Snap Judgements! Co-Signing the Health Bill??

So, uh, what do you think of this?

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hccosign?source=20100322_FB

Matt Lindeboom
I think it's cheesy as hell. And yes, I did sign up to co-sign health care with President Obama.

Ozkirbas
That's dumber than bumper stickers. And bumper stickers are pretty dumb. Doesn't an idea have to work first before people are supposed to be proud of it? Doesn't the Democratic National Committee realize that getting healthcare reform enacted is just the first step in a long, arduous campaign to make sure it keeps itself and America afloat? Or, to make sure it practically works in a real world sense? Or, to ensure that it's well written so that admin judges don't tear it apart? Really? Good job? Pack it in? A good day was had by all? Seriously? Party, party, party - everybody get wasted?


If you promoted the healthcare reform, by all means be happy. You've come a long way. Your dream has been realized. We, as a people, will get to see this idea come into action. But, SERIOUSLY?

David Pratt
I've read over the amendments proposed and the people they would affect, and by and large this seems like a step in the right direction for the country. It's something Presidents have been bemoaning since Teddy Roosevelt was in office, and Obama finally got the job at least partially done.

However, this bill is bereft of the teeth that would have made it something to honestly be proud of. A President says he wants to work to make health care available to every American and it seriously takes 14 months of haggling, dealing, and debating for something which barely resembles the original proposal to pass? This entire fiasco has exposed a great deal of the weaknesses of our current Congress. I hope Democrats realize it's now incumbent upon them to make sure this legislation actually does what it's supposed to do, and I hope Republicans realize their antics have made it seem more than anything like they just flat-out hate America.

Max Nova
I don't really need to sign this. I vote in primaries and local elections, that's my civic duty right there. Voters should stay informed and vote for the best candidate available and let representatives pass the legislation. Sure, call and write letters, donate to a PAC but for me the important thing is to see my Senator and Rep's names on the legislation. Let's not turn every law into a chain letter.

ali d
I feel like we're on the playground.


"I support it more than you!"
"Nuh-uh! I signed it! It's archived!"
"Well I signed it FIRST."
"You didn't sign it?! Well you can't sit at our lunch table anymore! WHAT WILL THE CHILDREN THINK?!"


My gosh, kids, let's let the damn legislation make it all the way through the system before we start aligning our names with it. Talk to me in 2014.

B.Graham
Why would I sign this? I didn’t get a vote in the bill process, I’ve never read it, and half of the things I wanted in it were cut out, so why would I put my name next to something I had nothing to do with, even if I was rooting for it? Just so my name is near the President's? Okay, that's pretty cool, but I'm going to stand my ground! Because this looks like just another attempt at making our facebook generation feel like we are Important and Do Things for doing nothing and having no voice, which I consider an affront to my intelligence as a twentysomething.

Fenty Has Some Super Competition

When I last checked in on my DC beat, I was raving about how awesome the District was when it came to employment.

By the end of the week, I had been laid off. I believe they call that bad karma, or something.

Well fear not - my love for the District is still strong, and now, I have even more hope for its future.

When it comes to leaders, DC has a difficult history. Marion Barry was a special case. No doubt Barry did some great things for this city, but there is no bigger doubt that Barry had some problems, and could have been a much better leader. Anthony Williams succeeded for two terms as DC Mayor following Barry's short retirement from politics, and since 2007, Mayor Adrian Fenty has tried to continue the path towards a better DC, focusing on improving public schools and lessening crime.

For better or worse, these have been serviceable, and certainly dynamic, leaders. To win re-election though, Fenty is going to have to overcome some Obama-quality competition.

Before he has even announced his run at re-election, the following have announced their candidacy for Mayor of DC:

Batwoman


The Atom


the Green Lantern


Bat Girl


Super Man


Wonder Woman


Cyborg

and

Spiderman.

Clearly Mayor Fenty has seen this coming long before any of us, and has been relentlessly fundraising long before one would ordinarily expect. Some collegeagues were getting worried he was fundraising too much, but Fenty must have known that with the announcement of 8 potential superheroes for Mayor, finding funding would become difficult. I wonder if he'll call on Rihanna Fenty for support?

Not much is known about why all these superheroes are descening upon the District. There might be some answers here? I'm trying to figure it out myself. I mean, surely there is a city in greater need of leadership. But hey, maybe Obama won't be the only superhero we see around town these days.

I'm not making any endorsements - I'll leave that up to my fellow Gentlemen and true comic fans - but I would just like to point out that I believe Obama already has:

My Recent Notes on DC

Maybe it's the pretentious part of me, or perhaps the older-brother in me, that it means something to me that I do something before it becomes popular. Like with music - whether its listening to Maroon 5 or Matt & Kim - I heard them before you, and for some reason that matters to me. My brother DW - those were my band shirts that were handed down to him, and that was my car that was passed down to him - so there!

Maroon 5... yeah!

So you can just imagine that as the District becomes more and more trendy, I get more and more self-righteous about it. Maybe it's the Obama-factor, or maybe it's all in my head, but it does seem to me that DC is the place to be these days. I moved to DC in August of 2008 for my job, then Obama moved to DC in January of 2009 for his job, and now apparently everyone else is doing the same as well.

Evidence below.

=======

One of the biggest reasons DC is the place to be is because of jobs:

a) Reputable author and business professor Richard Florida named the District of Columbia the country’s best big city for recent college graduates - based on the job market and cost of living.

b) Another new survey of recent grads by job search company CareerCast.com found D.C. second only to New York City among their most desirable locations, beating out bigger cities like Los Angeles, Boston and San Francisco.

c) Nationally, unemployment for those in their late 20's reached 11% this year - the highest it's been since 1983. For those my age, in their early 20's, unemployment was at about 14%. But DC bests the trends. Overall, nationwide unemployment is about 9 percent; in the D.C. area, it's about 6 percent.

d) The CEO of a major job-placement company said people should go to Washington to look for work. "With all of the work that needs to be done to turn around this economy, and the large number of people in line to retire in D.C. in the next five years, it's not a bad place to look," the CEO said. All this is from the Washington Examiner.

e) Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine recently named DC the third-best city in the country for employment - the DC-metro area boosted by a spendthrift federal government and a consistent 16-million tourists annually.

f) The Washingtonian recently compiled a list of the Top Reasons to Love DC. Number 7 was - you guessed it - JOBS!

People work here!

=======================
Apparently TV people need jobs too, and DC is becoming the place to go for Reality TV:

a) At first it was just Newsweek doing a reality TV spoof called "The District"

b) And then we heard that MTV's Real World would be in DC.

c) And then we heard that BRAVO's Real Housewives series might be coming to DC.

Question of the Moment: Does America need terrorist whistles?

Former Vice President Dick Cheney delivered a speech rebutting a speech made my President Obama defending his plan to close down the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the releasing of memos regarding the torture/harsh interrogation/ enhanced interrogation of certain detainees.

In one of his central points, Cheney argued that these Bush Administration policies being called into question kept the United States safe.

“Just remember it is a serious step to begin unraveling some of the very policies that have kept our people safe since 9/11,” Cheney said, shortly after which he took a short break to feast upon a fresh salmon captured from a nearby stream, a bit of which he fed to his pet penguin that stood beside him at the podium.

Following a short expulsion of air to clear his diaphragm, Cheney asserted that for most of the Bush administration officials successfully averted countless terrorist attacks, known and unknown. He seemed to infer that terrorists might return if the former administration’s policies were discontinued, including torture/harsh interrogation/enhanced interrogation.

Experts are calling this tact the “Tiger Whistle Argument.” The argument posits that in order to keep away man-eating tigers, one must indefinitely blow a whistle which keeps the tigers away. Skeptics of the tiger whistle ask: “What tigers?” To which proponents of the argument respond: “Exactly.”

Joseph C. Miller, CEO of US Protectives, a producer of protective whistles and prophylactics that has contracts with the Department of Defense, claims the whistle argument is sound.

“The logic is simple: Enhanced interrogation equals no terrorism attacks. No enhanced interrogation equals question mark,” Miller said. “It’s not a chance we can take. We have to keep blowing our terrorist whistles America. And if that doesn’t work, we’re going to have to consider banging sticks together, too -- metaphorically speaking.”

Faced with criticism from opponents and supporters on his decisions to release the so called “Torture Memos,” President Barack Obama was unequivocal in his speech.

“My single most important responsibility as president is to keep the American people safe. It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep at night,” said Obama.

He added, “I reserve lunch time for polite, reasoned debate where each side gets to voice their side of the argument. This is much like the format we utilized at the Harvard Law Review, and I believe we can take advantage this approach in our life-quest to achieve a safer and middler America. ”

Cheney called the reactions to torture/harsh interrogation/enhanced interrogation “over wrought.”

“Did Mr. and Mrs. Cheney compromise when they decided to cast out son number one who was born with a shiny flipper? No! It is human nature to fear the unusual!” Cheney waxed poetically. “[Likewise], there is never a good time to compromise when the lives and safety of the American people are in the balance.”

The debate continued into the night.

“Terrorists hate us because we fail to live up to our values,” said Obama.

“No,” countered Cheney. “Terrorists hate us because of our values.

“I might add that people who consistently distort the truth in this way are in no position to lecture anyone about ‘values,’” he said.

“WMD’s!” screamed somebody from the audience.

“Oh fuck off!” cried Cheney.

“Now, now,” said Obama.

by guest Gentleman Matthew Lindeboom. you can reach Lindeboom by dropping to your knees, looking to the sky, and begging for the great white light to take you. If being struck by lightning isn't really your cup of tea... feel free to just leave comments to this post and he'll happily respond. Smiles.

Post-Race

I hear we are post-everything these days. We were once "Post-Cold War," but now we're "Post-9/11." Soon, but not soon enough, we'll be "post-recession." Today, we live in the era of the Obama, but we'll be "post-Obama" one day too. A friend recently wrote on Twitter: "I'm really sick of people pretending we live in a post-homophobic society."

And of course, we claim to be "post-race."

We're not, in my opinion, but that does seem to be the consensus ideal goal: for our society to be "blind" that is, to the color of another one's skin. I'd like to believe that at least, but there's evidence that we're not nearly at that point yet. And thats okay!! We'll get there! It's just going to take time.

Are you, "color-blind"??

One sign that we are making some progress will appear in an upcoming film, "The Princess and the Frog." The Washington Post just did an article about this movie that I think is well-worth reading. In the 72 years of Disney, the Post explains, there have been eight Disney princesses that star in their own film. Two of those princesses have been non-white (Mulan and Pocahontas), the rest of them have been white. Tiana will be a first - she will be black.

Is a black Disney princess necessary in today's "modern" American society?... a society that sometimes claims to be color-blind, or post-race? These Gentlemen had a similar debate last month about the representation of minorities in the entertainment media through two essays. The first essay by John Oz discussed how writers/producers are usually white, and how that may explain why many television characters are white. The second essay by B. Graham followed Oz's article with an essay criticizing the entertainment industry for not more frequently casting color-blind. Also be sure to check out the discussions that followed in the comments section.

In my opinion, that we need to go out of our way to cast minorities in tv/film proves that we are not post-race. Do others agree?

The Washington Post team featured a series of opinion essays in their Outlook section the other week. The series was about Spring Cleaning - they compiled a list of ten things it's time for this country to toss.

The List:

• Academic Tenure
• The Term "Muslim World"
• The NAACP
• The Nobel Prize in Literature
• The Prom
• Larry Summers
• Television
• The Vice Presidency
• West Point
• The White House Press Corps

It's a fun read. One of those essays is about tossing the NAACP. It's humorous and makes some good points; the NAACP has grown somewhat archaic rather quickly. Author Jonetta Barrass suggests perhaps redefining and loosening the restrictions of "colored-people" to include more than just African Americans, but to scrap the organization altogether is to accept something I don't believe to be true yet, that we are "post-race."

I believe the NAACP still has a role in today's American society for the same reasons that I believe in having a Black History Month - for the same reasons I'm okay with affirmative action - for the same reasons I think a black Disney princess is not just a nice idea, but a necessary one - and similarly, because I believe America didn't just vote in a dark-skinned President, it needed one.

In the era of the Obama, black Americans will be in the spotlight more than any other time since the Civil Rights Movement. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though; progress does not mean instant success. We're not post-race yet, but at least we're getting closer.

Breaking: Jedi President Puts Shame in Empire's Game

Barack "Bad Mother Fucker" Obama is at it again. This time he's taking his limited edition Mace Windu purple light saber to the Empire's budgetary shenanigans. Watch how he says what everyone's (read: learned people) been thinking and then almost imperceptibly changes his tone to lay down some serious intimidation towards the Empire as they undoubtedly scramble for a strategy.

Oh yes, the Force is strong with this one.



(in case you prefer text)

Rebuilding the Republic One Star Wars Metaphor at a Time

OMG WE ELECTED A JEDI PRESIDENT!

I know I'm not the first to say it on the intarwebz, but it kicked me in the blast shield last week when I came across a post on Politico.com informing me that George Lucas has bestowed upon Barrack Obama the distinction of being able to "take" Luke Skywalker in a fight! Now Lucas has been pushin' the Obama = Jedi concept since sometime during the campaign, but this was the first time I've heard of him ranking Obama's ass-kicking abilities directly against my childhood heroes. Methinks someone is kissing some serious Obam-ass.

Upon reading this nugget of nerdy nostalgia, I immediately asked myself how I should interpret the audacious allusion. Patently ridiculous? (they're both Jedi so they wouldn't be throwin' down, CHELLOOO?!) Or potentially awesome? Are we comparing our President to young, untrained, impetuous Luke from Hope, or badass, black-cloak wearing, Jedi-Mind-Tricking-his-way-into-Jabba's-den-and-fucking-shit-up Luke from Jedi?" Then I thought "Is this what I really do with my brain's spare processing capacity?" Then I thought "Did I just refer to my mental wanderings as 'what I do with my brain's spare processing capacity?'" Having answered the second two questions with a bemused "apparently," I was back to my previous train of thought.

Now I know I'm about twelve parsecs behind on the whole Star Wars-to-real-life metaphor meme, but I feel compelled to jump in anyway. Why? Because with few exceptions all I see out there are shallow character references and decent audio/visual editing. I did find one serious attempt at political analysis in Andrew Sarris' piece found in the New York Observer, but it's WAY off base.

In the piece, Mr. Sarris reviews Episode III: Revenge of the Sith looking for jabs at the Bush Administration. While I generally agree with his findings on the matter, it doesn't exactly take a genius to apply the quote "This is how liberty dies-to thunderous applause" to G Dub's re-election less than six months after the second inauguration. Frankly, I think this analysis sucks (classy, I know). The reason why I think it sucks is that Mr. Sarris openly admits ALWAYS hating the films, so why should I a) be surprised or b) care when he then proceeds to oversimplify the rich cultural diversity and complex societal interactions that take place in the Star Wars universe? But I digress, Mr. Sarris is clearly in the film industry, not politics. So I'll give him a pass... this time.

What I wanna know is, where are all my wonky Star Wars geeks at?! The world can't afford to wait for you, there is too much metaphorical extrapolation 99% of the planet cannot possibly understand without a deep connection to The Force! So until you all climb out of your personal Sarlacc Pits, I'm just gonna have to try to (no try, only do!) this concept some justice.

(Don't tell anybody but I think I'm promising a continuing series here.)

For this introductory post, allow me to set the scene:

Emporor Palpatine and his powerful puppet Darth Vapid have been removed from power. The empire is in disarray and on the brink of dissolution. But fear not, there is A NEW HOPE! A promising young Jedi has been democratically elected to bring peace, prosperity, and order to the chaos! However, politics is a dangerous game. One rife with scum and villainy. One the Jedi have been wise to avoid whenever possible. Can our young Jedi leader navigate the rampant greed and incessant scheming of the Galactic Senate without succumbing to the Dark Side? Can we even say with all certainty he has done so thus far?

What lies ahead as we reach a point in history most of you probably thought would be far, far away?

To Be Continued...

P.S. I wanted to end this introductory installment with a video I found on YouTube. I think it does a great job of illustrating the struggle Obama went through to win the Democratic Nomination. I especially appreciate the allusion to the Clinton's as Sith, not because I think they are evil per se, but because it's obvious that they are loyal to the Empire. That and Hillary DOES scare the shit out of me.

Obama's MTV Show

This morning I read an opinion piece with perhaps the most baller byline ever: "The writer is president of the United States."

The article got me back to thinking about the differences between our two major political parties in regards to the way to fix the economy. I wrote something about this topic in a blog post a couple weeks ago, but left it unfinished. Now, I'm more confident in my own thoughts. There seems to be a major rift between Republicans and Democrats, even though both seem to understand that the growing unemployment problem is the primary factor in the current economic plummet.

Republicans believe that tax cuts for small businesses will allow them to hire more people.
Democrats believe that government spending on government projects will increase the number of jobs.

During the Clinton years we had higher taxes and increased government spending.
During the Clinton years, the US economy reached it's highest level of growth ever.

During the Bush years we had lower taxes and decreased government spending.
During the Bush years, the US economy plunged into a recession and suffered the worst decline in job growth since the Great Depression.

Is this simplistic? Hell yes. And I'm aware there are other major factors. But when it comes to simply the issues of taxation and government spending - I don't really see how Republicans can still believe more tax cuts will solve our current problem.

When I read Barack Obama's editorial in today's Washington Post this morning, I knew I would be able to publish my thoughts on this subject. I write this post partly because I figured Obama's words should be seen by as many eyes as possible. But also, because I was more confident in my own words. Obviously, his words are better, and you should read those:

"The Action Americans Need" by Barack Obama

On the other end of the political spectrum... Newsweek Magazine Online is doing a weekly MTV-style reality show about the Obama Administration. It's full of bubblegum-pop-music montages and the same hilarious editing styles. It's even narrated by a fake Obama! It's pretty amazing, and I'm looking forward to episode two. Maybe it will make the MTV generation actually watch politics? This all leads me to my idea for my next post: SportsCenter for CSPAN. Let's make it happen America!

Here is the Newsweek mock show (Thank you to 'Celsius' for showing this to me): NEWSWEEK

And here is the same thing embedded from YouTube. Please watch, it's pretty funny:

In Defense of Rush Limbaugh

As I struggle with writer's block, brought on largely by my anxiety about making my personal statement for Law School as perfect as possible, I would like to thank CNN for giving me the material to pursue my gentlemanly endeavors.

Recently on their website, CNN advertised an article in which they had audio of conservative comedian Rush Limbaugh stating "I hope he fails." This is, of course, in reference to Barack Obama's Presidency. The fat man wasted no time in criticizing our 44th President, perhaps hoping he could hearken back to the "America Held Hostage" routine which popularized his act in the early 90s.

Let's get something out in the open right away. Whether you're a conservative or a liberal, Rush Limbaugh is still a moron. He's a jackal, a hypocrite, a liar, a pill popper, a distorter of facts, and by most accounts, not a practitioner of proper hygiene. Possible-Senator Al Franken summed it up with his 1996 book "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot (And Other Observations)." The man is also unpleasant to look at, which is always unfortunate to say of another human being.

Despite all his failings, Rush Limbaugh is also one other thing. He's an American. As an American, he is entitled to freedom of speech, and entitled to not having his words thrown into a blender by the media.

The beginning of Rush Limbaugh's quote was an example of what he espouses to believe will happen under an Obama Presidency. He referenced the expansion of government, and how it will encroach the automotive industry, the banks, and other areas of the private sector at unprecedented levels. That is what he was referencing when he made his quote. He has a comedy routine built around pretending to be a conservative radio host, and in the midst of his act he brought up a perfectly valid and well-documented concern of the right; the expansion of government. In regards to this, he stated "I hope he fails." The conservative viewpoint does not line up with Obama's policies, or at least what many believe will be his course of action. To show concern that your President is going to act in ways you do not think are in your best interest is completely legitimate.

Some of you might say that this is just Limbaugh getting what's coming to him. He makes an outrageous comment and has it turned back around on him, like so many other times he's twisted the words of others to fit his own exceedingly narrow viewpoint. I say; why perpetuate the cycle at all? Why even bring undue attention to the man? He's been trying to make it big for nearly two decades, and his act still has yet to nail him a single movie, sitcom, or even HBO special. He's just not funny. The sooner we accept he's not deserving of our attention and move on, the better. Taking cheap shots at him and using a distortion of his words as the basis only stoops to his pedestrian level. Real broadcasters, especially an organization like CNN, should be above that. Limbaugh shouldn't even be a blip on their radar.

There's nothing I can say about Rush Limbaugh that hasn't been said already. Except for that he begins every morning by staring at himself naked in the mirror, sweating profusely, and sobbing as he jiggles his gut and calls himself a pig over and over again. A fat, sloppy hog not even fit for bacon. He then cuts himself until he can't feel his hands, and then showers, suits up, and faces the day. I don't think anyone has said that yet.

About CNN, however, I say shame. You are a major news organizaton that trumpets about your claim of "keeping the Presidency honest" during the first 100 days coverage. Yet you can't even keep your own reporters from distorting the facts, or attacking a man for exercising his first amendment rights? Leave Rush Limbaugh alone. He plays to the audience that wants to hear him, no one else. Whatever outlandish statements he makes are best left with them, you only make it worse by putting it on your broadcast, and worse yet by using Limbaugh's own tactics when reporting it. If Limbaugh hopes that Obama fails to pass a largely liberal agenda and expansion of government, he's far from alone. He just worded it in his typically idiotic way.

And now, the non-sequiter conclusion to my post.

"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around. When yellow can be mellow. When the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what's right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen."
"Amen!"
"Say Amen."
"Amen!"
"Amen."

A Really Cool Choice

Which would you pick?: Vice President or Secretary of State.

One has more prestige, one has more influence.
One stays in the District, one travels the world.

This was the choice awarded Joe Biden following the election, and what a choice to have to make. I'm curious as to what my choice would have been. What would your choice have been? Despite all the increases of power that Al Gore and Dick Cheney added, being VP is in the end a very limited position. Truth be told, Secretary of State is an unappreciated but far more influential position than Vice President. Not an easy choice, but definitely a win-win for anyone in that position.

Now, supposedly, Obama made this offer to Biden -- but apparently he always wanted Biden to be his running mate and always wanted Clinton to be his Secretary of State -- but did ask Biden if he was interested in being the other.

That Dr. Jill Biden had so much influence in the decision is interesting as well... and who else got the scoop on all of this, but OPRAH (#6 on my top list of really really rich people that could be Batman): READ ON.

Watching History

Rarely, I think, does history happen where you can sit down (or go to the National Mall) and watch it in anticipation. I don't just mean the inauguration, and election day, but the entire ascending buildup to those moments. We weren't all entirely certain of what the election results would be, but many saw this moment coming for months if not years.

(Inauguration Day/courtesy: Alex Feldman)

So we've finally reached this moment, and it has passed. Yes we can, and yes we did. Change has come, and Barack Obama is the President of the United States of America. But what exactly will change? Yes, some policies will change, but for the most part the "change" that has come to America arrived well before the Inauguration or the election. Obama alluded to this in his speech yesterday:

"What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply."

All over the District I've seen posters and signs and images of President Obama (glad we don't have to say 'President-elect' anymore) being portrayed as "The Dream, realized." I'm not so sure I'm a fan of this idea that Obama marks the end of racism and prejudice. I don't see Barack Obama's position in the world as the realization of Martin Luther King Jr's dream of equality and justice. It's undoubtedly a step, and the effects will surely be profound in so many ways and in ways I could never imagine. But Obama is only part of the change.

(Obama on the campaign trail/courtesy: AZWiner)

Like many famous historical figures, Obama is not just a powerful person, but was able to be part of a movement. Rosa Parks didn't start the Civil Rights Movement - the growing tension had made a spark almost inevitable. Rosa Parks was part of a movement, a changing tide that had been shifting for decades and would continue shift for decades. Like Harvey Milk for the gay community, like George Washington for the United States, like Lennon or Lincoln or Mandela or Moses, these were leaders, yes, but they were leaders of a movement that was already happening, and desperately needed someone to lead.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the world is changing, and has been changing, and no matter how hard we try, it's not until the historians look back can we attempt to determine when the transition of change occurred. Maybe that's why I have trouble agreeing with the "Obama = change" equation. I see change as not having a specific date - no mark of beginning or end.

Did these people know they were watching history?
(Inauguration Day/courtesy: Alex Feldman)

Yet, I still have this feeling that yesterday, we really did all watch history happen. I imagine no one knew that Lincoln would remain as famous as he is today when he was elected back then, but Americans are aware of the undercurrent tide of change that brought Obama to the White House because they are the ones who brought him there. Obama is not the Messiah-Elect - as fellow Gentleman, Damien, has jokingly referred to him - but America has chosen him as the man to be a Washington, a Roosevelt, a Lincoln, a gentleman to lead a people who have already begun to change.

Inauguration Survival Guide

I heard somewhere that when it comes down to it, everyone dies of the same thing; loss of oxygen to the brain. Whether you starve to death, or you suffer a heart attack, or a seizure or whatever, what truly kills you is lack of oxygen to your brain. For the human body to work properly, a healthy supply of oxygen must travel through the circulatory system and into your brain.

So it goes without saying that when I saw Garth Brooks and Beyonce Knowles on stage together during the Inauguration concert on the mall, causing my brain to suddenly explode onto the reflecting pool, I was concerned.

To avoid similar results, I would advise anyone going to the Inaugural festivities with these words of experience that will hopefully expunge you from a fate similar to mine.

Don't trust Anderson Cooper. He will probably be in between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. Let down your guard near him and kiss your kidneys goodbye.

Wear lot's of layers. One flak jacket is never enough.

Don't talk to Joe Biden. He'll talk your head off, then scoop it up and run the option with it down to the Lincoln Memorial.

Don't ice skate anywhere unless you are Jesus the Christ. It's not that cold.

Don't look directly at any celebrities at all during your Inauguration celebrations, unless you want to show them what your grey matter looks like. Use your peripheral vision if necessary.

Don't wear a suit and then talk into your sleeve. You'll look like you're in the special service, not the secret service.

Bring a random T-Shirt with you and write the name "Barack Obama" in cursive on it with a sharpie. Walk around holding it up and repeating "one hundred dollar Obama shirts." Lunch is on the lucky customer you meet that day.

And most importantly, anyone not wearing a coat is a Sentinel on the lookout for mutants.

"A New and Refreshingly Different Experience"

Change. The theme of this year's Presidential Election. The agent at the center of all peril and progress. The story of my life.

So lucky day for me this past November 4th when me and 300 million of my closest friends scored a young, hip, populist president that fits two fundamental criteria I didn't realize I had for a president until Barack Obama exhibited them so effectively throughout his campaign:

1) The foresight to treat our challenges as opportunities.
2) Placing science AND the will of the people at the center of policy-making decisions without oppressing minority populations (race, tax bracket, choice of creative or religious expression, etc).

Before I start sounding like an Obama fanboy, allow me to mention a couple of early Obama moves I'm none-too-thrilled about. I'm not impressed with his choice of Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General. Feels too much like reality tv for me. Couldn't we get someone with more credentials than notoriety? And I'm not impressed with his one sentence answer regarding cannabis legalization given it was the highest rated question on the change.gov site, which he opened explicitly to get valuable feedback from the people. It was especially shady that they reordered the top 5 list when they sent out the responses. For some reason the question voted #1 was listed #4 and shafted in the "legitimate answer" department. But I understand how the political game works, and from what I've gathered of the man, I fully expect Obama to give us the opportunity to EARN the policy changes we the people truly want to see. Not only that, I expect him to do it without having to stick his neck out far enough for the status quo to chop his head off.

My theory is that Barack Obama's most potent weapon is the ability to understand and manipulate the variables at play to reach a reasonable outcome for most of those affected.

[tangent alert!]

Understanding the variables at play in any given situation creates a marked advantage towards monopolizing available resources. Up until very recently, those "in power," to me meaning those with monetary, celebrity, or political influence, have had near exclusive access to most of the variables which determine resource distribution. Don't get me wrong, I am not here to place blame. Society has always lived and died on "bread and circuses." What we the people need to realize is that thanks to the wonders of modern technology we don't need the middleman anymore.

With the ability to share knowledge globally in real time comes a better informed, better educated, and better trained populace. For the first time in recorded history the human species has a means for a fair and democratic distribution of responsibility and reward. With a more evenly distributed level of control over resources, we can stop handing our resources over to the corporations and governments that are then charged with the task of designing, building, and packaging our destiny for us just to sell it back to us on a sliding scale. (Now 25% more sensation of being victimized, free!)

To give an example of a resource that has been denied us, I give you the sham that is network and cable television. A few relatively enlightening channels and programs notwithstanding, I am pretty ashamed of what gets sold to us over "the people's airwaves." Just google "worst reality shows" and you'll see what I mean. Of course that is just the tip of the iceberg. People actually have to turn that crap on for it to infect them. Dont' get me started on my dad's Maury Povich addiction.

But what about those who try to get informed? 24-hour news networks suck and I think most people know it. I thank Jon Stewart for every montage he's every put together showing just how vacuous and/or misleading cable news tends to be. The fact that most news outlets and television stations are owned by major corporations that are busy selling us everything else we don't necessarily need is one of the most disconcerting aspects of our consumer culture. It's up to us to seek and provide better information to each other.

[/tangent]

So it's officially 7 days before we trade G Dub for Obama and honestly I couldn't be happier. There is simply no way the next four years will see worse leadership than the last four years, and I am comfortable with the man the country chose to lead. How does everyone nerdy enough to like this blog (or unfortunate enough to "stumble upon" [tm] it) feel about how close we got, in TWO THOUSAND FUCKING EIGHT, to electing a president that needs his wife to help him send an email?! (link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/11/mccain-admits-he-doesnt-k_n_106478.html).

But no, we got change. We got Obama. We got the almost polar opposite of John McCain and the hopefully now defunct era of neoconservative republicanism. This was not just a partisan affair, however. I don't even consider myself a democrat. As the youngest contender in the race I strongly feel Obama was the only contender on the right side of a socio-technologic-philosophic(al) generation gap. From his choice of Nobel Laureate and green technology genius Steven Chu to his innovative outreach efforts with Change.gov and Change.org (shady dodging of the legalization question notwithstanding), Barack Obama has so far done much to prove to me that he is truly going about things differently.

I'll give the skeptics their due and (mostly) agree that for now it's all rhetoric. But I just can't help but find myself a few steps beyond cautious optimism. What a new and refreshingly different experience.

A True Leader: Rod Blagojevich

In a time of great uncertainty in American history, I am proud to present to you an unappreciated man. That gentleman is the recently arrested Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Rarely today do we see our political leaders with such incredible leadership abilities. I think now is as good a time as any to pay tribute to Rod, mostly because he's probably not going to be governor for much longer.

This is a man who knows how to spot opportunities and take advantage of them. A senate spot in Illinois is available and Rod was looking to make the most of it. But it didn't stop there. Also allegedly for sale: state jobs, state contracts and regulatory favors.

This is a man who knows what he wants and goes for it. According to a Chicago paper, "among the prizes Rod envisioned were a position in Obama's Cabinet, an ambassadorship, a $300,000 job with a union-backed group, and even a highly paid position for his wife, Patricia." Rod, I salute you!

This is a man who aims to be number one. "If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor," said special agent Robert Grant of Chicago's FBI office. "Even the most cynical agents in our office were shocked." You can't argue with that!

This is a man with bravado. Rod was able to win the Governorship election back in 2002 based on a platform vowing to reform the culture of corruption that engulfed his predecessor, Republican George Ryan. That's a man with real balls.

This is a man with unparalleled leadership skills. According to a Chicago newspaper, Rod was involved in well-publicized federal corruption investigations that touched almost every aspect of his administration. Nearly every aspect of his administration was corrupt! What incredible wide-reaching leadership!

This brings me to the fact that this is a proud Chicago man of tradition. Just think of the legacy he's living up to! Since 1909 there has been famous Chicago men doing what Rod is doing. William "the blond boss" Lorimer famously bought a senate seat with bribes. Other famous Chicago scandals? The Chicago Black Sox in 1919, crime boss Capone in the 1920's, conspirator Giancana in the 1960's, and the previously mentioned George Ryan, sentenced to 6+ years in prison for 22 counts of racketeering and bribery.

This is a man who thinks ahead and can manage a lot of responsibility. A wide-ranging scheme to shakedown campaign donors and politicians for high-paying posts and millions of dollars in campaign contributions while simultaneously conspiring to commit wire fraud is no easy task. Damn right! You go Rod! I believe in you! I think you have what it takes!

Most of all, as a married man and a father of two, he's a true role model for his kids. A true family man.


These quotes come from the Chicago Tribune.
The Tribune filed for bankruptcy this week.