The Telegraph just did a survey of conservative MPs in Parliment in London. More than a third are abandoning historic ties with the USA Republican Party and speaking out in favor of Democrat Barack Obama. (I always have liked the British-- starting back with watching Monty Python in my youth)
Almost a third of Tory MPs willing to publicly express their preferences in the US presidential election are prepared to jettison their party's historic links with the Republicans and back Democrat Senator Barack Obama.
A Telegraph survey of the Conservative parliamentary party indicates that "Obamamania" has reached the opposition benches of the House of Commons, presenting a dilemma for David Cameron, the Tory leader, when he meets Mr Obama in London on Saturday.
So, people keep telling me we need Ohio. Ted has been mentioned on quite a few shortlists and would supposedly help bring home his state. In his Governor's race;
Strickland easily won the Democratic primary on May 2, 2006, winning 80 percent of the vote. In the November general election, he was challenged by Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Libertarian economist Bill Peirce and Green Bob Fitrakis, but won handily on November 7, 2006, capturing 60% of the vote. Blackwell finished in a distant second with 37% of the vote.
He's a bit conservative for me, and the NRA loves him... but he is popular in Ohio-- he's a gov. rather than a Senator. Police and first responder orgs love him. And he seems like he would be a fighter. I think Cupcake Rollins would have a mixed reaction? Your thoughts?
P.S. Strickland passes the tlg photo test with bonus points since he has 2x the Obama factor in his picture.
P.P.S. He also says he does not want the post but insiders say he would serve if asked.
There's more...
My friend, who is serving in Afghanastan wrote me last night about his impressions of waiting to see Barack. Can't say his name as you really can't be out politically while serving active duty but he said I could post his view to share with all of you.
Just got to see Sen Obama on his way from the US embassy in Kabul. You should have seen the security coverage, several Blackhawks circling as his chinook came in and following his motorcade out. Though seeing him (from a distance) out here is thrill, even more exciting was the crowd of service members from many nations who waited for a momentary glimpse.
Of course, out here (almost) any excitement is welcomed in the stretches of boredom that accompany duty in Afghanistan, but as we waited for something to happen for over an hour the discussion of everyone's feeling and thoughts for the election and Afghanistan's future revealed just how much people out here are pinning their hopes on the US to make a good call this November and for the next president to get things done to recover from recent setbacks.
These are the guys and gals who have been on multiple combat tours, some here, many in Iraq, and sound bites about "Cutting and Running" or "Bring It On" don't go far. They want intelligent discussion and results.
I hope American voters are smart enough to demand the same for the next few months, and the next four years.
As everyone focuses on each little shift in campaign strategy, each media story of the day, I hope they remember that momentary disappointments or elation need to be kept in the context of the folks dying out here. Lost another Coalition soldier yesterday afternoon, and it has been a rough week for civilian casualties in the crossfire with a resurgent Taliban.
Very glad Sen Obama knows this is where he should be, if only for a day or two.
As one British Sergeant exclaimed, "I just got a photo of the next President of the United States!" I do hope he is right. -- Kabul, Afghanistan
I was happy to get a second email from my friend this morning. He did get to meet Barack in person and sent me a picture. He was smiling from ear to ear.
There's more...
Maliki has made a statement on Obama's plan for withdrawal.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.
In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."Reuters.com
I think we have an agreement to end this war. What's the date today?
There's more...
Accidental Slide Deployment Inside Tail Cone Being Investigated By NTSB
A routine precautionary landing was made Monday, July 7, 2008, when the crew of Senator Barack Obama's chartered campaign jet had difficulty controlling the pitch of the plane. Pitch is the up and down motion of the plane, controlled by the elevator which is attached to the tail.
The precautionary landing was made in St. Louis -- without any need for the passengers to brace themselves -- but with firetrucks called out as they are routinely for any precautionary landing.
When a mechanic (already flying with along with the crew) examined the tail, it was discovered that the emergency tail slide had accidentally deployed within the plane's tail cone. The plane was never in any danger, and the pilot's ability to control the aircraft was never threatened.
About an hour into the flight from Chicago to Charlotte, North Carolina, the first officer said that upon takeoff the pilot had difficulty controlling the pitch of the plane, requiring a diversion of the flight.
Obama, 46, an Illinois senator, made light of the incident this morning.
``I just thought we'd spice things up a little bit today,” he joked to reporters at the back of the plane as they waited on the tarmac.
Obama said he wasn't frightened, yet ``any time a pilot says that something's not working the way it's supposed to, then you know, you make sure you tighten your seat belt.”
``Everything seemed under control; the pilots knew what they were doing,” Obama said.
The first officer announced at 9:40 a.m. local time that during the ascent from Chicago an hour earlier the pilot noticed an issue involving the ability to control the plane's pitch.
``While there was never an issue as to the safety of the flight, as a precautionary measure, we decided to divert the plane to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, where it landed just before 10 a.m.” local time, the airline said in a statement.
Obama told reporters after landing it was the first time he had had to land because of mechanical problems.
Obama delivered his speech by telephone from St. Louis to about 200 people in Charlotte. He later continued onto Atlanta, Georgia, for a fundraiser in a smaller airplane.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, it announced Monday afternoon.
The crowd in Charlotte was happy to hear the Senator by phone.
And on goes the campaign.
What Makes An In-Flight Emergency?
What I want to emphasize for those of you whom are not air crew, is how totally routine this is.
I don't know what their checklists say, however unless their checklists required it -- and they might have -- it's unlikely the aircrew “declared an emergency.”
“Declaring an emergency” is a technical act which cause all kinds of serious shit to happen, in the cockpit and at every station between you and your destination (including every airplane along the way.)
You do it when:
the checklist tells you to,
the mechanic on the ground recommends you to (although the Pilot In Command always has the final call; he's IN COMMAND) and in this case, they had a mechanic right there in the cockpit with them, which shows how seriously the Secret Service takes Senator Obama's security,
when bad shit is happening and it's clear to any reasonable pilot there is an emergency, or
and this is the tough one, when to the PIC something simply feels bad.
The key to surviving a no-shit in-flight [emergency] is dealing with what is technically known as a cascade failure. It's NEVER just one thing which brings down an airfoil. It's A + B + C + D. When you listen to the orange box recordings, sometimes I just SCREAM at them, because they are always five minutes too late and at least thirty seconds too fucking slow all the goddamn flight... and it always ends the same.
They miss A because their attention is elsewhere. By the time they've finally caught up to A it's too goddamn late, because now B has gone wrong and is blinking, signaling for their attention but they're fixated on A. By the time they catch up and notice B it's too late again because now C is falling apart all the way over there, and by the time they catch up and notice C the plane has moved on to D and that's the mother-fucking thing that kills everyone.
The plane starts to spin, breaking apart, falling. They struggle to gain control. Their voices never, not once lose concentration, fighting, working the problem, all the way to the ground. Calling their position to ATC. And then. Just before they hit. One of them says in the same, totally flat professional voice they've used all night... "Oh shit" ...and you can hear how utterly disgusted he is with himself.
He didn't solve the problem.
The key to surviving an in-flight is not getting caught inside the time-loop of a cascade failure. A cascade failure is moving faster than you can react to it. At the same time, you don't want to be the person who goes around “declaring an emergency” which puts every asset of the air traffic control system at your instant disposal and -- literally -- causes hundreds to thousands of airplanes to divert or delay, all in order to make certain you and your passengers are safe in your moment of peril... if in fact, you don't have a damn good case for declaring an emergency.
So...
Trouble on takeoff an hour ago. Yeah.
Pitch trouble now. Fine.
But when it comes out of autopilot --
...the plane flies on autopilot almost the entire trip; it's more fuel efficient that way and frees the pilots to do more important tasks such as, well in this case, figure out if there is actually an emergency. More typically, eat dinner, talk to ATC, the company on the telephone or radio, watch the beautiful sunset...
-- when the plane comes off autopilot the pitch problem is fine. Or at least, controllable.
The mechanic doesn't see an issue, even when she (let's say it's a she) goes back to the tail and looks . And there's no light to tell her the emergency tail shoot has deployed. (Bad design.)
The PIC has to make a decision. Is this a cascade failure which he is behind? In which case he'd better declare an emergency right now and head for the nearest appropriate airport (not necessarily the closest) which can handle his configuration, problem, and souls on board. (Yes, souls on board means they want to know a count of bodies. Including off-manifest bodies. In case. Declaring an emergency triggers automatic procedures everywhere. No kidding. Chaplains are notified. No. Kidding.)
Or... is all this simply some flaky problem in the instruments? (Lights for example, may go on and off with disturbing regularity. For example, sometimes the fire light will go on in an engine when there's no fire. Or a light saying the right rear wheels are down and locked will burn out. Bit of a problem.)
Last concern: The pilot is flying the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for the United States of America, much of his Senior Staff, and the traveling press corps. Also possibly the daily briefer and a briefing memo and papers of some security classification. The nominee is guarded by the Secret Service. No pressure, however if you frack this up it's likely you'll be flying mercs in oil wars in Africa to prove your loyalty before they let you have your ATC license back and let you near American airspace again.
All things considered, if it's not a checklist requirement to declare an emergency, I probably would not. (And I wasn't a pilot, just a flight medic, so what the HELL do I know? *laughs*) Instead, I'd simply ask them if we could divert to St. Louis. They might ask me if I wanted to declare. I'd say no, not right now. That would be MORE than enough. Plus, you bet your sweet ass they know who we are. Secret Service has someone there. In fact, I'll bet, now that I think about it... Just as AF1 has its own call sign, I'll bet there's a special call sign for this aircraft. Not to be vain, but to keep ATC in the loop for special handling.
Obama waves after precautionary landing in St. Louis on July 7, 2008. photo AP in CNN.
k. Enough.
Here's the point of all this. Most of the reporters handled the story well. Some of them -- *cough FOX NEWS cough* truly utterly fucking BLEW. They put up headlines and breaking news bars, and did shit like "OBAMA PLANE DRAMA. Turbulence. Airline and everyone on it might DIE Die die... (I'm making up some of this, but why not... this is the kind of happy horseshit they did.)
Why did they do it? Because they're Fox News and not real journalists. Which means they don't know an ass from a hole in the ground. Like how Bill O'Reilly doesn't know how to treat a woman.
Anyway, when you see the idiots who reported this as an emergency, just notice how calm and cool and collected Senator Obama was. That's because there wasn't anything there, there. Also, because even though this was the Senator's first in-flight... he knows how to keep his cool. He isn't one to panic in an emergency and say, lose his plane.
Or five of them. (I'm just saying.)
I can't remember ever hearing of a glitch on Air Force One. Not saying there's never been one (there almost certaintly has.) I just haven't ever heard of one.
Not including the 2000 and 2004 elections.
So... what have we learned?
No matter what the emergency, don't declare unless you need to, but if you need to, do so without hesitating.
What kills in emergencies is cascade failures. The key to survive a cascade failure is to get inside the turning cycle, how fast the cascade is failing, falling, turning around, tumbling down, turning on you. No, faster. Faster. It is going FASTER. Quick... declare an emergency.
Now step back, breathe.... Let yourself BE. And see the whole picture.
Obama's Acceptance Speech at INVESCO Field at Mile High
In a break with tradition, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced today the final day of the convention, Thursday, August 28, 2008, will be held at INVESCO Field at Mile High, including Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech. INVESCO Field holds more than 75,000 people.
“The Democratic Party is nominating a true change candidate this August, and it is only fitting that we make some big changes in how we put on the Convention,” said Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). “Senator Obama’s candidacy has generated an enormous amount of excitement and interest, not only in the Democratic Party but also in the 2008 Convention. By bringing the last night of the Convention out to the people, we will be able to showcase Barack Obama’s positive, people-centered vision for our country in a big way. ”
“Barack Obama’s campaign for change has inspired millions of Americans and brought people into the political process who might never have been involved,” said Convention Co-Chair Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. “This change in the Convention program will allow thousands of first-time participants a chance to take part. I can’t think of a better Convention finale for our nominee who has made reaching out to voters a hallmark of his campaign.”
Primetime Convention activities Monday, August 25 through Wednesday, August 27 will continue to be held at the Pepsi Center. The final day of the Convention on Thursday, August 28, including the nomination acceptance speech of Senator Barack Obama, will be held at INVESCO Field at Mile High, also located in downtown Denver. Daytime Convention events, including meetings of the Democratic caucuses and councils will continue to be held at the Colorado Convention Center.
The DNCC announced today that a special block of “Community” credentials will be reserved for Colorado residents for Thursday night’s program at INVESCO Field. Details about how to sign up and receive a “Community Credential” for the last night of the Convention will be released in the coming weeks.
That's going to seriously FUCK UP the construction crews building the new media city at the Pepsi Center.
Now... In addition to totally building out an entire media city in one arena, they have to build an entire SECOND media city in INVESCO Field.
Ah, the producers of this cluster-fuck are going absolutely APE-SHIT. I mean, 100%, out of their minds insane.
This cracks me up. I remember an event. The roof caved in -- Philly I think it was -- 48, 72 hours before the event. We had to relocate the damn thing to Madison Square Garden including the television uplinks, satellite feeds, which satellite we were relaying off, AND contact something like 3,000 people and tell them to get to New York. We had BUSES in Philly that afternoon hauling people to the City for those who didn't get the word. Talk about your major clusterfucks.
This... this Obama speaking at Mile High has all the makings of a world-class clusterfuck. Not for Obama. Obama will be GREAT. He eats this shit up. But everyone else will be going bug-fucking NUTS.
The good news? Group News Blog will be there with four reporters covering it LIVE. Ha!
I did some research this story from the Washington Post that falsely states that Obama got a "special deal" on his mortgage in 2005. I looked at data from Intex, which is the Mortgage industry market data provider, meaning they collect data from millions of loans across America and provide that data to financial firms. According to their massive database, for deals closing on that same day in that region, I found interest rates from 4.15% ~ 6.34%. Obama's deal was nothing special. The Washington Post and staff reporter Joe Stephens needs to print a retraction.
There's more...
Michelle Obama says her husband will fight for equality for gays just as he fought to help working-class families overcome poverty. The wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke Thursday night in New York City at a fundraising dinner for the Democratic National Committee's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council. She spoke about her husband's record pushing for workplace discrimination legislation in Illinois when he served in the Legislature there. The DNC says the dinner raised more than $1 million.-- AP
One of the things I will be so happy about come Jan. 09, is that when we win we can get back on track with trying to make our country more fair for everyone. I will be happy to shine some light on all this racist, homophobic, sexist crap that has become somehow acceptable again under the Bush administration. These slimy screwed up haters will have to crawl back under the rocks that they have slithered out from in the last 8 years. It won't be easy but it will be worth it.
There's more...
UNITY, N.H. — Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton set off on their maiden political voyage on Friday, trading their rivalry from the presidential primary battle for a newfound display of harmony intended to set a fresh tone for any Democrats still harboring bitterness from their grueling duel.
It was a day of choreographed unity — their destination was a rally here in this small western New Hampshire town — with the two senators appearing together before the cameras for the first time. Three weeks after suspending her campaign, Mrs. Clinton renewed her endorsement and pledged to do all she could to help Democrats win the White House in the fall.-- New York Times
Ok-- start your engines ladies and gents, let's get this thing done. What are you planning in your areas to get out the vote? What are your plans to raise awareness? What is your donation strategy? (Budget now, we need you.) Are you registered to vote yet? If not, why the hell not? Plan now how you are going to get at least 2 other non registered friends or family to participate this year. Each and every one of us needs our own personal field plan. We have just about 4 months left. What are you going to do to help end this 8 year nightmare?
One of my friends went to the Unity NH event and posted this photo of the buses lined up in neighboring town pick up points. This was just at one pick up stop of many... I think the repubs are in some serious trouble.
With a nice 15 point lead, plenty of money in the bank and support of his own party, this guy thought he had the race sown up also.
Not many people, and I mean normal people, are aware of this FISA bullshit that the telecoms and Cheney are trying to push through congress before the bell rings and they are out of office a little over 6 months from now. The basics are that the corporations are trying to get the 1974 FISA law rewritten to allow for warrentless wiretapping and also get some immunity for having allowed this in the past.
This clearly is not the will of the people.
Nancy Pelosi has been lobbied hard, I am sure, by Cheney and AT&T. We can tell because she secretly floated this bill in congress, got it ready, rewritten, and passed in the house on Friday without really anyone noticing. We need new leadership in the house. Hoyer and Pelosi have to go.
Now this bill sits in the Senate, Harry Reid has said he will "try to remove the immunity". Which of course, is complete bullshit. He is the 3rd most powerful person on the hill after Cheney. Harry needs to stop trying to blow smoke up our asses about his lack of ability to kill this bill. He doesn't want to kill it. He wants to pass it. Harry lost his ability to fight with his last stroke. We need new leadership in the senate.
Obama on advice from Toothless Harry Reid, I am sure, has said he supports the bill but not the immunity and he too will "try to remove the immunity" from the bill, but gosh, shucks, what is the guy who is very probably the next president able to really do anyway.
Standing up against Bush and Cheney is not going to hurt his chances in the fall. Caving and listening to what the "polling at 19%" congress has to say will hurt him. Losing the netroots and the grassroots will kill him. I wouldn't be getting cocky if I was him.
Last I heard, Dukakis was visiting professor in the Department of Public Policy at the School of Public Affairs at UCLA.
There's more...
Sen. Jim Webb is popular, has loads of military experience, and is a very no-nonsense guy. People are calling for this pairing. I think he makes a lot of sense talking about the economy and the dangerousness of the enormous gap in wealth and opportunity in the USA. Smart as hell. Not as progressive as I would like... but lots going on in his big brain. Southern. I think "Cupcake" Rollins would like this one too.
Ok, I am pretty darn sure that neither of these choices will happen this year-- and I think winning pres. once and having it stolen from you would make someone disinclined to go for the number 2 seat again. (are there term limits for Veep?)
BUT-- I just love both of these guys, and especially Howard would make a great V.P.. He is a political fighter for "We the people." (this post is a special gift to my good friend and long time fellow Deaniac, Terri) Barack was a great supporter of his in '04 and vice versa.
So if wishes were enough to make it so; I bring you these two choices.
OBAMA-GORE '08
or OBAMA-DEAN '08
This second choice is particularly unlikely given that Barack just asked Howard to stay on as his DNC chair marshaling forces in the 50 state strategy. There are some much more likely choices to vet in future posts, no worries. I felt like being a little bit of a political dreamer today. Thanks to our commentors for excellent suggestions for future posts.
John Edwards endorsement was an important point in the primary. He supports many of the best of the progressive stands on the issues that have been discussed in this very long election cycle. Sen. Edwards was very popular in the primary season espeically in the blogosphere. He has been a powerful voice against lobbyist influence and a powerful voice for universal health care and for ending poverty across our country.
His vice presidential role on the '04 campaign trail was not all that it could have been. It is unknown if this was because of tenisions between the top and bottom halves of the ticket, or just general poor campaign management but he certainly could have been a stronger more valued voice in that cycle.
We have quite a few regulars who started out this year as Edwards supporters-- so I suspect a few of us would be thrilled to see him on the ticket.
On a personal note, I had the chance to help the Edwards team last year as a volunteer at Yearly Kos. I was the person who was assigned to help him back stage and to help him get from the end of the debate to the town hall session he conducted in another area of the chicago convention center. He was warm, gracious (let me have a picture taken with him-- which was honestly a thrill-- you can see it posted in our GNB Facebook page.) And his townhall was fantastic. He answered so many questions, some of them quite challenging, and he did it with intelligence and an open spirit.
I think an Obama-Edwards ticket would be a strong one. The are a handsome pair in a photo too! (though I am actually hoping for Edwards as AG) I think the official GNB Vetter, "Cupcake" Rollins would like this ticket, how about you?
This pair has been widely speculated about. I personally think it unlikely though I am a big Richardson fan. I love his stance on veterans issues, and again he has tons of foreign affairs creds. He is a Gov. not a senator... which helps, and he passes the tlg photo test. In fact, there are hundreds of photos of Obama and Richardson together. But I think we will see him offered a big cabinet position. I don't think he will be Veep.
He is on many short lists, and various folks have suggested that he helps bring the Hispanic vote. I have talked to some friends who work in the Hispanic caucus and other political positions though and they say he is not really thought of as a "Hispanic Candidate" by many within the community. So I am not sure on that point.
He is from a good geographic area for ticket balance, and as I said he is passionate about helping our vets which is one of my favorite things about him. His idea for a heroes health card was one of the best, small, doable ideas I heard during the entire primary season.
Oh, and I love the goatee. But still somehow he does not seem like the one.
I sit there at the computer in something of a daze as Senator Barack Obama made his way to the podium, looking quizzically at the scene with my head askance the way cats do when they see something that just doesn't register as familiar in the tidy and ordered feline brain.
What was I watching?
Senator Obama's wife Michelle was waiting for him there and they embraced for a moment, with just a little bit of an extra clinch at the end that kind of said, “Let's savor this for a second, shall we?” And then, she backed up and muttered a quick something, and offered a slender left fist up for “The Dap”, which he never skipped a beat on and returned with a quick, soft “thump”.
Wha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-t?
Did they just do a quick, little “Dap” for all the world to see? A little personal affirmative that looked like they'd done it a hundred times before? I laughed inside for a moment. I've given my wife “The Dap” for jobs well done a thousand times.
When she handled an ornery relative with perfect touch and tone on a hyper-emotional phone call? “Dap!”
If I find a glorious, pre-made pitcher of iced coffee—which she can't stand—in the fridge on a boiling summer morning she's beaten me to wakefulness? “Dap!”
When she tells me of a particularly tricky work account she's managed to find an angle on to complete, and I know the sucker's been the bane of her existence for weeks on end? ““Dap! Dap!”
An unspoken, small bit of cultural shorthand that's just a little bit “round-the-way”, and I just saw...“The Presumptive Democratic Nominee for President.” work it like I do in quiet moments with someone I appreciate. It was remarkably humanizing. And then, a quick pat in the small of the back saying, “Okay...I've got this.” And she was off, while he was...on.
I've got this.”
And what exactly was it he had at that moment? Oh, only the position of the Democratic Party's nominee for the Presidency of The United States of America.
?!
Now, once he plunged into his speech—and it was a hum-dinger, replete with fawning praise for his in-party rival Senator Clinton—I sort of had to pinch myself, because what I was seeing required a certain suspension of belief to absorb. Because I honestly did not think in my lifetime that I would see an African American presidential candidate get thisclose to as George Clinton so perfectly put it, “Painting The White House Black”. This isn't negativity, or poor-mouthing, or spin-management/underselling.
This is reality for millions of Black folks of a certain age. Call us “Boomers”, “Generation Jones” or whatever you will, but for those generations back—from those of us Obama's age and upwards, many of us find this new American reality as of June 2008 a rather daunting one. We may make more money, or have more access to higher learning, and so many other neat-o trappings of 21st century America that our forebears didn't have, but we still carry the stigma of denial of equality once the rubber of ambition meets racism's road. Many of us are old enough to in spite of whatever success we may have enjoyed, know the sting of blunt-force racism up close and personal.
I'm a year younger than Barack Obama, and I know what it's like to be chased through an all-White neighborhood in New York City with bottles exploding on my heels as a teenager, just because I showed my Black face there to get something that wasn't available near home. Came down the steps of the elevated J Train in then mostly-White Woodhaven a few years later where I saw a toddler with his mom walking past me.
The little boy pointed at me, smiled, and said “Ni-guh”, in the cutest baby-voice you've ever heard.
Mom never said a word. Didn't blink and kept on her merry way with that little, tousle-haired cherub whose soul she'd sadly already managed to partially wreck. I stood there dumbfounded for about a minute. And then I went back up the stairs and said “the hell with what I came here for”, got on the train back to Jamaica and have never set foot in that neighborhood again. That was twenty-two years ago.
Only last year, the fashion statement du jour wasn't the drapey Paul Lyndian scarves so favored by style-setters like Vogue's dandy-monolith André Leon Talley. No...the neckwear wildfire trend that swept the nation like a Klan cross too near dry brushland was the old standby rope noose. Everything old was new again. From the “Dirty South”, all the way up to the so-called “refined” North. Ironic, genocidal “cool” was all the rage. I'm surprised I didn't see an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt with an old lynching pic silk-screened on and the ironic phrase “Hang In There Baby” printed below it, as the noose came roaring back with such a vengeance (pardon the unfortunate pun) in the public consciousness. The Goddamned noose. One of the most powerful symbols of wanton, hate-driven violence in history made a major comeback last year.
In America, people.
And here we are one summer later, standing on the verge of seriously “getting it on”, if you will.
Color me a deep, dusky mahogany, and surprised.
Black folks are so damned used to being the perennial, gullible “Charlie Brown” who gets true equality's football snatched away every fucking time by the great, all-powerful “Lucy” that we've taken on ol' Chuck's nonplussed demeanor about the whole damn thing. This is how the shit is. Yet, we run for it every damned time, thinking the outcome'll be different just this once...
And somehow, this time...things are a bit different. Obama is somewhere I / we never expected him to be, while w-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-y deep-down wondering if he'd ever get close.
He's close. Really close. Scary close. And it requires a reboot of a lifetime of conditioning and thinking. How did we get to the point where instead of the ball being snatched away, there's a better than even chance our foot may actually touch the damned thing, or better yet...
I noted post-Iowa that Obama was more or less “surfing” a change wave as opposed to initiating it, saying:
That's what Barack Obama's doing here. He's just shooting. Tapping into “it”. 'Cause “it” is bigger than he is. And that “it” is a tidal wave begun with the Supreme Court's December 2000 judgement that Bush be installed, fluttering down into the collective water of history. The ripple began there, rolled into larger ones with the Iraq debacle, became waves then and rose higher with the repeated flouting of the Constitution—FISA, glad-handing torture, and then, the open subverting of justice, and now crests eight years later on a sweat, shit and pee-inducing Tsunami that isn't about a grumpy bark of “Throw the bums out!”.
No. This is a level beyond that. It's a “Throw the bums out, then burn down the place we were in, so we don't have to remember it and let's build some place completely new that's got no ties to the old bullshit.”
Obama just happens to be the dude who was out there on the breakers when that wave rolled in, and for what it's worth—he's riding the living hell out of it,
For all of the positives Senator Obama brings to the table, and those positives are indeed mighty ones, when I look at America's long, and unresolved history of racism—right down to last year's “noose-a-palooza”—his present nearness to the levers of power still reads as an anomaly to me and many others you would think would be turning cartwheels of joy. What could move this country to this strange precipice we stand at today?
Say hello to the forty-third President of The United States, George W. Bush.
Should Barack Obama pull this thing off, down the road, the most diamond-hard of hard-core American racists will burn effigies of Dubya's figure, as they will blame him, with some truth behind it—for the country's electing its first Black president. Bush has so trashed the country—its reputation, its infrastructure, its economy, the military, the right to privacy, the Justice Department—just about every element of any piece of government that his “King Midas In Reverse” hand has touched, that he has moved America to the point where for many more than ever before, race will not matter as much in their choice of president, and said people are seriously willing to consider the polar opposite image of the executive branch awfulness they've endured for eight years.
Commander In Chief can't speak? Let's get one who can, huh?
Commander In Chief is an absolute idiot? Can we get one who's got an above-average intelligence, please?
Commander In Chief has the diplomatic skill of an F-5 hurricane? Howsabout someone who will talk to people and exhaust negotiation before more hasty, destructive considerations?
Commander In Chief is everything people have come to utterly despise in the typical, privileged class of leadership for over two hundred years?Okay, fuck it. we will at this point actually consider someone for the job who does not even look remotely like the dude who has fucked this place to Kingdom-Goddamn-Come.
And yes...even if it means said person is a Black dude who can trace his bloodline all the way back to the Motherland in so few steps, Alex Haley's grave is probably trembling from inner centrifugal forces as we speak.
The Bushian legacy may be akin to the fabled volcanic one of the Hawaii of Barack Obama's youth. The destructive power of a earth-shattering volcanic eruption rains down boiling lava and a thick ash—burning away and fossilizing the past in so many ways. And from that hell-spawned lava, mineral-rich ash and debris, the soil becomes hyper-fertilized to the point that what grows from it...can often be spectacular.
I watched Obama speak, and I didn't pick up the phone this time—for there were indeed a few calls—and I must admit, I did more soaking in and straight looking than listening. It was history, in real time, and everything I believed up to that point was being challenged by the unfolding reality before me. But then, this passage hit me like a two-by-four to the forehead...
So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fields of Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.
So it was for the Greatest Generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny, and made this country home to untold opportunity and prosperity.
So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom's cause.
So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better, and kinder, and more just.
And so it must be for us.
My wife had rushed into the room early on, along with my stepson, and this time, unlike the last, she did not flinch. She did not cower. She did not hide.
She watched in full, with her hand at her mouth and wettish eyes and shaking her head. The texting-crazy lad at my feet kept silently dropping his head and thrusting a pointed finger at the screen, as if to say, “Yes!”
And me? I sat there, with my Pavlovian trepidation for his security being subsumed by what could only be called awe, as my very soul seemed to be re-arranging itself, like a computer's hard drive after a necessary, diagnostic de-fragmenting. Not to sell anything short, but I'm frankly astounded at where Barack Obama stands right now. And the hell with the complacent “Hey, I'm just glad to be here” mantra. “Here” is actually one hell of an amazing place when you look at it.
I remember the odd, glassy-eyed look on Chris Matthews' face that night, and Olbermann's self-satisfied near-chuckling at Chris' obvious discombobulation. The lovely, post-primary shade “Buchanan Purple” didn't manifest itself that night, as Pat seemed kind of melancholy—as if it were a hot August day in 1974 and he'd stumbled across a sweating, near-empty pitcher of Manhattans on Nixon's grand piano in the White House. Mostly ice, really—and looked down the hall at the Oval Office, sporting light spots where pictures had recently hung. The sight of history packing its bags. And then...the sound of helicopter blades “whup-whup-whupping” to take-off speed outside. The “Boss”...was gone baby, gone.
Pat looked on Tuesday night like he realized in a bigger way, that “The “Boss” was gone baby, gone.”
I didn't watch much more TV. I made myself a drink. A Pimms and Seven, and sloshed it about the glass and ice to chill it as I padded downstairs to the front steps. I sipped it slow, and looked up every now and then at the stars and frankly wondered to myself, “How?”
And though I knew “how”, as I'm decent with math and strategy, I still had to ask, in the face of where I live and what history has taught me.
I could hear my phone ringing upstairs. My wife called down. “It's your mother!”
I took the call. She was ecstatic. And she was angry, too. Where was the concession?
“Ma,” I said. “The hell with a concession. Do you realize what happened tonight?”
And she seemed to hyperventilate for a moment as a string of vowels and consonants came out of her mouth tumbling like a mess from “Fibber McGee's Closet”, but at the end of it all, she took a breath and I made out the words “Not in my lifetime”.
“Not in my lifetime” applied to me too. Maybe too many of us, sadly.
But here it was. And a hundred hours later or so, that concession and endorsement would come too. Classy and painful all at once. Bittersweet, yet full of vigor.
In my lifetime.
What else will I see? I have no clue. I see Senator John Sidney McCain before me. The dangerously flawed John Sidney McCain, in fact. And I see him and hear him word-salad-ing, lying, and spouting off like some primeval geyser that has only steam and bubbles and no blast. He mauls a speech like a pit bull in a slaughterhouse. He lamely dodges confrontation with his lies as if it's the year 2000 and there's no Google or YouTube to fact-check his ass before millions of pairs of eyes. I see the tepid support he garners and the “We are fucked” faces of his fellow in-party troglodytes. The ball is right there ready to be kicked for all it's worth. And the “Charlie Brown” in me fairly screams To hope is to render yourself vulnerable.
Well God-dammit...call me vulnerable. Because I'm hoping.
There's more...
Something about the photo just "gets" me. The look in that young boy's eyes is amazing, as is the pride in the face of the older man next to him. (his father?) Hope is not such an abstract thing when you see a photo like this. This one is part of an excellent photo series by TIME.
According to E.J. Dionne Jr. today, foreign policy expertise is the new cool-- so his promotion of Biden to the short list makes perfect sense. The Pa. connection is good too, and he certainly is scrappy. I have had my serious differences with Biden in the past but for V.P. he might be a good balance on the ticket. Older, experienced, loads of foriegn affairs cred. Not bad.
I visited with Biden because he should be at the top of any list of vice presidential picks for Obama. Why Biden? In part because of where he took our discussion: Few Democrats know more about foreign policy, and few would so relish the fight against McCain on international affairs. Few are better placed to argue that withdrawal from Iraq will strengthen rather than weaken the United States.
The worst thing in a running mate is the fear of muddying his or her image in political combat. Biden would be a happy warrior.
He was born in Scranton, Pa., an essential state for Democrats, and has been a regular in the Philadelphia media market. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, himself a plausible No. 2, has called Biden "a perfect fit." The senator has been through two of his own presidential campaigns, in which he experienced what an acquaintance of his called the "white-hot heat" of scrutiny. -E. J. Dionne Jr.
Plus he has run for president so often that most of the skeletons must be out there by now. One hopes. I would prefer to have a governor on the ticket and not another senator, but you can't have everything. Obama-Biden '08? (Not as cool as Obama & "cupcake" Rollins '08, but then what is?)
There's more...
Obviously, I am thrilled and honored to have Senator Clinton's support. But more than that, I honor her today for the valiant and historic campaign she has run. She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams. And she inspired millions with her strength, courage and unyielding commitment to the cause of working Americans. Our party and our country are stronger because of the work she has done throughout her life, and I'm a better candidate for having had the privilege of competing with her in this campaign. No one knows better than Senator Clinton how desperately America and the American people need change, and I know she will continue to be in the forefront of that battle this fall and for years to come.
Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.
I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you – to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked and sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors, who emailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, "See, you can be anything you want to be."
To the young people like 13 year-old Ann Riddle from Mayfield, Ohio who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World, and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her Mom and volunteer there as well. To the veterans and the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans who traveled across the country and telling anyone who would listen why you supported me.
To all those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote who cast their votes for our campaign. I've told you before about Florence Steen of South Dakota, who was 88 years old, and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot. She passed away soon after, and under state law, her ballot didn't count. But her daughter later told a reporter, "My dad's an ornery old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard mom's vote wouldn't be counted. I don't think he had voted in 20 years. But he voted in place of my mom."
To all those who voted for me, and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding. You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives and you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.
18 million of you from all walks of life – women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian, rich, poor and middle class, gay and straight – you have stood strong with me. And I will continue to stand strong with you, every time, every place, and every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.
Remember - we fought for the single mom with a young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, "I'm doing it all to better myself for her." We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand, and asked me, "What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?" and began to cry because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance. We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, "Take care of my buddies over there and then, will you please help take care of me?" We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.
I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction: that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams. I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life – and I want the same for all Americans. Until that day comes, you will always find me on the front lines of democracy – fighting for the future.
The way to continue our fight now – to accomplish the goals for which we stand – is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States.
Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him, and throw my full support behind him. And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.
I have served in the Senate with him for four years. I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates. I have had a front row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.
In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American Dream. As a community organizer, in the state senate, as a United States Senator - he has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.
Now when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House, and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity, and progress. And that's exactly what we're going to do by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.
I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight. The Democratic Party is a family, and it's now time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.
We may have started on separate journeys – but today, our paths have merged. And we are all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around because so much is at stake.
We all want an economy that sustains the American Dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries and still have a little left over at the end of the month. An economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.
We all want a health care system that is universal, high quality, and affordable so that parents no longer have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead end jobs simply to keep their insurance. This isn't just an issue for me – it is a passion and a cause – and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured – no exceptions, no excuses.
We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality – from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights, from ending discrimination to promoting unionization to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.
We all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq and once again lead by the power of our values, and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.
You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades. During those forty years, our country has voted ten times for President. Democrats won only three of those times. And the man who won two of those elections is with us today.
We made tremendous progress during the 90s under a Democratic President, with a flourishing economy, and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world. Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we had a Democratic president. Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years – on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court. Imagine how far we could've come, how much we could've achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.
We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much.
Now the journey ahead will not be easy. Some will say we can't do it. That it's too
The Telegraph just did a survey of conservative MPs in Parliment in London. More than a third are abandoning historic ties with the USA Republican Party and speaking out in favor of Democrat Barack Obama. (I always have liked the British-- starting back with watching Monty Python in my youth) 
or OBAMA-DEAN '08 
