This is going to seem incredibly outdated, sorry about that. I meant to write this post way back when he won, but I got preoccupied with happiness, grad school apps, and then finally my brain melted at work with a lack of things to keep me busy. With that, enjoy.

I knew we'd do it. We did it. Barack Obama is the president-elect of the United States of America.

From the very beginning, I thought Obama was going to pull it off. I thought he was the favorite going into the election, though I was also very happy with Hillary's candidacy as well. My roommate during my junior year at college, Jason, was an unabashed fan of Obama since 2006 when he began his flirtations with worldwide fame. Jason might hate me to describe him as such, but he is an evangelical christian, and saw in Obama the kind of inspiration the country needed to get us out of the depressing Bush era. Now, I know that Obama didn't win because he got the support of liberal evangelical christians; nor did Obama campaign on his religious background for unfortunate Wright reasons. But the fact of the matter is that if Jason could get so excited about Obama in 2006, as did the rest of the world, then it would be tough to stop the Obama candidacy. His early supporters were just way more enthusiastic than anybody else's, and I think that his base, in turn, was more politically engaged than any candidate we've seen in a very long time.

When he won the Iowa caucases, I wasn't all too surprised. I thought maybe Edwards was gonna pull it out and give me hope that we could put a left-wing ideologue in office, which I would still prefer, since I'm such a leftist. But Obama won there, and won lots of states in the primaries that he would win in the general election. I was never worried that he couldn't win Hillary supporters, which he did by a fantastically large margin on election day.

I think it is fair to say that this election represents the first step in creating a "permanent" Democratic majority. It is looking right now like the Republican party is dissolving before our very eyes, that is unless Obama screws up royally. The demographics and public opinion have been in the Democrats' favor for decades, and they have finally spilled over into electoral victories in 2006 and 2008. Combine this with the idea that since the Left is basically in control of the new forms of political mobilization and communication (ie internet media and other forms of electronic communication), and woot, you have the foundations for a long-term governing majority. I'm thinking it will last until my generation is pretty damn old. So welcome to the new progressive century. It will happen slowly, but it will be happen. Progressives need to rule well, however.

Step back for a moment from your white self and imagine what it must be like, as an African-American, to actually feel like you have real representation in the American government. Finally. Obama is gonna be on your side, without a doubt. Now, this doesn't mean that he will be against white people, obviously, but just imagine. Finally. A government that will actually reflect the interests of people other than rich white men. I can't imagine how empowering it must have felt on election night to see Obama tally up a 9 million vote margin.

I don't know how I'm gonna still be able to write about politics without complaining about Bush. His fuckups were quite the catalyst for unique thoughts in many of my scholarly endeavors. I guess we can keep reviewing the Bush era and then compare it to Obama and see how different they are. They might not be that different, who knows. But at least my team is in power now. And it will be a challenge, perhaps, to get past my partisanship and do some real analysis. I think that the ability to write good papers is a fair sacrifice for the ability to have good governance.

Finally, it's nice to know that not all white people are racist.

I'll be back with more posts as time goes by. I'm kind of embarassed by my shittiness in posts recently. I'm also working on a new site, so that will get me more engaged again. --Mike

I have to say that Obama's 27 minute infommercial was actually quite good. And quite unique. Sure Ross Perot did it. But he's strange. And he wasn't gonna win. No way. Obama is. Can you imagine how much money you have to raise to be able to buy that much TV time? It's insane. I used to complain about how much money Bush raised in 2000 and 2004. But that was from big dollar donors who were the corporate elite. Which is something we don't want. This was a well-produced video. Watched it this morning at work while I was making copies, and was quite impressed. How can you argue against anything he's saying? Man, it's gonna be a good four years. At least I'm gonna feel good.



Oh, and congrats Phillies. And Phillies fans. I guess since they won, it means the Sixers don't have a prayer for another 25 years. Or maybe three. Depends how you look at trends.

Finally, this clip has to be the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. It's just so funny when Stewart makes the ah-hem hand motion while saying 9/11. HA! Maybe it was because I was deleriously tired from playing three hours of basketball, where I won 8 2v2 games, and probably 9 games of 21, the last of which was 45 minutes long, and I scored 142 points before finally getting 21 exactly. It was ridiculous.

The coverage of the election(s) has really stepped up. I guess it's about time considering we are only a 1.15 or so weeks away from final voting. Here's what I was reading, and what you, Readers, therefore, might also be interested in. Sorry for it being so NYT heavy, but as I said, I was gonna post what I'm reading on here now, instead of Facebook primarily.

First, it's my man, Krugman, "Desperately Seeking Seriousness":



I enjoy this unique perspective, something I've struggled to find as my life has become somewhat more busy and routine with my job. However, Krugman is basically saying, like me, that the American people are getting smarter. Tough times call for tough decisions. And this time, I think the American people are going to make the right decision.

Now, for some of the best liberal screed, Frank Rich, "In Defense of White Americans":



In there, you'll also see that Murtha called his home district racist. Sweet.

This was in the news for a while, here it is. He's getting better at writing and observing recently. Here's Kristof, "The Endorsement From Hell":



If you have any understanding of the true motives of the terrorists, then this endoresment is not a big surprise. The more you attack someone, the more you make their positions relevant. You should never punch down. And that's what the U.S. has been doing throughout the entire GWOT.

--Mike

Just in keeping with my theme for the past two days. Fox News is nothing but a Republican propoganda channel. You just have to know this. I've reconciled this fact in my mind thanks to reading "Taking On The System" by Markos.

Plus, anything to get some positive light on my (former) man Edwards. How I miss thee, well-trimmed white southern man.

--Mike

Hey Dems, don't worry, we got this on lock

First and foremost, I apologize for not posting any original content recently. I've been taking the easy way out, discussing issues over posted articles on facebook. It's just so much easier to post stuff there than on my blog. Well, I pledge to do a better job. You're probably wondering where I've been these recent weeks, just as the election is heating up.

Well, I was really nervous about Obama's chances of winning this one; at the time of my last post, McCain had just somehow pulled into a dead-heat, as they say, with Obama. I remember what happened in 2004, for gosh sakes I'm not that young. The election soon turned sour. Lies and slander and single-issue values voters won the day, and so did George Bush. I was afraid that it would happen again. In fact, I was all ready to write my Master's thesis on Sarah Palin and title it "The Wedge: How Republicans Win." It was going to be a master work, along the lines of my pseudo-objective research papers in college.

But then something miraculous happened. McCain's going negative actually didn't work. It's gotta be like the first time in history that it has backfired. Sure, voters always say that they are fed up with negative campaigning, but the fact is that it works. It doesn't get you more votes, but it does get your opponent less votes.

The other thing that happened is that the influence of the mainstream media must be waning. Why do I say this? Well, for all their ranting and raving (on all networks) about Bill Ayers, racism, and Sarah Palin being the blessed Virgin--it didn't reflect the true opinion of the American people. Don't you remember how everyone said it would be a game changer when McCain selected Palin? See, the media was remembering 2004, and was worried albeit in a different way that 2004 would come back to haunt 2008. The Palin pick represented everything that is and was wrong with Republican politics since Rove Co took over in 2000. The Wedge. Divide and conquer. And this time, the voters have figured it out. They were smart enough to know when they've been pandered too, once again. Focusing on the negatives of Sarah Palin was a smart move by alternative media, because it exposed the run-of-the mill political cynicism that the Republican machine of late has relied upon. Not all of them.B ut enough that it makes a huge difference in the outcome of the election.

The Republicans are desperate. Turn on Fox News, and it's just insane what they are talking (yelling) about. It's gotten so bad that Democrats are now to be branded as socialists. Obama is a terrorist; he's perpetrating voter fraud. Where do these people, if we can call them people, get their facts? I decided recently that the reason that Fox News is so detrimental to candid discourse is because they skip facts and move straight to judgement, and that judgement always follows party lines. It does a disservice to otherwise thinking Republicans, because they never present the facts. I'll respect you conclusion that I don't agree with if you actually anaylze to some extent, all the facts surrounding the issue.

Fox News viewers, especially at this stage in their grieving process, when you take issue with them, take the conclusions spit at them and then try to extrapolate facts. Then when I counter with actual facts, they say things like "Well, then why is Sean Hannity saying this? Where do you get your news from?" Sean Hannity is an idiot. I'm sorry, but we don't argue about facts in the real world. We argue about conclusions and solutions. Fox is a huge wrench in this machine of democracy. At least when it comes to dumb people.

But when some Republicans are in such despair, knowing deep down that they have no chance of winning, then it must mean that knowledge is on the march. In tough times, it seems, the people have paying just a bit more attention to empirical evidence, not emotions. Let's be thankful.

Now if we could just keep that pesky bishop asshole from Scranton away from voters...

Look for more of me in the coming weeks as we engineer GOTV!

How do you explain something to people that you yourself don't even understand completely, or even tangentially? I don't know how to do it. Neither does the media. Neither do Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke. Can someone please explain to me why we need to dump our hard-earned taxpayer money into underperforming financial companies? Shit, with $700 billion up for grabs, I could probably solve a few other international crises or social and economic justice issues. Someone needs to be frank with the American people and tell us what's up, because you can't trust that congress actually fully understands it all, either.

First off, read this piece by Devilstower. It's free from political nonsense. It rocks.

Then read some Krugman pieces. That will wet your whistle.

Now that you've completed your required readings, I have to ask you a question-- are you feeling the direct result of the collapse of the financial system? If you are, chances you're rich and I hate you. If you lost your home, you're feeling the crunch, and I see you. You are the victim. But right now, the financial corporations who were irresponsible with their lending are crying to the big bad government that they are the victim. It's not our fault, those poor people thought they could afford houses! They thought they could afford stocks! Screw you.

Literally a week ago, John McCain and George Bush said that the economy was fundamentally strong. All of a sudden, it's like the United States is coming to an end. We will all die unless we give this $700 billion away, no strings attached to Paulson. You know what it is, right? Now that it's bad enough, and the climate has been painted as so "dire", now Bush and Co. can get away, from a political standpoint, with funnelling more money into rich people's pockets. You like the free market? Well fucking let it work, you bitches.

I happened to flip by MSNBC during the congressional hearings yesterday, and Elijah Cummings, one of Baltimore's representatives, asked a question along the lines of "what is this bailout going to do for my constituents, the everyday poor and middle class citizens who don't own assets, who are defaulting on mortgages? What is the bailout going to look like for them?" I think this is a good point. Sure, stocks going down and fuel prices going up puts pressure on all kinds of sectors of the economy, raising prices across the board, especially on things like utilities and food stuffs. So, is the bailout going to directly alleviate people who are feeling the crunch on rising living costs? No. Once again, we are giving rich people our money to fix their mess. It's complete bullshit. If you believe in the free market, then you gotta let it burn and eat the consequences. Us poor people will figure it out. We aren't beholden to the fickleness of the stock market. We can adapt, but only if you don't give away 700,000,000,000 of our money, you fools! That money ain't free. We worked for it. We sweat for it. Some bled for it. Hank and Ben, you better damn well give me a good reason for spending our money on big money when we could easily use it to buy food and small capital, and buy back our forclosed homes. Let us poor consumers decide which companies are worth bailing out, with our freshly minted $3,000 dollar checks.

There would be a lot of adminstrative nightmares if that money could actually alleviate concerns that everyday Americans have. But it would be well worth it. Just think how much everyone would respect the government for making the moral choice. The media and financial elites would be pissed. Screw them.

This is all fantasy land, though, so back to real life. If we really want to spend money, we should buy up bad credit, restoring confidence that way. Don't give money to companies who don't need it.

"McCain would rather lose and election than win an election."

I see you baby...lying out your ass.

It could be reassuring to Dems that the Republicans have resorted to out-and-out lying, that this is perhaps the only path to a win in the presidential election this year, but it isn't. These are dark days in our nation's history.

I've written before about how the country is on pause, waiting for the next president to push play. No one really cares what Bush is doing; we could care less about winning or losing in Iraq, or Afganistan. Why? Because we are already resigned to the fact that the Iraq war should be ended and that it was a mistake, that global warming should be dealt with asap, that we probably won't ever capture Bin Laden because he's so sneaky. All that matters to Americans is that we know the right path in our collective mind, and we expect the next presidential administration to know this, too, and take proper action on issues facing Americans beyond our proverbial pocketbooks.

Now I can understand that people are very concerned with the economy--I know because my first paycheck informed me that I'm earning a meager 6.41 per hour gross at merely 32 hours per week--, and they should be because it sucks and prices are probably going to go up even more in the next few months, but we need to remember the larger picture issues that we cannot afford to ignore a day longer than when Bush leaves office in January. There is a lot of shit we need to take care of, and none of it is easy. What is easy is lying about the issues and doing nothing about them, playing on our vulnerabilities as most Americans struggle from paycheck to paycheck, not politician's office to politician's office. And McCain's campaign is doing most of the lying, much to mine and Obama's chagrin, and much to the nation's detriment.

The McCain campaign is based on lies, and this is not in the best interests of our country. I'm an idealistic chap, and most people can see this through me seething cynicism. Because of this, it pisses me off when politicians attempt to manipulate facts and, in turn, people's minds. It's one thing to be manipulative in a campaign--after all, politics ain't beanbag, but it's another thing when they take the manipulative pandering construct and put it into action when elected. That's what Bush did when he carried his constructed campaign image to the Whitehouse, and look what happened--it was the worst presidency in the history of the United States by all kinds of measures, that is, unless, you're a rich dude who owns a sizable company. It certainly has not been a just 8 years for the general public.

McCain can talk about honor all he wants, he earned it in Vietnam, but he wasted it rather quickly upon his foray into politics, and his latest presidential campaign. This campaign is not honorable by any means. And it does all but those propogating the falsehoods no good.

Honor: honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions.

The first word in the defition of honor is honesty. Pretty cool, right? Well, I bet most people don't think of it that way anymore. They probably think about some fluffy term that can stand for anything and everything, and it's all John McCain's fault. Perhaps in the next rewrite of the dictionary, honesty will be scratched from the list.

In times like these, we need a reasonable debate. The McCain campaign and the media's coverage of it is making this nearly impossible. Soon, I fear, the Democrats will have to jump on the gravy train of lies, because it's the only way you can get coverage. A lot of people told Kerry to fight fire with fire in 2004, and many blamed his electoral loss on the fact that he was afraid to counter the swift boat people (even though he actually won ohio, look up Mark Crispin Miller if you want). No one in the Dem circles or even on the far left has advocated stooping to the lie level, but I'm thinking it is beginning to cross some people's minds, and then all integrity will be gone from the election forever, and hence, the possibility exists that all integrity will be gone from actual governance as well. This is good for no one.

I have been slow to criticize the McCain campaign for their lies, mostly because I feel like I've seen this type of thing before, and I'm sufficiently cynical to realize that politicians play games to get themselves elected, and then people just put hope in the fact that they will straighten themselves out when they actually set foot in office. But this shit is ridiculous. It wasn't all that bad until Palin stepped on the scene, and the reason for this is because if they had to legitimate the possibility that she might be running the entire country on facts, there would be no chance for a Republican presidency this time around. Instead, lies had to be employed, and now the lying and pandering culture has infested all things McCain, I fear, until the end of the election.

I see the lies. But I'd rather see the issues. M-media, misleadin' ya.

--Keepin' It Real Since '86.

I can't look at my computer screen here at work for more than a minute before seeing some new revelation about Sarah Palin, Senator McCain's running mate for the November election. Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam. One after the other. Yes, all those "Bam"s are separate links about different stuff we are learning about Palin and the abbreviated selection process McCain went through to pick her.

It's plain ridiculous. Talk about impulse politics. It's like going to the mall, maybe FYE, and being impulsive, then realizing all the stuff you bought, video games, cd's etc, was a bunch of crap, and if you had taken the time to think about your purchases, you probably would have purchased none of it; you could have downloaded it for far cheaper.

From my perspective, the selection of Palin is troubling for a few reasons. First, she's young, and she's from Alaska. Who cares about Alaska? The last thing we need is a state that is already the most overrepresented state in the union to have even more representation, right in the White House. Sure, being young is not a problem in itself, but how do you go from being the mayor of a town smaller than my hometown in bumfuck nowhere to the governor of a state full of bumfuck nowhere towns to being within a dying breath of the presidency of the United States of America? Damn. I wish I could find the magical path to power like Palin apparently has. It's not like she has some immaculate record, either, or is awe-inspiring, like, ideology aside, a JFK, or RFK.

Palin is also a conservative ideologue, which is the last thing that you want to be these days, in politics, as conservatism is on its way out (although they will try their darndest to wreck things further). I don't like conservative ideologues. See, McCain was okay in my mind until he wrapped up the nomination. Now he's psycho conservative. I thought maybe it was just an act, and that he might, after elected, shape up and return to his normal somewhat mavericky politics. But with her as his selection, I think the chances of that happening are mos def over.

When I first heard of her being picked, I immediately thought that McCain was trying to trade in for a younger hussy, once again. Cindy's in her fifties, right? Well, Palin is only 44, and she was in beuty pagents in her younger years. Maybe I'm just a mean person, or maybe McCain was simply charmed by Palin's looks. Sure, she's a mom, but judging by the handsomeness of her husband and the quick rate at which her daughter got pregnant, I'd have to say that she's a good looking woman, and I bet that did carry a lot of weight in her selection. At least now eyes can wander to Palin, away from the dying old man.

Finally, to those who argue that political calculations like the Palin pick are made on both sides of the aisle, I say this. The Palin pick was a political move made to ensure victory in the election. It was not made with the interests of the country in mind. It was not made by virtue of Palin's character. It was, once again, and example of the conservative movement in pandering to uneducated voters unfamiliar with policy and good governance. The selection of Joe Biden, on the other hand, was a the best of both worlds. Sure, Biden fills the so-called holes on Obama's resume, which can help him get elected. But by all easily measurable standards, Biden is actually knowledgable when it comes to the business of running the state and conducting foreign policy. If Obama solely wanted to get elected and was willing to sacrifice his principles and his beliefs about what is in the best interest of the country, then he would have selected Hillary. And everyone would have known it was political pandering at its best. No question.

Once again, Obama took the somewhat high path, and the G.O.P. continues to destroy American society.

I took ther jerbs!

Actually, I didn't yet start my job. We just had orientation for AmeriCorps. I now know CPR, First Aid, and the rules of being an AmeriCorps person.

1) Be fat. Everyone at this AmeriCorps thing is fat. Fat people make fun of fatter people. I'm making fun of no one; I'm an anthropologist. Which is why I can make such unimperical blanket claims about Central PA on this side O the Riverrrr: People west of the Coal Region forgot to stop eating the PA Tastycakes and Middleswarth Chips cooked using the United States' most abundant energy source, coal. It all makes sense, really. The new foreigners (Italians, Polish, Ukranians, etc) get exploited while the old foreigners (PA Dutch) get fat, making the cats in DC office buildings, well, fat. It's a crazy connection, that makes no sense, and probably makes you want to stop reading this post before I get to anything constructive. I'll kick myself later.

2) Be white. At least we're not rich. I'm probably sitting on the largest pot of cash in the group, except for the retired lady who's gonna slave away in a center for the low-income elderly somewhere. Big government works best when it can convince old women to whittle away their golden years helping other old women to whittle away their golden years. But anyway, there is less diversity than I expected, especially at an AmeriCorps thing. I mean, aren't these supposed to be liberal cesspools where the soldiers of class-warfare get their training and their ability to employ the horrifying secret weapon--empowerment? Well, liberal, maybe, hard to tell. At least the executive director of CORE Susquehanna tried to impress upon us an appreciation for JFK and LBJ's joint initiative in starting programs that spawned programs like AmeriCorps. It took a long time, but I have Clinton to thank for this job that I've yet to begin. So much for politics, because...

3) Don't be political. Don't organize unions. Don't bust unions. Don't interfere with collective bargaining agreements. Don't fundraise. Don't advocate for one policy position or another. Just do your shit and be happy. I think this is fair, considering we are essentially employees of the Federal Government, but I have a sneaking suspicion that many Wingnuts think that empowerment is a political position, that raising people out of poverty is a political deception conjured up to elicit votes for the Left, and that improving people's lives through genuine good-heartedness and love of country is a farce, because the free market of ideas and goods does everything best. People helping people? Don't be ridiculous. Humanity is a bitch. What I'm saying is that programs like AmeriCorps are doomed if America continues to be drawn to the radical right, poor people and their friends be damned.

All supposed funniness aside, the people on the tour with me are all pretty great people. They be friendly, Central PA folk. And with them you can't go wrong. The comments about the fat people and the white people--I'm suffering from some strange form of culture shock. Sure, I've lived in PA all my life, essentially, minus the first 3 years and the last 4, but I guess I just got spoiled being at even the ridiculously white McDaniel College and Westminster, MD. At least there was the possibility of diversity there, as in it wouldn't be a surprise some racial minorities showed up and wanted to join the community, former KKK headquarters be damned. Here, in PA? We ain't got none of them outsider-types. And I can't even think of any fat people at McDaniel. I used to come home and think that Chris was fat, and compared to the average Central PA-ian, he's skinny shit, Billy is nonexistant. Don't know if being fat is all that bad, really, other than healthwise, but I'm certain it does say something about the character of a community, it's up to you, Readers, to tell me what that is.

Well, tomorrow is teambuilding adventures at Kidsgrove, which is well-timed considering last year at this time I was in the midst of running the show at First Year Student Orientation at McDaniel. Lots of teambuilding there. I'm trying not to get too nostalgic, because I really really do miss it. And it's only the beginning. Maybe I'll use some of the McDaniel knowledge and dazzle these AmeriCorps peeps. I'll let you know how it goes.

*sighs*

I don't want to talk about it.

Read my previous post instead.