best. And that's worth something.
People are treating Obama's staggering fundraising numbers as a problem. I don't understand why. So public financing is dead. So?
He's gotten his money from the people. Gotten nothing from lobbyists. In small chunks. This is great. This is Democracy. This should be embraced, not feared.
To start, I'd like to stress that I'm not unaware of the massive challenges facing America today. I'm not going to claim we're going to see prosperity with a snap of the fingers. But because many of the problems we have today can be traced directly to Bush administration policies, I think we're going to be pleasantly surprised with a few things when Obama is president.
First, the international community loves Obama. The people and the leaders love him for different reasons, but the result is the same. Goodwill towards America will increase the instant Bush leaves. Replacing him with Obama, a bi-racial, worldly, and very intelligent man, is going to help us with our allies and our standing around the world. This has a ripple effect.
Obama is going to right our tax policy. For 8 years, we've given the rich far more than they deserve, and Obama is going to put things back to Bill Clinton levels. Many on the right decry being too politically correct, so here goes. It is patriotic to pay taxes, and it is unpatriotic to dodge taxes. Period. Rich people will stay rich, but they won't be able to dodge their fair share. This will immediately give the US more money. This is a good thing.
We're going to get out of Iraq. This doesn't mean we leave quickly, and this doesn't mean we don't leave bases. But we're going to make it clear to the Iraqis that we're dramatically reducing our presence. They've asked us to leave, we're going to leave. This will immediately reduce the strain on our troops, which will help us when we need to deal with the next threat.
We're going to fund education, green jobs, energy independence in ten years, and health care. Why this is a good thing should be self evident. If it isn't, that's a sign we've been lead by the blind for too long.
I don't expect Obama to win every battle. I don't expect rainbows and ponies. I do expect a level of professionalism, clarity, and intellectual vigor that's simply lacking from mainstream Republican thought these days. Obama may not be perfect, but he won't disappoint us on this front. We might have tough times ahead, but he's a calm, brilliant leader who seems to lead best under great pressure.
This is the guy we've been waiting for. The second he walks into the oval office, things are going to change for the better. I look forward to being inspired again.
First Obama had no bounce.
Then he got a big bounce.
Then McCain got a lead in one poll and everyone freaked out.
Then the same day two more polls came out showing a tie.
It's called a post-convention bounce. It's normal.
And yet even with a bounce, McCain is still not in the lead, judging by the moving average.
Breathe. Relax. Wait a few weeks.
That is all.
Fight or flight? When someone punches you in the face, do you jump back up and fight back, or do you stay on the ground or run away?
There's something exciting and invigorating about saying you'd jump back in the fray. Punch the shark in the nose. Scare off an home invader in your robe. But sometimes it's just stupid.
If you're out walking with your 5 year old and a mugger asks for your wallet while holding a gun, just give him your damn wallet. It takes a misguided form of bravado to value the life of your child below the combined value of your wallet and your ego.
Obama's in a situation that is far more nuanced, but I still think there's a right answer. He's being attacked viciously by an increasingly desperate Clinton campaign, and many are saying that it's time for him to stop being such a nice guy and fight back. While I relate to the feelings of frustration that Obama hasn't clinched the nomination yet, and that Hillary really is fighting dirty, I cannot fathom why Obama supporters want him to jump into the gutter with her.
If Obama loses his inspiring call for a new kind of politics, he has nothing left. Their policy positions are similar, but she has more experience. If that was the only consideration, Clinton would win. But Obama's been able to keep things competitive, and in fact take the lead, by trying to appear "post-political". Remove that advantage and he's done.
But I think I know what his strategy is. He knows he's going to win Wyoming today and then Mississippi in a few days. And he knows both strategically but also morally that taking the low road isn't how he wants to win this. Nor can he. So he's going to sit tight, wait for more wins to roll in, and he's going to continue pressing the facts: more states, more total votes, more delegates, more wins in competitive states.
And Hillary's campaign can War Room all it wants. The fact is, time isn't on her side. All Obama needs to do is stay reasonably above the political fray, which is what he's been doing for a year. Clinton's task is harder: she needs to draw Obama into a knife fight, and so far it hasn't worked.
Excited voters for Obama and Clinton:
I haven't been this excited about politics and change in a long time. Whether Obama or Clinton, we may be on the verge of something new in American politics, and that's cause for hope.
Actual comment by a representative right-wing racist:
"This is why your voting for Barack Hussein Obama? Your joking, right? Well in that case I'm gonna' vote for him cus' his lips are as purple as the favorite part of my body. Rock that vote!"
Several grammatical errors (and the same one twice): Check.
Mention of Barack Obama's middle name, which is Hussein: Check.
Racism (he's black!): Check.
Racism (his name sounds Muslim, which is automatically bad!): Check.
But the racist attitudes that make a person vote against a black man are the same ones that will make it harder to vote for McCain, a Republican who doesn't support some of the radical immigration policy ideas floating around. The xenophobic vote may have no one that will carry their water this year. Maybe they'll stay home and evolve as human beings so they deserve to share this country with rational people.
