We all have our moments Pollie... Lord only knows I had mine earlier this summer when I disappeared for a while.
Alls I can say is that a few folks here (and they know who they are) brought me back to reality...;-)
btw--what're you gonna do when "Dubya" leaves town...?
Hank,I get a different one every week.I wont open them because they are usually full of spyware.Learn my lesson about Email.
Rayyy,When dummy leaves town make no never mind to me now.As long as he doesn`t do something else to derail the next 4 yrs like invading Iran.Im toning down my rhetoric,but still think we need to scrutinize all the politicians on both sides.After all they all screw us after we elected them & truted them to do their jobs right.That is on both sides of the aisle.None are completely innocent.It was on their watch.If you see something wrong & say nothing,aren`t you as guilty as the perpentrator?If your in congress it is your duty to show up everyday & monitor the proceeding as a whole even while you may be in some special group such as ways & means & many others.It is still your responsiblitiy to be vigilant of your constituents.You know there may be a good job for the VP.Not to be a concubine,but to monitor the proceeding of congress & report to the right authorities of their ethics on issues.Since they seem to lack the ability to police themselves, an overseer for the overall protection of the people may be in order.I would not give him no authority to correct,but only to report arising dangers.This would also make voters & canidates for president more thoughtful when vetting their VP choices.I believe this would also serve to make proceeding more transparent.Too many bills are passed & riders tack on that turns a good bill to only mediocre or bad.This is because of a lack of transparency.If congress knows they will be called on the carpet quickly for bad judgement they will rein in their extragant.I know that people think Im liberal to the core,but that is not really the case.I feel for people ,but think of being fairhanded & practical at the same time can be achieved without losing balance.Im not an all or none person.That philosophy very seldom works at anything.It rather shows selfishness & lack of diplomacy or sane reasoning.
I seriously believe in my heart that Bush43 is suffering from dementia.I believe they`re are many that now this & are failing to correct this situation.A lot of things could be explained by this condition.I refuse to actually believe he was either that stupid or subversive to do the things he has done otherwise.Forgive me if Im wrong.Im just searching for answers based on the things I have seen in the last 8 years.Im not using this as a cheap shot,but as a way to afford him a reason for his lack of reasoning.I further believe they coverup for him to keep Cheney from assuming command.That would have been even more devastating.In all ernest may God guide him through his final days & his life afterwards.I mean no malice to someone who is handicapped.My brother was mentally ill for the last 14 years & fought his demons while trying to exist.I have seen all this before.Its sad.
I for one always observe veterans day.Many family members have participated in every war in the last 2 centuries,starting with the civil war.I dont know about the revolutionary war.I never had any documentation about that.Plenty of family lore & pictures from civil war.
Doing a little reading about post election jubilation.I hope the blacks realize that they won only with the help of the white vote.I also hope this can bring some healing to ease the racial animosity.It has been 40 odd years since the riots & integration of the races in schools & public places.Im sure there are a few sore asses that still harbor hatred from both sides,but maybe this will help all move pass the pettiness of these feelings.God go with us all we need all the help we can get from all the races.We can not afford the luxury of segregation.
Polliesboy: I note that President Elect Obama is making a point of selecting his words very carefully, to let his African-American supportrs know that he will be EVERYBODY'S president, including president of those who supported his opponent. That is a very healthy thing, and if Jesse Jackson is upset that Obama is not running around giving "high 5's" to highly partisan black supporters, well Jackson will simply have to deal with it. We are all in this "America thing" together, and we do not have the luxury of engaging in infighting. Our problems require a united effort, and a common sense of purpose and of sacrifice. JMO, JunkyardDog
I too have noticed this decision on Obama's part to seem impartial to color. My hope is that he chooses that road because it is the right thing to do and it sets an example as to avoid a confrontational atmosphere between others. I would also venture to guess he chooses to conduct himself in this manner to stay in good favor for a run again in 4 years.
We will see what he says -vs- what he does.
How Jesse Jackson, Oprah or any others feel about it...who cares.LOL
I'll give Jesse Jackson credit for one thing; when he ran for president. There was no way in hell
that he would ever win (even he knew that). But he gave it a shot anyway. That year there was about a dozen Democrats running and he hung in there and lasted longer in the race than most.
I think history will reward him with a small contribution to "change".
PS...He is too full of himself.
Jesse`s opinion does not concern me nor should it to Obama.He ran for president with his rhetoric & didn`t make a dent in the vote.Different story for Obama.After all the blacks say they want equality.We have given them the greatest acceptance of equality that could be bestowed upon them.They want to remember hat honor $ trust can be rescinded in 4 yrs & many years could elapse before accepting it again.Obama will be a paradigm for the future of blacks in politics in my opinion.I wish him well & all the luck & pray for wisdom to be given to him to lead the nation out of the jaws of the doom we are facing.His will be a harder task than most presidents has faced since FDR.No magic wand will cure this situation.It will take a level head & practical thinking along with innovative ideas.The old school of thought will not do the job here.The sooner we accept that,the sooner we can be on the road to recovery.The mindset of doom will have to be dealt with & new spending by government & confidence by the consumer that he can make a new purchase without fear of jepordizing his well being.
Guys like Jesse were needed in the political process at that time to help expand the national dialogue...
The big difference in Jesse's days, was that they were protest candidates unlike Obama's inclusive approach...
Just before midnight on Nov. 4, I wasn’t that worried.
Sure, the election results had been bad — but they weren’t devastating. Obama wasn’t winning the popular vote by double-digit margins, as some polls had suggested he might. Republican losses in the Senate and House were substantial but not catastrophic. Obama was ahead of John McCain by about the same margin with which Bill Clinton defeated George Bush in 1992, and he would be taking over in January with similar Congressional majorities to Clinton’s in 1993.
Well, Newt Gingrich was able to lead a Republican takeover of Congress only two years later. And after his victory in 1976, Jimmy Carter had even larger Democratic margins in Congress. Ronald Reagan trounced him four years later, bringing with him a G.O.P.-controlled Senate and an era of conservative governance.
What’s more, this year’s exit polls suggested a partisan shift but no ideological realignment. In 2008, self-described Democrats made up 39 percent of the electorate and Republicans 32 percent, in contrast with a 37-37 split in 2004.
But there was virtually no change in the voters’ ideological self-identification: in 2008, 22 percent called themselves liberal, up only marginally from 21 percent in 2004; 34 percent were conservative, unchanged from the last election; and 44 percent called themselves moderate, compared with 45 percent in 2004.
In other words, this was a good Democratic year, but it is still a center-right country. Conservatives and the Republican Party will have a real chance for a comeback — unless the skills of the new president turn what was primarily an anti-Bush vote into the basis for a new liberal governing era.
Those were my thoughts when, a few minutes into his victory speech, just after midnight, Obama told his daughters, “And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the new White House.”
I gulped.
Not out of my deep affection for dogs, fond of them though I am. But because while we’ve all known that Obama is a very skillful politician, he hasn’t until now been a particularly empathetic one. Competence plus warmth is a pretty potent combination. Suddenly visions of the two great modern realigning presidents — Franklin Roosevelt (with his Scottish terrier Fala) and Ronald Reagan (with his Cavalier King Charles spaniel Rex) — flashed before my eyes. Maybe a realignment could be coming.
Obama was, naturally, asked about the promised-but-not-yet-purchased puppy at his press conference Friday. (If one were being churlish, one might say that it was typical of a liberal to promise the dog before delivering it. A results-oriented conservative would simply have shown up with the puppy without the advance hype.)
Obama commented wryly that the canine question had “generated more interest on our Web site than just about anything.” He continued:
“We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me. So — so whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”
Here, in a few sentences, Obama did the following: He deepened his bond with every dog lover in America. He identified with every household that’s tried to figure out what kind of dog to get. He touched every parent with a kid allergic to pets. He showed compassion by preferring a dog from a shelter. And he demonstrated a dry and slightly politically incorrect wit by commenting that “a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.”
Not bad. It could be a tough four or eight years for conservatives.
It will be tougher yet if they underestimate Obama. His selection of Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff suggests that Obama’s not going to be mindlessly leftist, and that he’s going to shape a legislative strategy that is attentive to Congressional realities while not deferring to a Congressional leadership whose interests may not be his own. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were both tripped up in their first two years by their Democratic Congresses. Obama intends for Emanuel to ensure that that doesn’t happen.
And Obama has the further advantage of inheriting a recession that will give him a very tough first year or two (for which he won’t be blamed), but that should be followed by a recovery well timed for his re-election bid.
So Obama will be formidable. But conservatives should welcome the challenge. It’s good for conservatism that conservatives will have to develop refreshed ideas and regenerated political skills to succeed in the age of Obama.
And it wouldn’t hurt for Governors Sarah Palin, Mitch Daniels, Bobby Jindal and the other possible 2012 G.O.P. nominees to begin bringing some puppies home for their kids.
Nice article Ego. I continue to pray that Obama will be the kind of president that we all need and hope he will be. He will certainly be under an extra strong microscope so his work will certainly be a huge challenge. I don't envy the guy!LOL
Tractor Girl, Egotarian: Insightful posts, you two. I have had my eye on Obama since the time he first announced he was running for the U.S. Senate from Illinois. This guy is a formidable opponent for anyone he has that is unfortunate enough to cross his path, as good instinctively as Bill Clinton, but with the added advantage of having the self-discipline to keep his p____ in his pants, and furthermore he tolerates nobody getting into sex scandals or corruption scandals who is even remotely around him. In other words, I was a fan before it was chic or cool to be a fan. I really really think he believes in his heart that we can make this country a better place. It is not just self-serving rhetoric designed to get the votes to secure and keep his job. jmo, JunkyardDog
JYD.I agree whole heartly with your assessment of motives.This man has the eyes of he world upon him.I do beleve he is a good man.
Your admiration of Obama has certainly shown in your posts. Given my utmost respect for you, I will take solice in your faith in him. I am, however, a skeptic when it comes to any person of power until they have been tested to show that they can act in a manner that is deserving of that power and will continue to stick to my "actions speak louder than words" method of evaluation.
My point of staying in good favor for consideration in 4 years was...if he were to jump on the bandwagon of "black power" or showing favoritism as some may prefer he do.. I would think there would be significant skepticism by many who are supporters at this time.
Tgirl,that would be a fair assumption.I however will give him the benefit of doubt until such time he proves me wrong.I will not try to read more into every situation than is merited,nor will I give him or any other politician a free pas.Bill Clinton did several things besides his obvious trespasses that were less that admirable in my book.Overall he was my favorite because of his practical approach.His tact in dealing with other countries seem to preclude the need for military aggression.In the end his ability to bolster & stimulate the economy & balance the budget is a feat that was in itself simple but genius in a time of one deficit budget after the other in preceding & successive adminstration.I shall remain vigilant in days to come.No one is above reproach in my world,even the Pope.
I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy... I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might...
The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.
In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.
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