Election Round-Up

Gail Collins had a very funny election week national round up in the NY Times this week, with a sobering, yet heartfelt, ending: 

Finally, on behalf of the baby-boom generation, I would like to hear a little round of applause before we cede the stage to the people who were too young to go to Woodstock and would appreciate not having to listen to the stories about it anymore. It looks as though we will be represented in history by only two presidents, one of whom is George W. Bush. Bummer.The boomers didn’t win any wars and that business about being self-involved was not entirely unfounded. On the other hand, they made the nation get serious about the idea of everybody being created equal. And now American children are going to grow up unaware that there’s anything novel in an African-American president or a woman running for the White House.

We’ll settle for that.

A New Kind of Pride

Eugene Robinson wrote today about the historical accomplishment of Barack Obama’s campaign from the perspective of the African American community. But some of his words are relevant for all of us.

Even if John McCain somehow prevails, that won’t change the fact that Obama won all those primaries, or that he won the Democratic Party nomination, or that he raised more money than any candidate in history, or that he rewrote the book on how to run a presidential campaign. Nothing can change the fact that so many white Americans entrusted a black American with their hopes and dreams.

We can all have a new kind of pride in our country

Are Campaigns too Costly?

George Will discussed the price tag attached to this years presidential campaigns as McCain has attempted to discredit Obama’s campaign because of the large amounts of money being donated and the offer of public financing he declined. 

I think this is the best summary of the situation to date: 

“The Center for Responsive Politics calculates that, by Election Day, $2.4 billion will have been spent on presidential campaigns in the two-year election cycle that began in January 2007, and an additional $2.9 billion will have been spent on 435 House and 35 Senate contests. This $5.3 billion is a billion less than Americans will spend this year on potato chips.“

 

You Can Vote However You Like…

This may be the best thing to come out of the entire election cycle! 

The Real America

On Wednesday Sen. Obama held a rally in Richmond, VA- a place that by Gov. Palin’s definition may be ‘real America’ simply based on its history. Richmond was the capital of the confederacy, and the capital of a state that hasn’t voted for a democratic presidential candidate in 44 years.  He confronted the recent (and somewhat outlandish) attacks from the right that democrats are unpatriotic and liberals are un-american, saying:

“There are no real parts of the country and fake parts of the country… There are no pro-America parts of the country and anti-America parts of the country. We all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, young, old, rich, poor, gay, straight, city dweller, farm dwellers, it doesn’t matter. We’re all together.”

“There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq; there are patriots who opposed it. There are patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Virginia and all across this country who serve on our battlefields, some are Democrats, some are Republicans, some are independents, but they have fought together and bled together, and some died together under the same proud flag.”

Thank goodness Sen. Obama has the sense to denounce the politics of fear and division that some Republicans have resorted to in the final weeks of the election. 

Powell also made the point on Meet the Press last week with this story:

I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother at Arlington Cemetery and she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave. And as the picture focused in you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards: Purple Heart, Bronze Star. Showed that he died in Iraq. Gave his date of birth, date of death, he was 20 years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn’t have a Christian cross, didn’t have a Star of David. It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9-11. And he waited until he could go serve his country and he gave his life.

Now we have got to stop polarizing ourselves in this way. And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know but I’m troubled about the fact that within the party we have these kinds of expressions.

Broken (health) Care of Every Kind

Today’s edition of the Washington Post has a Mother’s powerful story about her daughter’s battle with a heroin addiction. The story sheds light on the (wrong) assumption of many Americans that help for substance abuse is available, should we or our loved ones ever need it. The truth is much different. Care is available for those with the right insurance (though with the passage of the Mental Health Parity Act, insurance companies will be required to cover necessary treatments as the cover other medical treatments), who end up at the right facility under the right circumstances. For example, prisoners receive addiction treatment before those who haven’t committed crimes at many community health centers. The story is a tragic reminder that though the medical expertise is available to help those in dire need, insurance companies and one’s socioeconomic standing are preventing many Americans from getting the help they need in order to return to their communities as productive members of society. 

The Hope Still Lives, the Dream Shall Never Die

In light of the news about Senator Kennedy’s failing health, it seemed appropriate to pay tribute to his service to this country as the second longest serving US Senator. He has been called a ‘democratic icon’ and rightly so. His legislative efforts have significantly shaped the policies of our country for many years now. He has been a champion of immigrants, outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, longtime advocate of raising the minimum wage, and has worked on behalf of prisoners, children and the poor on an unspeakable number of bills.

Despite growing up in the shadows of JFK and Bobby, and battling his own personal skeletons, he has been a defining figure in the Democratic Party as well as in American politics and policy making. The legacy of the ideals on which his policies are based, and the determination to make those ideals a political reality, will live on long after his time in the Senate has expired.

His speech at the 1980 Democratic Convention is among the best ever given, and the themes he espouses are timeless. The speech was given after he bowed out of the race against incumbent president, Jimmy Carter. It is also easily applied to the challenges facing the Democratic Party this year as the nomination battle rages on, and as the party looks to unify itself and move into new positions of power next fall.

“Programs may sometimes become obsolete, but the ideal of fairness always endures. Circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue. It is surely correct that we cannot solve problems by throwing money at them, but it is also correct that we dare not throw out our national problems onto a scrap heap of inattention and indifference. The poor may be out of political fashion, but they are not without human needs. The middle class may be angry, but they have not lost the dream that all Americans can advance together…

We are the Party — We are the Party of the New Freedom, the New Deal, and the New Frontier. We have always been the Party of hope. So this year let us offer new hope, new hope to an America uncertain about the present, but unsurpassed in its potential for the future…

For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

Judicial Philosophies

A witty editorial in the NYTimes attacked “moderate” John McCain for statements he made yesterday about his determination to support far-right nominees for the Supreme Court, should he become president. “On a day when Mr. Obama won a decisive victory in North Carolina and Mrs. Clinton eked out a win in Indiana, Mr. McCain spoke about his judicial philosophy. He is determined to move a far too conservative and far too activist Supreme Court and federal judiciary even further and more actively to the right.”

It seems absurd that after 8 years of having their civil liberties watered down by the Bush Administration that the American people would stand to listen to, let along endorse, a candidate with the audacity to speak openly about installing judges who would support similar policies. Does he really find the citizenry to be so dumb as to allow him to walk all over us in these policies too? Aligning oneself with the conservative moral stances of the court is one thing, but to endorse individuals who have also been at the forefront of creating public policies that discriminate and marginalize is another matter all together.

Mr. McCain predictably criticized liberal judges, vowed strict adherence to the Founders’ views and promised to appoint more judges in the mold of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. That is just what the country does not need.

Since President Bush chose Justices Roberts and Alito, the Court has ordered Seattle and Louisville to scrap voluntary school integration, protected employers who illegally mistreat their workers, and constrained women’s right to choose and voters’ right to vote.

Mr. McCain did not mention, of course, how the Roberts-led Court blithely overruled Congress by nullifying a key part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. He did wax nostalgic about what “the basic right of property” has meant “since the founding of America.” (He did not mention that in 1789 many women could not own property and African-Americans were property, but he did criticize the idea that values evolve over time.)

The WashPo article was obviously more balanced as they reported on McCain’s remarks. They also quoted Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor and his counter argument: “Barack Obama has always believed that our courts should stand up for social and economic justice, and what’s truly elitist is to appoint judges who will protect the powerful and leave ordinary Americans to fend for themselves.”

It is that judicial philosophy that runs counter to the political culture in DC these days, and counter to all that is Bush, that has gotten so many individuals involved in this political election cycle. The American people are tired of courts being stuffed with politically aligned candidates who are more than willing to roll over for the current President and his cronies. We are tired of being marginalized from the process and want to be included. We are tired of being fed lines (and lies) from the Republican camp without real discussion of the alternatives. We want a leader who will speak honestly and debate the heart of issues, not the political consequences of issues, with his/her advisors behind closed doors. We want a leader who will speak honestly about our country’s challenges and struggles. We want a leader who will work with other parties in power to achieve the best possible outcomes for all.

We Are Not Who We Think We Are

“Who will tell the people? We are not who we think we are. We are living on borrowed time and borrowed dimes. We still have all the potential for greatness, but only if we get back to work on our country. I don’t know if Barack Obama can lead that, but the notion that the idealism he has inspired in so many young people doesn’t matter is dead wrong. “Of course, hope alone is not enough,” says Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics, “but it’s not trivial. It’s not trivial to inspire people to want to get up and do something with someone else.”

Thomas Friedman’s poignant 5/5/08 op-ed has stirred up a number of passionate responses this week. He spoke to common frustrations among all types of Americans, as we watch our country slide from power, influence and success. He argues that Obama is our best hope for this country, because he has spoken truthfully with the American people, and because “…we need a president who is tough enough to tell the truth to the American people. Any one of the candidates can answer the Red Phone at 3 a.m. in the White House bedroom. I’m voting for the one who can talk straight to the American people on national TV — at 8 p.m. — from the White House East Room.“

The NYTimes posted some positive responses from readers who agreed with Friedman. One reader wrote “As Mr. Friedman points out, we don’t know for sure if Barack Obama can lead this country back to greatness. It’s a monumental task. But I do know that he is the only candidate who has spoken the truth about every one of these issues from Day 1.

He is the only one who tells us that we have work to do, that there are no easy fixes. He is the only one who already has inspired millions to get started. He spoke the truth about Iraq when no one wanted to hear it, and he is now speaking the truth, regardless of how it might poll.

The question is, Do we want leaders who speak to issues that will get them elected, or do we want a leader who will tell us the truth?”

Chris Durang (on Huffington Post today) also “… agree(s) passionately with what Friedman said above, and it relates to my belief that Obama can use his gift for reason and inspiration to TALK TRUTH to the American people, to change the Bully Pulpit to a…. Persuasion Pulpit, an Inspiration Pulpit.”

Durang goes on to admit that “Obama is battered… but battered though Obama may be, he is still standing; and he’s standing taller than the other two.”

Gas Tax Gimmicks

Today House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) sided with Obama in opposition to a summer ‘tax holiday’ recently proposed by McCain and Clinton to alleviate the brutal impact of rising gas prices. Though ‘reducing the federal tax on oil’ sounds nice to citizens, it fails to get to the heart of the energy crisis our nation is facing. Without investing in research and development of new energy sources, we are doomed to cope with rising gas prices for years to come.

Friedman summed up the trouble with the policy in the NYTimes today. “Hillary Clinton has decided to line up with John McCain in pushing to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon, for this summer’s travel season. This is not an energy policy. This is money laundering: we borrow money from China and ship it to Saudi Arabia and take a little cut for ourselves as it goes through our gas tanks. What a way to build our country.”

Obama did not go so far as to call it money laundering, but he did call them out for their election year gimmicks. “This is the problem with Washington. We are facing a situation where oil prices could hit $200 a barrel. Oil companies like Shell and BP just reported record profits for the quarter. And we’re arguing over a gimmick to save you half a tank of gas over the course of the entire summer so that everyone in Washington can pat themselves on the back and say that they did something… This isn’t an idea designed to get you through the summer, it’s an idea designed to get them through an election.”

Most economists and environmental scientists side with Obama’s position on this. The tax holiday will not provide substantial relief to buyers at the pump, and instead would act simply as a subsidy to oil companies- who are making record profits already.

RK quoted Gilbert Metclaf, a economics professor at Tufts University currently working with the National Bureau of Economic Research, as saying “I think it is a very bad idea… If we want people to invest in energy-saving cars, we need some assurance that the higher price paid for these cars is going to pay off through fuel savings. It is a very short-sighted, counterproductive proposal.”

Friedman later points out the real crisis- a lack of creative energy and political will to invest in the larger problem at hand. The McCain-Clinton proposal is a reminder to me that the biggest energy crisis we have in our country today is the energy to be serious — the energy to do big things in a sustained, focused and intelligent way. We are in the midst of a national political brownout.