Analyzing Barack Obama's World View
Morning Edition, October 29, 2008 · Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama have had memoirs published. Newsweek editor Jon Meacham talks with Steve Inskeep about how the two candidates' experiences abroad have shaped their world views, and whether those views offer clues as to how they would govern. The first of two conversations begins with Obama's childhood experience in Indonesia as expressed in Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope.
Listen to the full program here. [7 min 45 sec]
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
From New York Times: In Defense of White Americans
In Defense of White Americans - Frank Rich
The New York Times
October 26, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/opinion/26rich.html?hp=&pagewanted=print
There are at least two larger national lessons to be learned from what is likely to be the last gasp of Allen-McCain-Palin politics in 2008. The first, and easy one, is that Republican leaders have no idea what “real America” is. In the eight years since the first Bush-Cheney convention pledged inclusiveness and showcased Colin Powell as its opening-night speaker, the G.O.P. has terminally alienated black Americans (Powell himself now included), immigrant Americans (including the Hispanics who once gave Bush-Cheney as much as 44 percent of their votes) and the extended families of gay Americans (Palin has now revived a constitutional crusade against same-sex marriage). Subtract all those players from the actual America, and you don’t have enough of a bench to field a junior varsity volleyball team, let alone a serious campaign for the Electoral College.
But the other, less noticed lesson of the year has to do with the white people the McCain campaign has been pandering to. As we saw first in the Democratic primary results and see now in the widespread revulsion at the McCain-Palin tactics, white Americans are not remotely the bigots the G.O.P. would have us believe. Just because a campaign trades in racism doesn’t mean that the country is racist. It’s past time to come to the unfairly maligned white America’s defense. Continue reading...
The New York Times
October 26, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/opinion/26rich.html?hp=&pagewanted=print
There are at least two larger national lessons to be learned from what is likely to be the last gasp of Allen-McCain-Palin politics in 2008. The first, and easy one, is that Republican leaders have no idea what “real America” is. In the eight years since the first Bush-Cheney convention pledged inclusiveness and showcased Colin Powell as its opening-night speaker, the G.O.P. has terminally alienated black Americans (Powell himself now included), immigrant Americans (including the Hispanics who once gave Bush-Cheney as much as 44 percent of their votes) and the extended families of gay Americans (Palin has now revived a constitutional crusade against same-sex marriage). Subtract all those players from the actual America, and you don’t have enough of a bench to field a junior varsity volleyball team, let alone a serious campaign for the Electoral College.
But the other, less noticed lesson of the year has to do with the white people the McCain campaign has been pandering to. As we saw first in the Democratic primary results and see now in the widespread revulsion at the McCain-Palin tactics, white Americans are not remotely the bigots the G.O.P. would have us believe. Just because a campaign trades in racism doesn’t mean that the country is racist. It’s past time to come to the unfairly maligned white America’s defense. Continue reading...
Saturday, October 25, 2008
New York Times Endorsements Through the Ages
The New York Times recently endorsed Barack Obama for president. Not much surprise there, but they have an amazing archive featuring all the paper's presidential endorsements dating back to Abe Lincoln in 1860.
Check it out here!
New York Times Endorsements Through the Ages
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/23/opinion/20081024-endorse.html
Check it out here!
New York Times Endorsements Through the Ages
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/23/opinion/20081024-endorse.html
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Last Best Reason to Elect John McCain?
No matter what your politcal leanings are, we can all agree on one thing. There has not been a consistent theme to the question, "Why should we elect John McCain to be president of the United State?" Each day seems to bring a different answer depending on the polls. One day McCain is always for less regulation, the next day McCain wants to regulate the heck out of Wall Street. One day he is against Bush tax cuts for the rich, the next day he is for it. One day he is against bailing out AIG and other Wall Street firms, the next day he complains the bail out is not big enough, we should buy out all outstanding mortgages. You get the point by now, I could go on but it would be awaste of time. To parse things down, the only reason you should vote for McCain, according to his direct and indirect campaign is this - You really don't know who Obama is. He pals around with a washed up terrorist, he does not see America the way you and I see it and for other reasons the campaign does not say explicitly but people are supposed to infer, we should be very afraid of an Obama administration.
Unfortunately for the McCain campaign, none of this has worked so far. Each day Obama gets attacked, he pulls away in the polls. So what is the McCain camp to do? Argue on checks and balances!
For the past six of the eight years, Republicans have been in charge of the White House, Senate, House and Supreme Court. At the time most Republicans did not see the need to champion checks and balances. The only good point from the current McCain supporters is that the Republicans did an awful job in Washington. Now with that knowledge, they are trying to save America from the awful event of a Democratic White House and Congress.
So far, I am disappointed the Obama people have not addressed this more forcefully. First, of all Republicans have been mocking Democrats for quote "measuring the drapes before the win." So isn't saying Democrats will win both houses of congress the same thing? We won't really know till election day who wins or not. Secondly and more importantly, Republicans seem to forget one thing - our founding fathers were way smarter than Bush and Cheney. Yes, that is why we have congressional elections EVERY two years in which all the House members and 1/3 of the Senate is up for reelection. If it happens that Democrats win the executive and legislative branches, in less than two years Americans will have a chance to vote again. That is why midterm elections are considered a referendum on the sitting president. Remember what happened in 2006? The cocky Republicans lost their majority overnight! The same could have happened in 2002, but in the immediate aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks, Bush and the Republicans were able to ride the patriotic mood of the day to reelection. (Also, scheduling the Iraq War resolution that October a month before election wasn't merely a coincidence).
I am sure there are other reasons why we should elect John McCain, If you ask me, his campaign has so far failed to articulate any. But with our economy facing a possible recession or depression, a broken healthcare system, two wars abroad, our power and influence waning, an image to be repaired, impending supreme court appointments, it is too important to elect a president just because he will guarantee a check on power. The next president, if it is Barack Obama, is going to have so much to fix already thanks to the Bush years. With McCain, it will just be a continuation of the last eight years. By any indication, the risks of having an all Democratic Washington for two years far outweighs the risks of continuing the Bush policies and politics for another four years. Supporters of McCain need to have more faith in our founding fathers and American democracy -our system has a way of self-correction. If Democrats get too cocky, they too will be out of office faster than the Newt Gingrich and Republican takeover in 1996 after Bill Clinton took office.
Unfortunately for the McCain campaign, none of this has worked so far. Each day Obama gets attacked, he pulls away in the polls. So what is the McCain camp to do? Argue on checks and balances!
For the past six of the eight years, Republicans have been in charge of the White House, Senate, House and Supreme Court. At the time most Republicans did not see the need to champion checks and balances. The only good point from the current McCain supporters is that the Republicans did an awful job in Washington. Now with that knowledge, they are trying to save America from the awful event of a Democratic White House and Congress.
So far, I am disappointed the Obama people have not addressed this more forcefully. First, of all Republicans have been mocking Democrats for quote "measuring the drapes before the win." So isn't saying Democrats will win both houses of congress the same thing? We won't really know till election day who wins or not. Secondly and more importantly, Republicans seem to forget one thing - our founding fathers were way smarter than Bush and Cheney. Yes, that is why we have congressional elections EVERY two years in which all the House members and 1/3 of the Senate is up for reelection. If it happens that Democrats win the executive and legislative branches, in less than two years Americans will have a chance to vote again. That is why midterm elections are considered a referendum on the sitting president. Remember what happened in 2006? The cocky Republicans lost their majority overnight! The same could have happened in 2002, but in the immediate aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks, Bush and the Republicans were able to ride the patriotic mood of the day to reelection. (Also, scheduling the Iraq War resolution that October a month before election wasn't merely a coincidence).
I am sure there are other reasons why we should elect John McCain, If you ask me, his campaign has so far failed to articulate any. But with our economy facing a possible recession or depression, a broken healthcare system, two wars abroad, our power and influence waning, an image to be repaired, impending supreme court appointments, it is too important to elect a president just because he will guarantee a check on power. The next president, if it is Barack Obama, is going to have so much to fix already thanks to the Bush years. With McCain, it will just be a continuation of the last eight years. By any indication, the risks of having an all Democratic Washington for two years far outweighs the risks of continuing the Bush policies and politics for another four years. Supporters of McCain need to have more faith in our founding fathers and American democracy -our system has a way of self-correction. If Democrats get too cocky, they too will be out of office faster than the Newt Gingrich and Republican takeover in 1996 after Bill Clinton took office.
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