Last of Our Kind

"Change has come to America,” President-Elect Obama said as he claimed victory and spoke to the nation. Victory was achieved. We did it. We have moved forward as a nation. We have now entered “Post Racial” America. Now to be fair, I know racism will not go away, but perhaps this is what some can call, and let’s hope, “The beginning of the end.” We have torn down the wall, smashed through the ceiling, and have allowed young black children everywhere to say, “Anything is possible.”

But somehow, we have not moved forward. Somehow while taking one step forward we took two giant leaps back. And by this I am speaking about California’s passage of Proposition 8.

It says that California voters believe animals should be treated better and have more rights than homosexuals.

Is this what America stands for? Is this what we want to represent to the rest of the world? A country that writes hate into their laws? A nation that treats people differently based on who they love and their want to express that love by spending the rest of their lives together? If this is the direction the country is headed, I fear that I will be ashamed for a long, long time.

“Change has come to America,” President-Elect Obama said as he claimed victory and spoke to the nation. Unfortunately for some, that change is not enough.

Well…it seems we as a people did it?! We came together and refused to be controlled by lies and the politics of fear. We elected a leader who does not take our intelligence for granted. We said no to a leader who continually insulted our intelligence during his campaign. Barack Obama is our new president. I do not have to hold my breath anymore. I do not have to skeptically hope any longer. It seems we as a people banded together and said we will not take this, not now, and not again. People got involved this time, and it showed. This was not a squeaker of a win. It was not close. The Electoral College was a landslide, and Obama won over 50% of the popular vote for the first time in years. It was a resounding victory, no doubts about it. Virginia went democrat! Florida went democrat! Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Colorado, and New Mexico all went democrat! The supposed apathetic youth vote was NOT apathetic this year. The Bradley Effect…well…had no effect. And race transcended all of this. And it was historically beautiful, and singularly moving.



You see…Obama was not a “lesser of two evils” candidate. He was not a, “Well…he isn’t George W. Bush” candidate. Obama is a movement. He is, and represents, a movement of change, a movement towards change, and it was all created by the people and for the people. He is not a politician put in place by a party at power, or a politician that stole an election. Obama is proof that America is ready and willing to change. He is evidence that the majority of us are prepared to take a step into an entirely new and uncharted direction.

Obama represents the idea of a better and more promising tomorrow. He stands for the things that America so desperately needs. He stands for growing the middle class, ending dependence on foreign oil, the possibility of a post-partisan Washington, renewable energy, health care for all, environmental reform, international diplomacy, renewing our status and respect abroad, economic stability, and a military power that will not need to use its power until every other option is completely exhausted. And possibly more important that all of this…he is a leader that the youth of this country look up to, admire, respect, believe in, and not too far down the road, that generation will be the leaders of this nation. They deserve someone who will start to implement the changes that must be made for our nation to continue to thrive and flourish for many generations to come.



This was one of the dirtiest and nastiest campaigns of recent memory. I was glad to see that everyone refused to be swayed by the lies and distortions the McCain campaign so tirelessly spewed forth in their final weeks. I will, however, say this…I feel bad for John McCain. He was very gracious in defeat. I believe at his core, he is a good man, and an obviously dedicated to this nation. I feel bad for John McCain because I believe he surrounded himself with people that convinced him to take his campaign in a direction he himself would not have chosen. I feel that perhaps he saw this for what it was: His final chance at being elected president. And he panicked. He crumbled under the pressure. And I feel bad for him. Granted, I did not want him leading this country, but I do feel bad about all the “Worst Campaign Ever” headlines I have seen recently. Conversely, I DO NOT feel bad for Sarah Palin. She was never qualified for this position. And everyone who thinks she needs to run in 2012 needs to take another look at why the republican ticket lost this year, and realize that she represents all of those things. Politics of fear, lies, distortions, scorch the Earth politics.

And besides…how can you possibly run AGAINST Hope?

I think our country took its first step in the right direction. I am sure there are MANY who disagree. That is fine. I strongly believe that Obama can and will earn the respect of many in this nation. Maybe not those who still believe he is a terrorist or a Muslim. Maybe not those who still believe in a “Real America vs. anti-America.”

I think “Real America” resoundingly and convincingly spoke out on November 4th, and they chose to make a difference. They all chose to leave behind the politics of division. To leave behind the notion of a divided country.

We all chose to give a visionary leader a chance to make a difference, and in so doing, we all made a difference.

Congratulations…Our time has come.


Luxuriating in the deliciousness (thanks Cory Booker)
-LoOK

Alaska’s largest newspaper, The Anchorage Daily News, just endorsed Senator Barrack Obama for President. Not only did the newspaper say Barack Obama is the better choice, but it actually said Sarah Palin was “too risky” to be VP, and therefore one heartbeat away from the Presidency.

I know Barack Obama will not win the state of Alaska and its 3 electoral votes. However, to the Republican Party this has to come as a shock and definitely has to be seen as a slap in the face to Sarah Palin. Not to mention this is yet another blow to an already shaky (and some would say finished) campaign.

We are in the final week of this election and the candidates can not afford any negative press, or any mistakes. And yet here John McCain has ANOTHER one.

It seems like from day one (at least day one from picking Governor Palin) he can not get a break. Now, as a supporter of Obama I think this is good news, but it almost makes me feel sorry for the guy. He truly loves this country, I don’t doubt that, but his party is so far to the right that he never could run the campaign or make the decisions that he actually wanted to. The Daily News clearly chose not to endorse McCain because of his VP choice, a choice that many think (especially as the two running mates begin to tear each other down) was not his first pick.

Conventional wisdom says John McCain really wanted to pick Joe Lieberman as his VP. That choice would have shaken things up for the Republicans. The problem is that they as a party are so conservative that McCain would have been skewered had he had made such a controversial decision and asked a “liberal” to join him.

I also believe that John McCain could (and should) have picked Mitt Romney as his VP. Looking at how horribly McCain handled the economic mess we are in, Romney certainly would have helped. However, he is a Mormon, and would that have really appeased the Christian Right? I don’t think so. Had they been able to accept his religion would they get over the fact that he once supported abortion and that he is from the “Elitist Territory,” Massachusetts? This man says no.

So how does this fit in with the endorsement for Barack Obama? As I said before I think it’s great for the Democratic Party, and great for the nation that a progressive man with good ideas will finally be able to lead. It is important however, to say that we are also at a moment of great division. If we don’t learn to come together and support our new President, we are doomed to fail as a nation. We will be destined to take huge steps back in everything that we have fought for. And that is what we must realize going forward.

We have come to a place now, where our division is no longer helpful. It does not allow for discussion and debate, but only gridlock and fighting. We have to stop arguing about the legality of abortion and focus on prevention, education, and the safety of Women. We have to stop arguing about Gay marriage and focus on equal rights for everyone (which is what this nation truly stands for).

America, it is time we turn the page past partisanship. We have to, or else we will never move forward again.

When I first watched Schindler’s List I remember having a discussion about why the Holocaust happened, or rather, why it was allowed to happen. We spoke about silence. While the Holocaust was happening the whole world was watching. They were watching in silence, and their silence gave consent. No one stood up and said “This is wrong. This must be stopped.” Once we did it was too late and millions of people had already been murdered. It is for this reason, the inability to act, that the whole world is ashamed of themselves for this moment in history.

Now, I always thought that there was a certain line in politics that was never crossed. There was the old ad from the 60’s with the nuclear bomb and the little girl, which went too far. People are (rightly so) scolded for using Osama bin Laden and references to 9/11 in ads. Now maybe I’m too naïve, but I always thought that Hitler and the Holocaust were also off limits.

Then I read this:

“A new e-mail making the rounds among Jewish voters in Pennsylvania this week...equated a vote for Senator Barack Obama with the “tragic mistake” of their Jewish ancestors, who ‘ignored the warning signs in the 1930’s and 1940’s.’”

There is so much at stake in this election. I think everyone has figured this out by now. This is the election of a lifetime. It presents us all with a choice between two very distinct candidates, and two very distinct ideas about the proper course for this country. I think everyone who is paying attention, and anyone reading this, probably knows the particulars of which candidate stands for what. And if they do not, I think most people are doing what must be done to learn the facts. At least I hope that is the case.



Unfortunately, I still see and hear from so many people out there that for some reason still think Barack Obama is a Muslim or a terrorist or both. Friends I thought I knew, TV personalities, radio personalities, pundits, bloggers, and even young people…people that I thought would not be taken in by the lies and distortions of the republican machine and the McCain Smear-Talk Express. I have some news for everyone…we have a little thing called freedom of religion in our country. That freedom covers everyone in our country, and any religion they care to practice, including no religion at all. You know what that means? It means our president is NOT REQUIRED to be a Christian. Now, I know Christianity is the major religion in the United States, and for that reason, people elect leaders who most closely reflect and embody their beliefs and values, but nowhere does it say it has to be this way. What “values voters” seem to forget is that there is much more at stake in this election than someone’s Christian beliefs. I am not advocating for any particular religion or non-religion here. I am not saying we should have a Muslim president, and I am not saying we should have an atheist president. I am, however, saying it should not matter. I am saying that I want a president that is going to address the major issues facing our country in both the foreseeable and unforeseeable future. I want a president that is going to address our strained relations abroad by communicating and using…uh…what is the word I am looking for…must have forgotten…oh yeah…DIPLOMACY. I want a leader that will recognize climate change and global warming for the problems that they are, and do something about them (because they are NOT a myth). I want a new president that is going to change our energy policy, take us off foreign oil, invest in clean renewable energy sources, and commit to increasing fuel efficiency standards. I want someone who will do something about the failed economic policies of the last eight years, someone who will cut taxes for the middle-class (the word middle-class does not exist in McCain’s lexicon). And I do not care if that president needs to ask himself, “What would Jesus do?” or “What would Allah do?” or Vishnu or Buddha or Confucius or logic or reason, before making a decision, I just care that he makes the right one. The right decision for you, for me, for your children, your grandchildren, and so on and so forth.

Guess what? The Muslim religion is not synonymous with terrorism, and being a terrorist does not automatically mean you are a Muslim. I know…I know, that was a bit repetitive, but I have to think, no, hope that…maybe if we repeat things enough, it will get through the thick skulls of the ignorant bigots who actually believe it. Once more for those with small-minded proclivities: NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS and NOT ALL TERRORISTS ARE MUSLIMS! Anyone who is still clinging to the idea that Obama is either a Muslim or a terrorist or both, is either not paying attention, brainwashed by all of the Republican fear mongering paranoia, or just too ignorant to care.



I am sure some of those bigots out there will say, “Well he did associate with that terrorist Bill Ayers!” And to you I say what everyone already knows…Obama was EIGHT YEARS OLD when The Weather Underground was active. Which is kind of like saying, “You are a Christian, and therefore you are responsible for the Crusades of the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries.” I digress, perhaps that was a stretch, but you see my point. Obama served on a bipartisan education board with Ayers. It was a committee that was funded by Walter H. Annenberg, a well-known philanthropist and education advocate, and friend and advisor to Republican icon, President Ronald Reagan. Some people will say he was raised Muslim. So what if he was? It does not mean he is still a Muslim. Besides that…all of this is making me stray from my main argument: It should not matter one-way or the other. That is why we have a little thing called Separation of Church and State.

Now we are all entitled to our opinions, I will not deny that. However, a right to your own opinion does not make it a good opinion. I am sure everyone who still thinks Obama is a Muslim, still believes it, and thinks that my opinion is a bad one. That is fine. I do not expect to change your mind today or tomorrow or maybe even ever, but I have said what I believe to be true, and call it a hunch, but I think there are a few others out there who would agree with me.

I will let you all be the judge. Tell us your thoughts.

Until next time,
Your trusty neighborhood-misguided-idiot-liberal-nutjob-anti-American-socialist-communist-(insert Republican talking point insult here)
-LoOK

Post Script
Colin Powell on this issue from Meet the Press this last Sunday:

"I'm also troubled by - not what Senator McCain says - but what members of the Party say, and it is permitted to be said: such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is he is not a Muslim. He's a Christian; has always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, "What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?" The answer's "No, that's not America." Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be President? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own Party drop the suggestion he's Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
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 in 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 twenty years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross. It didn't have a Star of David. It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Karim Rashad Sultan Kahn. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey, he was fourteen years old at the time of 9/11 and he waited until he could go serve his country and he gave his life."

In our last post I talked about the endorsement of Barack Obama by General Colin Powell. I said somehow the right would find a way to spin this, and I hinted to it with rush Limbaugh’s reaction. Today he made himself even clearer on where he stands on this endorsement:



I know starting a feud with Rush Limbaugh is pointless. I know there are a million blogs out there in this world that bash him every day. I also know there are a million out there that praise him all the same. But today, after his latest remarks I have had enough.

However, I am perplexed at where I should start. Should it be with the “genital” comment or his blatant form of racism?

To call a true American war hero, a man who understands how to wage battle in times such as these more than anyone, a man who we need around to get advice from "Genital Powell" is disgusting. Tell me Rush, how is it that you sleep at night? Are you still popping those pills? Is that it? It must be.

Rush, I am sure you have supported Colin Powell in the past. I am sure he was one of your favorite guys when he was advising Reagan, or when he was George Bush’s Secretary of state. The truth is, when General Colin Powell saw how “his party” was evolving into a majority of nutcases he took a step back and said “Wait a minute, this isn’t the party I want to associate myself with.” When he said that, you sir, decided to throw him under the bus. You threw him to the dogs and I am sure your listeners ate him alive.

Now, to say that General Colin Powell chose to endorse Senator Barack Obama based only on the fact that he is black is disturbing. To say that implies that it had nothing to do with John McCain’s lack of leadership during this campaign, or his recent condoning of tactics such as calling Obama a terrorist and being proud of supporters who chant, "Kill him!" However, according to you these reasons have nothing to do with the endorsement because Powell and Obama are both black.

It has nothing to do with the reality that John McCain chose an inexperienced running mate based solely on the fact that she was a woman. Forget the fact that General Colin Powell said Governor Palin is not ready to be president of the United States. Forget that General Powell is disgusted with the overall tone of McCain’s Campaign. General Colin Powell’s endorsement has nothing to do with the fact that John McCain’s campaign is being run by lobbyists or that John McCain thinks the "fundamentals of our economy are strong." According to you Rush Limbaugh, General Colin Powell chose Obama because he is black.

John McCain lost all three debates as determined by every poll I saw. He was not strong on issues both foreign and domestic. He does not have a plan to solve the healthcare crisis or a plan to help the middleclass at all. He wants to give tax breaks to the rich and raise taxes on the poor (he plans to tax benefits), but none of this had any bearing on General Colin Powell’s decision, because both he and Barack Obama are black.

And if you truly believe that then you are in fact still on drugs. You must be, it is the only reason I could even begin to comprehend your rationale or lack thereof. Of course who am I kidding. You are Rush Limbaugh, bloated talking head for all those who are too stupid to know better, or too ignorant to change. You spew hate because that’s your job. You are paid copious amounts of money to vomit over the airwaves because you have a following that will eat it up.

The truth is, this time Rush, you will not win. The American people will no longer be fooled by your words, or afraid of your tactics. John McCain is not going to win this election. I know part of you is excited. You will have high ratings for eight years declaring how horrible Obama is as President. But the truth is you are weak, and weakening. You and your faithful will fight against a leader who stands against everything you are, and I am sure that terrifies you. So enjoy this moment while it lasts, because it won’t be this way forever.

I won’t be directing a post to Rush very often, if ever again. I won't waste my time. I know he won’t listen. He’s paid not to.

There was one endorsement left in this election season that both John McCain and Barack Obama wanted. General Colin Powell is respected across the board by both Republicans and Democrats. He is after all a Four Star General, former national security advisor, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former Secretary of State. In layman’s terms, General Powell has some credibility when it comes down to who he wants to endorse.

Well, in a move that some may call the final nail in McCain’s coffin, General Powell chose to endorse Senator Barack Obama. He chose to endorse him because he believes Senator Obama is a, “transformational figure” and would be an, “exceptional leader.” I have to say for John McCain to hear that, it’s got to hurt. It also had to hurt to hear General Powell say that he did not believe Sarah Palin was qualified to be president of the United States. For McCain’s Campaign, it had to hurt to hear General Powell trash the judgment of John McCain.

For Barack Obama, this endorsement was music to his ears. In the final weeks this can only help. It will help with those who still believe that Barack Obama does not have the foreign policy credentials, or the experience to be President. With this endorsement, Colin Powell will reach out to the older voters (being 71 himself) and say (even if he chooses to remains silent for the duration of the election), “Do not be afraid to trust this young man with our future. Do not be afraid to believe that he is the man to take us out of these tough times of today and help us arrive at a better tomorrow.”

Now, I know the Republicans will find some way to spin this endorsement as a bad thing, but General Powell was an aide to Reagan, their dearly beloved Ronald Reagan! So, to the McCain campaign I say, “Good luck on this one.”

For those of you who feel General Powell chose to endorse Barack Obama because he is black (I am talking to you Pat Buchanan and Rush Limbaugh) I am glad that you found some sort of spin to make it through the day, but you are wrong. You are not only insulting General Powell, but insulting the American People. But we all know you thrive off of ignorance. Without it where would you be?

Now, to be fair had the General endorsed McCain, the Obama camp could have said, “General Powell is the man who took a test tube of baking soda and lied to the United Nations to get us into the Iraq War. He is the type of adviser that President Bush surrounded himself with, and this simply represents John McCain being an extension of George W. Bush.” I am sure that statement was written just in case. However, it would have been misleading and incredibly inappropriate.

Yes, General Powell did in fact play a huge part in our run up to the Iraq war. I believe that he knowingly lied to the U.N., but I also believe that he is incredibly repentant of his past indiscretions. I believe he wants nothing more than to atone for his sins and by supporting a leader who he feels is “transformational,” Colin Powell believes we can still get out of Iraq with some respect intact.

While some may jump on the aforementioned criticism of General Powell, many others will praise the General for his courage, for his “Maverick” move to reach out across party lines and support a Democrat.

I fall into the latter category and say Thank you General. Thank you for showing us that there are still “Washington Insiders” that believe what so many of us believe. We can change, we will change, and that change is nothing to fear.

Just finished watching the debate. Did anyone do a count on how many times McCain rolled his eyes? How about failed jokes? How about showing his angry side? How about how many times he tried to distract us all from the issues?

Just like the VP debate and Sarah Palin, expectations were extremely low for John McCain. I think we need to hold our candidates to a much higher standard. Simply because McCain was able to attack Obama and distract voters, the media claims that he shined and put forth his best performance. I am not convinced. He did more than he did in the last two debates, but was it really all that strong? Was it very substantive? It seemed like a lot of distractions and attacks from an angry man who shows clear disdain for his opponent.

Did McCain ever repudiate those in the audience who cried for Obama's death? That he was a terrorist? I never heard that. And somehow, McCain spun that around and tried to claim Obama was calling his supporters bad people. Seriously? Are we supposed to be that gullible?

More later...when we have more time to digest this all.

-LoOK