for the New Year

It might be helpful to face this very frightening new year with some humor. Words can be hurtful, depressing, sad, or they can lift our spirits. I've chuckled over these as I paged through Alphabet Juice by Roy Blount, Jr.

From Samuel Goldwyn:

"Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined."

"My wife's hands are very beautiful. I'm going to have a bust made of them."

"A verbal agreement is not worth the paper it's printed on."

These are folksy figures of speech:

"I feel like a hog starin' at a wristwatch."

"So ugly he looks like a homemade child."

"A wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse."

"Quiet as a mosquito doing push-ups on a lemon meringue pie."

Blount's book isn't actually a book of jokes but an analysis of the ways language is used so I almost felt guilty picking these out. It is mostly light and entertaining and well worth a read.

That's not a bad way to escape the worries that are a'coming. Surely we all wish our new President wisdom, strength and ways to bring about peace in 2009. And those are good wishes for us all.

The 2B Prez

I know, I know - we only have one president at a time. Mr. Obama has said that repeatedly, and that's wise, it not only cuts out criticism by those who might charge that he is infringing on the current administration as necessary appointments and preparations continue for noon on January 20 and after. Emphasizing the only-one-president-at-a-time theme also keeps responsibility on the current president and his team.

It's a small point perhaps but I'm getting tired of seeing and hearing those discussing the new president as President-elect Obama. Occasionally one of them slips, as Chuck Todd did this morning on MSNBC, and refers to President Obama. Todd quickly caught his error and corrected it. You hear it over and over, President-elect Obama, Very awkward, and just doesn't sound right. I have a solution. Why not shorten this mouthful to 'The 2B Prez', or even '2BPrez'?

"2BPrez Obama today appointed former gas station owner, Myron Fizzle, as Secretary of Hybrid Fuels." "The 2BPrez will throw out the first puck at the Lowell, MA junior hockey tournament." "2BPrez and Mrs. Obama were seen with their children dining out Monday in Chicago."

Simpler way of putting it, I think. It just may catch on.

The '04 and '08 Presidential Elections

After the 2004 election, Mr. Bush frequently spoke of his mandate and his role as the 'decider,' an apparent authority he felt his election gave him. Mr. Obama has spoken more humbly of his own victory this month, and has talked about serving all the people including those who didn't vote for him. It's interesting to compare the relative strengths of the '04 Bush win over Kerry, and this year's contest between McCain and Obama.

Total winning votes, Bush 2004: 62 million; Obama 2008: 66.8 million. A 7.7 percent increase.

Electoral College votes, Bush 2004: 286; Obama 2008: 365. A 27.6 percent increase.

Margin of victory between Bush and Kerry: 3 million votes; between Obama and McCain: 8.5 million. A 180 percent increase.

Furthermore, Mr. Obama clearly would not have won without the white voters who supported him, indicating strong biracial support.

Though he will enter office in January having to deal with a serious global economic crisis, the Bush wars to be resolved, he will have the backing of a solid majority of the nation.

That's Affirmative!

This Thanksgiving morning in spite of the news covering the ongoing crisis in Mumbai as well as the reports of a possible coup in Thailand, the continuing conflict in the Middle East, not to mention the global economic mess which continues to promise darker days to come, Americans find ways to celebrate this yearly holiday. Of course there are reasons to be thankful.

Those of us who supported President-elect Obama have reason to be glad that he was elected and can't help but be impressed with the way he has appeared and spoken this week. An acquaintance who definitely didn't vote for Barack Obama and who is happy to remind us of that regularly sent an email yesterday criticizing both Mr. and Mrs. Obama and the natural coverage they are getting in the media these days and he closed with the thought that had it not been for affirmative action these two people would never have gotten to Columbia, Princeton, or Harvard. He said the only way that two young black people would have been able to attain the level of education which they have been given was the 'favoratism' of affirmative action programs.

My response, perhaps such programs assisted them in some way, though in the Obama's case we are seeing two exceptionally intelligent and talented people. But what if affirmative action did help them? Then it worked! And we all have benefited from it.

Oval Office Cam?

We are always fascinated with Presidents-elect and their families and the Obamas are no exception. Indeed, it seems there is a hyper-fascination going on with our new Chief Executive, the first African American to be elected and with wide support. I noted that Chuck Todd on MSNBC reported that Barack Obama couldn't have been elected without the support he had from white voters, not just a coalition of minorities. At this point we never know how a presidency will turn out and other than perhaps the crisis which Lincoln faced no president has had more negative and dire issues confronting his new administration.

The nay-sayers will always find things to criticize, already we hear that while promising change and a new start many of those surrounding Mr. Obama come from the Clinton administration, now apparently including Hillary herself. We know however that if he appointed largely those with no previous government experience he would be accused of loading up with amateurs unequipped to deal with the huge problems at hand. Personally I am impressed with what we see in him and am expecting him to give his best.

We are also fascinated with the more personal and human side of the president-elect and his children and promised puppy. Hasn't this always been the case? I can remember seeing a tv clip of Gerald Ford in the White House kitchen making his own toast one morning, or Jimmy Carter dressed in a sweater. Children of presidents have always been followed and we remember the pictures of Caroline and John John. In thinking of the opening of the Obama White House on January 20, it occurred that a Live Cam might be a good idea. These internet features have taken off - witness the great interest in the cute Shiba Inu puppies which can be seen on
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam. I look in on them some and note that frequently there are 25 - 30,000+ viewers watching six little puppies, frolic, sleep, poop and generally look puppy-like on our desktops. There are many interesting live cams for anyone wanting to see a particular location or activity.

Why not have an 'Oval Office cam' - a camera discreetly positioned where we could see a clear sweep of that office with the presidential desk and the chairs and sofas where visits can take place? No sound of course to maintain executive privacy and it could be shut off for national security conversations, or the participants could simply turn their backs to the camera. Perhaps other locations could be added, a shot of the lawn where the children could be viewed with their puppy? We are limited only by our imagination.

An idea I like but will not hold my breath.

Rough Press Season

This seems to be a difficult season for the national media. Two months from today the new President will be inaugurated and by that time it's assumed that the major appointments of his Administration will be in place, and those that require will be ready for Congressional confirmation.
The Obama team has announced that they will try and limit leaks and hints as to the identity of those being considered. Almost all of what we know so far, other than those already officially announced is left up to speculation, the biggest drama of course is centered around Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. The question of Bill and how he might influence, interfere, or foul up her position because of his foundation and money raising activities including his foreign contacts and relationships. All this implies a fear that Mr. Obama might be powerless to run is own presidency without a controlling influence by both Clintons. A Secretary of State has the task of carrying out and interpreting the settled policies of the President. My guess is that Barack Obama is aware of all of this and has given it considerable thought in his apparent calm and deliberate way.

The truth is that we all will have to wait to see who all of these nominees and appointees will be. There is a process taking place within the Obama team as there always is for a new president and we'll have to wait until the end to see how well and how efficient this process has been. I can imagine how much pressure is felt on those who write for the press and broadcast on the network and cable news channels. These people are paid to report whatever they can learn from the new Administration transition team or the friends and staff members from those thought to be on the short list of possible appointees.

This morning I was listening to Pat Buchanan on Morning Joe as he ruminated about how Obama will almost disgrace himself if he allows the Clintons to force him by their maneuvering to give Hillary the job. Pat seems to think that the Clintons can undo all of the momentum and enthusiasm the new President has achieved.

I've always heard that those chosen for these top jobs, and maybe all others, must submit undated but signed general letters of resignation before the process is completed. This sounds kind of callous, but is probably a wise and sobering idea.

There will be a complete White House staff and Cabinet and all of the hundreds of other people needed when the time comes. In the meantime, I feel sorry for those who must wait until the word is out before they can report it.

This Was the Week that Was

Perhaps the best thing I have read on the Obama election is on the Op-Ed section of the New York Times today under the heading "Arab Bloggers Size Up Obama." These bloggers recognize the huge change that has taken place in our politics, but also express concerns that the new President will not be that much different from his predecessors and that their lives may be no different than before.

These blogs don't appear to throw cold water but perhaps a dose of realisim.
It's always wise to see ourselves as others see us, and while generally many European countries greet with enthusiasm our new Chief, their reasons largely have to do both with getting rid of the Bush mess as well as the fact that America has actually elected a person of color. I've been overwhelmed, having feared that an innate racism might have scuttled the election, to now reflect that over 60% of those who voted for Barack Obama were white citizens. Most minorities, not only African American, supported him. But he was elected by a large majority of white voters of all ages and economic and education levels. This has to have heartened all groups within this country. Certainly racial and other divisions within us linger, but a huge leap forward in unity has been made.

The President-Elect has huge issues to deal with as he prepares to take office. While the economic crisis and all the attending issues that surround it will occupy his time and that of those whom he will select to assist him, it will take all four years of his term to even begin to effect the long list of major problems confronting us. At this point his apparent intelligence and that almost unusual calm and serenity that accompanies him encourages many of us. He seems different not because of his color or name but because we sense that he appears made for the job. All who have supported him fervently hope we were right.

It sobered me up a bit to get the glimpse of our election from the perspective of Middle Eastern bloggers and to remember that the world hasn't really been transformed with a magic wand. Mr. Obama will encounter the snags and fumbles that beset every administration and this will look much different a few months from now. But the fact that this country has done this won't fade soon I am sure. Yesterday and today reporters have spent a lot of time talking and writing about the new puppy that is to come to the White House. While perhaps not as important as who will be at State or Treasury or Defense, it shows our fascination with this new family and the new era and beginning for us all this week has brought.

It Happened!

The first election I can remember was 1940 when Wendell Wilke was the Republican challenger to Franklin Roosevelt who was running for an unprecedented third term. My parents allowed me to have my radio on late that night as the returns were reported. Most of my relatives supported Wilke. The first election I voted in was the race in 1952 between Adlai Stevenson of Illinois and General Dwight Eisenhower. Only a few months before Ike was nominated the papers were speculating on whether he would run as a Democrat or Republican. Eisenhower wasn't a registered voter. Governor Steven ran in 1952 and in 1956 and was defeated by Eisenhower both times. I voted for Stevenson both times, so my first two experiences as a citizen ended with losses. Fortunately I did vote for John Kennedy in the next election.

At 79 I can remember blatant racism and had long discussions with my maternal grandfather in Springfield, Illinois during my childhood. Even in central Illinois it was common to hear the 'N' word used freely and also signs at gas station rest rooms and other places, 'No coloreds.' Blacks always sat in the balconies of movie theaters. My grandfather was a strong union man and also greatly opposed to racism. He died in 1947, but I shared his sadness and discomfort at the way African Americans were thought of and treated, though of course everyone referred to blacks as coloreds. Grandpa left an imprint on me that never changed.

I still can't believe that last night actually happened and that this handsome young black family will move into the White House in January with their two lovely children and the new puppy Barack promised them in his acceptance speech last night.

The nation has changed overnight in many ways, and from the reports of the responses from overseas this has already changed the way other nations view our country, and the hope that we may once more have international respect, even perhaps admiration.

We must wish all the best for President-elect Obama and the daunting issues he faces and the unknown problems to come. I'm glad I voted for him, and more that I've lived long enough to see this tremendous step for our nation.

Could It Be?

We're all nervous, aren't we? A naturally inbred superstitiousness makes us afraid to say that it looks like he'll be elected. Imagine in our lifetime with the history of race relations in this country, a black person could become the president elect, and come January be the 44th President of the United States. Besides that a black person with an unlikely Islamic sounding name.

For those of us who believe that the Gore/Bush election was stolen from us by fraud and a questionable Supreme Court decision in 2000, it is awesome to think that so many polls could predict Barack Obama being legally elected by a majority of the American people as well as the Electoral College.

I have high hopes for an Obama administration, perhaps it my lifelong interest in Lincoln and the similarity of their political experience. Personally I believe that if Lincoln were alive today he would be a Democrat, even as I couldn't have been one in 1858 - 65. In that time blacks were at best only 3/5 human in the population census and had no actual status as citizens.

If this event is fulfilled as we all hope, imagine how the rest of the world will view this country.

Goodbye to the Maverick (self-proclaimed)

This according to Wikipedia: A maverick is an unbranded range animal, especially a motherless calf; it can also mean a person who thinks independently; a lone dissenter; a non-conformist or rebel.

As I've watched John McCain in his various TV appearances these last weeks of the campaign, he seems less and less like the somewhat endearing character we had come to know. He was much more an independent than Republican, seemingly always thinking for himself and not afraid to swim against the stream Yesterday he weakly proclaimed that he doesn't follow George W. Bush's policies.

When in the Brian William's interview with Sarah Palin, he corrected her to remind everyone that five, not four, former Secretaries of State have endorsed him, along with two hundred retired admirals and generals. McCain has always made sure his service would not be forgotten. On reflection we recall how his ordeal as a prisoner had actually paid off for him - he's gotten a Senate career and pretty good life reminding us of his role in that war. It would seem now that he milks it.

Now his proposed solution to the economic crisis follows standard Bush doctrine - tax cuts, deregulation, and bailouts for the mortgage industry. I guess that shows how unlike Bush he is.

I also wonder what Alan Greenspan's confession today that he made mistakes in trusting free markets to regulate themselves will further hurt McCain's position.

McCain has changed, and not to his advantage.

The differences between the two Parties

I think that Paul Krugman's Op-ED column in today's N Y Times is a perfect comparison of the Nixon-Reagan-Bush-McCain view of political reality and the Democratic view of the class warfare that has become modern politics. Which party is really for the middle class, and which believes in serving the rich with some trickle-down double talk to placate the middle class. Krugman has hit the nail right on.

Colin Powell's comment about Sarah Palin not being ready to serve as President in his Meet-the-Press endorsement of Barack Obama went along with the Krugman article. I think the real issue about Governor Palin tells us more about John McCain and his judgment than even the question of whether Palin has the capacity for the Veep job. He picked her for essentially one reason: Obama had just cinched the nomination which meant that Hillary Clinton was out of the running for '08. McCain had to announce a running mate. The discussion at that time centered on what would happen to the 70 million (?) votes which were supposed to belong to Clinton. It appeared to McCain's handlers that a woman on the Republican ticket would take Hillary's 'locked up' voters, presumably mostly female Democrats and independents.

This can be seen as a not-so-subtle put down of women voters, as though most women will automatically switch to a new female candidate, regardless of the candidate's experience or ability or even party. McCain bowed to his handlers and scuttled his choices of either Romney or Leiberman and went with the Alaska governor. McCain did what he thought he had to do to get elected. I don't think he helped himself one bit.

We'll know how the voters feel in 15 days.

My Mind's Made Up

This may indicate that I'm closed minded and not open to new ideas, but the truth is that tonight's debate will probably not cause me to vote differently than I intend now. I wonder if this isn't true of most voters, at least those of us who have voted in many elections over the years. If I don't have a pretty good idea of who I favor by now, it would take some startling new information to make me rethink this decision.

I only had one college course in political science but I remember it well. The lecturer was a staff member of the National Opinion Research Center at the U. of Chicago and had a knack of saying things in a way that were memorable. NORC was a fairly young organization in those days. We were told that most people made their judgments on elections from their personal, subjective feelings and tended to believe that most intelligent people felt the same way. In other words, we tend to judge others reasoning on the basis our own thinking. He jokingly said that this was probably true of research centers like his! Adherents of political parties also prefer their own candidates - duh.

The relative ages of the candidates and their choices of veep candidates will be a large part of my judgment as well as the temperament of each of the four people on the ballot. Yes, and my choice happens to coincide with the party I have supported for years.

I suspect this criteria will influence you as well.

Race in the Race

Novelist Khaled Hosseini's opinion column in this morning's Washington Post raises a terrifying and sickening issue that has been present in the back of voter's minds throughout this campaign - the safety of Barack Obama as the first African American presidential candidate.

John McCain's taking the microphone at a rally last night and weakly trying to diffuse the mob's angry calls about Obama by saying that 'Senator Obama is a decent man,' makes me wonder if the McCain handlers finally realize that an actual physical attack on Obama might bring accusations that McCain and Palin's staged events have constituted incitement to violence. At McCain/Palin rallies we have seen their introducer's, and they themselves, raising questions about 'who really is this Barack Hussein Obama?.' This has been answered with calls of 'terrorist' and even 'kill him.'

There have been dirty campaigns before. Both Bush's have plenty of egg on their faces for engaging in some low behavior and McCain himself knows how low George W. was willing to stoop, and now McCain had ruined his own record as a beloved maverick. This is part of the heritage of American politics. Even my hero Abraham Lincoln was known to have written anonymously published editorials in friendly newspapers. His secretary, John Hay, did this for him also.

I guess I'm plugging today's Washington Post. Well worth reading in this same issue is the article by Harold Ford Jr. who talks from first hand experience of what it's like to be smeared. As an Illinois legislator Lincoln was known to have so bitterly attacked an opponent that he reduced the poor man to tears on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives, back when the state capitol was still in Vandalia. But Lincoln left a record of honor and compassion even toward former Southern insurrectionists at the end of the war.

We've all heard "If you can't stand the heat..." but there have to be some limits to how far those seeking office can go, and McCain and Palin, to my way have thinking have joined hands and skipped way over the line.

Debates as sport

John Calvin the 16th century Protestant reformer definitely wasn't known as a humorist. He was, however, credited with saying one thing that brings at least a chuckle. When asked what God was doing before he created heaven and earth, Calvin replied that God was creating hell for the overly curious.

I'm close to not tuning in very much to television news programs these days, largely caused I think by the 'fatigue of predictability' which is emitted by the experts on such channels as MSNBC and CNN. The programs are on day and night, usually with a different host each hour, but it seems the same guest experts, one from the Left and one from the Right who repeat the same expected positions. Pat Buchanan, for example must work 20 plus hours, 7 days a week which may account for his raspy voice as he touts Sarah Palin as the certain one to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2012. He actually took this position on Morning Joe I'm not exactly stopping cold turkey but try to limit myself to an hour in the morning, Brian Williams in the evening. Tonight of course our household will watch the debate but I'll snap off the spin room following it. You know at the moment who the various spinmeisters will say will have won tonight's event. Chuck Todd on MSNBC will show his map and interpret polling results tomorrow morning as well as anyone, and there will be the NY Times and Washington Post online.

I don't think this election should be relegated to the level of the Texas/ Oklahoma game this weekend, it is far more important to the future of the country and perhaps the world than that. But exposing oneself to this constant bickering one-up-manship almost lowers it to that level. Deep down I really don't care who wins the game, but I do think this election is as important as any in my lifetime, both by who gets in, and equally by who is kept out. And if Sarah 'YouBethca' Palin is around as a national personage in 2012, God help us all.

Last night

Golly gee, hee haw, she showed up fer the big de-bate, and, yeah, she did herself proud -at least to the faithful Republican base, I suspect especially the neo-con wing.

Darn right, that might be the best we can say for her in last night's Vice Presidential debate between Gov. Palin and Sen. Biden. It seems that she must have pleased the handlers who had spent days carefully preparing her for this joust. She had undergone an intense week of attacks by the 'liberal eastern tv media' and we got to see clips rolled out by CBS of the interview between Katie and Sarah.

Last night Gov. Palin performed well, right down to the last wink. She quickly threw in the Joe-six pack, hockey mom, main street badges of merit and kept the slang style very small town hickish to show that she isn't from D.C. or even knows much about it. She made her talking points and actually showed skill in not answering the questions posed by an unusually mild and soft Gwen Ifil.

Today and for the weekend we'll hear and read the opinions and verdicts of news types about both Palin and Biden. Liberals will be well pleased with Biden and the conservatives will be happy about Palin. I don't think that either candidate stumbled and both accomplished what they set out to do.

When Tuesday comes around we'll be ready to see Obama and McCain face each other in the real contest for who will be our next President of the United States.

McCain to the rescue

As Senator McCain says about himself, I don't know much about banking and economics, but I wonder about his riding into Washington with all the drama of a swat team entering the bank to save the hostages from the robbers. The fact that it took him three days may not matter. The Republicans like all good soldiers have fallen in behind their candidate and act as though they have been following the leader all along. These high priests of small government and deregulation will follow the leader like good little scouts. There seems to be general agreement that it was the deregulation of the mortgage industry which was promoted by former Senator Phil Gramm, close friend and former adviser of McCain, which has led to the current economic melt-down.

Apparently the Good Senator feels that jumping into what was an ongoing process with both parties said to have been cooperating is far more important than his campaign for president.Or, is it more important 'to' his campaign? He has 'suspended' his campaign, though I am sure he is confident that the Governor of Alaska with all her vast international political insight will keep things on course. Just now the news flash, he now feels the crisis will be resolved and he is going to Mississippi to debate with his opponent.

Isn't it good to know the future of the country may be in such competent hands?