IT MATTERS WHAT WE BELIEVE
Rev. John T. Crestwell Jr.
December 6, 2008
It truly matters what we believe. Some of the things we hold construct, while others tear-down. Some of the things we accept allow us to be hopeful, while many other things we believe cause fear and doubt. Some of the things we believe help us to do more than we ever thought we could or to bear a heavy burden, while other beliefs castrate our sense of dignity and purpose, or push us to give up way to soon on something we want. Yes, it matters what we believe…
My father taught me many things about appreciating a new book. He told me that each book was like an adventurous journey and opened an opportunity for your mind to expand. He taught me how to play games with a book: to read the first sentence in it and the last sentence and see if there was something really profound that the writer was trying to communicate to the outside world.
So in Barack Obama’s book titled: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, the first sentence is: “On most days, I enter the Capitol through the basement” and the last sentence is: “My heart is filled with love for this country.” So that I think of a half Black man entering our nation’s Legislative headquarters as a very humble and honorable thing. Quiet contrary to the criticism of this man as a latte-drinking arugula-eating elitist. A man who uses fancy words and is eloquent and intelligent and somehow threatens the average Joe—the Joe sixpack and Joe the Plumber.
Then that last sentence in his book goes to the heart of the criticism of this man as an: unpatriotic, Muslim and someone who “pals” around with terrorists. Discussions by Palin talk about the Real America and how Obama is someone not like us, a guy who would threaten our way of life. Be it gun-toting, Bible-thumping, abortion clinic-bombing culture warriors.
These are the despicable Lee Atwater-Karl Rove tactics to attack the very strengths of a candidate and then lie about them to achieve just some doubt in the minds of the voters. Then spring on them the “October Surprise.” It is a sad type of politics but it worked for George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Senator McCain is surrounded by former Bush handlers, Karl Rove disciplines and then last month even Karl Rove himself.
“Spreading the wealth around” in their minds is ‘socialism and worse yet ‘communism.’ Senator Mel Martinez compares Obama to Castro in another desperate Florida fight for the minds and even souls of Hispanics. Yet, this year they are not buying it. We are not buying it. We are snakebit from the last few times anyone went with a Republican. Yes, even going back to Ronald W. Reagan and our foundations for this economic turndown and recession.
"Critical Mass," the blog of the National Book Critics Circle board of directors, contains a posting I and others have made concerning a question the board posed to its members: which work of fiction or nonfiction or poetry best captures the realities of American political culture?
I responded with thoughts about "The Audacity of Hope:"
Barack Obama's THE AUDACITY OF HOPE is the most important book that I have read this year. The reasons: not only does Obama give a succinct history of the post-WWII shaping of the American political landscape (along with a tempered description of what is wrong with American political culture--either / or thinking that keeps politicians from empathizing with those who may not agree with them)--he also gives examples of how he has worked in government to bridge seemingly intractable differences. One such example is when he sponsored a bill in the Illinois state senate that would require videotaping of interrogations and confessions in capital crimes. This occurred after thirteen death row inmates had been exonerated because the system leading to capital punishment had been found to be so flawed that the Republican governor had decided to place a moratorium on state-sponsored executions. Against the odds, Obama succeeded, and he tells us why: "Instead of focusing on the serious disagreements around the table, I talked about the common value that I believed everyone shared, regardless of how each of us might feel about the death penalty: that is, the basic pricnciple that no innocent person should end up on death row, and that no person guilty of a capital offense should go free. . . .It passed unanimously in the Illinois Senate and was signed into law." THE AUDACITY OF HOPE made me wonder what it would be like to live in a world in which our nation's Capitol became a place where elected women and men heard the commonalities they have, rather than the barrage of noise about their, and our, differences.
See the complete blog at
http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com/2008/10/nbcc-reads-fall-2008.html
I was bit disappointed with the discussion of Joe the Plumber in the last debate. But not because McCain chose to take from the discussion an issue that divided us: Should we “spread the wealth around” in a way that might seem be more equitable through a socialist-like redistribution of income? Nor was it because it propagated the fiction that there are lots of people just like us, teachers, fireman, and plumbers, who make $250,000 a year. I expected that. What disappointed me was that Obama didn’t take the opportunity to make a case for progressive taxation that was a foundation of the economic message in his book, The Audacity of Hope.
There are values that we all share. Values that define who we are as a nation: (1) The American Dream: that every American, no matter who they are or where they come from, can achieve a good life for their family it they work hard and play by the rules; (2) Fairness: Everyone should pay their fair share of the costs for the benefits they reap from our society; (3) We Are All in this Together: In America we rise and fall together. We don’t cut and run, abandoning those who stood by us in the social compact that binds us as a nation.
The case for asking Joe, or anyone else that rises far enough to make $250,000 a year, to pay more taxes than the rest of us has nothing to do with income equity and redistribution and everything to do with these basic values. Joe benefited from our educational system and from laws and regulations that kept the playing field level for people like him. Before he became successful, he couldn’t afford to fund these things from which he benefited as much as he can now. Does he really want to deny this same opportunity to those who, though no fault of their own, haven’t yet become as successful as he has?
Joe, because of his success, uses, and benefits from, more of the resources of our society than someone less successful. If you have seven houses, you benefit much more from the fire protection budget than someone with none. Joe has benefited more from the stable economic climate our military expenditures and economic regulations have provided. His fleet of vans and the chemicals he sends down drains cost us more as a society to clean up after than a teacher does. Does he really think it is fair to not pay his fair share for the systems he benefits from?
If Joe were to become old or disabled, lose his business, or face a catastrophic illness in his family, we as a society would not abandon him. We are only as good as we treat the least of our brothers, and only as strong as the weakest of our neighbors. He depends upon his neighbors being well off enough to buy his services. His quality of life depends on the people in his neighborhood having enough hope to keep them from turning to a life of crime or drugs. He is not an island: his customers, the people who serve him when he goes out to dinner, who bag his groceries, and valet park his car all affect him and make up his community. Now that he has made it, does he really want to abandon them? Will he really cut and run on the people with whom he lives? We are all in this together.
I thought Obama’s performance was good enough. But what I really would have liked to have heard in this time when fear is overpowering hope, what I really would have like to have seen, was Barack Obama’s calm face and warm eyes looking our from my TV screen and saying: “In America, anyone can become Joe the plumber. In America, if you play by the rules, anyone make a safe home for their family. In America, even in this time of trouble, we are all in this together. This isn’t just in Red America. This isn’t just in Blue America. It’s just America, and these are the values that define us.”
I'd like to see the Obama campaign turn the Ayers story into one that fits the message of this campaign: The audiacity of hope. They could do so with statement such as this:
For now, though, with the first presidential debate of 2008 still echoing in my ears, I just want to savor the moment and throw out a few random thoughts while getting more substantial ones together.
Are you reading or have you read Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope? If so and if you're a Baby Boomer, Barack’s confession that he’d "always felt a curious relationship to the sixties" (p. 29) must have brought a smile to your face. It certainly made me, a person who entered high school in 1960, smile–not just smile, but actually grin. And sit up a little straighter. And read a little more attentively..
I finished reading Dreams from My Father, and the Audacity of Hope a while ago. I thought that dreams from my father was won of the most interesting books that I have ever read. Audacity was interesting because you can see why he takes the positions he does. I would have to give both books 2 thumbs up.
all right, now that I'm done with that. Is anyone else sick and tired of hearing McCain? I mean it seems that every time this guy opens his old mouth he digs himself into an even deeper whole. "the fundamentals of our economy are strong"? wtf!? and then he said that the "fundamentals" are the american workers? Bullshit. ok. now my question is, why are the polls this close? I know that Barack has pulled back ahead, but with all the gaffs that the McCain campaign has been making lately (blackberry), but shouldn't Obama be ahead by 15-20 points. Is it just because people aren't paying attention? Are most americans just ignorant? or are the polls just not accurate? If someone has an answer please let me know.
That's enough ranting and raving for me. Peace out.
Bob
Mortality and 9/11.
It’s seven years later and we, as a nation, are set to remember the horror and honor the dead and heroes of September 11, 2001. For some, it’s a private moment of grief that will never go away on this date because they lost a loved one. For others, it is a picture of destruction that they wish they could erase from their memory—the disbelief, the shock, the fear! Lurking in the shadows is the thought that it could happen again. It could happen to mine! It could happen to me!
So, it was reassuring to turn on the television this morning, to find several hundred members of Congress on the steps of their building solemnly taking turns with short speeches commemorating the events of 2001. Republicans and Democrats, senators and representatives in a visual demonstration of solidarity, shoulder to shoulder—a truly bipartisan occasion.
Standing out from all who stood was Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who was seated in a wheel chair in the front row. I don’t know if he had made a speech before I tuned it, but I know he was an integral part of the proceeding because whenever something was said that touched him, he would utter words of agreement, almost like an echo. “Yes!” “ That’s true.” “We do” “Amen.”
At age 91, he is the oldest member of Congress, truly one of it’s greatest orators and defenders of our Constitution. Congress would not be the same without him. As these thoughts crossed my mind, I was moved to tears, tears for the losses of 9/11, tears for all those lost is the wars fought in the name of preventing another 9/11, and tears for a beloved legislator who doesn’t let age or infirmity keep him from keeping on and tears for how I will miss him when he’s gone.
In “The Audacity of Hope, ” Senator Obama devotes several pages to Senator Byrd. I’m sure he will miss him, too.
Breeze Bryson on September 11, 2008
"If we act boldly, then our economy will be less vulnerable to economic disruption, our trade balance will improve, the pace of U.S. technological innovation will accelerate, and the American worker will be in a stronger position to adapt to the global economy," states Barack Obama, the Democratic U.S. Senator of Illinois and now the Democratic nominee for President, in his (new) book "The Audacity of Hope". Senator Obama lays out a vision for reclaiming the American Dream aided by a government built on our best traditions, representing our everyday lives, uniting our common hopes and dreams, and creating an unbreakable bond.
Senator Obama was (has recently been) picked to represent the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, along with the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee. He says keeping the American people safe should always be our top priority. He will also work for the Foreign Relations committee, and the Veterans' Affairs committee. Working simultaneously in four different committees is an honor, a measure of respect, and a remarkable feat for any U.S. Senator. (He was also on the cover of Time Magazine hinting of a run for the presidency in 2008.)Three Innovation OpportunitiesSenator Obama is not only focused on promoting economic growth and bringing good paying jobs to Illinois, but also creating substantial innovative opportunities in education, science and technology, and energy for America. In his book, he talks about how "investments in all these three key areas (education, science and technology, and energy) would go a long way in making America more competitive." He agrees that none of these investments will produce immediate results; these investments will actually cost money and resources in the near term. However, he believes that such investments in R & D and education, increasing fuel efficiency of American cars (e.g. Tesla, Toyota, Honda, Ford, and future electric cars by GM), instituting performance pay for public-school teachers, understanding the feasibility of school vouchers and evaluating the viability of hydrogen fuel cells are necessary."But while the means we use to accomplish these ends should be subject to vigorous and open debate, the ends themselves shouldn't be in dispute," states Senator Obama in a prose reminiscent of President Abraham Lincoln. He emphasizes that "like those before us, we should be asking ourselves what mix of policies will lead to a dynamic free market and widespread economic security, entrepreneurial innovation and upwards mobility." He even asks us to be guided by President Lincoln's simple maxim: "that we will do collectively, through our government, only those things that we cannot do well or at all individually and privately."GlobalizationWhereas Senator Obama observes that globalization has brought significant benefits to American consumers such as lowered prices on goods including big-screen TVs and winter fruits, increased the purchasing power, kept inflation in check, boosted stock returns, created new markets for U.S. companies overseas, and even reduced poverty in foreign countries; however, globalization has also increased economic instability for millions of ordinary Americans as more U.S. companies have automated, downsized, outsourced, and offshored. Obama believes the effects of globalization create a so-called "winner-take-all" economy where a rising tide doesn't lift all the boats. Knowledge workers such as engineers, lawyers, consultants, doctors, marketers are doing well now; however, blue-collared workers whose skills can be automated, digitized, outsourced or offshored for less are clearly hurting.Senator Obama asserts that "our greatest asset has been our system of social organization, a system that for generations has encouraged constant innovation, individual initiative, and the efficient allocation of resources." The classic paradox is whether we should consider our free-market system as a given and let it ride naturally - "laissez-faire", or whether our government should take action to open up opportunity, encourage competition, and make the market work better. In the past government has been called upon to build the infrastructure, train the workforce, and lay foundations necessary for economic growth. For President Lincoln, the essence of America was opportunity, the ability of "free labor" to advance in life.Government InnovationsSenator Obama provides several examples on how our government has provided individuals the tools to adapt and innovate in a climate of constant technological change. From the GI Bill that made college education available to millions, to the creation of public schools, universities and institutions of higher education, formation of National Academy of Sciences, Homestead Act, Hoover Dam, interstate highway system, Tennessee Valley Authority, Darpa, Internet, Human Genome Project, Federal Reserve Bank, Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act, FDR's New Deal, Securities and Exchange Commission, FDIC insurance, tax cuts, Social Security, forty-hour workweek, child labor laws, minimum wage act, National Labor Relations Act, and the Great Society programs including Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, EPA and Occupational Health and Safety Administration -- countless innovations through out the history led by our great leaders.Senator Obama makes a fundamental point that "capitalism is not standing still." The unavoidable globalization, competition, and technological revolution stifle our economy and frustrate our people. He makes a strong case for investments that can make America more competitive in the global economy: investments in education, science and technology, and energy independence. He provides examples of schools in Chicago where students only get a few hours of school each day: the number one issue being the school district cannot afford to pay the teachers for one whole day. He talks about workers who have lost their jobs because companies want more profits or can't compete. He discusses the rising gas prices and our dependence on oil to the tune of $800 million dollars every day.Education InnovationsIt is evident that Senator Obama deeply cares about education. He emphasizes innovation and bold reforms in education. He recommends that we should "identify those reforms that have the highest impact on student achievement, fund them adequately, and eliminate those programs that don't produce results." He provides some examples of education reform and suggests that we have many good ideas, but we don't do a great job of executing on them. For instance, challenging and rigorous curriculum with emphasis on math, science and literacy skills; longer hours and more days to give children the time and sustained attention they need to learn; early childhood education for every child, so they're not already behind on their first day of school; meaningful, performance-based assessments that can provide a fuller picture of how a student is doing; and the recruitment and training of transformative principals and more effective teachers. He believes that teachers should be held accountable, and at the same time rewarded for their effectiveness -- even salaries of $100,000 a year based on experience, performance and qualification. Obama also emphasizes need for higher education reform, especially for science, engineering and technology, and management of rising cost of public college tuition that has risen 40 percent over the last five years. Finally, direct help in meeting college expenses in the form of grants, low-interest loans, tax-free educational savings accounts, or full tax deductibility of tuition and fees.Science And Technology InnovationsSenator Obama has a concrete plan for maintaining our scientific and technological edge that will spearhead future innovations: the plan will cost $42 billion over five years. He recommends that "if we want an innovation economy, one that generates more Googles each year, then we have to invest in our future innovators -- by doubling federal funding of basic research over the next five years, training one hundred thousand more engineers and scientists over the next four years, or providing new research grants to the most outstanding early-career researchers in the country." He believes this is necessary to maintain America's competitive edge. He refers to the Morrill Act signed by President Lincoln that created the system of land grant colleges, institutions of higher learning, and nation's primary research and development laboratories. He asserts that these institutions have inspired and created nation's innovators, and applied research from such institutions has resulted in commercial applications.Energy InnovationsFinally, Senator Obama calls for energy independence. He believes that if we are to become more competitive, we have to build an energy infrastructure. U.S. demand for oil will jump 40 percent over the next twenty years; further our dependence on foreign oil only serves the interests of volatile regimes. Oil erodes the environment. When U.S. has only 3 percent of the world's oil reserves, and uses 25 percent of the world's oil, alternatives must be sought: create renewable, cleaner energy sources for the twenty-first century. He proposes that "we should end every single tax break the industry currently receives and demand that 1 percent of the revenues from oil companies with over $1 billion in quarterly profits go toward financing alternative energy research and the necessary infrastructure." Obama touts Brazil as a good example where a mix of regulation and direct government investment has developed a highly efficient biofuel industry and 70 percent of new vehicles run on sugar-based ethanol instead of gasoline. Obama believes that regulation when applied with flexibility and sensitivity to market forces can actually spur private sector innovation and investment in the energy sector. Fuel-efficient cars and alternative fuels are the future of the auto industry. Obama proposed legislation called "Health Care for Hybrids" that makes a deal with U.S. automakers: "In exchange for federal assistance in meeting the health-care costs of retired autoworkers, the Big Three would reinvest these savings into developing more fuel-efficient vehicles." Obama thinks that investments in alternative fuel sources will lead to creation of thousands of new jobs.Uncommon InsightsSenator Obama shares with us insights from Robert Rubin, the former U.S. Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, and Warren Buffet. Rubin suggests that "there's no limit to human ingenuity." The insight gained from Rubin is that we can slow globalization, but can't stop it. For instance, when one buys an American good, it could be developed by overseas software programmers and packaged outside our borders. Billionaire Buffet shares an uncommon insight that he will be paying a lower effective tax rate than his receptionist. Not only that, he is paying a lower rate of tax than the average American. Buffet believes that "some of that wealth (rich people) has to be plowed back into education, so that the next generation has a fair chance, and to maintain our infrastructure, and provide some sort of safety net for those who lose out in a market economy." What Buffet is essentially reverberating is a "change in spirit, a willingness to put our common interests and the interests of future generations ahead of short-term expediency."Bottomline:Senator Barack Obama is a visionary, a real leader, an innovator who can bridge the nation whole, analytical yet convincing, grounded in history and tradition, and progressive in his prescription for change. He is a creative innovator who believes in a proactive government creating an environment that facilitates reforms in education, science and technology, and energy. He believes that strategic investments in these three key areas will empower America to create a stronger economy that will create countless new opportunities for innovators and workers alike. References:Barack Obama: The Audacity of Hope. Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream.
I have been reading the Audacity of Hope, Obama's second book, over the last few days. Today I stopped and put it down after reading past chapter five. I sat there on the couch, and took a few seconds of my day to think about what I had just read. I have never, or would never think it possible that I could sit down and read the entirety of someone's public policy or agenda without being forced to. Not only did Obama make the thing interesting, but it is damn good too. I am winding down on a six week trip to Italy, and after reading six pages of this book, the only thing that I can think about is getting back to Washington so I can help this man campaign.
Back in late winter- February, i think- I was blessed with the opportunity to see the senator live at Seattle's own Key Arena. I went alone with my trusted camera, and took picures of the massive crowd. As Seattle's Mayor, Greg Nickels opened with a statement, and Christine Gregiore- Washinton's Governor- officially stated her endorcement of Obama, I continued to snap photos. Finally, when Barack stepped onstage with a microphone and began his captivatingly inspiring speach, I looke d around. I was sitting in a section filled with women from the Nurses union. The woman next to me was crying out of pure joy and belief in what the man onstage was saying. Barack obama was the man for the job and the 25,000 people filling the stadium that day knew it. I myself was so enthralled with Obama's speach that I never did take any photos of him speaking.
This is the kind of man that I want as a president.
This is in response to my first post. I'm going without and wow -- what a joy. You don't know what you got till it's gone...
Life without Cable TV is good. I just watched a video on FORA.tv of Obama on his Audacity of Hope book tour. The video is about an hour long but totally worth it. This FORA.tv video paints the picture of his mind right before he announced running for President. It's very interesting... very good!
Let me know if you watch it and what you think. Peas out.
More than race, more than ideology, more than the stupid rumors, I think the biggest barrier to people voting for Sen. Obama for President ... people who would vote for him in a heartbeat if all they saw was his party affiliation ... is that he's new. They don't know him. I think a lot of people need to feel a personal connection and familiarity to vote for someone. I don't feel that way. Although a more personal insight does help, I don't feel I need to relate personally to a candidate.
This past weekend I bought Sen. Obama's two books in audiobook format. I'm almost through "Dreams From My Father", and it's wonderful ... informative, moving, and funny. I wish there was a way to get his books ... hard copy or audio ... into the hands of masses of people who say they don't "know" Barack Obama, people who are "uneasy" about him. There is no way you can read or hear his books without being impressed with and attracted to his intelligence and wisdom.
So, how can we help more people to meet our candidate through his own words?
When I woke up this morning, that was my first thought -- did Barack Obama become the Democratic nominee last night? Then, YES, He DID!! That, I know, is a universal circular thought process in the human mind. And so often, it has happened after negative events. I still wake up sometimes wondering if the weirdness of 9/11 really happened. Perhaps because here, in Pacific Time, it was something that I awoke directly into on that day in 2001.
I was listening a little while ago to pundits on MSNBC discussing children 7 or 8 years old who now believe that a black person or a woman can be President. The boomer-age people like me wondered in amazement, and stated that they kept saying, is this really happening? And I thought, yes, indeed.
I knew the dream of hope long ago when I looked into the eyes of my baby grandson, now a toddler, or as he likes to call himself, a Big Boy -- I saw the future there in his eyes as I heard behind me on the TV the words of Barack Obama as he announced that he was going to run for the Presidency of the United States.
When I speak to the little boy's 22-year-old mommy I hear happiness yet casual apathy about the nomination. The epiphany for me is that this is a victory. While her generation has studied the history of the U.S. and race relations and MLK, and she has personally seen the prejudice in society, even to that age group, it is a given that any worthy person can be President. Many younger people are directly responsible for the hard work that went into this nomination, because they, unlike the middle-aged among us, absolutely knew that it was possible, they believed in the URGENCY OF NOW, and had the AUDACITY OF HOPE.
It is time that all of us who have worked on this campaign, who have believed in Barack Obama, who voted for him, and those that are now coming aboard, to pay the AUDACITY OF HOPE forward.
--Nancy Lloyd 06/04/08
Inspirational passages and sections of books that I find striking and touch on an issue or emotion that is very close to my heart almost always come from works of fiction. The remarkable journey of Holden in Salinger'sCatcher in the Rye, the story of ultimate adventure and loyalty found in Jack Kerouac's On the Road, and the controversial yet inspiring poems of Alan Ginsberg - these and other great and compelling works are my ordinary forum for inspiration. These are the books that when we revisit them years later, we find underlined paragraphs, highlighted portions, and a jotting of personal reactions in the inviting margins; things we forgot we marked to remember in the future but still ring as true and strike the same unnerving chord as we read the words years down the road.
I cannot remember ever having an "evolutionary" and emotional experience such as this when reading a work of nonfiction - especially not an autobiographical one. However, I found this happening constantly while reading Mr. Obama's The Audacity of Hope. Feelings of nostalgia, of excitement, and of pride came rushing over me while reading some of Senator Obama's experiences growing up - his broken home upbringing, his grassroots story of overcoming the odds to grab at success. These are all aspects of his life that ring true of mine as well. Things I can not only be inspired by but that I can identify with.
Got this from an excellent OBAMA '08 Community blog post this morning.
The Audacity of Hope (pg.105): “Neither ambition nor single-mindedness fully accounts for the behavior of politicians…. There is a companion emotion, perhaps more pervasive and certainly more destructive, an emotion that, after the giddiness of your offical annoucement as a candidate, rapidly locks you in its grip and doesn’t release you until after Election Day. That emotion is fear. Not just fear of losing – although that is bad enough – but fear of total, complete humiliation.”
Got this from an OBAMA '08 Community Blog this morning.
Audacity of Hope (pg. 25): “That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived. It won’t be prepackaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have to account for the darker aspects of our past. We will need to understand how we got to this place, this land of warring factions and tribal hatreds. And we will need to remind ourselves, despite all our diferences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break.”
