America '08: One Big Dysfunctional Family

Posted by TDaddy
I took my six-year-old daughter to an NHL game last night. I always try to get there in time for the National Anthem -- especially when one of my children are with me. As I removed my hat and we sang "and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there..." I looked at the flag and then back at my daughter and wondered what the soldiers defending Fort Henry in 1814 would think about these United States nearly two hundred years later. Surely, they would not recognize much. But, they would no doubt be proud to have defended what became and has remained the strongest democratic republic in history through which personal freedoms and economic opportunity have spread to most of the world.

Although my chosen political party lost the election last week and the balance of power is now firmly in the hands of Democrats, when I pause for the national anthem I can't help but feel a continued and abiding sense of pride to be a small part of this American experiment. The power wielded by the governing President -- especially when his own party controls the Legislature is immense. And yet the founders of this nation were brilliant enough to devise a system with sufficient checks and balances among the three branches that the majority party is never able to manage complete consensus - let alone rule as a the monarchs of England once did. Now, as we make the 44th peaceful transition of Executive federal power, we are vividly reminded of the reasons the rest of the world looks to us for leadership. Without the United States, this world would be a vastly different place. It is no small coincidence that dictators have been thrown out in much of the world and replaced by governments that necessarily provide more freedoms to their citizens including the right to chose their leaders and follow their own dreams. These world developments had their origin in the loud cry of human freedom exercising its strength and pride from America. Still, there are billions who live under tyranny, but we can take solace in the fact that the unrelenting force from the human desire to be free has spread from our nation and it will eventually find its home in more places as the oppressed hear about what freedom can be.

It is true that I have sharp differences with some of the stated policies of President-elect Obama's administration. However, those differences cannot diminish the pride I hold being an American and the hope I harbor for the future of this great nation. Every time we have a national election, my pride and hope is given new strength. Some 55 million voted for his opponent last Tuesday, and yet Mr. Obama will be OUR President. We are like a family: we honestly -- and sometimes brutally -- shout our differences at home, but we passionately defend each other on the streets of the world. Let us never forget the ties that bind together as Americans. I look forward to the next four years as an opportunity to freely speak my opposition to polices I believe go against the nation's best interests while at the same time putting my hand over my heart in support of this great nation. Our best days are still ahead of us.
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Obama Won for All the Right Reasons

Posted by Stephen Hart
I begin this post at 2:23 a.m., a little less than two hours after the conclusion of President-Elect Barack Obama's victory speech. Actually, "victory" doesn't do it justice; the word seems too much linked to a mere contest, even if the prize is leader of the free world.

His message to the American people and to all countries whose fate and fortune is intertwined with the United States (which is basically most of the globe) -- and the promise that he will bring to the White House -- transcends the term "victory." Because, as Obama himself said, the real winners tonight are us.

We won because Obama, whether you voted for him or not (or even like him or not ... and after his words at Grant Park in Chicago, you'd have to be completely stubborn or without a pulse not to feel even the slightest bit of hope), made us care about the process again. All you have to do is take a gander at voter turnout, and the videotape of lines wrapping around polling centers, to see that.

Of course, some people voted simply to try and prevent an African-American from becoming president.You didn't hear words of blatant racism from those people, just the usual read-between-the-lines catch phrases. Or they hid behind GOP talking points that were so old, you needed a can of Pledge to dust them off. I witnessed such conversations between like-minded voters while I was on line this morning. And I live in New York, not Alabama.

And yes, I'm sure some African-Americans were guilty of voting for Obama simply because of his ethnicity. Is that any better? Not really. Do they have more of an excuse? Well ... yes. After all, it's not like African-Americans have won a lot of these battles -- whether those battles were at the voting booth or in the court room or in any situation where African-Americans have been made to feel afraid or powerless.

I watched the night's election coverage in a small Obama headquarters on Staten Island, the most conservative of New York City's five boroughs. I watched it with a predominantly African-American audience that rejoiced every time a state was called for Obama. And I celebrated right alongside ... and the last time I looked, I wasn't black. (Although, to be honest, I truly couldn't appreciate the victory quite like my African-American colleagues; it's only natural, I don't have their perspective.)

Which got me thinking: Maybe the reason why we were all rooting so hard for Barack Obama is because his life reflects ours a lot more than John McCain's and his seven houses (or is it eight, I keep losing track), or George W. Bush and his silver-spoon, Air-National-Guard upbringing. If you don't think that's the case, then why did Obama win over more working-class white voters than McCain (or past Democrat nominees John Kerry and Al Gore)?

It's true that part of the reason I voted for Obama is because of his dynamic personality. I gave money (the little that I could afford) to the past campaigns of Gore and Kerry, but I didn't get off my butt and do anything else on their behalf. Obama, through his words and actions, motivated me to the point where I felt compelled to get involved. It was the essence of a grassroots campaign, and the organization and execution of Team Obama was the political equivalent of Vince Lombardi's Green Bay power sweep. It started when the campaign simply asked for small online donations ... $5, $10, $20. They made you feel that even such a small contribution was making a difference. After that, you were hooked. You started emailing and phoning the campaign asking what you could do. And when you volunteered, they couldn't have been more welcoming and encouraging. I have been voting in elections for 25 years and I never felt like that about any candidate.

You felt that way because the man simply exudes grace and class. He isn't the elite snob as he was portrayed by both Republican and Democratic rivals. But he also doesn't play to the least common denominator. He's smart and doesn't feel guilty about it, and he shouldn't. He doesn't flaunt his intelligence, but he also doesn't "dumb it down" for the masses. He gives well, thought-out responses and not just some five-second sound bytes that play well on the nightly news. I don't want a president who I can picture having a beer with. I don't think Barack Obama will be caught chewing his food with his mouth open at state dinners or giving back rubs to female world leaders.

The international community quickly and loudly weighed in with an overwhelmingly positive response for Obama. The 200,000 or so people who showed up to hear him speak in Berlin this summer had already told you that. And guess what ... the world's opinion of us matters. George W. Bush doesn't think so, and look at our current standing amongst our allies. This country will need global friends to help fight our battles -- whether they're in Middle Eastern deserts or on Wall Street.

But more than Obama's cult of personality, the bottom line in voting for a candidate is because you agree with his policies more than the other guy's. I believe Obama's economic plan is better for me; that he's more concerned with providing health care for all Americans; that he's more concerned with education. And, for all the hawks out there, Obama will make the military decision to concentrate our troops in Afghanistan rather than Iraq-- because wasn't the original war goal after 9/11 to capture Bin Laden?

Political talk shows can bring on all the analysts they want, and come up with all kinds of factors for McCain's loss (to me, he lost it the day he tabbed Palin as his VP). But throw out all the pie charts and graphs and exit polls and demographic numbers -- the bottom line at 4:21 a.m. on a Wednesday morning is that most Americans believed in Obama more than McCain.

It's change we can believe in. Here's hoping, and praying, that it comes to fruition.

Stephen Hart is a veteran reporter for the STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE and a regular contributor to BarkBackNews.
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FINAL HOWLS: Election Day Diaries

This election will be characterized by massive turnout, but not just because blacks and young voters will turnout in record numbers. Fear driven whites will also turn out in massive numbers in response to the prospect of a black man being president.

In the past, strong turnout by Republicans and conservatives has been enough to overcome the numerical advantage of Democrats. That won't be the case in this election. The surge in white voters will be impressive, and keep it from being a complete landslide, but it won't turn the tide of this election. For once everybody votes, and Obama wins.

If McCain loses he has no one to blame but himself. He was the perfect candidate to beat Obama: a reasonably conservative guy who could appeal to most conservatives, but with a well established reputation as a straight-talking maverick who would vote his conscience over party politics if it was for the good of the country. His resume, and most importantly character, could appeal to independents--especially independents who might be hesitant to vote for an untested black man in a time of crisis.

But McCain sold out. The country watched as he changed positions to pander to the right wing. We watched as he picked a supremely unqualified person to be VP because he thought she could win him votes. And we watched as he ran a slanderous campaign that simply lied about his opponent. His impressive reputation, which could have won him the election, was gone.
BoxCar John

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Obama Draws Record Crowd in Columbus

Posted by Scott Cavanagh
A crowd estimated at over 50,000 flooded the grounds of the Ohio Statehouse yesterday to hear Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama make one last appeal for their support on Election Day.

The rally felt a bit more like a religious revival or a concert than a political event--with dignitaries from Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman to Governor Ted Strickland serving as nothing more than Steve and Edie warm-up acts to Obama's Sinatra star power. The Illinois Senator did not disappoint. Blessed with perfect weather to augment his near-perfect delivery and diction, the Democratic nominee rifled through a series of topics in a relatively short time-focusing on some of the main stump speech standards (McCain's support of Bush policies, his lacking health care plan, etc.) that have been gaining traction with voters for weeks.

According to Coleman, the rally was the largest of it's kind in Ohio history.
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A Taxing Debate...

With only four days remaining before the election, debate is still hot and heavy over both candidates' proposed tax plans. Some choice comments from the past few days...

"I do not believe the central issue of tax policy is "fairness." If it were about fairness, there would be no income tax at all. What Obama has done is place a thin veil of "middle class tax cuts" over a policy that is intended to do nothing more than appeal to class warfare. The purpose of an income tax is to finance the government. Period. Taxes are about money and economics. The only logical purpose for changes in the tax code is to affect the economic behavior of people and businesses in order to encourage positive economic behavior such as investments, savings and consumer spending. This in turn increases profits along with government revenues. To me, it makes no sense to redistribute wealth to those who pay little or no taxes. It may make us feel good about ourselves, but it does nothing to encourage job creation, investment in research and development and consumer spending. When we decide there are those in our society that need help, the government can provide help and it is called Welfare. We can argue about what welfare programs are truly necessary and actually assist the poor (see Welfare reform signed by Clinton--good for him) but we should not dress up welfare as a tax cut which results in the government writing a check to millions who pay no taxes at all."
-TennisDaddy

"To clear a few things up about how Obama's plan is going to hurt people making just over the $250,000 level, let's look at the real numbers. According to MONEY magazine, FORTUNE AND the non-partisan Tax Policy Center, here is what will happen to your taxes under Obama's plan:

Under $19,000-cut by $567
$19-38,000-cut by $892
$38-66,000-cut by $1,042
$66-112,000-cut by $1,290
$112-161,000-cut by $2,204
$161-227,000-cut by $2,789
$227-603,000-increase by $12

If you make less than $603,000, the biggest tax increase you can get is $12. You can also see that the majority of the tax relief goes to the real middle class--not the poor. Where do you guys all fall in? If you are paying more than $12 extra in taxes--you need to start buying the beer. If not, thank Barack for your tax cut."
-SC

"The company I work for is a private company owned by the physicians. My physicians are some of the lucky ones who make over $250k annually (many do not). We employ 125 people and service eight hospitals--providing care to over 800,000 patients annually. Our costs (particularly health care) continue to spiral upward--and radiology has become an IT business out of necessity in order to become more cost effective and productive--so we are as lean as we can get right now. Any increased tax on those greedy $250k+ wage earners means my bosses' incomes will go down. Because we have reached maximum efficiency, the only alternative will be to lay people off. Laid off people don't spend money and the economy slides further downward. Businesses that lay people off also have less people on their payroll which reduces income tax revenue. The business owners now have less take-home pay and no longer take vacations or remodel their homes, which impacts the middle class business owner because his "greedy" customers have reduced their spending.

Now some would argue that my owners should be accepting of working harder to make less money and therefore should accept a pay cut to retain their workers. The reality is that I will be forced to lay-off personnel if Obama/McCain raises taxes in an already tight cash environment. Hopefully, I will not become one of those that are laid-off, as I make a pretty good living and we middle managers are the first to be chopped. So, if Obama is elected president and raises taxes on my bosses, can my wife and four kids come live with you?"
-FoxFire

"Why is it that every time a Democratic or Progressive candidate tries to give even the smallest break to the people that have the least, conservatives conclude it will result in them becoming destitute and homeless? That's the same stuff they were warning about when we elected Clinton, and they survived just fine. Now after eight years of Bush disasters they are concerned about Obama costing them their jobs. Same old song. Want to save your employers some cash? End the war in Iraq and the $4 billion-a-month hemorrhage."
-E. J. Black
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