Tag Archives: Barack Obama

Handshake Hyperventilation and Diplomatic Hypocrisy

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Are people really making this big a deal about the fact that Obama shook Chavez’s hand.  People are freaking out because Venezuela is a socialist country and Chavez is kind of crazy and hates America.  Their human rights record sucks and they’re against everything we’re for economically.  This isn’t anything we didn’t already know.

There’s another country that’s pretty similar to Venezuela.  Its called Cuba and Obama said he was going to try a different tact with them as well, since, as I noted before, our foreign policy with them has worked so well over the last 50 years.

I’m just trying to make the point that people shouldn’t be so surprised.

I’m looking forward to when Obama meets with China for the first time though.  We all know that he’s going to shake their hands and smile when he’s talking to them.  But its okay when he does it with them because they have a really good human rights record and they’re totally on board with running their economy like ours and having really balanced trade with us.

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First Thoughts After the Call for Obama’s Win

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Just a few initial thoughts following the call for Obama’s win.

The reality and enormity of the moment is really starting to sink in.  We, as a country, have just overcome a huge hurdle in terms of acceptance in this country.  The election of an African American to the White House is something I always assumed would happen, but I have to be honest and say that I didn’t think it would happen this soon.  In a strange way, I feel weird that Obama’s election is such a monumental thing.  When its all said and done, Obama is just a man, but I recognize that many people in this country don’t see things that way.  The simple fact that an African American is going to be president provides great opportunity to move beyond the biases that some people still have in the country.  I hope with all my heart that opportunity isn’t wasted and positive things are accomplished with it.

While considering the monumental nature of the election, part of me still has a great deal of uncertainty what its going to mean in reality.  I’m keenly aware that the president usually doesn’t have as much singular power as people think.  Obama will still have to work with representatives in Congress from both parties to really move things forward and improve the state of our country.  I hope that he’s true to his word in that regard and truly pursues bipartisanship in governance.  A failure to do that will turn many of those that voted for him today, against him and the Democrats two and four years from now, and more importantly he will be a liar and will turn out to be what many hoped he wouldn’t, a typical politician.

Just a quick comment on McCains concession speech.  I thought he was incredibly gracious.  The tone he took gave me a bit of hope that he will be leader for the Republicans that will work with Obama and whatever majority the Democrats end up with in the Senate to really improve things in Washington and the country at large.  (I have to say I hope they don’t make it to 60)

The next six months are going to be really interesting to live through.  The weirdest thought is that I already know this is a moment that I’ll be talking about when I’m 70 and people will ask me where was I when we elected the first African American to the presidency.

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Election in a Battleground State

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For the first time in my life I’m living in a battleground state during an election and I have to say that I’m kind of enjoying it. You think there’s something wrong with me don’t you?

You’re probably right.  I’m picking up the phone when the caller ID says “unknown,” hoping that its someone doing a poll on the election.  I was actually disappointed when we got a call and the ID said something about polling in it and the phone disconnected when I picked it up.  Yes, I know the poli. sci. geek is rearing its head big time, but its actually kind of nice being in a state where my vote is actually going to matter.

Growing up in the south, my vote didn’t really matter.  I did my civic duty and cast my vote anyway, but almost every time it really didn’t matter.  The winner was usually known long before election day, particularly when it came to the president.

This year, Virginia has become one of the most hotly contested states in the election putting me smack dab in the middle of a virtual tidal wave of political advertising, calls, and activists coming around talking up their candidates and getting out the vote.

The ads haven’t bothered me yet.  Thank you wannabe TiVo (cable company DVR).  I skip through pretty much all of the adds, though I do see them while eating breakfast in the morning and some of them are kind of funny.  They’re not trying to be, but they are.  One I recently saw is a good example.  Just a guy talking to the camera, saying that he won’t vote for Obama b/c he’s a small business owner and Obama wants to raise his taxes and doesn’t know what its like to run a small business.  This is funny to me b/c all the non-partisan stuff I’ve seen is that Obama’s tax plan will lower taxes for most people.  Also, logic would follow that this guy is going to vote for McCain b/c he feels like McCain knows what its like to run a small business…except that he doesn’t as far as I know so maybe this guy is going to vote for Joe the Plumber.  For full disclosure, this was a third party add and wasn’t related to McCain at all.

The other fun thing is the calls.  I should tell you guys that Michelle Obama is hoping that her and Barack can be BFFs with Cris and I.  She called and left a really long message saying something about voting for her husband, but I’m sure she knew that Cris and I are East Coasters with advanced degrees that like to listen to NPR and she’s hoping that we’ll invite the two of them over for some cheese and wine.  I used to wonder who actually listened to the entirety of robo calls, and then realized dorks like me do.

So I guess we’re about two weeks out and the election hasn’t driven me completely crazy yet.  I have definitely gotten to the point a couple of times where I was getting burnt out, but it just seems like this is a really, really big election.  I saw one commenter say it always feels like the current election is the biggest at the time, but I really think this one is going to be remembered for a while.  The next couple of weeks should be interesting.

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Powell and the Obama Endorsement

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock or completely don’t care about the election you know that Colin Powell just endorsed Barack Obama for president.  This announcement is a pretty big deal.  Powell is a prominent republican who is admired by people on both sides of the aisle, and is likely to make some voters who were still questioning Obama’s credibility as a president, particularly as it pertains to the commander in chief role, a bit more comfortable with the idea of voting for him.  I’m far from saying that its going to cause a tidal wave of Republicans to vote for him, but this endorsement could definitely sway some undecideds or independents.

Beyond the macro ramifications of this thing, the endorsement and some of the coverage struck me on a personal level.  My decision in terms of this election has been made for a little while now.  What struck me while watching CNN and eating my Frosted Mini-Wheats this morning was how impressive Colin Powell continues to be to me.

I was watching a clip of him answering questions after he made the announcement on Meet the Press and I was reminded how intelligent he is and how easily he seems to be able to communicate his thoughts in a very easy to understand way.  Chris Rock makes fun of how the only compliment you ever hear people say about Colin Powell is that he’s so well spoken.  Its not that that is the only good quality he has, but its a very accessible window into a much deeper person beyond his voice.

Watching him field questions, he was able to express himself in a very clear and concise manner, he was totally comfortable with it, and he didn’t seem to be doing any kind of “dancing” that public figures are so apt to do.  He had thoughts in his head and he shared them in a very matter of fact way, and I just had this sense that the gears in his head work faster than most people’s.

In a strange sort of way, I feel bad for Powell because of his service in the State Department for Bush (though it is his fault for taking the job) and the part he played in making the case to go into Iraq to find WMD that wasn’t there.  When Obama was asked about a possible role for Powell in an Obama administration, he said Powell would advise him, but whether it would be in a official or unofficial role would be something they would have to discuss.

I would actually be interested to see him as Secretary of State again, though I’m not sure that would be possible given his first stint at State and Obama’s bludgeoning of the Bush administration during the campaign.  I’m a firm, true believer in speaking quietly, but carrying a huge stick.  I absolutely believe that before any kind of military action can take place you need to exhaust any and all diplomatic avenues, even beyond what you think is going to make you crazy.  I’m also realistic enough to know that military action can’t always be avoided and when the time comes, then you undertake that military action with the absolute best equipment and manpower you can.  I truly believe that Powell has the measured intellect to determine when you’ve reached the point of diminishing returns when it comes to diplomatic efforts and military action is required.

If Obama does win the presidency, I hope that he’s smart enough to really seek out the advice of Powell and others across the aisle like Powell to help him when making complicated, tough decisions.

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A Couple Quick Thoughts on the Debate

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You can go to any number of news websites for super, in-depth analysis so I’m just going to give a few quick impressions I had from the debate.

I’m not sure why everyone keeps saying that McCain is so good in townhall style forums.  He seemed as awkward as he always looks to me.  I thought Obama was completely equal to him in the townhall setting.

If I was playing a drinking game where you had to take a drink every time McCain said “my friend” I would have been hammered by the end of the debate.

McCain is missing something from his funny.  I didn’t follow his attempts at cracking jokes and it was sort of awkward when he laughed after he made them and no one else was really laughing.  Some of his zinger attempts also made him look a little petulant.

I thought Obama was more articulate in explaining his viewpoint and laying out what plans he had.  Problem with that was when he dodged a simple direct question, which he number a number of times, there was absolutely no mistaking that he was completely dodging the question.  I’m not sure it could have been more obvious.  He might as well have said, “that’s a great question, but I’m not going to answer it b/c its too hard or it puts me in a situation that I don’t want to be in.”

Lastly, I don’t understand how McCain’s plan to have the government buy up all the bad mortgages would work.  How is that going to get paid for, and how will they get paid off?

Bottom line, I think they were relatively equal on substance, but Obama was better on style.  Though substance should matter more, style plays a huge part in presidential politics.

Update:  So I asked the McCain housing plan question too soon.  Listening to NPR on the way home from work, apparently the outline of the plan is to take some of the bailout money that was just passed to pay for the plan.  I don’t remember all of the details, but it didn’t seem near as far fetched when it was explained a little more thoroughly.

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