08 November, 2008
Poll: 64 Percent Of Republicans Want Palin To Run In 2012
Enough Celebrating Already
I don't agree that America is "not the same place it used to be". I don't believe there has been a significant change in public perceptions in the last 4 or 8 years (or in the last week). Yes, the US is changing slowly as bigots age and die off, but according to the official results, Obama won by only 7 million votes or so. That's not a huge margin considering the fact that McCain is 72 years old, would continue all of Bush's failed policies, and chose a subliterate nincompoop for a running mate. If he'd been TRYING to lose the election I'm not sure what he'd have done differently. I think people's attitudes are basically the same now as they were four years ago. Obama's campaign simply did an awesome job getting black people to vote this time (which they historically are not inclined to do), and the imploding economy was a big wake-up call to many people in the middle.
In the end, people STILL don't give two shits about the shocking failure of the Iraq war, the million-plus people killed in it, the lies that got us into it, the torture, the illegal spying, the redaction of big chunks of the Constitution, the horrific neglect of those afflicted by Katrina, etc, etc, ad nauseum. People STILL DO NOT GIVE A SHIT! All they really care about is that jobs are disappearing quickly. They care about their pocketbooks, and their pocketbooks alone. Not their neighbors or fellow humans or their country or rights or principles, or anything that doesn't smack them in the face like a pink slip.
That said, I share the excitement of billions of other people in Obama's win. I think it's a tragedy, however, that Obama has inherited a very deep hole that he's not just expected to dig us all out of, but SOAR out, wings flapping, like an angelic supernatural being who can somehow magically make everything alright with a bright, charming smile and reassuring platitudes.
Not going to happen. Bush has RUINED our government, our economy, our military, and our international relationships and reputation. The only thing Obama is actually going to be able to fix is the latter, which is the least important problem on the list. Though it will likely take more than four years, it's conceivable Obama could make significant progress on other things, but it would take more than two terms just to get us back up to the level of decency and prosperity we enjoyed before George W. Bush took office in 2001.
As long as anywhere near half the voters in the country think that our economic woes were caused by Bill Clinton, or by Fanny/Freddie, or by the CRA or any of that nonsense rather than by the distinctly Republican Enronization of our banks and financial institutions, I don't see how we can make significant progress. As we celebrate Obama's election, our future is being robbed, and billions of borrowed dollars are being handed out to the same bank and financial institution executives who got us into this mess. And rather than using that money to fix the problems that they created (surprise!), they're giving themselves bonuses and paying out dividends to their shareholders. That's what's going on while America is anxiously awaiting to learn what kind of doggie the Obamas will bring to the White House with them.
We are still a country starkly divided, with half the population living in some kind of bizarro fantasy land, the product of the imaginations of propagandists like O'Reilly, Limbaugh, and Hannity, and the other half trying to reconvince the first half that science can actually explain things, laws are not subjective, and education and reason are worthwhile pursuits. For Pete's sake -- over 50 million people voted for the Presidential candidate who claimed "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" while it was disintegrating, and a Vice Presidential candidate who thought Africa was a country!
But in one way, I suppose Bob Herbert is right. In the sense that black Americans (and the world) now know that there is a significant portion of us who care more about capability than color, the country really has changed. Perception is, after all, reality. That's exactly why I sincerely hope that the President Elect explains to the American people that we are in a financial crisis because the super-rich like to get richer and tend to take care of only themselves. It's really that simple. Even Alan Greenspan, who engineered this crisis, admitted as much in his recent Congressional testimony.
“Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholders’ equity, myself included, are in a state of shocked disbelief,” he told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform."Shocked disbelief," he says. Who could have imagined that allowing banks to write their own rules could ever have produced anything but favorable economic results? The only thing shocking about it is that it's permitted to continue. If I'm to be expected to hold onto hope, and carry it past the election right on through Obama's first term, then I've got to see that Obama gets it. He needs to demonstrate soon that he understands the economy isn't collapsing by accident, but as the direct result of the free-market dogma that has been producing a widening rift between the rich and poor for decades.
And thus begins another period of waiting, as the extra-lame duck waddles around aimlessly for a couple of months and we all hold our breath in anticipation of the magical, radical solutions Obama will bring in January to solve the monumental problems we face and repair the damage wrought by the last eight years of catastrophes.
The real hope is not so much that a great battle has been won against racism, but that Obama's election marks the beginning of a reversal of losses inflicted by classism.
07 November, 2008
06 November, 2008
Election 2008 FAQ
A: Because there were many, many people who either donated their money and/or time to get him elected, and because he totally rocks and his name is really damn fun to say and hear said.
Q: Why did John McCain lose?
A: Because there were many fewer people willing to donate their money and/or time, and because many of those who did give money saw it spent on expensive apparel for the entire Palin family instead of being used to get McCain elected, and because McCain decided he didn't know who he was anymore when he turned 70. Maybe it was having birthday cake with Bush while a city drowned that caused some kind of personality disorder. It's as if he lost the capacity to be a maverick the day he started calling himself one. Also, George W. Bush is the worst President in US history, and his whole party has proven to be poisonous.
Q: Why are there people who support Sarah Palin?
A: Because they don't understand that candidates should be qualified to perform the duties of the offices they run for, or what 'qualified' means.
Q: Isn't that kind of subjective? And prickish? Isn't a FAQ supposed to be factual?
A: Woah, woah, woah. One at a time.
Q: Let me change subjects.
A: Okay.
Q: Isn't it wonderful that now truly anyone can grow up to be President?
A: It sure is. Anyone but a homosexual, that is. Or an atheist. Or a Jew, probably. I'd imagine there are a number of fringe faiths that would disqualify you too, like Scientology, or that space-alien sneaker suicide cult.
Q: Lieberman is a Jew, and he was nearly President.
A: True, he was Gore's running mate, and based on actual votes they won. So I guess a Jew really could probably grow up to be President. Mazeltov! But still--not a gay or atheist.
Q: Why did Alaska have the lowest voter turnout ever in a Presidential election?
A: No idea. I'm not even sure that's true. I've got an educated guess, though.
Q: It's true. What's your guess?
A: Seems like an obvious case of fraud to me.
Q: What are you complaining about? Obama won!
A: Yeah, true. I'm just old-fashioned, I guess. I still think votes should be counted properly. Counting isn't that hard to do.
Naomi Klein's got a new one about the bailout
And the folks at Morgan Stanley? They're planning to pay themselves $10.7 billion this year, much of it in bonuses — almost exactly the amount they are receiving in the first phase of the bailout. "You can imagine the devilish grins on the faces of Morgan Stanley employees," writes Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Weil. "Not only did we, the taxpayers, save their company...we funded their 2008 bonus pool."She argues convincingly that Obama won't be able to do jack shit unless he first takes action now to stop this bailout racket. "The New Trough" it's called. Check it out.
05 November, 2008
A Defense of Bush You've got to See to Believe
The only explanation I can think of for this reality-defying diatribe is that Shapiro has some kind of disability that gives him a photographic memory when it comes to Bush's words, yet a complete unawareness of Bush's actions. He quotes Bush as though his words actually reflect reality without ever citing the First Retard's actions, policies, and decisions. As if Bush's eight-year record is something other than a string of colossal blunders, fueled by malevolence, incompetence, and megalomania.
"Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies." WHAT?! You have got to be joking, Shapiro! "Stand by us"?! Not since Nixon has a President exhibited such open contempt for the American people, the US Constitution, and the ideals that form the foundation of our badly eroded, collective civic virtue.
I've got news for you, Shapiro: BUSH is the enemy of America...and Cheney, Rove, and all their ilk. They are far more dangerous than any group you'd classify as 'our enemies'. That's a simple verifiable fact.
Pathetic.
"He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time."This is not the fucking Special Olympics, Shapiro. Your beloved Dubya doesn't get any points for "trying his hardest". It is, after all, a "very difficult time" because of Bush.
I completely understand the position that all Americans should exhibit a minimum, baseline level of respect, if not for the President himself, then at least for the office. The trouble is the basis for the position that the office of the Presidency commands a minimal amount of respect is the assumption that the President was democratically elected by a plurality of voters. Not the case with Bush, who was rejected by voters, yet has ruled like a dictator. Those of us who live in the reality-based community expect accountability and a long stretch of prison time.
It's a new day?
Okay, we've had a few hours to bask in the afterglow of Dear Leader's victory, complete with the opposition's concession speeches and humiliating acts of petty outrage. Great, Obama's President-Elect, I got it and it's good. Let's get back to the idiots, for they need constant attention.
Amidst the creation of our new post-racial nation, another minority group was busy being further marginalized by voters. In California, Proposition 8 was passed, forbidding same sex marriage by amending the state's constitution. It also happened in Florida and Arizona, helping to create a 30-election anti-gay winning streak across the country.
I've heard all of the arguments, and they're just as stupid and childish as they were ten years ago: gay marriage will usher in polygamy, bestiality, incest, child abuse, and various other social ills. Vile arguments, to be sure, but what stunned me for a moment was the fact that blacks overwhelmingly voted for Proposition 8. Let that soak in for a while - a historically oppressed minority with the largest symbolic victory in this election ensured the largest symbolic defeat of another historically oppressed minority. I mean, it's one thing to be a religious nut who thinks every world event is leading to a holy apocalypse, but you'd think that African Americans would have some insight into institutional bigotry.
Good job, guys.
Inspiring Commentary from the Daughter of a Segregationist
What a difference one generation makes.
Real change has already come. More will follow, brought to you by everyone who rejects division while celebrating diversity.
Scenes of Celebration
At least 1,000 people gathered on Washington's Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House late Tuesday night, shouting "Obama! Obama!" and "Yes we can!" Uniformed Secret Service officers were overheard, saying they'd never seen anything like it.
The Next President - NYT Editorial
The Next President
This is one of those moments in history when it is worth pausing to reflect on the basic facts:
An American with the name Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a white woman and a black man he barely knew, raised by his grandparents far outside the stream of American power and wealth, has been elected the 44th president of the United States.
Showing extraordinary focus and quiet certainty, Mr. Obama swept away one political presumption after another to defeat first Hillary Clinton, who wanted to be president so badly that she lost her bearings, and then John McCain, who forsook his principles for a campaign built on anger and fear.
His triumph was decisive and sweeping, because he saw what is wrong with this country: the utter failure of government to protect its citizens. He offered a government that does not try to solve every problem but will do those things beyond the power of individual citizens: to regulate the economy fairly, keep the air clean and the food safe, ensure that the sick have access to health care, and educate children to compete in a globalized world.
Mr. Obama spoke candidly of the failure of Republican economic policies that promised to lift all Americans but left so many millions far behind. He committed himself to ending a bloody and pointless war. He promised to restore Americans’ civil liberties and their tattered reputation around the world.
With a message of hope and competence, he drew in legions of voters who had been disengaged and voiceless. The scenes Tuesday night of young men and women, black and white, weeping and cheering in Chicago and New York and in Atlanta’s storied Ebenezer Baptist Church were powerful and deeply moving.
Mr. Obama inherits a terrible legacy. The nation is embroiled in two wars — one of necessity in Afghanistan and one of folly in Iraq. Mr. Obama’s challenge will be to manage an orderly withdrawal from Iraq without igniting new conflicts so the Pentagon can focus its resources on the real front in the war on terror, Afghanistan.
The campaign began with the war as its central focus. By Election Day, Americans were deeply anguished about their futures and the government’s failure to prevent an economic collapse fed by greed and an orgy of deregulation. Mr. Obama will have to move quickly to impose control, coherence, transparency and fairness on the Bush administration’s jumbled bailout plan.
His administration will also have to identify all of the ways that Americans’ basic rights and fundamental values have been violated and rein that dark work back in. Climate change is a global threat, and after years of denial and inaction, this country must take the lead on addressing it. The nation must develop new, cleaner energy technologies, to reduce greenhouse gases and its dependence on foreign oil.
Mr. Obama also will have to rally sensible people to come up with immigration reform consistent with the values of a nation built by immigrants and refugees.
There are many other urgent problems that must be addressed. Tens of millions of Americans lack health insurance, including some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens — children of the working poor. Other Americans can barely pay for their insurance or are in danger of losing it along with their jobs. They must be protected.
Mr. Obama will now need the support of all Americans. Mr. McCain made an elegant concession speech Tuesday night in which he called on his followers not just to honor the vote, but to stand behind Mr. Obama. After a nasty, dispiriting campaign, he seemed on that stage to be the senator we long respected for his service to this country and his willingness to compromise.
That is a start. The nation’s many challenges are beyond the reach of any one man, or any one political party.04 November, 2008
New York Times
Obama Wins Election
Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, sweeping away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease as the country chose him as its first black chief executive.
Mr. Obama's election amounted to a national catharsis — a repudiation of a historically unpopular Republican president and his economic and foreign policies, and an embrace of Mr. Obama's call for a change in the direction and the tone of the country. But it was just as much a strikingly symbolic moment in the evolution of the nation's fraught racial history, a breakthrough that would have seemed unthinkable just two years ago.Today's the Day
(From BradBlog)Attorneys monitoring the incident reports coming in to the hotline have taken no action in regard to removing the failed machines from service, despite reports of the presidential race not appearing at all on some ballots; voters having problems selecting their preferred candidates; machines not starting up at all; "paper trail" printers jamming or running out of paper, and; a number of machines at a number of sites which refuse to work at all.
And this is just during early voting. A number of those startling reports are posted at the end of this article...
Many people may think it's not that big of a deal this time around just because Obama is so likely to win. I say phooey! It doesn't matter if your candidate loses by 537 votes or wins by 20 million -- every single vote should count. If there is ONE damn thing the US should be able to do properly, it is administer a free and fair election. We should be prepared to make just as much noise about disenfranchised voters (of any political stripe) after a victory as we would make after a defeat. In a situation like this, it is the principle of the thing that is paramount -- not the outcome. If you read the article linked above you will see this is in no way a partisan issue. There are Republicans and Democrats on both the right and wrong sides of this important issue.
Another great site to visit if you want to marvel at the idiocy of our voting systems is BlackBoxVoting.org. It may be the only place where you'll read stories like this one, in which we learn that -- and I swear it wouldn't even occur to me to make up a story like this -- "election results for the entire state of New Mexico are coming from a married couple from a server in the basement of their private home." I shit you not. If ever there were a time when it's really not ok to work from home...
Keep in mind that because so much of our voting is done without a paper trail, national elections in the US are literally unauditable. If there is any accountability, it is people like Brad Friedman of BradBlog and Bev Harris of BlackBoxVoting who are leading that charge as private citizens. They and many others deserve our thanks, and if you're not all donated out, consider giving.
These reports of the extreme fucked-upedness of voting can be aggravating, if not a bit depressing. It's important to be mindful of it, but it's also important not to lose perspective. Obama is going to win. The only suspense that's left is the width of the margin.
One prediction: (and this is an easy one safely to make) Barack Obama will receive more votes than any candidate in US history.
03 November, 2008
Fear of Polls
There's something that feels inherently unfair about polls before an election, especially when your candidate is losing. It's a little like knowing how and when you're going to die, but knowing there's nothing you can do to change it. I felt that way in 2004, amidst the door-knocking and sign-waving. It was easy to feel a sense of optimism with the support we had all around us, but the poll numbers cast a pall over the whole week prior to the election. We told ourselves that the poll numbers were off - that cell-phone users were underestimated, that the youth vote was going to turn out that year, and that people generally weren't so fucking stupid as to vote in Bush again.
Two days before the election, the polling averages came to 49% to 47%, advantage Bush. Election day came, and Bush won by that exact margin, 50% to 48%. The independents came in under polling numbers and there was some seriously suspicious shit in some states, but otherwise the polls were dead on.
This time around I get to watch the denial from the outside looking in. Every single neo-con cheerleading section with a pulse is now predicting that McCain will make a stunning recovery and sweep the election, leaving nothing but smoldering ashes and weeping libtards in his wake. It's fun to watch, but a little sad. They're not so different from us, really, underneath it all. Sure, they hate black people and like to drop bombs on civilians, but when you get past that, they struggle with the demands of reality just like we do. They don't want to lose any more than we do, and that common sense of humanity should bring us together. Granted, they should be bound and gagged for the rest of forever or they'll start fucking everything up again, but we should keep them nearby and celebrate our shared heritage.
So this post is to you, wingnuts of the blogosphere. I understand your pain, and I wish you the best of luck dealing with the stupidity of the American electorate for the next four years. Booze helps, but for some hardcore coping skills, weed can't be beat. See you at the next NORML meeting.
The Last Word on the Right's Phoney ACORN Outrage
Ronald Michaelson, a veteran election administrator and member of the McCain-Palin Honest and Open Election Committee, said in an interview that he could not name a single instance in which this had occurred.Seems to me the real reason this whole ACORN fake story was pushed so hard by the right is this:
“Do we have a documented instance of voting fraud that resulted from a phony registration form? No, I can’t cite one, chapter and verse,” he said.
This week, the Ohio GOP launched an ad claiming “hundreds of thousands of new voter registrations are questionable” and asking, “Could Ohio’s election be stolen?”Could it? Gosh! What a horrifying prospect!
