Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

Reset

Russian media has been poking fun at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after she gave her Russian counterpart a “reset” button with an ironic misspelling. Story here.

Welcome, Russian comrades. We’ve been mocking Hillary for years.

Smiling and Nodding

This pretty much sums up my opinion on the never-ending inauguration:

It’s a bit hard to stomach a tidal wave of public opinion, manifesting itself in office inauguration parties that involve live projected video feeds set up in the break room and business coming to a standstill in gas station convenience stores while everyone stares enraptured at the TV. It’s particularly troublesome when it’s public opinion that runs counter to one’s own, which one reveals only at the peril of one’s social standing, even when the tenor turns to jeers and catcalls at the departing figurehead and an increasingly impassioned clamor for him and his cronies not to make it to their helicopter alive, or at least not to escape their destined Old West tribunal justice. Lotta smiling and nodding.

Yes, we had an office “simulcast” of the inauguration. And yes, I’ve been trapped in meetings where the topic of conversation turned to our “amazing” new President-to-be. And when it’s assumed that everyone in attendance is similarly enraptured by our fresh leader, the veil drops and the crazy comes out.

Oh, the crazy comes out.

And then the nodding and forced smiles begin.

Well I’m glad that’s all over. Now we can get to the business at hand.

If you’re still with me, head over to “PolitiFact.com” and view the Obama Promise Tracker. A list of 500 promises that Barack Obama made during the campaign, and the current status of each. At the time of this posting, 6 have been “kept”, 1 is stalled, 14 are in the works, and 489 are tucked in the “No Action” bucket.

Interesting that he’s frozen the salaries of White House staffers, but he still hasn’t gotten his daughters that puppy (Promise #502.)

Incoming…

My iPhone wallpaper.

Because that’s how I roll.

Breaking News

This just in…

Obama takes a break for some chili and sausage

The media is on the future President like paparazzi on Lindsay Lohan.

The chili story was front page news on CNN a couple days ago. And have you noticed how the photos that they run of Obama are still framed in such a way that he’s always looking at a point 2000 yards beyond the reporter’s head?

Compare and contrast with the types of photos they ran about George Bush:

I wonder how long this love affair will last… Will the inevitable breakup be ugly?

Iraq 2009

This blog-article from “Winds of Change.Net” sums up many of my feelings on the subject:

Most wars have to be sold. Seldom is the perceived need for war strong enough overcome people’s reluctance to fight until the enemy is at the gates…at which point it is often too late. Much of Thucydides is about the efforts of various Greek leaders to rally the reluctant city-states to support the Persian war.

This is damn hard to do in the modern era, because the ways wars are seen…unfiltered, raw, live on television, tends to focus our attention intently on the costs of war.

The Bush administration badly failed the public relations war, and it very nearly cost us the whole deal.

10 steps, revisited

In 2004 after Bush was re-elected, I posted an entry to Squidly.com with 10 suggestions for the Democrats if they wanted to “get back in the game” politically. Now that they’ve won, it might be fun to revisit this list and see how close I was.

1. First up, get better candidates. Stereotypical eastern liberals – morose, monotone, anti-war types are probably the worst possible choice you can make in a national election.

Well, it’s hard to argue that Obama is a sterotypical eastern liberal. While he’s been anti-war, he’s upbeat and different. Nailed this one.

2. Distance your party from Hollywood endorsements and radical protesters. Don’t solicit public displays of affection from rockers and movie stars, as these sorts of things piss off probably more people than they impress.

The Hollywood crowd seemed to take a back seat in this election, and while they certainly were vocal, Obama was able to run his own campaign without needing the surrogates. Still, he held fund-raisers with Streisand and Springsteen opened for some of his campaign stops, so I’m going to have to concede this point.

3. Be in touch with and realistic about the prevailing moral attitudes of the country. You don’t have to agree with them, but you do need to be aware and respectful.

Barack Obama was aware of this issue, and was mostly respectful. However there were times when he seemed to lose focus. Everyone remembers the “bitterly clinging to guns and religion” remark. I’m going to call this a draw.

4. Refute the conspiracy theorists. Forget trans-Afghanistan pipelines, Halliburton, and a Bush-9/11 conspiracy. Anything short of a clear denunciation makes you look as though you’re in league with the mystics.

Conspiracy theories played no role that I remember in this election. A non-issue.

5. Identify those things you stand for and clearly state them.

Not a lot of waffling from the Obama campaign, and he was a master of communication throughout.

6. Be comfortable in your own skin. Don’t take on the affect of a hunter, sports fan, or “good ole boy” unless that’s truly who you are. If you’re an intellectual, be an intellectual. Folks can see right through a fake goose hunter, cheese steak eater, or tank commander.

I don’t recall seeing Obama in a tank or crawling around with a deer rifle. He played himself throughout.

7. Be pro-defense, pro-military. Don’t just say it – live it. Back it up with your voting record. America loves a Hawk, and always will.

Obama is hardly a hawk. He portrays himself as a friend to the military, but has also talked about cutting military spending. I think I missed on this one.

8. End class and race warfare as a party platform – once and for all.

This election revolved around class warfare, and race certainly played a big role (although that part was greatly muted by the campaign itself.) I missed on this one as well.

9. Be self-effacing. Own up to your flubs without going out of your way to point out those of your opponent and you’ll reap the rewards. A sense of humor and humility will go a long way.

Obama is smooth, and seems to be willing to admit mistakes – often in a way that indicates strength rather than weakness. Not much to say here other than the guy knows how to give a great interview. He can be funny and humble, and attack without seeming malicious.

10. End fear campaigns. Talk of military drafts and terminated retirement benefits reflect a deeply ingrained willingness to do and say anything to get elected – no matter the facts of the situation.

The draft motif has gone away over the last 4 years, and there was nothing else that really rose up as a “fear issue”. I think Obama stuck to his core beliefs and presented his case without trying to scare people (other than maybe “Big Oil”…

So out of the 10, I think I got 5 right, 3 wrong, and 2 draws – not too bad. The Democrats also brought some new elements to play that I hadn’t considered in 2004. They presented a young, charismatic candidate, they exploited technology (web, television, radio) very well, and they energized the grass roots in a way that they never had before. Young voters actually turned out, and it probably was the difference.

Hold on to your wallets…

Hope.

As in: “I hope I am wrong about this guy.”

As an American I also say, “I hope you succeed.” We shall see.