My Republican Friends

My Republican friends e-mail me almost every day with some new “old” complaint about the President. He is so different from their model, so different from what they expect an obedient, “do what we tell you” President ought to be. They just can’t understand this guy. Here is a President who actually thinks before he answers a question, who actually listens to others, who believes in the true separation of powers, and in using all three branches of government to govern. It’s just a bit much for them to get their brains around.

They do not yet see that the auto industry WILL be entirely something else in eight years; they do not see that America WILL be a whole lot less dependent on fossil fuels to drive its cars in eight years; they do not yet see that financial markets WILL have new supervision and oversight; they do not see that health care WILL be reformed and universal health care WILL be accepted, indeed, embraced even by Republicans.

I advise them to get ready for an economy that will grow at a healthy rate for at least another 25 years. This is the kind of paradigm shift that impacts all facets of our lives. (Wait until nanotechnology hits computers in your office and automobiles in your garage with its full potential. You will be witness to real growth!)

Our President is just getting started. The credit card bill – a measure we have sorely needed for 30 years – is just the beginning. I tell my Republican friends, “If you can’t understand what is happening, if you think it is too much for us to handle as Americans, if you think we can’t or shouldn’t do any of these ambitious things, you best stand back because you will be run over by people who see ‘yes’ where you see only ‘no.’”

PS Keep you Blackberry fully charged if you want even a slim chance of keeping up.

The Best Laid Plans

Political analyst, Greg Sargent, is coming out with a new book, titled, 40 More Years: How Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation.

There will be some re-hashing of the 2008 campaign in it, but I understand the bulk of the book will address electoral trends, and how the rise of the youth vote and the decline of the white vote will favor Democrats.

I’m looking forward to reading it, but to my Democratic friends, I say, “Let’s not get too excited.” I had lunch in the early days of the Reagan Administration with a friend who had recently gone over to the other side. He invited me to join him, because, he said, “The country is turning conservative and if you want to enjoy the ride, you better join us.”

“In fact,” he said, “It is clear from recent trends that the Republicans will dominate American politics and occupy the White House, uninterrupted, for at least another generation.” The year was 1981. The restaurant was The Monocle on Capitol Hill. My friend went on to serve in the Reagan White House, the Bush 41 State Department, and the Bush 43 Defense Department.

In the 27 year period between 1981 and 2008, Republican Presidents controlled the agenda for all but the eight years of the Clinton Administration. Now you know why they hate Clinton so. Not only was he an effective President, he spoiled their plans for total domination of an entire generation. Boy, do they hate Clinton.

But I digress. My point is this: the best laid plans often go astray, especially when the fickle winds of political discourse are blowing across the land. In my view there should be no talk of “how Democrats will rule the next generation.” It is not likely to happen, and certainly not if they follow the Republican example. Obama seems to have learned the lesson of the past 27 years well and is reaching across the aisle with an eagerness to clasp the hand of anyone who wants to work to make America better.

And what has he found? He is finding the loyal opposition dusting off the strategic playbook of Newt Gingrich, written more than two decades ago. Old Newt had three themes: “Unite against Democrats’ economic policy, block and counter health care reform, and tar them with spending scandals." This is indeed what you do if you are a party with no ideas. Remember that day in early 1995 when, after taking control of the House of Representatives, Republicans gathered on the West steps of the Capitol and Newt told them, “This is our Contract with America….and on these provisions we will not compromise.” Those words stuck in my head because they were so wrong. Politics is nothing if not the art of compromise. It is how our country moves forward. It is how both parties governed until the era of Newt.

Obama understands the lessons of the past 27 years and is offering a sincere bipartisan hand to the other side but so far, with few exceptions in the Senate, his hand has been slapped away. Hopefully, that will change. America deserves better.

Good for a Laugh

Republicans are good for a laugh, if nothing else. I just read a piece in the Georgia newspapers about a proposal the R’s have offered in the General Assembly this year which they say will be the answer to Georgia’s economic recovery. It focuses on helping small businesses and here’s the way it would work:

One of their bills would provide tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed workers and temporarily waive the fee businesses file with the state to register their corporate names.

Q. HOW DOES A BUSINESS HIRE UNEMPLOYED WORKERS IF THE BUSINESS HAS NO DEMAND FOR ITS PRODUCTS OR SERVICES?

Q. AS TO THE SECOND PROVISION, HOW MUCH DOES WAIVING THE FEE FOR CORPORATE NAME REGISTRATION GET YOU? $30 PER BUSINESS? LET’S SEE, IF 90 THOUSAND BUSINESSES ESCAPE PAYING AN ANNUAL REGISTRATION FEE OF $30, THE TOTAL BENEFIT FOR ALL OF THEM IS A WHOPPING $2.7 MILLION. WOW! THAT’LL DO IT, YESSEREE!

The legislation also would gradually phase out Georgia’s corporate income tax, beginning in 2012.

Q. 2012? FOUR YEARS FROM NOW? IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO? UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING TODAY, OR AT LEAST BEGIN THE BENEFIT THIS YEAR, HOW MANY BUSINESSES DO YOU THINK WILL BE AROUND IN 2012?

Another bill would eliminate the tax on business inventories but that would have to be put to a vote of the electorate. Yep, that’ll happen real soon.

They held a press conference to announce their proposal, taking care to draw geat distinctions between their approach and the approach of President Obama. No wonder no one is paying attention to these guys. They give conservatism a bad name. They give government in general a bad name.

Go Ahead, Make His Day

There are some Republicans who can’t stand to call the President by name. “President Obama” are two words they cannot utter. They have not accepted him as their President. So, to show the degree of disrespect they have for him, they call him simply “44.” I guess some are still stinging from the Democrats referral to the Bushes as “Bush 41” and “Bush 43.” (Good grief, that's what they called themselves -- face to face.) I confess that is exactly the way I referred to them many times, but it was because both numbers are odd numbers…and weren’t their presidencies a little “odd,” too. The numbers just seemed to fit them.

So what about this “44” designation for President Obama? Well, he is certainly number 44 in the succession of Presidents we have had. But far from being offended by the Rs calling President Barack Obama, “44,” I like it. It is a powerful number, one that conjures up images of law enforcement officers brought in to clean up the city and restore peace to the neighborhoods.

I think it was a .44 Magnum that Clint Eastwood’s character, “Dirty” Harry Callahan described in the movie as “the most powerful handgun in the world.” You remember it; it’s the one Dirty Harry brandished in the face of the hoodlum and said, “Go ahead, punk, make my day.”

Now, I don’t own a handgun – never will. Enough said there. So I am not condoning the use of guns by ordinary citizens. There is a place for them with law enforcement, however, and with those who provide for the common defense.

I’m truly sorry for members of the loyal opposition who prefer to call him “44” instead of his given name or simply the title of his office, but if it conjures up images of a someone with a strong will, determination, and commitment to defend this nation, so be it. If it brings to mind those who will not tolerate troublemakers, foreign or domestic, so be it. If it reminds one of tough-minded leaders who are willing to “bite the bullet,” “tell it like it is,” and “do the right thing” for America, so be it.

I say to my Republican friends, go ahead and oppose the President if you want to, disrespect him by calling him “44” if that makes you feel better. Go ahead and make his day!

Sense of Entitlement Erodes Public Trust

Earlier this week, as the tax problems of President Obama’s cabinet picks were the buzz in Washington, I exchanged e-mail with a friend in Georgia who expressed a view shared, I'm sure, by a great many Americans:

“I have held a very cynical view of DC politicians for years. Democrat or Republican, I think the process and the bubble of DC makes it, over time, a game to be played. The sense of entitlement becomes pervasive (why pay taxes, that’s what regular people do). With very few exceptions I think that is true.”

I responded that, yes, I’m sure there are those who come to DC wearing an ermine mantle of entitlement. I have known some. However, there are exceptions, and I worked with one: Sam Nunn.

In early 1973, a Gulf Oil lobbyist by the name of Claude Wild claimed in court, during his trial for making illegal campaign contributions, that he had made a cash contribution of $5,000 to each of several candidates in 1972, including US Senate candidate, Sam Nunn. Nunn's campaign had no record of it, nor could anyone associated with the campaign recall the name of the supposed donor. Although there was no record of a contribution from Claude Wild, Sam Nunn incurred $30,000 in legal fees to have a team of lawyers go over every last nickel of campaign contributions in an attempt to find the so-called contribution. It didn't exist, of course, but Nunn was going to make sure it didn't exist...and that the record would show he was willing to take every step to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. He did that, not because he had to, but because it was the right thing to do.

And that’s what public service demands. In order to enjoy the trust of your constituents, one must take every step, even those unpleasant or costly, to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

I thought “DC politicians” were all like Sam Nunn, but they were not..........and are not today.

One Great Mulligan

In this new century, let’s just say we got off to a bad start and start over.

George Bush made mistakes. He made so many that surely we are owed a barrel of mulligans, but maybe we could lump the entire eight years into a single bag, titled, “One Great Mulligan,” and start over.

To sum up the mulligan we seek: Bush weakened the American presidency with his ineptness, he weakened our economy with his profligate spending and his laissez-faire attitude toward financial markets, he undermined our Constitution with each step he took to trample our rights protected so carefully in the Constitution’s hallowed pages, and he threatened our future by creating new enemies abroad with his reckless and ill conceived foreign policies.

But I don’t want to talk about Bush 43 anymore.

I just want a mulligan.

I just want to start over.

Can’t we acknowledge that a new era does not always begin chronologically but sometimes begins metaphorically – at least as humans track time? If we are allowed “One Great Mulligan,” let’s gratefully take it, tell the world “Our long national nightmare is over,” and begin anew.

As our new President said yesterday, "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."

Ahhhhh… thank you for the mulligan. Let the new century begin.

Nothing changes...or does it?

New beginnings always have me thinking of old beginnings. I came to Washington as a 28 year old aide to a freshman US Senator in 1973. Swearing in was on January 5 that year. The freshman class had 13 members, including Joe Biden, who turned 30 in December and thus was eligible to be sworn in on January 5.

That first year, 1973, we were so busy; I don't recall seeing the sun shine at all!

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision, Roe v. Wade, the heat from which has not diminished since. January was also the month that Henry Kissinger signed the Paris Peace Agreement, effectively ending America's military involvement in Vietnam (although President Nixon continued to bomb Cambodia until September). January 1973 also brought the end of the draft and the beginning of the AVF, the All Volunteer Force. And if memory serves me correctly, that was also the month the Senate took up the War Powers Act, a new law aimed at limiting a future President's ability to commit American forces overseas for more than 90 days without the specific consent of the US Congress. (Yeah, well, that's what it was supposed to do.)

And that was just the first month.

Later in the year, the Vice President of the United States resigned his office rather than face federal charges for tax evasion. His name was Spiro Agnew. I remember telling the news to my boss on the steps of the US Capitol, and as I showed him the AP wire report, I remarked, "If we stay here another 30 years, we're not likely to witness again anything so dramatic in our national life." That was the voice and thinking of a young and innocent Senate aide who would never cease to have his eyes opened wider still with each new scandal. Scandals, as we all know, are as much a part of our government as its three branches. As long as we staff government with real people, there will be real scandal. To err is human, of course, but to steal while alleging to serve the public interest is...well, very special.

Oh yes, and in the same year, we experienced the first Arab oil embargo. Politicians filled the airwaves with speeches decrying America's sorry dependence on foreign oil. One after another, Representatives and Senators rose to declare "America must end its dependence on foreign sources of oil. America must become energy independent. We need a national energy policy."

Yep, nothing ever changes.

Until now.

Dare this innocent, now some 36 years older, dream that things can and will change? I don't know. Really, I don't know the answer...but I do know this one thing: 2009 presents the nation with the best chance for successfully addressing some of the most intractable of problems...and all of us must participate in finding and/or supporting the solutions.

A new class of Senators gets sworn in tomorrow, January 6, 2009. They and their aides will be just as busy as we were. The issues are more complex now -- or so they seem -- but the hours will be just as long for at least the first year. The only message I have for them is this: be assured the sun does shine while you toil and the day will come when you can rest...and be thanked for the service you have rendered.

A steady hand for another "period of gloom"

“It was a period of gloom….when no man could foretell the happening of the morrow, when strong men trembled at the possibility of the destruction of our Government.”

So begins the 1909 tribute to Abraham Lincoln by Adlai E. Stevenson, Sr. on the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the birth of our 16^th President.

While I doubt there are many who believe our Government is at risk of destruction today, hardly anyone doubts we are in a “period of gloom.”

As we approach two milestones in the life of our nation – the swearing-in of the first African-American President and the 200^th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth – Stevenson’s tribute is particularly apropos to these times.

Stevenson, an Illinois native, who became a congressman, and still later, Vice President, knew Lincoln, and thus, was well suited to the task of paying tribute to the beloved President.

“He came from the common walks of life,” recalled Stevenson. “His early home was one of the humblest, where he was a stranger to the luxuries and to many of the ordinary comforts of life…“How inspiring to the youth of high aims every incident of the pathway from the frontier cabin to the Executive Mansion…”In no other country than ours could such attainment have been possible for the boy….whose only heritage was brain, integrity, lofty ambition, and indomitable purpose.

Are there any parallels to be drawn with the lanky young lawyer from Illinois now preparing to take the oath on January 20^th, 2009? For Barack Obama, born in 1961 to a struggling bi-racial couple, his beginnings were humble indeed. Certainly, it can be said his only heritage was “brain, integrity, lofty ambition, and indomitable purpose.”

As the 1909 tribute continued, Stevenson praised Lincoln’s judgment in handling the question of slavery, an issue, he acknowledged, that “had been the subject of repeated compromise by patriotic statesmen.” This “apple of discord,” as Stevenson described it, had “darkened our national pathway from the beginning. It was well that in such an hour, with such tremendous issues in the balance, a steady hand was at the helm.”

Stevenson concluded his centennial tribute by selecting one particular paragraph from the inaugural address to share with his audience. It was the closing paragraph:

“We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot’s grave to every heart and hearthstone of the broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when touched as they will be by the better angels of our nature.”

In America’s most recent history, passion and stridency have divided us – on a distant war and on a broad range of social issues at home. Such divisions weaken the Union. In Barack Obama, Americans have discerned a leader who – like Lincoln – believes our Union is stronger when we subscribe to “the better angels of our nature.”

In his memorable Philadelphia speech of March 18, 2008, Obama sounded a lot like Lincoln:

“I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction – towards a better future for our children and grandchildren.”

President-elect Obama is demonstrating already that he meant it—he really meant it – when he said he would reach across partisan lines, across ideology, across any social issue that would divide us, in order to keep us united and our collective eye steady on the goal of strengthening the republic before we hand it to the next generation.

President Lincoln is surely smiling today as Barack Obama prepares to become the next steady hand at the helm.

Not a stimulus but an investment package

The economic stimulus package under consideration should not be described as just another stimulus package. In truth, it is an investment package. It is an investment in rebuilding America, an investment to make America stronger. It is “nation building” in the finest sense because its dollars are dedicated to rebuilding this nation.

Look, our nation’s roads and bridges are crumbling. Many states are “making do,” some are even repairing their bridges with wooden braces – and all such bridges are living on borrowed time. Levees need repairs in California, water ducts are leaking one billion gallons daily in New York. Every state has a long list of urgent projects that need attention and funding. Public works projects in all 50 states soon could employ hundreds of thousands of workers.

President-elect Obama says he wants to bring high speed Internet access to all Americans, especially those who live in rural areas. Building out networks to rural and under-served urban areas will create hundreds of thousands of jobs doing everything from digging ditches to designing the networks that will serve us. This bill makes a down payment on that initiative.

There are tax cuts for the middle class included as well as extension of unemployment benefits…and many other initiatives. Not everything in the package will find universal support, but taken as a whole, it is the best package for our nation’s immediate and long term security.

I have always believed that disaster and opportunity are close relatives. So, while standing knee deep in the disaster of these sad economic times, what better time is there to look for opportunities to succeed before they become opportunities lost in the swirl of our present despair.

It is my hope that this difficult period will be known in history as The Great Transition. Yes, not a recession but a transition, a period when we closed the books at last on antiquated 20^th century industrial leadership and began the transition to a new period of economic growth and prosperity based on technological advances as revolutionary as the telephone, light bulb and automobile.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote, “Often do the spirits of great events stride on before the events. And in today already walks tomorrow.”

The spirit of renewal is upon our land and a sense of tomorrow’s greatness already walks with us. With a new President about to take the oath of office, this is the hour for breaking with the past. The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 shook this nation to its foundation – our national security was threatened; and now the economic system we rely upon has shaken to our core our sense of personal security. We continue to address the former threat, now it is time to address the latter.

I believe we are not at the end time for American leadership and influence; I believe our influence and leadership on the world stage has just begun. We must not shrink from our responsibility nor fail to seize the opportunity before us to build upon the heritage that has been entrusted to us.

Congress should pass the new stimulus package. Tomorrow already walks in this day.

What Would You Do?

Journalist Judy Woodruff was on the radio this morning talking about the nation’s current economic crisis. She summarized the economic challenges we face and concluded with a question: “If any member of Congress is listening: what would you do? I don’t think anyone has a good and clear answer to that question.”

One could almost see her throwing up her hands in despair, an emotion shared by millions of Americans.

In my view, no one has yet been able to articulate a clear vision of government actions that should be taken to address the complex integrated nature of the entire economy. Mortgage foreclosures, investment firms failing, insurance companies struggling, banks facing insolvency, the entire auto industry on the brink of bankruptcy – and all demand immediate attention.

Ben Franklin noted the natural aversion of man to anticipate and solve problems before they rise to crisis proportions. In his autobiography, he wrote of developing an early plan to unite the colonies and coordinate their resources to provide for their common defense. He was anticipating war with France and tried to advance this idea before a congress of commissioners from each of the colonies meeting in Albany, New York in 1754. (As usual, old Ben was ahead of his time.)

Ultimately, the Franklin plan was judged too bold for the time and rejected on both sides of the Atlantic. Franklin writes in his memoirs that perhaps the later “bloody contest” with England could have been avoided if the congress had the vision to adopt his plan. “But such mistakes are not new: history is full of the errors of states and princes,” he wrote. “Look round the habitable world: how few know their own good, or knowing it, pursue.”

In other words, those who govern are frequently too busy handling the problems of the moment to engage their intellect in a visionary exercise that might anticipate a more urgent problem advancing on the horizon. Franklin wrote, “The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forced by the occasion.”

And so, that’s where we are today:” forced by the occasion” of economic crisis to develop the “best public measure” to address it. President Roosevelt would understand. When FDR was elected in 1932, America was on the precipice of disaster and the state of the union was not good. Fourteen million Americans were out of work when FDR launched his New Deal. If you think the Bush administration and the current Congress have already overstepped in attempting to save the aforementioned industries, consider just some of the steps Roosevelt took in his first 100 days in office:

Emergency Banking Act, giving the President broad powers over all banking transactions.

Economy Act, reducing the salaries of federal employees and payments to veterans.

Reforestation Relief Act, establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps which eventually provided work to 250,000 young men.

Federal Emergency Relief Act, providing grants to states for relief projects.

Tennessee Valley Authority established, providing for construction of dams and power plants in the Tennessee Valley.

Federal Securities Act, providing for the government to register and approve all issues of stocks and bonds.

National Employment System Act, creating a US Employment Service to cooperate with the states in providing employment services.

Homeowners Refinancing Act, providing mortgage money and other aid to homeowners.

National Industrial Recovery Act established the Public Works Administration, providing funds for a major public works program.

Farm Credit Act helped farmers get mortgages at low interest rates.

Banking Act of 1933 sets up the FDIC which was empowered to insure individual bank deposits.

And all that was done in the first 100 days of the new Roosevelt administration. And oh yes, FDR also took America off the gold standard during that time. The net effect was to devalue the dollar and stimulate the economy. The stock market began to recover.

Today, President-elect Barack Obama announced his team of economic advisers and they include Tim Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers, Chair of the National Economic Council. America has been crying for leadership. Now it begins. It appears we don't have to wait until January 20th for the leadership we seek.

So, to Judy Woodruff and anyone else looking for a clear answer, I would say this: If the past is prologue, buckle up and get ready for bold steps and visionary leadership.

It's about time.

Aptera? Absolutely!

It seems to me that the new Aptera (300 mpg!) automobile is to American capitalism as Barack Obama is to representative government. Both are breathtakingly refreshing in their approach to solving pressing problems.

The Aptera is a light-weight, high tech, vehicle that, according to the website of the manufacturer, will be available to residents of California only (darn it) in about a year as an electric car or a plug-in hybrid.

This is not an ad for the car. It is a message for all the Nellie Naysayers out there who believe America’s best days are behind her. Don’t you believe it! Since 1973, we have known there was a finite amount of oil left in the world and, as demand increased and supplies shrank, the price was bound to go up. It did. And while market forces will make the price fluctuate, even pushing it down from time to time, the long term view calls for higher and higher gas prices.

Enter American ingenuity…again. While our elected leadership has mostly slept, American entrepreneurs have been hard at work, and we are beginning to see the fruits of their labors. To paraphrase Captain John Paul Jones, we have not yet begun to invent!

The thought of the Aptera and similar new technology should bring a smile to your face. It must surely be Saudi Arabia’s worst nightmare. It must give Iran's President Ahmadinejad and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez very bad heartburn. Soon…very soon, we may not need so much of their black gold.

Yes, I know China is ready to buy what we don’t…but that is just a temporary salve for the oil producing nations. Their time, as dictators of price for the one of the world’s most valued commodities, is almost up.

And isn't it nice to see the price of oil back to below $60 a barrel again!

Early Release of President Bush

I heard a rumor the other day that there will be a major change in the traditional ceremony at the White House in which the President performs the annual ritual of pardoning the national turkey. The bird is then returned to the turkey farm and allowed to live to a ripe old age.

This year, the TURKEY WILL PARDON PRESIDENT BUSH, releasing him from his Presidential duties early, thus allowing Bush to return to Crawford on the first bus out of town. The turkey will then go into the Oval Office and assume the duties of the President until January 20.

How will they get away with it? Well, the belief is that no one is likely to notice any difference.

The early release of President Bush will be a blessing to the nation.
And that will be a blessing for which all will give thanks this Thanksgiving.

Lock and Load, Rush. Karl Marx is at the door

OK, I want to make one thing clear: anyone who listens for one second to Rush Limbaugh is admitting he is perfectly willing to suspend all semblance of reality in his life. Rush is blaming Obama already for the recession we are in. He is blaming the President-elect for a whole range of national plagues a full 69 days before Obama is set to take the oath of office.

Rush and the nut-case right wingers on talk radio are also responsible for the run on weapons -- especially assault weapons -- at gun stores across the nation. They are telling those foolish enough to listen to them that the next President is going to pass new laws to confiscate their weapons and gun owners should prepare to resist that day, apparently with violent revolution if necessary. Brian Williams had a report about the up tick in gun sales tonight on the Nightly News.

No one could make this up. Who ARE these people who listen to that fruitcake? Please tell them as calmly as you know how, when you have the misfortune to engage them, "Stop, please stop listening to Rush Limbaugh." If possible, add this bit of truth, "Rush is not a patriot; if he were, he would not be seeking to blame Obama for every mistake visited upon the nation the past 50 years, except, of course, the period when Bill Clinton was President. Bill Clinton is still responsible for all the bad that happened in those eight years -- including, I guess, all that peace and prosperity we enjoyed.

Say goodnight, Rush.

Barack Rocks!

Our 44th President of the United States!

(On September 2, while R's were convening in Minneapolis, I speculated on the outcome and this was my post: "While the Republicans are still in convention in Minneapolis, I’ve taken a look at the electoral map and here’s what I see: if the election were held today, Obama would win with 348 electoral votes and McCain would have 190."
At 11 p.m. the final electoral count is not in but it looks like it will be close to that 348 guess of September 2.)

First Time Voter!

I met a first time voter today. Not just any first time voter. She is a middle aged woman, an immigrant from South America, who came here several years ago and became a US citizen earlier this year.

She saw my Obama button as I walked through the grocery store on my way to pick up three lemons. As I passed, she grabbed my arm and immediately started to tell me why she also supported Obama. I was in hurry, but the sparkle in her eye as she talked about Obama told me I should listen.

It turns out she knew a lot about both campaigns. She had been listening to both sides closely. The first thing she wanted to say was, “I can’t vote for McCain because he chose a woman who is not very smart to run with him. She doesn’t seem to know anything about anything. And how can he think she is ready to be President? He is an old man…and sick…and he needed to name someone much younger, someone people know about, someone who could help him right away.”

Her voice slowed a bit as she talked about Obama but lost none of its fervor. “Obama seems like a man you can trust. He seems like a man who cares about everybody. Obama seems like a man with a good heart…AND he fills my heart with hope.” I could see a tear starting to well up. “America is the hope of the world; everybody I know wants to come to America. It is the land of opportunity. You can be what you want to be. I love America. “She paused, and then added, “Please tell me Obama will win!”

Clearly she has paid more attention to this race than many Americans who have voted many times.

I told the lady from South America she was not alone in her exuberance. I assured her she was about to vote for a candidate who possessed the personal integrity, raw intellect, life experience and good judgment necessary to lead all of us as President. She liked that. I hope we don’t disappoint her.

Does my vote count? Will it make a difference?

537 votes. That’s how many votes in Florida ultimately determined the election of George Bush in 2000. (I know; I, too, get a sinking feeling in my stomach each time I recall that unfortunate day for America.)

Don’t let anyone you know skip tomorrow. It may be the most important voting day in American history.

If you have someone in your family under the age of 35, I implore you to CALL THEM and urge them to vote as if their future depends on it…because it does.

[Photo: Obama speaks in pouring Philadelphia rain. McCain canceled his appearance that day.]

VOTE!

Miracle of America

This photo was made by my daughter, Katherine, during a tour of the Miracle of America American Museum in Polson, Montana (sort of a "Smithsonian Museum West").



If there was ever a time for this sign to be posted everywhere, it is TODAY.

National Erratum

Apparently, Sarah Palin has never read the Constitution for she does not have even a fundamental grasp of the rights protected. She asserted on the campaign trail last week that media criticism of her may be a violation of her right to free speech.

Wrong, Sarah.

It is the First Amendment that protects everyone’s right to free speech, and especially the right of a free press to criticize those charged with the responsibility of upholding the US Constitution. Sarah, please read it once or at least ask someone to explain it to you. (I prefer that you not ask your husband, who has previously only demonstrated his interest in having Alaska secede from the Union.)

PS Note to founders: I’m sorry, Mr. Madison, we are not doing our best right now. Please apologize to Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Adams for us, too.

"Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide"

We now stand 232 years removed from the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The government that followed that declaration left us a magnificent heritage. In the dynamic of history, it is not possible to return to those times, much as many of our friends in the opposition party would like to. I say that because they have insisted for decades that government is too big.

Government is big today because the country is big (300 million citizens as opposed to just 2.5 million in 1776). And the government is big because it takes a big government to serve the citizens. Citizens, for the sake of the Union and for the common good, give their taxes to government, asking only that government administer responsibly the many and diverse programs that serve them. If the programs don’t serve the people, it is up to the people to elect representatives to change them.

But go back? No, not possible. So politicians, please stop promising a smaller government. You don’t mean it; you couldn’t deliver it if you did.

Times change. Circumstances differ, but it still remains possible to build upon the great heritage our founders left us. How many times have I heard a politician say, “The responsibility of each succeeding generation is not to exhaust our inheritance, but to replenish it?” I would add, “And to expand upon it.” Because that is part of our responsibility as citizens.

Barack Obama will be our next President. It will be up to him – AND US – to expand upon our founders’ legacy.The way will not be easy. The decisions at home and abroad will be difficult. I have no doubt that Obama and his administration will not shrink from the task at hand.

What is the role for each of us?

In this day when we are reluctantly counting the declining assets in our bank accounts, and when we are tempted to dwell only on the flaws in the fabric of our nation, it is time to count our blessings and to recommit ourselves to getting this nation back on track. In that great protestant hymn by James Russell Lowell, the opening line reminds us, “Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide.” This is that moment for our generation.

The choice we make on November 4 will send a message to all that America’s government remains “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We stand as a witness to the entire world that freedom is not a blessing to be taken for granted, where justice is promoted equally throughout the land, where the rights inherent in our Constitution are not to be dismissed but held sacrosanct, and where the promise of a brighter tomorrow is considered imminently achievable for every citizen.

Tiptoe to the Horizon

If only we could tiptoe to the horizon and take a look over to gain at least a glimpse of what the future holds for us. None of us have that gift (or curse, depending on your point of view), but it doesn't take much imagination to see enormous potential for growth and strength in the American experience.

It seems clear that alternative fuels will soon power our automobiles, thus decreasing our dependence on foreign sources of oil.

It seems clear that alternative and renewable fuels will be used to generate our electricity, including clean coal technology (which really will be clean).

It seems clear that advances in nanotechnology will soon transform the way thousands of products are manufactured, and the products thus made will be in the millions.

It seems clear that computers will become increasingly more sophisticated, faster and more powerful, and even more integrated in our lives, not just to help us play video games or to keep us better connected to each other, but including, especially including, providing better health care.

The capitalist system is perfectly suited to take advantage of the innovation and invention that flows from American ingenuity. The problem for this country has been that, for the past eight years, there has been no leadership at the White House. The Bush-Cheney cabal was never able to address "that vision thing" -- as Bush 41 described it -- because they were not, and are not capable of it. With Obama taking the helm, at last we will have a chance to take advantage of the real potential in America that has been suppressed by this incompetent Administration.