Posts with the tag The Audacity of Hope

Does John McCain’s Experience Matter?

jamesmyers — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:25:52 EDT

Does John McCain’s Experience Matter?

A Political Blog

James Myers

The Entertainment Critic

I was asked by a young Obama neighborhood organizer to write an article about an argument he was running into as he went door to door in Lake County, Indiana. The problem: How do you respond to someone who is considering voting for John McCain based on his ‘experience?’

After all at age 45, Barack Obama is not the youngest presidential nominee or chief executive. William Jennings Bryant was a Democratic nominee at 36; John F. Kennedy was 43 when he was elected, Theodore Roosevelt was 42 when he was sworn in. Nor is Barack the most inexperienced nominee or president ever. Wendell Willkie had never held any public office before he became the Republican nominee in 1940. Woodrow Wilson had been governor of New Jersey for only 2 years before ascending to the Presidency in 1912. George W. Bush was governor of Texas for only 6 years before becoming President. Lincoln had only served a brief time in the Illinois Legislature and only 2 years in the House before becoming President.

Time served is therefore not the issue. The real question is judgment. Who has the most active voting record? Who made the right decisions when it counted? Who has made more misjudgments? Who is the more unstable, more unpredictable? Who is smarter about the judgments they have made in the past on critical political issues?

What I would say to my young organizer friend is that you should first ask the prospective voter if they are happy with the way things are in our country today? If they are better off now than they were 8 years ago? Ask them if they realize that John McCain has voted 95% of the time with George Bush? Ask them if they are ready for 8 more years of the same failed policies? Tell them that it is time for a change. If they want details, show them this article.

There are 3 basic arguments: First, in a head to head comparison, Barack’s voting record and judgment are more consistent; Second, McCain’s opinion is flexible (he flip flops too much); and finally you have to consider the tremendous errors he has made just during the course of this campaign.

If we look at a head to head comparison, Obama has been in the Senate 3.5 years, McCain has been in the Senate 26 years. Obama’s name is on 606 bills to 128 for McCain. In other words, Barack is much more active. Senator Obama has sponsored or co-sponsored 570 bills in the 109th and 110th Congress. 15 of those have become law. He has introduced amendments to 50 bills, 16 of which were adopted by the Senate. From a blog in the Daily Kos by Heleann dated February 21st, 2008 entitled “I found the BEEF-Obama’s Senate Record” Here is what I found:

Of the 15 bills Senator Obama sponsored or co-sponsored in 2005-7 that became law:

Two addressed foreign policy:
Promote relief, security and democracy in the Congo (2125)
Develop democratic institutions in areas under Palestinian control (2370).

Three addressed public health:
Improve mine safety (2803)
Increased breast cancer funding (597)
Reduce preterm delivery and complications, reduce infant mortality (707).

Two addressed openness and accountability in government:
Strengthening the Freedom of Information Act (2488)
Full disclosure of all entities receiving federal funds (2590)

Two addressed national security
Extend Terrorist Risk Insurance (467)
Amend the Patriot Act (2167)

One addressed the needs of the Armed Forces
Wave passport fees to visit graves, attend memorials/funerals of veterans abroad (1184).

Of the 570 bills Senator Obama introduced into the Senate during the 109th and 110th Congress (Senate Bill numbers are in parentheses), they can be summarized as follows:

25 addressed Energy Efficiency and Climate Change
Suspend royalty relief for oil and gas (115)
Reduce dependence on oil; use of alternative energy sources (133)
Increase fuel economy standards for cars (767, 768)
Auto industry incentives for fuel efficient vehicles (1151)
Reduce green house gas emissions (1324)
Establish at NSF a climate change education program (1389)
Increase renewable content of gasoline (2202)
Energy emergency relief for small businesses and farms (269)
Strategic gasoline and fuel reserves (1794)
Alternative diesel standards (3554)
Coal to liquid fuel promotion (3623)
Renewable diesel standards (1920)
Reducing global warming pollution from vehicles (2555)
Fuel security and consumer choice (1994, 2025)
Alternative energy refueling system (2614)
Climate change education (1389)
Low income energy assistance (2405)
Oil savings targets (339)
Fuel economy reform (3694)
Plug-in electric drive vehicles (1617)
Nuclear release notice (2348)
Passenger rail investment (294)
Energy relief for low income families (2405)

21 addressed Health Care
Drug re-importation (334)
Health information technology (1262, 1418)
Discount drug prices (2347)
Health care associated infections (2278)
Hospital quality report cards (692, 1824)
Medical error disclosure and compensation (1784)
Emergency medical care and response (1873)
Stem cell research (5)
Medical Malpractice insurance (1525)
Health centers renewal (901, 3771)
Children’s health insurance (401)
Home health care (2061)
Medicare independent living (2103)
Microbicides for HIV/AIDS (823)
Ovarian cancer biomarker research (2569)
Gynological cancers (1172)
Access to personalized medicine through use of human genome (976)
Paralysis research and care (1183)

20 addressed Public Health:
Violence against women (1197)
Biodefense and pandemic preparedness and response (1821, 1880)
Viral influenza control (969)
End homelessness (1518)
Reduce STDs/unintended pregnancy (1790)
Smoking prevention and tobacco control (625)
Minority health improvement and disparity elimination (4024)
Nutrition and physical education in schools (2066)
Health impact assessments (1067, 2506)
Healthy communities (1068)
Combat methamphetamines (2071)
Paid sick leave (910)
Prohibit mercury sales (833, 1818)
Prohibit sale of lead products (1306, 2132)
Lead exposure in children (1811, 2132)

14 address Consumer Protection/Labor
Stop unfair labor practices (842)
Fair minimum wage (2, 1062, 2725, 3829)
Internet freedom (2917)
Credit card safety (2411)
Media ownership (2332)
Protecting taxpayer privacy (2484)
Working family child assistance (218)
Habeus Corpus Restoration (185)
Bankruptcy protection for employees and retirees (2092)
FAA fair labor management dispute resolution (2201)
Working families flexibility (2419).

13 addressed the Needs of Veterans and the Armed Forces:
Improve Benefits (117)
Suicide prevention (479)
Needs of homeless veterans (1180)
Homes for veterans (1084)
GI Bill enhancement (43)
Military job protection
Dignity in care for wounded vets (713)
Housing assistance for low income veterans (1084)
Military children in public schools (2151)
Military eye injury research and care (1999)
Research physical/mental health needs from Iraq War (1271)
Proper administration of discharge for personality disorder (1817, 1885)
Security of personal data of veterans (3592)

12 addressed Congressional Ethics and Accountability
Lobbying and ethics reform (230)
Stop fraud (2280)
Legislative transparency and accountability (525)
Open government (2180, 2488)
Restoring fiscal discipline (10)
Transparency and integrity in earmarks (2261)
Accountability of conference committee deliberations and reports (2179)
Federal funding accountability and transparency (2590)
Accountability and oversight for private security functions under Federal
contract (674)
Accountability for contractors and personnel under federal contracts
(2147) Resctrictions awarding government contracts (2519)

10 addressed Foreign Policy:
Iraq war de-escalation (313)
US policy for Iraq (433),
Divestiture from Iran (1430)
Sudan divestment authorization (831)
Millennium Development Goals (2433)
Multilateral debt relief (1320)
Development bank reform (1129)
Nuclear nonproliferation (3131,977,2224).

9 address Voting/Elections
Prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections (453)
Voter access to polls and services in Federal elections (737)
Voter intimidation and deceptive practices (1975)
Senate campaign disclosure parity (185)
Require reporting for bundled campaign contributions (2030)
Election jamming prevention (4102)
Campaign disclosure parity (223)
Presidential funding (2412)
Integrity of electronic voting systems (1487)

11 addressed Education
Increase access of low income African Americans to higher education (1513)
Establish teaching residency programs (1574)
Increase early intervention services (2111)
Middle school curriculum improvements (2227)
Public database of scholarships, fellowships and financial aid (2428)
Summer learning programs (116)
TANF financial education promotion (924)
Higher education (1642)
Build capacity at community colleges (379)
Campus law enforcement in emergencies (1228)
Support for teachers (2060).

6 addressed Hurrican Katrina
Hurricane Katrina recovery (2319)
Emergency relief (1637)
Bankruptcy relief and community protection (1647)
Working family tax relief (2257)
Fair wages for recovery workers (1749)
Gulf coast infrastructure redevelopment (1836)

5 addressed the Environment
Drinking water security (218, 1426)
Water resources development (728)
Waste water treatment (1995)
Combat illegal logging (1930)
Spent nuclear fuel tracking and Acountability (1194)
Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act (Introduced in Senate)[S.726.IS ]

4 addressed Discrimination
Claims for civil class action based on discrimination (1989)
Domestic partnership benefits (2521)
Unresolved civil rights crimes (535)
Equality or two parent families (2286)

4 addressed Homeland Security
Judicial review of FISA orders (2369)
National emergency family locator (1630)
Amend US Patriot Act (2167)
Chemical security and safety (2486)

This would be an impressive record for anyone. It is a remarkable record for a junior Senator from Illinois. Senator McCain has said, “[T]his election is about trust and trusting people’s word…” Another blog from the Daily Kos, written by StuHunter titled, “DAMMIT…Tell me the Truth! UPDATED” traces McCain voting record, flip-flops and all:

Signing of the GI Bill: Now enthusiastically for it... after it passed. Previously attacked the Webb Bill. Didn't even bother to vote on it.
http://bravenewfilms.org/...

Campaign reform: On political reform, McCain last January opposed a grassroots lobbying bill he once supported. In 2006, the "New York Sun" reported that his presidential ambitions led McCain to reverse his support of a campaign financial bill called McCain/Feingold.
http://www.nysun.com/...

Alien Minors Act/Immigration: Last October he said he would vote against the development, relief and education for Alien Miners Act that he co-sponsored, and then said he would vote against an immigration bill that he introduced.
http://www.youtube.com/...

Gay Marriage: In 2006, he said on "HARDBALL," quote, “I think that gay marriage should be allowed.” Then after the commercial break he added, “I do not believe that gay marriages should be legal.”
http://www.youtube.com/...

Abortion: On abortion, 1999, publicly supporting Roe v. Wade, privately opposing it in a letter to the National Right to Life Committee. In the 2000 debates, he would change the GOP platform to permit exceptions for rape, incest, the life of the mother. May 2007, "flipped", ABCNews.com reported.
http://abcnews.go.com/...

Nuclear Waste: No Storing Nuclear waste at Yucca mountain earlier. Now flipped
http://www.lasvegassun.com/...

Negotiating with Kim Jong-Il: Negotiating with Kim Jong-Il not acceptable until President Bush did it last week.
http://bondibox.newsvine.com/...

Negotiating with Cuba/Castro: With Fidel Castro acceptable in 2000, not 2008.
http://vids.myspace.com/...

Negotiating with Hamas/Terrorists: ...with terrorists appropriate when Colin Powell went to Syria and in 2006 when McCain said sooner or later we‘ll talk to Hamas, but not appropriate now re: Obama's willingness to use diplomacy.
http://bondibox.newsvine.com/...

Pakistan: Unilateral action against suspected terrorists in Pakistan; "Confused leadership" when Obama suggested it, not when Bush did it.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/...

Warrantless Wire-taps: Six months ago, presidents had to obey the law, not anymore.
http://www.nytimes.com/...

Torture: Torture detainees, no way, except for the CIA. Hold them indefinitely, wrong in 2003, the right move in 2008.
http://www.youtube.com/...

Iraq War: The Iraq war, the right course 2004, stay the course 2005. Today, McCain has always been a Rumsfeld critic.
http://thinkprogress.org/...

Tax Cuts: In 2001, he could not in good conscious support them. Now he can.
http://www.youtube.com/...

Estate Tax: 2006, "I agree with President Roosevelt who created it". In 2008, "most unfair".
http://www.crooksandliars.com/...

Privatizing Social Security: This month not for privatizing Social Security, never has been. In 2004, he "didn‘t see how benefits will last without it".
http://www.youtube.com/...

Balanced Budget: In February, promised a balanced budget in four years by April, make that eight years.
http://www.perrspectives.com/...

Windfall Profits Tax: In May, glad to look at the windfall profits tax. By June, that was Jimmy Carter's big idea.
http://flipfloptracker.blogspot.com/...

Offshore Drilling: In 2000, no new off shore drilling. Last month, it would take years to develop. This month, very helpful in the short term.
http://thinkprogress.org/...

Coyotes..Bush Big Time Fund Raisers: The Bush fund-raisers McCain called coyotes breaking the law in 2000. By 2006, they were co-chairing McCain fund-raisers.
http://abcnews.go.com/...

"Agents of Intolerance": Buddy Jerry Falwell...an "agent of intolerance in 2000". Kissed Falwell's ass in 2007... The Reverend Hagee and Parsley in, then out this year alone.
http://www.youtube.com/...

Martin Luther King Holiday: In 1983, opposed Martin Luther King Day. Today, all for it.
http://www.boston.com/...

Confederate Flag: In 2000, defended South Carolina's confederate flag as a symbol of heritage. Two years later, McCain calling it, quote, an act of political cowardice not to say the flag should come down. Quote, "everybody said, look out. You can't win in South Carolina if you say that."
http://www.youtube.com/...

Evolution in Public Schools: In 2005, McCain said alternatives to evolution should be taught in school. "Evolving" the opposite position he had taken in 2000.
http://thinkprogress.org/...

Restoring the Everglades: On June 5, John McCain traveled to the Everglades to win over Floridians and environmentally-minded voters. There he proclaimed, "I am in favor of doing whatever’s necessary to save the Everglades." Sadly, as ThinkProgress documented, McCain not only opposed $2 billion in funding for the restoration of the Everglades national park, he backed President Bush’s veto of the legislation in 2007. "I believe," he said, "that we should be passing a bill that will authorize legitimate, needed projects without sacrificing fiscal responsibility."
http://www.crooksandliars.com/...

Swiftboating: McCain's sudden embrace of Swiftboating --- which today is synonymous with a concerted effort to lie about an opponent's history --- is all the more deplorable because he has hired retired Col. George "Bud" Day, a proud member of the group that Swiftboated Kerry --- and someone McCain once described as having "tunnel vision" --- to lead what McCain is calling his "Truth Squad."
http://digg.com/...

GITMO/Habeus Corpus:Despite John McCain's outrage last week that the Supreme Court ordered Gitmo detainees know why they were being held, or released -- Political Base has stumbled upon a McCain appearance on Meet the Press in 2005 where he argued they deserved trials, going so far as to say "if it means releasing some of them, you'll have to release them." Shameless.
http://www.politicalbase.com/...

Divestment from South Africa: During his June 2 speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), John McCain called for the international community to target Iran for the kind of worldwide sanctions regime applied to apartheid-era South Africa. Unfortunately, McCain’s lobbyist-advisers Charlie Black and Rick Davis each represented firms doing business with Tehran. Even more unfortunate, John McCain was frequently not among those offering "moral clarity and conviction" in backing "a divestment campaign against South Africa, helping to rid that nation of the evil of apartheid."
http://thinkprogress.org/...

Opposing Hurricane Katrina Investigations: During a June 4th town hall meeting in Baton Rouge, John McCain answered a reporter’s question regarding Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the New Orleans levees by announcing:

"I’ve supported every investigation and ways of finding out what caused the tragedy. I’ve been here to New Orleans. I’ve met with people on the ground."

As it turns out, not so much. McCain’s revisionist history neglects to mention that in 2005 and 2006 he twice voted against a commission to study the government’s response to Katrina. He also opposed three separate emergency funding measures providing relief to Katrina victims, including the extension of five months of Medicaid benefits. And as ThinkProgress pointed out, "until traveling there one month ago, McCain had made just one public tour of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina touched down in August 2005."
http://thinkprogress.org/...

McCain On His Economic Abilities: "I have not. I have not. Actually, I have not." "I said that I am stronger on national security issues because of all the time I spent in the military and others. I am very strong on the economy. I understand it. I have a lot more experience than my opponent."

-- Sen. John McCain, in an interview on ABC News, when asked why he "admitted that you're not exactly an expert when it comes to the economy."

However, NBC News compiles past McCain quotes in which he said "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should" or "I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/...

On Criticizing Obama While "Overseas": Traveling in Colombia, he told reporters that he wouldn't criticize Obama while he was overseas, but on the plane, he blasted Obama’s opposition to the proposed Colombia free trade...
http://blogs.abcnews.com/...

UPDATES from KOSsacks:

Temperament and Temper: "My temper has often been both a matter of public speculation and personal concern," he wrote in a 2002 memoir. "I have a temper, to state the obvious, which I have tried to control with varying degrees of success because it does not always serve my interest or the public's." Not true and not under control, according to many of those on the "W"rong side of McCain's famous temper.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

Drilling For Oil and Automobile Efficiency: "Last week, Senator McCain reversed himself and said we need to drill more. Today, he has reversed years of failing to support more efficient cars, new energy technologies and green jobs.
http://www.speaker.gov/...

Offshore Drilling: Two weeks ago, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) offered "a bit of a capitulation to the oil companies" by announcing that he would end the federal ban on offshore oil drilling. Not only is McCain’s move a break with environmental activist, but it is also "a reversal of the position he took in his 2000 presidential campaign.
http://thinkprogress.org/...

Payroll Taxes: "When he was asked in 2005 whether he could see himself lifting the cap on the payroll tax, (McCain) said, 'I could.' Two years later, during a May 13, 2007, appearance on "Meet the Press," Russert asked McCain if he was still open to lifting the Social Security tax cap as part of a compromise. "Am I opposed to tax increases?" said McCain. "Yes. But we've got to sit down together and figure out what our options are, and tough decisions have to be made, Republicans and Democrats. And I know how to do that." Asked about the 2005 remark, a McCain spokesman acknowledged the tension with his current position while arguing that the Arizona senator's criticism of his Democratic rival is still valid because McCain has spoken out against higher Social Security taxes as a 2008 White House hopeful.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/...

Ethics Reform and Abramoff: On the stump, Sen. John McCain often cites his work tackling the excesses of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff as evidence of his sturdy ethical compass. A little-known document, however, shows that McCain may have taken steps to protect his Republican colleagues from the scope of his investigation.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
http://digg.com/...

Obviously experience for McCain has not resulted in the acquired trait of common sense. My friend, Karen Young, put it this way: “If you met a parent with 6 children, all of them malnourished, you would call them "experienced" parents, but would you accept parenting tips from them? The point: not all "experience" is good for America.” You’re right Karen, and McCain judgment has been proven over and over again to be something less than we need in our President, particularly after 8 years of George W. Bush. Recently, Jack Cafferty on CNN put McCain’s candidacy in prospective, “It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our current president. One after another, McCain's answers were shallow, simplistic, and trite. He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has -- virtually none. Where are John McCain's writings exploring the vexing moral issues of our time? Where are his position papers setting forth his careful consideration of foreign policy, the welfare state, education, America's moral responsibility in the world, etc., etc., etc.?

John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy. Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being admitted. His academic record was awful. And it shows over and over again whenever McCain is called upon to think on his feet.

He no longer allows reporters unfettered access to him aboard the "Straight Talk Express" for a reason. He simply makes too many mistakes. Unless he's reciting talking points or reading from notes or a TelePrompTer, John McCain is lost. He can drop bon mots at a bowling alley or diner -- short glib responses that get a chuckle, but beyond that McCain gets in over his head very quickly."

In the sole and only issue McCain relies on for his election, his military experience and judgment, his voting record is abysmal. Karen Young again pointed out the following to me:

** 2007 McCain only showed up for 4 of the past 14 senate votes on Iraq. Showed up for none this year

** April 2003 tabled a motion to provide over $1 billion of National Guard and Reserve equipment

** Oct 2003 he tabled an amendment to provide additional $322 million for safety equipment for US troops in Iraq

** March 2004 he voted against eliminating abusive tax loopholes that would have increased veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion

** March 2006 he voted against closing corporate tax loopholes that would have increased veterans' medical services by $1.5 billion

** April 2006 he voted against providing an extra $430 million for veteran outpatient care

** May 2006 he voted against $20 million for veteran health care facilities

** March 2007 he didn't bother to vote on a resolution to start redeploying troops from Iraq by March 2008

** September 2007 he voted against Senator Webb's amendment that would specify minimum rest periods for troops in between deployments

** May 2008 he first spoke out against Senator Web's GI Bill and then didn't bother to show up to vote on it. But none of that stopped him from accepting President Bush's praise when the Bill ultimately passed.

McCain hopes that the fact that he is a veteran substitutes for the idea that he has done right by veterans as a politician

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America give the following grade for voting records
John McCain D
Barack Obama B+

Disabled American Veterans grades the two candidates
Barack Obama 80% voting record
John McCain 20% voting record

In the single most important vote in the 21st Century, the decision to invade Iraq, John McCain was on the wrong side again. Not only did he vote to invade Iraq, he incorrectly stated prior to the invasion that Iraq and Suddam Hussein were involved with the 9/11 attacks. He has said that we could be in Iraq for ‘100 years.’ Spending $10 million dollars a month in an open ended war is not something the American people can afford to support. Barack Obama opposed this war from the outset. A war that has cost us over $5 Trillion and 4,000 dead, and countless injured and maimed. On November 25th, 2002, Barack said, “I think that us rushing into a war unilaterally was a mistake and may still be a mistake. (If we have invaded Iraq) then what the debate will really be about is what is our long term commitment there? How much is it going to cost? What does it mean for us to rebuild Iraq? How do we stabilize and make sure this country doesn’t split into factions…” (Article “Does Obama Have Enough Experience to be President” contained in the embedded You Tube Video found at http://www.obamapedia.org/page/Does+Barack+Obama+have+enough+experience+to+be+president%3F )

So what was John McCain doing while Obama was accurately predicting the future? One month after the invasion, he said Iraq ‘needed to be invaded.’ He called the handling of the war ‘magnificent.’ He praised Donald Rumsfeld and said if he were President, Dick Cheney would be in his cabinet. On the floor of the Senate in May of 2003, McCain said, “We won a massive victory in a few weeks and we have done so with very limited loss of American and Allied lives. We were able to end aggression with minimal loss of life, and we were even able to greatly reduce the civilian casualties of Afghan and Iraqi citizens.” In effect as commentators have pointed out, McCain declared victory in Iraq 5 years and 3 months ago. If this were true, his singular issue of the surge would not have been necessary. But instead we get his military bluster, all of which continues the Bush policy of undermining our diplomatic stature abroad.

McCain himself has recently said, “Good judgment will be at a premium in the term of the next American president.” Comparing his statements to Senator Obama’s you cannot help but conclude that John McCain made the wrong decision, and evaluated the possible consequences of our actions in a totally incorrect way. Even with his single issue of ‘the surge’ he has evaluated that incorrectly, too. If the surge has in fact worked, our troops would be home or at least we’d have the same troop level as we had before the surge. His judgment continues to be at best questionable, while Senator Obama once again is right on target.

What do their peers say about their judgment? Barack Obama’s fellow legislators have assessed his judgment in a positive light. Krik Dillard, a Republican Senator said, "Sen. Obama was someone who I thought — and I was right — could tackle extremely complex things like ethics reform, the death penalty or racial profiling by law enforcement." Dillard called Barack, “a full partner” n drafting and passing the state's first major ethics law in 25 years, Dillard says. Obama also helped pass laws requiring that police interrogations and confessions in capital cases be videotaped and creating a state earned-income tax credit.

Donne Trotter called Obama, “a quick read, a quick study.” His tenure as a constitutional lawyer, “prepares him to learn the intricacies and nuances of what the federal government is all about." Trotter picked up right away his savvy in the areas of universal health care and was most impressed by his ability to educate his fellow senators and become the author and leader of legislation. Obama "is a reader, a learner of different approaches and philosophies," he says. "He has the brainpower to absorb the facts … and make good decisions." Mel Brook, Democratic Chairmen in Littleton, NH perhaps said it best, "No doubt 20 years' experience is better than 10," he says." For some individuals, it might well be a drawback, but it depends on the intellect, the knowledge and the ability of the candidate," he says. "For Obama, inexperience is not a big drawback."

What do his contemporaries say about John McCain? Senator John Kerry thinks McCain’s judgment is dangerous. "John McCain has changed in profound and fundamental ways that I find personally really surprising, and frankly upsetting," the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts said on CBS' Face The Nation.

"This is a different John McCain. This is not the Senator John McCain; this is want-to-be president John McCain.

"And the result is that John McCain has flip-flopped on more issues than I was even ever accused possibly of thinking about! I mean, this is extraordinary what he's done: He's changed on taxes; he's now in favor of the Bush tax cut. If you like the Bush economy, if you like the Bush tax cut and what it's done to our economy, making wealthier people wealthier and the average middle class struggle harder, then John McCain is going to give you a third term of George Bush and Karl Rove.

"If you like what has happened to oil prices, John McCain is going to continue that policy. If you like what you see about health care, John McCain has no health care plan.

"I would have at least expected the John McCain that I knew back then to realize what almost every person in the Pentagon has admitted. There are very few who walk around and say, 'Going into Iraq was the right thing to do, and we should have done it, or do it again if I have the chance.' John McCain does.

"I'm challenging Senator McCain's judgment," Kerry said, "that says, 'There's no violent history between Sunni and Shia.' That's wrong. His judgment that says, 'This is going to increase the stability of the Middle East.' It hasn't, it's made it less stable. The judgment that says, quote, 'This will be the best thing for America and the world in a long time. It's the worst thing that we've done in a long time. And he's turned his [focus] away from Afghanistan and al Qaeda and made America less safe. That's dangerous for our country."

Kerry criticized McCain's continued support of the occupation, given the effect of a continuing presence of U.S. troops on the situation in Iraq and the region at large. He pointed to remarks by leaders in the Middle East who told him during a recent visit, "You, America, have served up to Iran Iraq on a platter."

"They are outraged by the ineptitude of what has been done by those who decided it was smart to go into Iraq," said Kerry, who feels the Republican Party is now in turmoil over the "reality" of McCain's position, which is that "he has a plan for staying in Iraq and Barack Obama has a plan for getting out of Iraq."

Recently, a blog entitled “Obama’s Judgment is Right; the Conventional Wisdom is Wrong” by David Sanders may have summed it up best. The worst strategic blunder of U.S. History was invading Iraq. The Bush administration then advocated a policy of labeling opponents as “weak, inexperienced, and naïve.” Barack Obama defied conventional wisdom and opposed the Iraq invasion. He was told this would damage, maybe even doom his political future. Barack felt we were in the wrong place and we needed to be in Afghanistan where we could fight with the people who attacked us, Bin Laden and al Qaeda. He called it “a dumb war” that could result in an “occupation of undetermined length, and undetermined cost with undetermined consequences.” Barack was right; conventional wisdom was wrong. According to National Intelligence, Iraq is a mess; the threat to us is “persistent and evolving”, Al-Qaeda has a safe haven in Pakistan, Iran has grown stronger and ultimately Americans are less safe. Judgment: Obama.

Barack’s judgment has in fact already tilted the table from conventional wisdom in Washington on the issue of diplomacy. Washington through Bush and McCain have taken the position that we cannot talk to our advisories because that would reward them. The result? Iran has continued to build its nuclear weapons program, terrorize Iraq and support terrorists. Syria continues to ‘meddle’ in Lebanon and support terror. North Korea produced 6-8 nuclear bombs. McCain wants to use the conventional wisdom to continue this policy of blustery, loud brave talk at home, with no discussions abroad. Obama is right; tough skillful discussion with our enemies is the only way in the 21st Century to bring about a peaceful balance. Judgment: Obama

Supporting President Musharraf has only aided the terrorists. Nuclear attacks on terrorist targets via ratcheted up rhetoric based on McCain’s so called military experience goes against the conventional wisdom of Washington. Killing innocent Pakistanis’ and lower our prestige in the world is not good judgment. Judgment: Obama.

American foreign policy has been broken by supporting the Iraq War and failing to finish al Qaeda, and worse alienating the rest of the world with our arrogance. Conventional wisdom tells us that this is the stance we must take in ‘times of trouble.’ Barack Obama is clear that we must go another direction. We must end a war we never should have begun; get the real perpetrators of 9/11; we need to talk to our adversaries and end the blustery politics of loud talk with ‘no substance.’ “Barack Obama’s judgment is right. It is conventional wisdom that has to change.”

So what would I tell my young organizer? After they admit they are not happy with the way things are and they are not better off then they were 8 years ago, remind them that the best we can hope for with all of McCain’s so called experience is more of the same, and that it is time for a change. That when it comes to judgment, Obama is right on target and his record proves he’s the most viable candidate for a change.

Tilting the Table

jamesmyers — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:24:14 EDT

Why You Should Vote for Barack Obama?

Because He Has Already ‘Tilted the Table’

By James Myers

The Entertainment Critic

A few months back I did an interview with Mr. Jonah Goldberg, The author of a book called Liberal Fascism. He used a term that has stuck with me, I believe that I have ‘tilted the table’ in the way history will view this topic from now on, is a rough paraphrase of what he said. Tilting the table means that you have changed the way people view a particular topic. The way historians will record the topic in the history books. It means that you have exerted such insight, that others have come to rely on your judgment. It much your thoughts were fresh, original, and without any question, now considered to be correct. Much like tilting a pin ball machine, you have changed the direction that the ball will travel.

The George W. Bush administration has been, to say the least, inflexible. They take strong positions and right or wrong (and as we have seen they are wrong more often than not) they stick with these positions, to the point of an uncaring arrogance. Convincing Bush to change his position is kind of like commanding pigs to fly; it just isn’t going to happen. Rigid to the point of infamy is more what you can expect from this group.

Recently there have been some changes in position by the Bush Administration; surprising changes. Even more surprising is the source from where these shifts in policy originate. A source of original thought. A voice alone in its objections to the Bush policies. A leader that who thinking, just by his espousing a position has ‘tilted the table,’ even with ‘W’s’ rigid tough guys. A history changer. None other than Barack Obama. Not the presumptive Republican nominee, but their opposition’s leader, Obama. The junior Senator from Illinois. And oddly enough, the area of foreign policy seems to be the area of the biggest shift in direction; the biggest tilt.

What policies have been affected?

· The covert political action in Pakistan he suggested that the Bush Administration put into action;

· The 12,000 additional troops Barack called for in Afghanistan, which the Bush Administration approved yesterday, August 20, 2008;

· Yesterday, Secretary of State Rice reported from Bagdad that there is an agreement between the US and Iraq to set a timetable for withdrawal of our troops from that country by the 30th of next June, something Mr Obama has repeatedly stated during his campaign for President;

· Recently, Bush has shown more of an acceptance to speak to those who are our opposition, then to ignore them as he had in the past. Clearly this is the Obama position.

Notice that the tilt has occurred in the area of expertise that is supposed to be McCain’s strength, foreign policy. But yet, despite stubborn resistance to most opposition by Bush and his cronies, almost to the point of ignorance, they have drifted towards Obama’s positions over McCain. They have adapted the Democrats position, in an effort to effect a pre-emptive strike.

Why is this important? He is a man; a black man, so called inexperienced man; a member of the hated and dreaded other party; a liberal; yet he has in his own persuasive manner, given them such cause to pause, that they are willing to change 8 years of harsh, stoic resistance to a more moderate approach, to attempt to avoid loosing an election. Based on conduct alone, you can only conclude that Barack Obama has tilted the table. He has already made a difference before he is elected to the Presidency. He is what we call in sports a difference maker, a gamer, the go-to guy. The playmaker. Why should you vote for Barack Obama? Because he has the judgment to change history. If he can persuade the Neo-Cons by his advocacy, just think about what he could do as President in dealing with our international problems. This is a lot more effective then the hot headed; let’s go to war, ‘I know how to win wars’ John McCain. This is not advocacy that comes at the end of a barrel of a gun. Barack can change minds. He can advocate. He is a history maker. In the world’s eyes, he is that table tilter that can make a difference.

It's Biden!

jamesmyers — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:23:08 EDT

August 24, 2008
Obama Chooses Biden as Running Mate
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY

WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama has chosen Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware to be his running-mate, turning to a leading authority on foreign policy and a longtime Washington hand to fill out the Democratic ticket, people told of the decision said.

Mr. Obama’s selection ended a two-month search that was conducted almost entirely in secret. It reflected a critical strategic choice by Mr. Obama: To go with a running-mate who could reassure voters about gaps in his resume, rather than to pick someone who could deliver a state or reinforce Mr. Obama’s message of change.

Mr. Biden is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is familiar with foreign leaders and diplomats around the world. Although he initially voted to authorize the war in Iraq — Mr. Obama opposed it from the start — Mr. Biden became a persistent critic of President Bush’s policies in Iraq.

The selection was disclosed as Mr. Obama moves into a critical part of his campaign, preparing for the party’s four-day convention in Denver starting on Monday. Mr. Obama’s aides viewed the introduction of his vice presidential choice– including an afternoon rally Saturday at the old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., the same place where Mr. Obama announced his candidacy on a freezing winter morning almost two years ago, and a tour of swing states – as the beginning of a week-long stretch in which Mr. Obama hopes to dominate the stage and position himself for the fall campaign.

Word of Mr. Obama’s decision leaked out hours before his campaign was scheduled to inform supporters via text and e-mail messages, and hours after informing two other top contenders for the vice presidential nomination – Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia – that they had not been chosen.

As the selection process moved to an end, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who Mr. Obama had defeated in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, had slipped out of contention -- to the degree that Mr. Obama had ever seriously considered her.

Mr. Biden is Roman Catholic, giving him appeal to that important voting bloc, though he favors abortion rights. He was born in a working class family in Scranton, Pa., a swing state where he remains well-known. Mr. Biden is up for re-election to the Senate this year and he would presumably run simultaneously for both seats.

Mr. Biden is known for being both talkative and prone to making the kind of statements that get him in trouble. In 2007, when he was competing for Mr. Obama for the presidential nomination, he declared that Mr. Obama was “not yet ready” for the presidency, a line certain to show up in Republican attack ads.

Although Mr. Biden is not exactly a household name, he is probably the best known of all the Democrats who were in contention for the spot, given his political and personal history (not to mention his regular appearances on the Sunday morning television news shows.) He first ran for the Senate from Delaware when he was just 29 years old.

Mr. Biden has run twice for the presidency himself, once in 1988 and again in 2008, dropping out early in both cases. He was also the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee during two of the most contentious Supreme Court nomination battles of the past 50 years: the confirmation proceedings for Robert H. Bork, who was defeated, and Clarence Thomas, who was confirmed after an explosive hearing in which Anita Hill accused Mr. Thomas of sexual harassment. Mr. Biden led the opposition to both nominations, though he came under criticism from some feminists for not immediately disclosing what were at first Ms. Hill’s closed-door accusations against Mr. Thomas.

Mr. Obama’s choice of Mr. Biden suggested some of the weaknesses the Obama campaign is trying to address at a time when at a time when national polls suggest that his race with Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, is tightening. Chief among Mr. Biden’s strengths is his familiarity with foreign policy and national security issues, highlighted just this past weekend with the invitation he received from the embattled president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, to visit Georgia in the midst of its tense faceoff with Russia. From the moment he dropped out of the presidential race, he had been mentioned as a potential Secretary of State should either Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton win the election.

He is also something of a fixture in Washington, and would bring to the campaign – and the White House – a familiarity with the way the city and Congress works that Mr. Obama can not match after his relatively short stint in Washington.

At 65 years old, he adds a few years and gray hair to a ticket that otherwise might seem a bit young (Mr. Obama is 47). He is, as Mr. Obama’s advisers were quick to argue, someone who appears by every measure prepared to take over as president, setting a standard that appears intended to at least somewhat hamstring Mr. McCain should he be tempted to go for a more adventurous choice for No. 2. He has a long history of making statements that get him in trouble. He was forced to apologize to Mr. Obama almost the moment he entered the race for president after he was quoted as describing Mr. Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” a remark that drew criticism for being racially insensitive. While campaigning in New Hampshire, Mr. Biden said that ”you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.”

Mr. Biden quit the presidential race this year after a barely making a mark; he came in fifth place in Iowa. He was forced to quit the 1988 presidential race in the face of accusations that he had plagiarized part of a speech from a Neil Kinnock, the British Labor Party leader. Shortly afterward, he was found to have suffered two aneurysms.

He is also, at least arguably, a Washington insider, having worked there for so long, though he still commutes home to Wilmington every night by train.

The choice by Mr. Obama in some ways mirrors the choice by Mr. Bush of Dick Cheney as his running mate in 2000; at 65, it appears unlikely that Mr. Biden would be in a position to run for president, should Mr. Obama win and serve two terms. Shorn of any remaining ambition to run for president on his own, he could find himself in a less complex political relationship with Mr. Obama than most vice president have with their presidents.

Mr. Biden was born in Scranton, , grew up in the suburbs of Wilmington, Del., and went to Syracuse Law School. He also was, as a young man, in the center of a gripping family drama: barely a month after he was elected to the Senate, his wife and their three children were in a car accident with a drunken driver resulted in the death of his wife and daughter. His two sons survived and Mr. Biden remarried five years later.

Carl Hulse and Jim Rutenberg contributed reporting.

Being right isn't enough, winning is necessary

Arun from Englishtown, NJ — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:23:32 EDT

From The Audacity of Hope, about his first week in Washington, D.C. as senator, Obama writes:

That same week, I happened to run into retiring Senator Zell Miller, the lean, sharp-eyed Georgia Democrat and NRA board member who had gone sour on the Democratic Party, endorsed George Bush, and delivered the blistering keynote address at the Republican National Convention - a no-holds-barred rant against the perfidy of John Kerry and his supposed weakness on national security.
Ours was a brief exchange, filled with unspoken irony - the elderly Southerner on his way out, the young black Northerner on his way in, the contrast that the press had noted in our respective convention speeches. Senator Miller was very gracious and wished me luck with my new job.

Later I would happen upon an excerpt from his book A Deficit of Decency, in which he called my speech at the convention one of the best he'd ever heard, before noting - with what I imagined to be a sly smile - that it may not have been the most effective speech in terms of helping to win an election.

In other words: My guy had lost. Zell Miller's guy had won. That was the hard, cold political reality. Everything else was just sentiment.

(Emphasis added.)

A Progressive Leader's View of Politics!

Vision Achiever (George, Germantown, TN) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:16:58 EDT

The Audacity of Hope' is one of the most thought-provoking recently written books centered on world and domestic politics. Barack Obama offers his paragon of politics for the 21st century built upon a foundation of old guiding principles that stretch back to our Nation's forefathers to recent political figures and events that have shaped our political discourse over the last several years.

Though stretched in some areas, Barack pulls off an eloquently written prose of ideas that offer perspectives that are more practical than fresh (a dissertation so to speak). From family, values, faith, race, world politics, opportunity, and the constitution, he remains consistent in his love for country; however, skeptical of its future course. Specifically, on family his opinions on the erosion of the traditional family cannot be argued. Two-parent working households that compete with time spent with children is not opinion - it is fact. To further complicate matters, he points out - painfully - the erosion of the black family with startling statistics that pose no easy answer. Barack's approach however is a good starting point. From review of welfare laws that have separated families to engaging children as role model adults in order to compete against a pop culture filled with distractions (perceived and real).

His economic views are his strong point. Obama is able to pin-point in simple terms how globalization of manufacturing jobs, the emergence of low-paying service sector jobs, the complications and trade-offs of NAFTA and CAFTA have depressed our Nation's earning power, stagnated wages, and provided Americans with a lower standard of living despite our dominance as a economic superpower - the results now being felt primarily because of our cavalier approach to deal with crumbling infrastructure, job re-training, funding disparities in secondary education, and lack of affordable college-level education. Though Obama points out the difficulty in bold, fresh terms, his solution is based on the foundation of the past - Clinton's loose-ends with regards to NAFTA, the fallacy of 'No Child Left Behind' for Bush, and the missing link between teacher merit pay and performance. The solutions have been offered before. What Obama advocates is an executed, sequence-based series of action steps - a step-result-step-result format (a practical, perfect world format).

Adding to the texture and the value of this book is how Obama is able to talk about the role of faith without sounding preachy. He navigates his way through the role of faith in our politics, recognizing the difference in our religious views, but upholding the common ground found in most organized religion - value of life, respect for fellow men and women, and execution of the Golden Rule - common characteristics that stretch across the religious spectrum. His view is that faith within politics should be embraced from a world-view with the nuances of the differences down-played to prevent the widening of the gap that unites us all as Americans (or Americans to be) - a difficult view that he effectively framed.

On Race, Obama cannot win with everyone, but can relate to almost all of us. Being bi-racial, Obama tip-toes on this issue so not to alienate or shun his black roots, but open up enough to embrace his white roots. He discusses Race with the authority of someone given a "pass" to speak from both sides while leveraging his world experience to offer insight on the Latino and Asian American experience. It comes up short rather than flat primarily because a topic so complicated deserves its own work in and of itself - from Barack (maybe?). The decay of the black family, the resentment (real or perceived) of whites, the earning power (or lack thereof) for Latinos (and black), and the emergence (and impressive escalation) of Asians cannot be condensed within a short chapter. He points out the crumbling infrastructure and support system of the black family; however, his solutions break from past civil rights leaders and aims toward social responsibility, inclusion, and a "make it happen" approach to life - again, a hard explanation to condense. Latinos and blacks have common ground, but Obama doesn't really go into the details of the breaking (tipping) point that keeps these two races apart (only pointing out the obvious blue collar-low paying job battle - however, it's a lot more complicated). Instead he simplifies this discussion to the common threads we all share, the progress made, and the challenges ahead.

Finally, on world politics, Obama demonstrates the skill of knowledge, mastery of geography and government, and a "big picture" view of resolving our world standing. To this day (and as evident within this work), Barack is comfortable that he both voted and spoke out against the war and therefore is able to write with conviction on the faulty reasoning that led the U.S. to war. At the same time, he realizes the outcome and conclusion of our presence in Iraq and increasing our world standing will be anything but easy.

Engaging, straight-forward, and beautifully written, 'The Audacity of Hope' is a book to be shared and reviewed with the passage of time. Consistent in his view to this day - Barack Obama is able to acknowledge the past and offer insight on how to shape our future based on the framework of what we have and share as Americans and world citizens.

'Audacity...' Available in Paperback on July 15th

Denise from Medford — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:14:10 EDT

Barnes and Noble is offering 'The Audacity of Hope' in paperback for $7.99 (10% off for members) and free shipping on orders over $25! So, now is a good time to buy. Hey, start your Christmas shopping early this year and get copies for your public and local school libraries! Have a great one!

Denise

I just finished The Audacity of Hope

Anna — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:45:14 EDT

First of all, I listened to this book on my iPod. His voice is so soothing. I wanted to listen every chance I got.

When is the last time Bush read a book, let alone WROTE a book (or even a speech for that matter)?!

Obama's willingness to be in the middle of a senate career and write about the small movements his own life has taken toward corruption is a true mark of character. His honesty and awareness about the choices he made that separate him from the people he is representing is unheard of in today's politics. It gives a clear view of the difficulty politicians make Washington out to be and the maze that Obama is trying to navigate. In this election we will at least get to see first hand the real inner-workings of our "democracy", where it is strong and where it is weak.

Inspired to action ...

Garbl — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:21:25 EDT

On Friday, I finished reading Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, and today I attended an Obama Unity house meeting in West Seattle. Together they've inspired me more to work actively for Obama's essential election as president.

I've gotten tired of critics, including some Democratics, who question Obama's credentials. But what I've learned through reading his book and by listening to people who knew who his community- organizing work in Chicago, Obama is no mere beginner who's just a fine speaker. He has walked the walk as well as talked the talk. Through experience, he knows how to lead and inspire people to action, to helping improve their condition and the condition of others.

MY idea of a dream ticket!

Diana — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:05:37 EDT

My two cents...

You go ahead and play fantasy baseball - I am going to try my hand at fantasy politics.

In a political season when dreams can come true - here's mine.

Noting that Caroline Kennedy has been appointed to his VP selection team-- how about if Barack chooses her as his running mate?

I think the Obama-Kennedy ticket would truly be a dream ticket....! And it could solve a lot of the challenges in bringing the party together.

Ah -- The Audacity of Hope! Let's spread the word. Obama-Kennedy '8.

It's a great time to be a Democrat.

And to all of our Texas friends-- See you Friday at the State Convention!

Diana

He's Real

H. Alan Scott — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:36:50 EDT

Since I switched to supporting Mister Obama, I began reading “Dreams from My Father,” in an effort to get to know his background. I’ve already read “The Audacity of Hope,” when it first came out. I loved it, it’s what inspired my early support for him.

I have a strange relationship with Obama. I watched his rise through the U.S. Senate primaries in Illinois in 2004. I didn’t support him in the primaries, but I do distinctly remember watching his acceptance speech the night he became the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee. He talked of bringing the state together, the north and the south, and yes, I was inspired. Because of this early awareness of Obama, before the rest of the country took note, I feel like I somehow have more of a understanding of where he came from. He’s real to me, not Presidential. I’ve only ever known Hillary Clinton in a grand scale, the White House or U.S. Senate defiantly pictured in the background. But it’s different with Obama.

STEPHANOPOULOS:You have a very cool style. And I wonder, how much of that is tied to your race?

KravitzKravitz — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:57:20 EDT

Yes folks. Stephanopoulos actually asked if being cool is an inherently black trait. In May 2007.

But make sure you also see the second article in this post, "The Conciliator." And remember it too is from May 2007.

     SENATOR BARACK OBAMA ON “THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS” from ABC News... MAY 13, 2007

    ...

    STEPHANOPOULOS: When we sat down in Des Moines, I asked Obama where he got that confidence.

    ...

    OBAMA: Well, you know, I think it comes from the set of experiences that I brought with me to this race.

    As somebody who worked as a community organizer in Chicago, not knowing anybody when I arrived and being able to pull people together around the issues that folks were facing after they'd gotten laid off of work; the work that I've done as a civil rights lawyer and a constitutional law professor.

    And then in the state senate, being able to get Democrats and Republicans together around tough issues like reforming the death penalty or expanding health insurance for kids -- those skills seem to have translated in Washington.

    ...Did Someone Say 3AM?...

    STEPHANOPOULOS: What's the most difficult crisis you've had to manage in your public life?

    OBAMA: Well, you know, the truth is, in my public life as a legislator, most of the difficult tasks have been to build consensus around hard problems.

    And what I think the country needs more than anything right now is somebody who has the capacity to identify areas of common interest, common good, build a consensus around it and get things done.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: That is part of the job. There's no question about it.

    OBAMA: Yes.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: But you know a big part of the job of a president is what you do in a crisis...

    OBAMA: Right.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: ... the crisis you didn't expect.

    OBAMA: Right.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: And you never really ever had to deal with something like that, right?

    OBAMA: Well, what I think is absolutely legitimate is that my political career has been on the legislative side and not in the executive branch.

    Now, that's true for a lot of my colleagues, you know, who aren't governors.

    And one of the things that I hope over the course of this campaign I show, is the capacity to manage this pretty unwieldy process of a political race. And one of the great things about the press is that they're going to be watching very carefully...

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Every move you make.

    OBAMA: ... every move you make, and to make sure that people have a sense of how I deal with adversity, how I deal with mistakes, who do I have around me to make sure that we're executing on the things that need to get done.

    ....

    STEPHANOPOULOS: One of your heroes is Abe Lincoln. He was ruthless when he had to be. Can you be ruthless?

    OBAMA: You know, I think that somebody who has arrived where I am out of Chicago politics has to have a little bit of steel in him.

    I have not made a promise -- and I won't make a promise -- that I'm going to be able to perfectly balance the budget immediately.

    What I can say is that we're going to pay as you go; that if I start a new program, I'll find a way to pay for it; if I want tax cuts, then I'm going to find a way to pay for them; and that, over the long term, we get a stable budget that is not simply running up the credit card on our children.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You've also said that with Social Security, everything should be on the table.

    OBAMA: Yes.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Raising the retirement age?

    OBAMA: Everything should be on the table.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Raising payroll taxes?

    OBAMA: Everything should be on the table. I think we should approach it the same way Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan did back in 1983. They came together. I don't want to lay out my preferences beforehand, but what I know is that Social Security is solvable. It is not as difficult a problem as we're going to have with Medicaid and Medicare.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Partial privatization?

    OBAMA: Privatization is not something that I would consider, and the reason is this: Social Security, I think, is -- that's the floor. That's the baseline. Social Security is that safety net that can't be frayed, and we shouldn't put at risk.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Your candidacy brings the issue of race right to the top...

    OBAMA: Right.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: ... of the national conversation. You've been a strong supporter of affirmative action...

    OBAMA: Yes.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: ... and you're a constitutional law professor, so let's go back in the classroom. I'm your student, I say, "Professor, you and your wife went to Harvard Law School. You've got plenty of money. You're running for president. Why should your daughters, when they go to college, get affirmative action?"

    OBAMA: Well, first of all, I think that my daughters should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged, and I think that there's nothing wrong with us taking that into account as we consider admissions policies at universities.

    I think that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and have grown up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed.

    So I don't think those concepts are mutually exclusive. I think what we can say is that in our society, race and class still intersect, that there are a lot of African-American kids who are still struggling, that even those who are in the middle class may be first generation as opposed to fifth or sixth generation college attendees, and that we all have an interest in bringing as many people together to help build this country.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Sandra Day O'Connor wrote that in 25 years, affirmative action may no longer be necessary. Is she right?

    OBAMA: I would like to think that if we make good decisions and we invest in early childhood education, improve K-12, if we have done what needs to be done to ensure that kids who are qualified to go to college can afford it, that affirmative action becomes a diminishing tool for us to achieve racial equality in this society.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You have a very cool style when you're doing those town meetings, when you're out on the campaign trail. And I wonder, how much of that is tied to your race?

    OBAMA: That's interesting.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: One of your friends told the New Yorker Magazine that "the mainstream is just not ready for a fire-breathing black man." Did you turn down the temperature on purpose?

    OBAMA: You know, I don't think it has to do with race. I think it has to do with when I'm campaigning, I'm in a conversation. And what I don't do when I'm campaigning is to try to press a lot of hot buttons and use a lot of cheap applause lines, because I want people to get a sense of how I think about this process.

    OBAMA: I want them to have some ability to walk through with me the difficult choices that we face.

    (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

    OBAMA: We're spending $275 million a day, a day, in Iraq.

    (END VIDEO CLIP)

    OBAMA: And I think that one of the problems with political speeches is that we all know what folks want to hear. We know who the conventional, stereotypical enemies are on any given issue, and we have a tendency, I think, to play up to that. And I actually think that we're in this moment in history right now where honesty, admitting complexity is a good thing.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: How about passion? How about anger? I mean, you've written about how you dealt with issues of anger. Don't you think sometimes voters need to see that too?

    OBAMA: Oh, absolutely, and I think they do see it. Listen, the one thing that I don't think people are going to be able to accuse me of is not being able to give a fiery speech. I came onto the national scene after getting folks fired up pretty good.

    (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

    OBAMA: There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America. There's the United States of America.

    (END VIDEO CLIP)

    OBAMA: But keep in mind, I'm not interested in bringing people together just for the sake of bringing people together. I'm not naive enough to think that if we all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" that somehow health care gets solved or, you know, education gets solved. Right now, what we need to make significant progress on these problems is to be able to build enough bridges to get things done.

    So, I'm furious about the young men that I see standing on corners on the South Side of Chicago without hope, without opportunity, without prospects for the future. I am furious about the mothers I meet here in Iowa who are giving me hugs and telling me about their son who died in a war and asking, did their son die for a mistake? It breaks my heart. But what I know is that the only way we're going to solve the problem is not to assign blame. It's to say, "Here's a vision for the future that we can do something about."

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You've had to ask for Secret Service protection awful early in this campaign. Were you reluctant?

    OBAMA: Yes.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Why?

    OBAMA: I'm not an entourage guy. You know, up until recently, I was still, you know, taking my wife Michelle's grocery list and going
    to the grocery store once in awhile. And so obviously it's constrained, but I'm obviously appreciate of their efforts. They're extraordinarily professional.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Durbin, your friend, who talked to the review board, said a lot of the threats that were coming in are racially motivated. How serious are they? How much are you told? How much do you worry about it?

    OBAMA: You know, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it or considering the details of this. But just to broaden the issue, are there people who would be troubled with an African-American president? Yes. Are there folks who might not vote for me because I'm African-American? No doubt.

    What I'm confident about, though, as I travel around the country, is that people are decent at their core in America. The vast majority of folks want to do the right thing.

    If I don't win, it's not going to be because of my race. It's going to be because I didn't project a vision of leadership that gave people confidence. It's going to be because of something I didn't do as opposed to because I'm African-American.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: You've been thinking about running for president a long time. Your brother-in-law says he talked to you about it in the early '90s.

    OBAMA: He might have brought it up. I'm not sure.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: So you dispute that?

    (LAUGHTER)

    OBAMA: You know, what's wonderful about this whole process is that everybody has -- everybody looks at me now through the lens of where I am now. You know, I had my high school teacher saying what a wonderful, studious guy he was. And I was goofing off the whole time, and they were calling up the principal. I think there's a lot of self-correction that takes place (inaudible).

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, but there's one more. Valerie Jarrett, a good friend of the family says, you told her in your Senate race, "I just think I have some special qualities, and wouldn't it be a shame to waste them."

    OBAMA: That, I think I probably did say.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: What are they?

    OBAMA: I think that I have the capacity to get people to recognize themselves in each other. I think that I have the ability to make people get beyond some of the divisions that plague our society and to focus on common sense and reason.

    OBAMA: And that's been in short supply over the last several years.

    You know, I'm not an ideologue. Never have been. Even during my younger days when I was tempted by sort of more radical or left-wing politics, there was a part of me that always was a little bit conservative in that sense, that believes that you make progress by sitting down, listening to people, recognizing everybody's concerns, seeing other people's points of views, and them making decisions.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: One final question. Everyone is going to be watching this on Mother's Day, and a lot of America is going to get to know a lot about you over the next year, but they're never going to know your mom. She passed away a little more than 10 years ago. What's the most important lesson she taught you?

    OBAMA: She was the sweetest soul I've ever known, and I think that quality that I just talked about, the capacity to see the world through somebody else's eyes or to stand in their shoes, is what she gave to me in great abundance. And I think that capacity is what's needed right now in this moment.

    There have been other moments in history where maybe some other skills were needed, but I think bringing the country together -- and, by the way, bringing the world together -- so that there's that sense of mutual recognition is something that I get directly from my mother. And I think her spirit acts powerfully on me throughout the course of this campaign.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator, thanks very much.

    OBAMA: Thank you so much, George. I appreciate it.

    STEPHANOPOULOS: The roundtable is next with George Will, Cokie Roberts and Sam Donaldson. And later, Brooke Shields.

Transcript exerpts from - Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times. The scoop from Washington May 31, 2007

Steph also refers to this article, from The New Yorker.

The Conciliator
Where is Barack Obama coming from?
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/07/070507fa_fact_macfarquhar?printable=true

He's talking to farmers about ethanol.

Interesting point about when he gets into detail as opposed to rousing rhetoric.

"This mode of his is often called professorial, and Obama himself likens these forums to the constitutional-law classes that he taught at the University of Chicago. But “professorial” implies that he seems cerebral or didactic, and he doesn’t. Despite the criticism he has received for being all inspiration and no policy, Obama has so far stuck to what appears to be an instinct that white papers belong on Web sites, not in speeches."

"Obama’s calm is also a matter of temperament. The first thing almost everybody who knows Obama says about him is how extremely comfortable he is with himself. “He was almost freakishly self-possessed and centered,” Christopher Edley, Jr., one of Obama’s professors at Harvard Law School, who is now a dean at Berkeley, says. There is something freakish about Obama’s self-possession—it’s conspicuous, it draws attention to itself, like the unnatural stillness of someone able to lower his blood pressure at will. He doesn’t strive for an Everyman quality: he is relaxed but never chummy, gracious rather than familiar. His surface is so smooth, his movements so easy and fluid, his voice so consistent and well-pitched that he can seem like an actor playing a politician, too implausibly effortless to be doing it for real. "

"“When I read the book,(Dreams Of My Father) I was surprised—the confusion and the anger that he described, maybe they were there below the surface, but they were not manifest at all.” Asked about this, Obama says, “You know, what puzzles me is why people are puzzled by that. That angry character lasts from the time I was fifteen to the time I was twenty-one or so. I guess my explanation is I was an adolescent male with a lot of hormones and an admittedly complicated upbringing. But that wasn’t my natural temperament. And the book doesn’t describe my entire life. I could have written an entirely different book, about the joys of basketball and what it’s like to bodysurf as the sun’s going down on a sandy beach.”

“Barack used to say that one of his favorite sayings of the civil-rights movement was ‘If you cannot bear the cross, you can’t wear the crown.’ ”

He married Michelle Robinson, a woman who already owned the memories and the roots, who was by birth the person he was trying to become: the child of an intact, religious black family from the South Side. He took a job organizing a South Side community that was disintegrating but that he hoped, through work and inspiration, to revive. Later, rejecting the agnosticism of his parents and his own skeptical instincts, he became a Christian and joined a church. “I came to realize,” he wrote in his second book, “The Audacity of Hope,” that “without an unequivocal commitment to a particular community of faith, I would be consigned at some level to always remain apart, free in the way that my mother was free, but also alone in the same ways that she was ultimately alone.”

(a/k/a in difficult times, one clings to...see where that comes from?)

"Obama’s voting record is one of the most liberal in the Senate, but he has always appealed to Republicans, perhaps because he speaks about liberal goals in conservative language. When he talks about poverty, he tends not to talk about gorging plutocrats and unjust tax breaks; he says that we are our brother’s keeper, that caring for the poor is one of our traditions. Asked whether he has changed his mind about anything in the past twenty years, he says, “I’m probably more humble now about the speed with which government programs can solve every problem. For example, I think the impact of parents and communities is at least as significant as the amount of money that’s put into education.”

"After Obama’s Convention speech, Republican bloggers rushed to claim him, under headings such as “Right Speech, Wrong Convention” and “Barack Obama: A Republican Soul Trapped Inside a Democrat’s Body.” The Convention speech was uncharacteristically Reaganesque for Obama, being almost uniformly sunny about America, which he called a “magical place”; these days, he tends to be more sombre. Even so, Republicans continue to find him congenial, especially those who opposed the war on much the same conservative grounds that he did."

“The issue of the Second Amendment came up and Fried is pretty much a Second Amendment absolutist. One of our classmates was in favor of gun control—he’d come from an urban environment where guns were a big issue. And, while Barack agreed with our classmate, he was much more willing to hear Fried out—he was very moved by the fact that Fried grew up in the Soviet bloc, where they didn’t have those freedoms. After the class, our classmate was still challenging Fried and Barack was just not as passionate and I didn’t understand that.”

Obama is, in fact, committed to respecting the opinions or cultures of others even when religious beliefs aren’t involved. “There are universal values that I will fight for,” he says.

When I saw you at the Convention what really struck me was that you told a story from the beginning to the end of that speech—a story about your life, about how it fit in with the larger American story—and it built to a point where people wanted to applaud, rather than using forced applause lines. Democrats just haven’t done that. And Barack said, That’s exactly what I try to do.” That is Obama’s theory of speeches, and it seems, also, to be his theory of campaigning: don’t try to score huge points at every moment, don’t kill yourself for every vote—a campaign is a long, slow story, and you don’t want to exhaust your audience or yourself. “One weekend I was with him they were making a big deal about his school in Indonesia being a madrassa,” Valerie Jarrett says. “I said, ‘How could they have even run with this story? It’s so completely inaccurate!’ He said, ‘You know, we’ve contacted the school and the principal’s gonna explain what kind of a school it is and we’re gonna refute it all. You need to just calm down. This is gonna be fun! Valerie, you’re not a guy but let me explain it to you in sport terms. It’s like we’re in a basketball game, and I’m gonna fumble the ball, and someone’s gonna steal the ball, and I’m gonna miss a free throw, but we’re gonna win the game. You can’t get yourself worked up over every little thing that somebody says about me or you’re gonna go crazy.’ ”

Washington “held out an offer of collective redemption.”

But redemption is brittle. ... charisma is misleading, that revolutions are illusory, that real change is slow...

Obama and Faith

Dianne from Littleton, CO — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:47:07 EDT

I'm in the middle of reading Obama's chapter titled "Faith" in his book, The Audacity of Hope. I really wish everyone who has opinions of this man from watching quick news clips or clips of his former pastor would read his book, not just listen to his speeches. After all, he wrote this book before he announced his candidacy for president. And as far as I can tell, he hasn't changed his mind or story about anything. His values are solid. His motives are genuine. And his faith is real, the kind that comes from a personal search rather than just how he was raised or what politics demands of a contender for the White House. I continue to support him, unlike the people who waiver with every little snap judgment that the press and pundits love to dish out. People should get to know the man before they pronounce him guilty by association, and the best way besides looking at his record his reading his own words.

Calm, Cool and Collective

Cindy in Salt Lake — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:23:10 EST

One of the things that most impresses me about Barack Obama is his ability to remain calm. With the attacks on him in the last week, he has not showed anger or rage. We need a President who can remain calm under pressure, keep a level head and not have knee-jerk reactions in response to crises. Here are some words from his book, The Audacity of Hope:

My wife will tell you that by nature I'm not somebody who gets real worked up about things. When I see Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity baying across the television screen, I find it hard to take them seriously; I assume that they must be saying what they do primarily to boost book sales or ratings, although I do wonder who would spend their precious evenings with such sourpusses. When Democrats rush up to me at events and insist that we live in the worst of political times, that a creeping fascism is closing its grip around our throats, I may mention the internment of Japanese Americans under FDR, the Alien and Sedition Acts under John Adams, or a hundred years of lynching under several dozen administrations as having been possibly worse, and suggest we all take a deep breath. When people at dinner parties ask me how I can possibly operate in the current political environment, with all the negative campaigning and personal attacks, I may mention Nelson Mandela, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, or some guy in a Chinese or Egyptian prison somewhere. In truth, being called names is not such a bad deal.

A call for action to my friends

Sine in KS — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:44:55 EST

Dear friends,

Most of you will know that I’ve never been actively involved in politics. Not for lack of exposure – my mother served many years on our home town’s city council and was actively involved in reforming Germany’s health care system – but because I didn’t have the passion and didn’t like the either-or, us-against-them attitude prevalent in the political landscape.

But this year, for the first time, I feel the passion, which is why I have joined the campaign of Barack Obama. Like so many others, I am inspired when I hear him speak, not just by the clarity of the issues he raises but by his vision, honesty, and compassion. Last summer, when travelling through Europe, I was saddened by the number of people who were incredulous that we chose to live in the United States, a country they could feel no love for anymore. Barack Obama has already shown that he can inspire the people of this country like no other, and his leadership will help us restore the respect of the world.

If you share my belief that our children deserve a better America, please visit my personal web page to join the Obama campaign at http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/Sine. There are many ways you can help, whether it is with a donation or by participating in a voter registration drive.

If you do not share my enthusiasm, I urge you to read “The Audacity of Hope”. You will feel compelled to roll up your sleeves and in some way contribute to public life in this wonderful country, no matter what your political persuasion is.

Klaus and I have lived in the U.S. for over 15 years and just now became eligible to apply for citizenship. There may be too much red tape and too little time, but we would be honored to cast our first vote for Barack Obama in November.

Thanks,

Sine Thieme

Very impressed with Obama

garcigar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:02:23 EST

I was already impressed with Senator Obama and switched sometime back from supporting Clinton. After I recently read his book The Auacity of Hope, I am even more impressed with him.

I have not been this enthused about a candidate since I first voted in 1976. I really believe Obama can bring the cooperation and change this country so desperately needs.

Comments and replies welcome!

Snowbound

Judy T — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:25:45 EST

I'm snowbound today and so I finally have time to write my first blog entry. Idealogically I feel snowbound most of the time. The piles of emotionally explosive sound bytes piled up in front of every door I'd like to open for calm discourse have all but silenced me. I find so few individuals who are willing to hear a person out. Maybe I'm feeling my way to a conclusion. Maybe there are many threads to my thoughts that I've not yet been able to weave together. But how can I work through anything in a discussion where as soon as I pose a question I'm attacked. Immobilized. That's what it means to be snowbound.

I couldn't get to work today because there's no traction. Just piles of white stuff I'll get stuck in, spinning my wheels. So I don't go anywhere. And that's the same experience I've had in discussions lately. No meeting of minds seems to occur. No honest attempt at understanding. My private discourses seem to mirror the public discourse. I listen but I don't hear reasoned argument. I hear snarls, attacks, dreams that will be defended like the last breath of oxygen, but nothing down to earth, nothing with evidence to back it. Just a lashing out to defend oneself. I don't want to lash out in response, so I don't say anything at all mostly. But snowbound in reality maybe I can get a little traction in this blog. Stranger things have happened.

I'm reading the Audacity of Hope. The voice of Barack Obama in the book is the most reasonable, thoughtful, discoursive voice I've found lately. I recommend it to one and all.

The Audacity of Slash

Ramsey from Chicago, IL — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:32:54 EST

THE AUDACITY OF SLASH

By Ramsey Dean

“My mom is an African American and my dad is English and white.”

Yes, if you didn’t know it, and it is hard to make out behind the sunglasses and top hat, famed Guns n’ Roses guitar god, Slash is not part Latino or maybe one of the other dark-blooded Caucasoid combinations. In fact, just like Barack Obama, he’s half African; as in the grandmother who helped raise him is Nigerian. It’s right there on the first page of his new autobiography, “Slash” (with Anthony Bozza, Harper-Collins), yet in the next 479 pages, this tacit entry is only followed by, “I could count on one hand the confrontations I’ve had that were racially motivated.” How can that be? One hand? Could this really happen in the same reality as Barack Obama’s?

Obama pined through 457 pages in “Dreams of My Father” searching the world over for his black essence, an unresolved cross he still carries through his campaign. Barack’s infatuation with his identity has now spawned a new book “A Bound Man: Why we are Excited About Obama and Why He Can’t Win,” where the bi-racial Shelby Steele picks apart the bi-racial Obama. But it seems the rock star might have upstaged both of these learned men in his non-treatment of the subject.

Clearly Slash is black, we can see it in the book’s childhood pictures. Yet we don’t get the mulatto victim story, the tender realization that he was not like the other kids, his wrestling with the n-word, his uncomfortable apathy toward basketball and rap music, the story of a fearful club owner that didn’t want a black man playing suggestive rock n’ roll in front of white kids, his desire to take his people’s music back, or even a fascination with Jimi Hendrix. It’s as if his situation had no effect on his life. Do we need to grab him and tell him how important this stuff is, or is he telling us something?

The question these two unlikely kindred souls pose is, What defines race? Despite being equally black and white, we perceive Slash as being “white” and Obama as being “black.” Where Slash makes his roots a mere footnote in his life story, Obama treats it like his religion. While both racially identical they’ve also led oddly similar lives: both were brought up in foreign countries (Obama spent his childhood in Indonesia, Slash in England), both were raised predominantly by their mothers and grandparents, and both lived in Los Angeles at the same time. Yet digging a little deeper, it seems that Slash should have ended up “black” and Obama “white”.

Slash not only had his black grandmother’s direct line to his heritage and the culture of “his people” in Africa, he had an extended African-American family in Los Angeles. He grew up low-income and on the streets of LA, became a an anti-social drug abusing kleptomaniac with a prison record at an early age, and could have easily rested on the excuse of his outcast race.

Obama, on the other hand, was raised by his white mother and white grandparents, lived in white neighborhoods, went to the best schools and colleges, and, so it appears, would have been a more likely candidate to leave his black roots behind.

Yet 20-years ago while Slash was being embraced as the epitome of rock icon to white teenagers everywhere as “Welcome to the Jungle” took over the airwaves, Obama was wandering the streets of Upton Sinclair’s version of The Jungle, laying the groundwork for his rise as a black politician.

One could say it’s the father effect, where our sexist last name creates an ethnic specter that often impedes the development of our true destiny. While Obama’s father was closely attached to his native Kenya, Slash’s father, a Jewish Englishman, rejected both religion and country early on, perhaps setting an example to his son, casting these relics as excess baggage. The young Saul Hudson took his father’s tribal rejection one step further and became know as Slash, while Obama rejected his “white” childhood nickname, Barry in favor of the more ethnically correct Barack.

Slash defines being a rock star as “the intersection of who you are and who you want to be.” While he may not have set out to prove it, Slash, shows us that you can rebel against race; not with speeches, demonstrations, calls for tolerance or wars, but by simply not participating in its constricting fictions and developing a truly unclouded persona. By not acknowledging ethnicity, he has in fact, made the best case against its existence. In removing race from his personal equation, Slash has achieved more than Obama will if he becomes president because Slash proves that race can be overshadowed and ultimately forgotten, while Obama’s pursuit only re-asserts that race is somehow venerable.

In an increasingly globalized world, we will soon come to live in ethnicity’s twilight, quite simply because love, as both Slash and Barack’s parents proved, has no respect for the musings of race. A comparison of these men does yield something of great political concern: that we have the power to decide the role of ethnicity in our own lives. One has to wonder if Barack couldn’t take a few pointers from a guitar wielding wildman who defines himself only as Slash.

Ramsey Dean is a novelist and screenwriter. His latest novel, The CoolKids, is available at www.wearethecoolkids.com.

Ramsey Dean

Chicago, IL 60610

ramsey_dean@yahoo.com

The Audacity of Hope

Daniel from NY — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:13:46 EST

I am an Obama supporter. I say that since I have been following him and his message for quite some time now. However, whenever I speak to people about him, I feel like my message may be losing its impact. I just don't know enough about him. Certainly not enough. So, I bought his book "The Audacity of Hope". I have been travelling a lot lately and picked up his book in the Rochester, NY airport and began reading.

Now, I am about 1/3rd of the way through and still going. Obama is an amazing man. Not just that he's ambitious enough to run for president. No, it's just how human he is. He expresses the thoughts and fears that I have. He really does mean what he says. You can feel it in his writing. He spills his guts with such dignity and humility, I find it shocking. It's not spin. It's a real man. Obama has a message and it's one of compassion and thoughtfulness. From his writings and speeches, you sense that his desire really is for the people. He can make a difference in everyone's lives.

I will keep on reading and will pass this book onto my friends and family for them to (hopefully) read as well. If I can pass out 25 books and only 5 actually get read, I believe that will make a difference too. The more people know about the man that Obama really is, the better they will feel about the vote they will cast and the message they can spread about him.

They sneer and snicker at hope!

GMP08 — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:46:46 EST

I had a epiphany after an encounter with someone who looked at my Obama button and sneered..

I have come to the realization that the times have become so negative and hopeless that people cannot recognize hope when they see it!

Too many of the wrong things are being embraced as a matter of fact and a way of life.

Has this nation risen from the ashes of 9/11 only to reignite the flames of destruction and consume ourselves?

As Canon Rodman always states "Let us not be the weapons of our own destruction"!!!

Peace

Barack Obama’s the Audacity of Hope

Douglas4Obama — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 01:01:06 EDT

I’m on track to finish reading Barack Obama’s the Audacity of Hope at Barnes & Noble, Something I've been procrastinating... I don’t know if any of you’ve read it??? I’m buying an Orange passion fruit tea tomorrow and finishing it! Any discussions would be great about this book!!!! D.S.

Hope Notes - Chapter Eight

Dan — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:21:43 EDT

Barack uses Indonesia as a model of the “mixed record” of American foreign policy. Our history includes supporting the independence of former colonies as well as supporting tyrannical dictatorships. Our recent record has not won us many friends abroad.

I find this the Bush Administration's major failing: the grand opportunity in the wake of 9-11 for an international consensus was so easily lost. The next president will inherit the worst foreign policy environment in the history of our country!

This will be a difficult mending job. Barack calls for a well articulated foreign policy. A good start would be to emphasize diplomacy before preemptive unilateralism. And since we cannot expect to handle all the problems of the world, America must support international organizations that can do some of the work for us. Lastly, America must lead by example (page 321):

“The unwillingness to make hard choices and live up to our own ideals doesn't just undermine U.S. credibility in the eyes of the world. It undermines the U.S. government's credibility with the American people.”

Hope Notes - Chapter Seven

Dan — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:19:09 EDT

Race is a difficult subject that most people would rather not talk about. Barack handles the subject with clarity and ease.

Barack writes how we, as a country, have accomplished much in terms of racial equality, but there is still a long road to plough. During the last few decades since the civil rights movement, discrimination by any measure has become a bad word. However, racial stereotypes still pervade society. And there still exists a gap between the opportunity and living standards of minorities and white. To close this gap, Barack supports affirmative action programs that have not been supported by the Bush Administration. Barack also suggests that the best methods to help minorities are universal plans that help all middle and lower-income families. Some of these include:

Education: paying our teachers better, investments to help all kids perform at grade level and graduate from high school

Health Care: universal coverage

Income: expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, investments in our inner-cities such as insulating buildings, installing energy-efficient lighting, and laying broadband lines

Barack also writes about the changing demographics of our country. “...America will be more dizzying in its diversity, its culture more polygot (p 268).”

We must embrace that change which enriches us all. And what better leader to have than Barack?

Obama' book in italian libraries today

Aly Baba Faye — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:15:52 EDT

Good news! Finally today in libraries "l'Audacia della speranza" (Rizzoli Edition) the translation in italian of Barack Obama's book "The audicity of hope" . Now italian audience have the possibility to know more about Barack's vision on politics.

As Italian committee for Obama President we consider it a nice gift that help us implement our action. Yes we'll boost Obamamania here around. We'll plan for some lecture groups and more... IT'S GREAT!!!!!!

Link: Link

Hope Notes - Chapter Six

Dan — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:18:24 EDT

Faith. This is the most important quote of the whole chapter (page 201):

“The single biggest gap in party affiliation among white Americans is not between men and women, or between those who reside in so-called red states and those who reside in blue states, but between those who attend church regularly and those who don't.”

Hope Notes - Chapter Five

Dan — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:59:44 EDT

In Chapter Five, Barack writes about U.S. economic policy. Globalization of the world marketplace, poor inner-city schools, rising health care costs, and dependence on foreign oil are major challenges to America's promise of opportunity for everyone. Barack suggests a pragmatic approach that seeks a balance between the public and private sectors. He understands that the free market is a great innovator, but fails to pass on its fruits to the poor. The government can successfully invest in infrastructure as well as social programs, but too much bureaucracy can also be wasteful and inefficient. Barack agrees with Warren Buffet when he says (page 190):

“The free market's the best mechanism ever devised to put resources to their most efficient and productive use...The government isn't particularly good at that. But the market isn't good at making sure that the wealth that's produced is being distributed fairly or wisely. Some of that wealth 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. And it just makes sense that those of us who've benefited most from the market should pay a bigger share.”

Rare words from a multi-billionare.

My personal roots are Libertarian, and I used to lean heavily towards ideas of laissez-faire and small government. I read a lot of Ayn Rand in high school. Most of this idealism has diminished in me since then. My college years as well as my career have taught me important lessons. I have worked in a white-collar “cubicle” environment. I have worked for both union and non-union factories. When reading this chapter, I am reminded that there are no absolutes in the marketplace. I get sticker-shock from all the government spending that Barack proposes. Most of this is necessary. The most important piece is an investment in our teachers. They are entrusted with the task of enlightening and teaching our kids. In my opinion, teachers should be respected on par with doctors and engineers and should be payed on equal terms!

Hope Notes - Chapters Three and Four

Dan — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 23:19:53 EDT

In the next couple of chapters, Barack writes about the workings of Washington. The structure of the Constitution and how it lays out like a set of blueprints on how our country is run is amazing. It forces a certain amount of dogged deliberation. It encourages compromise between competing interests. It tempers idealism and chains it down to bedrock reality.

What we must do is reverse this trend of power grabbing by the executive branch. The presidential powers have become almost authoritarian under Bush. Which Constitution does he abide by? Not ours, yours, and mine.

I'm encouraged by the fact that Barack understands how much he is isolated from the people that he represents (page 114):

“And in one fashion or another, I suspect this is true for every senator: The longer you are a senator, the narrower your scope of interactions. You may fight it, with town hall meetings and listening tours and stops by the old neighborhood. But your schedule dictates that you move in a different orbit than the people you represent.”

Barack also places a distinction between corporate PACs that “use their economic power to magnify their political influence far beyond what their numbers might justify, and those who are simply seeking to pool their votes to sway representatives. The former subvert the very idea of democracy. The latter are its essence (page 116).” I would disagree. All “special interests” garner much more political influence than the largest group of Americans, those who are unaffiliated.

Barack's Democratic primary victory demonstrates that he is capable of winning an election against the odds. Its something to point to for those who say he has been “lucky.”

And Barack's demonstration of how the media shapes are views sticks (page 124): “--how a particular narrative, repeated over and over again and hurled through cyberspace at the speed of light, eventually becomes a hard particle of reality; how political caricatures and nuggets of conventional wisdom lodge themselves in our brain without us ever taking the time to examine them."

This article shows the many “political caricatures" of Hillary Clinton: Harpy, Hero, Heretic: Hillary.

"The Audacity of Hope" read by Barack Obama.

Ted. — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 21:07:04 EDT

I was driving the other day listening to Barack Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" and I highly recommend it in audio book form. Barack reads it himself and it adds to the message. You get to hear the feeling in his voice. Hopefully you can buy it, but if not, I suggest you get it from the library, borrow it, burn it, and pass it on. Talk to you later.

"The Audacity of Hope" read by Barack Obama.

Ted. — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 21:06:24 EDT

"The Audacity of Hope" read by Barack Obama.

Ted. — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 21:06:15 EDT

Hope Notes - Chapter Two

Dan — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 10:55:51 EDT

Where in the previous chapter Barack wrote about the deep divide that exists in our country, in the next chapter he shows how a value-based consensus may be won. Barack begins Chapter Two with an anecdote about meeting President Bush during his first year in Congress. There was a moment when they shared a laugh and told stories. The point being, that yes, even Bush is human. But seriously, even though it may sound crazy, Bush is doing what he believes is best for our country.

The problem with today's politics is that opposing viewpoints are painted red or blue without any possibility of compromise. Most issues are not that simple. Most issues cannot be neatly packaged into sound-bites.

However, though we may have differences in opinion, most of us share the same values: decency, competency, charity, honesty, drive, discipline, temperance, hard work, good manners, thrift, and personal responsibility. And we easily take for granted the two values that this nation was founded on: liberty and equality. If we appeal to this, we can win the day. We must not allow Republicans to win the values debate.

If Democrats continue to abdicate talk on faith and religion, the Republicans will continue to win more elections. I encourage all Obama supporters to read his Call to Renewal Keynote Address, where he talks about reconciling faith and politics.

Barack also writes about the “empathy deficit” (page 67):

“I believe a stronger sense of empathy would tilt the balance of our current politics in favor of those people who are struggling in this society. After all, if they are like us, then their struggles are our own. If we fail to help, we diminish ourselves.”

Hope Notes - Chapter One

Dan — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 23:03:17 EDT

Chapter One is entitled “Republicans and Democrats.” In this chapter, Barack describes the current political climate. We have turned a blind eye towards the political process because of its dividing partisanship.

The Swift Boaters and other groups who choose to broadcast negative campaign ads are further digging that chasm which divides. The YouTube Hillary attack ad does not help our cause!

Barack writes (page 22):

“...what's troubling is the gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics—the ease with which we are distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our seeming inability to build a working consensus to tackle any big problem.”

Hope Notes - Prologue

Dan — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:31:19 EDT

Barack opens in the prologue by reflecting back when he first began in politics. In 1996, he ran for a seat in the Illinois legislature representing a South Side Chicago district. Barack ran into a lot of cynicism during his first campaign. He understood this, and responded by reminding people of the great tradition of democracy in America:

“...a tradition based on the simple idea that we have a stake in one another, and that what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and that if enough people believe in the truth of the proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done.”

I'm sure it was a convincing speech Barack! He ended up winning the seat and ran for two terms.

Barack writes about his past failures such as a failed 2000 congressional run. He was humbled by the experience, but did not dwell upon it. For as we all know, he ran for Senate in 2004. He ran into more cynicism. This quote hit it home for me:

“Whether we're from red states or blue states, we feel in our gut the lack of honesty, rigor, and common sense in our policy debates, and dislike what appears to be a continuous menu of false or cramped choices.”

So, where do we go from here? What does Barack propose as “a new kind of politics?” He means for us to go beyond the cynicism that permeates politics. There needs to be more of a conversation on what unites this country. We all have a stake in this.

PA. Counties for Barack Obama

Jill 4 Obama — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:30:16 EDT

If you cannot find an event near you on March 31 or before, change the mileage and check again. You may plan on driving a little farther to meet. My first two meetings were approximately 32 miles and 20 miles respectively. Find out more about Barack Obama by reading his two books. Even better, listen to Obama's audio books, his speeches, his rallies on Barack TV, and his live appearances at special places around the U.S.A including The Daily Show, 60 Minutes, and other shows on YOU TUBE.

Check out every PA. county to see if all have grassroot groups. If not, think of someone you know in that area that you might call to tell them about this website and organizing a group for their area. It can be just a few friends that get together to discuss THE AUDACITY OF HOPE. Or many friends that come to learn for the first time about Barack Obama.

Grassroot for Barack!

Getting Started

Kimberly L — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 19:44:55 EST

Our mission is simple- pick up a copy of "The Audicity of Hope" this week and begin sharing your thoughts/impressions. Today is Monday the 5th of March. We will begin our discussion in one week, on the 12th of March. Anyone is welcome to join in our discussion!! Get Reading!!

Kim :)

Download "The Audacity of Hope'' audiobook

Sis O — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:59:54 EST

This book is a must read for EVERY American. I had wanted to read it and never was able to find the time. I am always on the move not having the time to even hold a book. So I bought and downloaded the audiobook of "The Audacity of Hope'' online.

Obama narrates/reads it in his own voice. Besides downloading on my laptop, I put it on my Ipod, and my PDA to listen to it. So far netlibrary didn't offer it. After I head the sample online, I downloaded it from Audible.com. The book really is a MUST read....or even ''hear'' in audio!! Please help spread the word to let others know that we can "listen" if it we can't find the time to read it.

Also consider joining the Audacity of Hope Study Group

Let's Get to Work!

Benjamin — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 23:04:10 EST

This evening I watched Obama's announcement that he is seeking to become the next President of the United States of America! You can watch it at www.barackobama.com. I, like most people, had not heard of Barack before his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Back then, I wondered why such an unknown figure was chosen as the Convention's Keynote Speaker. His speech that night stirred something inside of me.

As I began to learn more about Obama since then (I encourage you to read his two books: "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope"), my soul could not help but to become engaged in politics in a way that it had never been. Obama creates the same passion that Kennedy created. It may be too early to don the Kennedy label on Obama (and in some respects, maybe a bit unfair to do so), but one can't help but to compare these two, especially the excitement and hope they bring to American politics.

I join Obama not because I believe he is supernatural, but rather because I believe he truly believes in us and is running not for his own ambition but in answer to the call of those who demand a different kind of politics, a politics of hope and unity rather than despair and divisiveness. It is easy to be cynical about all politics and all candidates, but at some point, we must become engaged because the political process is what we use to choose our leaders. We cannot label all politicians as corrupt and untrustworthy, because who would be left to lead our government? I encourage you to put aside your cynicism and your fears and join me and others in supporting Obama as he attempts to lead this country back to wealth, health, and happiness.

Obama '08!

Benjamin