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Deep thought: Whitey video?
Remember when there were rumors on the racist right that there was some secret video that would be released of Michelle Obama making racist statements? Those were fun days... Quote of the Day
From the European press, on Obama (emphasis added):
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Stimulus Cuts?
Rumors are flying that a group of "centrists" are working together to gut the current stimulus bill in the Senate. Some reports are saying upwards of $200 billion may be cut from it. [UPDATE: It now looks like it may be $80 billion, which is still WAY too much to cut] That is absurd. I actually blame Barack Obama for not pushing harder, and not using his political capital to force this through. There is significant public support for both Barack Obama and a large stimulus package. But President Obama has not been willing to use this large public support to force the Republicans' hands. He is letting conservatives drive the conversation, often very dishonestly, which is in turn allowing moderate Dems to move to the right. The nation, and probably more importantly, the states, need this money. And need it now. And it probably STILL will not be enough. Yet people want it cut. Unbelievable. Strong middle class = strong labor movement
Wow... it sure is different having a President who cares about working people. Obama signs Lilly Ledbetter Act
Obama Signs Lilly Ledbetter Act. This is excellent, though long overdue, news for women in this county who deserve equal pay in comparison to their male counterparts. And a what a great first bill to sign. President Obama's own words, below the fold: Stimulus passes in the House
Step one of passing the Economic Recovery bill is done. Now it must get done in the Senate. Of course, zero Republicans voted for the bill. Let me repeat that. ZERO. Not one. Good thing President Obama felt the need to pander to the Republicans on it, eh? Maybe now he will realize that he has the political capital, and even more, a mandate, for real progressive change. It is quite clear, as Chris Bowers points out in the link above, that the Republicans have one goal - opposition - regardless of the situation. And good for them. It creates a clear contrast between parties, and it will hopefully will allow the Democrats in Congress, and more specifically the progressives, to understand that they have the ability to move legislation without conservative support. No pandering to conservatives necessary. Thoughts on the Obama Adminstration
In the last few months Barack Obama, now President Barack Obama, has focused on assembling an administration that will be able to govern effectively on Day One. In that time President Obama put together an impressive and efficient transition team, assembling a team of very strong people - both men and women - who would take over this country and attempt to put it back on the right track. Let me say clearly that I do not like many of Obama's appointments. They are quite disappointing from a progressive perspective, though I cannot deny the high level of quality that the appointees have. Many of the appointees, from Hillary Clinton to Tim Geithner is a group of strong, yet moderate, appointees. It is unclear about what this will actually mean. Does this mean that Obama will govern from the center? Or does this mean that he will drive the policy and force his moderate advisers, aids, cabinet members, and other key government leaders to the left. I hope for the latter, but I expect the former. Yet still, we clearly have a new era in American governance. From such little things as not wearing a suit jacket in the Oval Office, to bigger things such as the transparency of government or the closure of Guantanamo Bay. And this new era is an exciting one. The World's View
This is a very cool look - of hundreds and hundreds of newspapers - at what the world said about President Obama's inauguration. The Benediction
Obama's People
NY Times Magazine has a great photo gallery of the people who have and will influence Barack Obama: his top advisors, his aids, and members of his adminstration. The Inauguration
Today, on January 20th, 2009, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. He will also become the first black President of the United States. Today will be a special day for many, many people, for many reasons, and I am one of those people. I do believe that Obama's race and ethnicity is meaningful. In a country that has a long history of oppression towards minority populations, and in a country where there are still obvious examples of racial inequality, the fact that we will now have a black President is a powerful statement. Of course, that doesn't mean that we still do not have race problems in this country, as I discussed yesterday. We still have a long way to go, but President Obama will me one step in the long process of that work. This is also the first election that I truly engaged in on multiple levels. I did not just write about it, I took part in it. I did not just talk, but I knocked on doors, and registered voters. It helped that this was the first political candidate that I believed in. Now, that does not mean that Barack Obama was a perfect candidate, is a perfect politician, or will be a perfect President. Far from it, actually. I am critical of Barack Obama in many ways, and I will continue to be critical of him as a President. But he still was, and is, a person that I believe in as a the President of this country. Many of us worked many hours during both the primary and general election campaigns. Long hours, cold days, beautiful days, great conversations, excited voters, thankful voters and many other things made the past year a great experience, and saw the power of what a dynamic and hopeful candidate can do to truly excite people. All of that culminates today, as President-Elect Obama becomes President Obama. President Obama. I can get used to that. Barack Obama and Organizing
Some links:
Obama and racists?
Wow... the most popular search term finding my blog right now is "racist obama jokes." Here are the recent terms:
Lovely. For what it is worth, you won't find racist Obama jokes here. And Obama is not a racist. But you will find Christians who support Obama here. And yes, we should let sexual offenders in church, though we should be wise in how we do that. And I have no idea what foreign holidays you should celebrate. It means ...
Exit polls
FiveThirtyEight has a breakdown comparison of how President-Elect Barack Obama performed in comparison to John Kerry in 2004. Barack Obama out-performed Kerry in almost EVERY single demographic. We did it
Yesterday was incredible. We did it. But the really work is now just beginning. I will have more thoughts later... Yes we can.
Once again: O'Bama
Yes. We. Can.
Things will be pretty quiet around here for the next few days, as we have a man we need to get elected! In the meantime, enjoy this, once again: Biden and VAWA
Watch this video from the Obama/Biden campaign on the Violence Against Women Act, and what Sen. Biden's role was in getting the legislation passed: Barack Obama and Socialism
Barack Obama is not a socialist. That is all I have to say. $150M and Colin Powell
The Obama campaign has announced that they raised 150 million dollars. That is absurd. And sad. And exciting. Absurd, because that is a LOT of money. Sad, because this country is currently in an economic crisis, yet hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent on an election between people trying to connect with the "common man." Exciting, because Barack Obama is exciting, and excites people. And this money will set him up well to finish the last two plus weeks very strong. But the bigger news of the day may be that Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama on Meet the Press this morning. While Powell is not loved by liberals, he is still a very well respected figure in American politics, and has long been a key leader in the Republican Party. Here is what Powell had to say:
Colin Powell immediately gives Barack Obama the final stamp of approval, especially on foreign policy. The stars are starting to align... Planetarians for Obama
Offensive Religious Fear
Posted by Dave
 on 10/14/08 at 09:29:23 amCategories: Religious Right, Religion and Politics, Barack Obama, Campaign 2008 Wow. Wow. Wow. Here is the highlight:
First, Hindu is not a God. Second, this man should be utterly embarrassed and ashamed that he would pray such a thing. Let say this very directly to "Rev." Conrad. There are many people who believe in the same God that you believe in that want "his opponent" to win. And using fear to align a Presidential candidate with other religions is incredibly offensive, and all Christians should be embarrassed, regardless of political leanings, that such a thing would be done by a "Reverend." Unbelievable. :: Next Page >> |
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