Our new president -- some thoughts

First off, I offer congratulations to President Obama. If for no other reason, just hearing someone speak clearly and like an adult is a breath of fresh air. Fortunately, there are many other reasons to be optimistic about Mr. O (small 1776 reference :-)). The first of these that he is a symbol of what we can do when we rid ourselves of the bile of our history. The second is that he does not seem to be afraid of telling the American people some hard truths. As my friend Gene once said, one of the reasons that Ronald Reagan was so popular is that he never seemed to tell the American people anything they didn't want to hear. This led to, in a small part, the mess that we're in today. In his address, Obama admonished us to "put away childish things," and then proceeded to outline carefully the many challenges that we face. A third reason to be excited about Obama is that, unlike his predecessor (who more and more reminded me of Zapp Brannigan, with the rest of the country being a sighing Kif), he is interested in inclusiveness and having a very big tent. Call me a geek or a fanboy, but I couldn't help but hear some of the Star Trek/Roddenberry philosophy when Obama observed:

"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."

For me, this was the most stirring part of the address.



Again, as my friend Gene reminded me, we must be very careful not to engage in a cult of personality regarding Obama. He hasn't yet done anything (although it's very encouraging that he today gave orders to close Gitmo), and he has to prove himself up to this enormous task. I'm very hopeful at this point though, and actually excited by our government for the first time in a very long time!

Bye bye Bushie!

Well well, what a speech! This man seems to pathologically unable to admit mistakes or even errors in judgment... at least on purpose. There is one passage in his address last night that was unintentionally damning:

"As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did. Every morning, I received a briefing on the threats to our nation. And I vowed to do everything in my power to keep us safe."

This seems to imply that he didn't receive those briefings before 9/11, because his life didn't return to normal. Of all of the "Bushisms" that abound, this is my favorite.

Yes We Can!

I still can't believe it!  Even though California passed that vile Proposition 8, this was still an amazing, historic night.  I'm 41 years old, and I never thought I'd see this happen:  a liberal, big city, young, African-American politician elected President of the United States, at a time of war.  This is just fantastic!  In yesterday's Washington Post, Richard Cohen something in his column that actually made me tear up.  Here is the passage:

 My fellow Americans, we have overcome.

I'll finish by including Barack's speech from last night.  What an amazing time for this country!

Mavericks

I lost count last night of how much Sarah Palin referred to herself and McCain as mavericks. If you have to keep telling people that you are a maverick, tough, a winner, etc., you probably actually aren't. Real mavericks, etc. don't have to remind people; their actions speak for themselves.

Maybe it won't happen again....

Wow, isn't it amazing that when serious matters, like say the stock market falling nearly 1000 points in two days, how issues like lipstick become, shall we say, banal. I've been thinking that what we Obama supporters needed was a way to get McCain on the defensive, and, by golly, he does it for us himself :-). In a week of some very bad news, McCain and Palin seem to be thrashing around, looking for something to say, and keep ending up just looking foolish. I know there's much time to go, and four debates to come, but, perhaps the moral to the old Aesop fable might be true - slow and steady wins the race.

This can't happen again....

Please tell me that this isn't going to happen again. How is it possible that a dimwit like Sarah Palin can become an instant icon that moves huge numbers of women to McCain's side? And how is it possible that the Republicans can keep throwing out more and more egregious lies, and people keep believing them? Obama's tax plan will cut taxes for most "ordinary" Americans, but somehow the Republicans have convinced many people that Obama will raise them.

The best skill the Republicans have is changing the subject. What to do about the war? Discuss who was right about the surge. Problems with McCain's tax plans? Accuse Obama of being sexist. Palin doesn't know what the Bush Doctrine is? Charles Gibson was unfair to her. People, this has GOT TO STOP!!!!

Elitism

I'm a bit of a political junkie, and, over the last month I have become extremely frustrated at the throwing around of the word "elitist." This is ridiculous in so many ways. First, none of the three candidates are remotely near to being a "common" person. Neither Obama bowling, Clinton drinking, nor McCain's "Straight Talk Express" can hide the fact that all three candidates left being "common people" long ago. Second, it always seems like a liability for a candidate to appear in any way intellectual. To be elected, it appears that a candidate must subsume any intellectual gifts under a guise of likable mediocrity, or someone who never tells anyone any bad news. All of these petty, gossipy kinds of "issues" do nothing but make everyone involved look ridiculous, as well as the country.