It Was for ALL of Us

Like millions of people, in America and around the world, I will always remember where I was when Barack Obama won the presidency - in my living room with my family. It just seemed like the right thing. What a remarkable moment. I just listened as John McCain gave his concession speech, repeatedly noting what a great accomplishment this was for African Americans. That struck me as a little bit odd. Perhaps that was always a subscript of the Obama campaign, but it was never the top note. This victory, and all it symbolizes, is for ALL of us. It is historic and remarkable accomplishment that we-such a diverse, massive group of Americans-have overcome fear of difference and overwhelmingly elected Barack Obama. Remarkable for him. Remarkable for all of us.

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Pennsylvania Pundit

I sometimes forget that one of our own Georgia Peaches in Macon really has her roots in Philly. Wendy Sullivan Boston sent me the following email which I think sums up the McCain/Palin chances in Pennsylvania.


Two things I know about Philly: #1 we love our Flyers. #2: we are a superstitious lot (makes sense when you figure we are a bunch of Irish and Italian working class union people).......So what does the Flyers owner (a big repub donor) do? Has Palin the Hockey Mom drop the puck on opening night against the Rangers (apparently to resounding boo's).....and then the Flyers go on to get annihilated. Any Pennsylvanians who were undecided and many who were planning to vote for Palin have now changed their minds, mark my words!!
Wendy Sullivan Boston

Wendy, I hope these prove to be sage words. Just in case, I'm throwing a little salt over my shoulder and making sure I don't break any mirrors, walk under any ladders or let any black cats cross my path!

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Why Are We Shocked?

Eight years ago, we handed a bunch of foxes the keys to the hen house, and now we are shocked to find the birds are dead. My son, who thinks "race" is a factor in this race, says that his friends are "all about JMac," but he can't understand why it's okay to nationalize corporations, but not health care. It's not tough to figure. The crowd that's in charge now is all about taking care of the super-rich, to hell with the rest of us. They have duped cultural conservatives into believing they care about their values, though living few of them, while democrats have effectively shown the same group the door. Now, the republicans are banking that fear of too much change keep the keys in their pockets, and they may be making a good bet. That's the problem with the "change message." We say we want it, but the prospect of real, deep, fundamental change, makes us very anxious, and human beings are wired to act to ease our own anxiety. If it seems to be an option, people will pick change-lite over real change every time. Generally, I have found that to buy in to the sort of change Obama represents, people have to be in tremendous pain or extremely fearful-think choosing to leap from a burning building into the arms of a fireman. Well, the birds are dead and the house is one fire. The question is, will it be enough to overcome the fear of voting for someone who is fundamentally different than any other politician in our lifetime? I hope so, but I think that it depends on whether the crisis on Wall Street trickles down to Main Street before the election.

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Women Wake Up

I have watched with alarm as John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, has roared across the landscape, captivating crowds with her vacuous speeches --excuse me--speech, (she's been making the same one over and over) and witnessed the media's fawning all over her, like a brand new toy. And of course that's what she is. She is the latest hot thing on the airwaves and she'll dominate them for a while--say three weeks? The fact that she is a woman does not mean that she supports women's issues and I do not believe that serious, intelligent, women in this country will identify with her and wish her well in this campaign. Her speech at the Republican convention was nasty, mean-spirited, shallow--delivered in perfect cadence and designed to please her audience. But the larger audience, the millions of Americans who will vote in November, will surely seek answers about her positions on the issues that matter to reasonable people: the economy, the war, health care (or absence of), soaring gas prices, the mortgage crisis, the loss of our stature and credibility throughout the world, our debtor status and pitiful dollar--to name a few. One can only hope that reasonable, thoughtful Americans--men and women--will study the issues, and not be dazzled by a self-described pit bull with lipstick, nor her running mate, John McCain. Remember him? The guy who's supposed to have such good judgment? When they begin talking about the issues that matter and turn their backs on 'swift boat tactics' (do anything to win), perhaps I'll listen to what they have to say. I can't wait.

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But Will She Win the Emmy?

Last night, Sarah Palin, a wet-behind-the-ears Alaska governor, starred in the much anticipated, made for television original, "Anyone Can Be President." Palin reached for her lipstick just in time to play an unlikely vice presidential candidate and was well-prepared to deliver the soliloquy of her life. Her here-to-fore off-limits family, including her husband, two sons, three daughters and one son-in-law-to-be, were paraded across the stage like a supporting cast. (Apparently, it's okay for her to use her family to score political points, but, for us regular folks, they're off-limits.) Even John McCain, who was supposed to have the lead in this production, was relegated to a supporting role. When the lights went out, the critics raved, her ratings soared, and she may well win the Emmy. But one critical question remains unanswered:

Is she well-prepared to lead the nation?

Meeting the minimum qualifications for an office is not the same as being well-prepared to serve. Specifically, is Palin as well-prepared to serve as Joe Biden? Consider these questions:

• Does she have the ability to unify the nation if some awful tragedy befalls us?

• Does she have the gravitas to go head-to-head with Putin (or will she look into his eyes)?

• Does she understand what its like to grow up in an inner-city (because surely as many people have grown up in inner cities as have in small towns)? Has she ever actually been to Scranton?

• Does she understand what it's like to have to leave your family to follow your spouse across the country, a common occurrence in military families?

• Does she understand what its like to be boiling hot with no air-conditioning?

• How many victims, pregnant as a result of rape or incest, did she talk with before deciding that the government should force them to have their rapist's babies?

• Does she understand the pressures a single mother with no family support faces when she tries to balance work and childcare?
  
  Palin has limited experiences...more limited than any major party candidate in recent times. True some of her experience is "executive" but little of it is "broadening." And, that's frightening.

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It's NOT Demeaning to Women

In his choice for VP, was John McCain first and foremost concerned with whether the person was capable of being President of the United States? Or was he concerned about whether the person could bring him the electoral votes of rural, conservative, female voters in swing states? Just three weeks ago, on Face the Nation, Karl Rove was intensely critical of the possibility that Barack Obama might choose Gov. Tim Kaine for his Vice President. Rove said:

"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America."Rove continued: "So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, `You know what? I'm really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States? What I'm concerned about is, can he bring me the electoral votes of the state of Virginia, the 13 electoral votes in Virginia?'"

Somehow, posing this same question about a women is now out of bounds. Watching Larry King Live tonight, it's clear that the Republican talking point-anytime someone questions whether or not McCain's choice for VP is qualified for the position-is to claim that such scrutiny is "demeaning to women." Why? Because Democrats blanch whenever they're accused of being unfair, and quickly retreat from allegations of sexism. In this instance, we certainly owe it to the electorate to get over ourselves.

Questioning a VP's readiness to serve is a core issue and is most certainly appropriate for men and women. Attacking family is out of bounds; questioning preparedness to be President is not only appropriate, it's the responsibility of the electorate. One in three Vice Presidents have actually become President, so the question is surely relevant.

Fighting for the equal treatment of women, working to help qualified women get elected and helping knock down barriers so that women can participate in professions that were once off-limits is important work that is diminished anytime a women gets a pass because of her gender. Whenever that happens, it reinforces the myth that, in politics or in business, the bar for women is lower and makes it more difficult to construct the ladder women need to get elected. The perception that a women has been added to a ticket for any reason other than being eminently qualified reflects negatively on every women who seeks any office.

Failing to fully vet Sarah Palin-now that's demeaning to women.

Choosing a Vice President is the first act of any presidential candidate that has the potential to actually impact the course of democracy in our country. In his choice of a person who has limited experience in government, zero experience in foreign affairs and a basic lack of understanding of what a VP is actually supposed to do, John McCain has behaved in a reckless manner that ought to give every American pause. Unlike Presidential candidates who must survive a grueling primary process and endless vetting by the public and the press, Vice Presidential candidates get little scrutiny. We rely on our Presidential candidates to do the vetting for us when it comes to the VP nominee. It is the first moment when the future of the county is in the hands of the Presidential hopeful. It is the first moment when we are able to see whether the candidate will actually put country before political interest. And it was in this moment that John McCain failed not just his Party, but his country.

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Obama Delievers Historic Speech on Race

I believe Obama just sewed up the nomination.

My sister is my political barometer. She's a SC democrat, but she doesn't drink quite as much Koolaide as I do. So, I listen to her, in part, to figure out how "normal" people are reacting to whatever is going on in the political world. She supported Edwards and now supports Obama, but last week, on one of my particularly busy days, she called me and said, "You better tell Obama to 'do something' about that pastor because I've got to tell you, I can't vote for him if that's who's going to be advising him when he's sitting in the Oval office, making decisions about war and peace." (Sometimes I think she pictures a red phone on my desk that speed dials Obama's cellphone.) That's when I knew the pastor/church story was going to have some serious legs. But today, my sister called again. She had just heard Obama's speech on race, and she said, "I believe this speech will go down in history as one of the great speeches ever given on race in this country. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind after listening that this man can and should be the next President." I then listened to what I do think is an historic speech and encourage you to do the same. I agree with her. How can this man not become President?

The video is below, and here's the full transcript courtesy of MSNBC.

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Brown: Edwards Knows, "Grits is Groceries"

"I treat Georgia as a place I know," said Presidential hopeful John Edwards to a crowd of more than four hundred in rural Dublin, Georgia, "not a place to fly over on your way from New York City to Miami." The crowd roared. That theme-"I am one of you. I get it. I understand because I've lived it"-resonated with the after-church crowd this afternoon. My favorite line of the day didn't come from Sen. Edwards, though, it came from Sen. Robert Brown of Macon who said, "It's time we had a President who doesn't think 'ya'll' is a foreign language and knows grits is groceries."

The Telegraph, has excellent coverage of today's visit, including video. The article is here. Before coming to the Farmer's Market, Edwards stopped by The Blue Plate, a popular restaurant in Dublin, where hundreds had gathered to enjoy the fried chicken, fresh greens and field peas. (The chicken is excellent, and I hear the squash casserole is the very best-lots of butter.) Here's that video, and here is the video of Edwards at the Farmers Market. Below, you will find a few of the pictures I took today:

EDWARDS AT THE FARMERS MARKET, "I TREAT GEORGIA AS A PLACE I KNOW"

LAUREN BENEDICT AND MELITA EASTERS AWAIT SEN.EDWARDS (AND THEIR FRIED CHICKEN) AT THE BLUE PLATE

EDWARDS AT THE MARKET: MORE THAN FOUR HUNDRED PEOPLE GATHERED IN THE WARM GEORGIA SUN

SEN. EDWARDS WITH REP. DUBOSE PORTER: IT MUST BE NICE TO BE WITH THE GUY WHO KNOWS EVERYONE IN THE RESTAURANT!"

SEN. EDWARDS WITH SEN. ROBERT BROWN: EDWARDS IS THE ONE WHO WILL BE "WITH YOU 'TIL THE LAST DOG DIES" SAID BROWN

EDWARDS: "HEALTH CARE SHOULD NOT BE A PRIVILEGE FOR THE PRIVILEGED"

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Clinton Short of Cash?

How in the world do you raise a hundred million dollars and find yourself short of cash? If MyDD is right, that's exactly what's happened to Hillary Clinton. She "only" has fifteen-twenty million left and a high burn rate with her heavy staff. And, rumors are floating that if she does not do well today in New Hampshire, where-like Iowa-voters are turning out in record numbers, she may skip Nevada and South Carolina in order to focus on the February 5th states.

I don't believe for one second that Clinton will officially walk away from either of these contests nor do I think it would be a good strategy for her to do so; however, it is amazing that this candidate who was "inevitable" a few weeks ago is increasingly viewed as desperate and non-viable. I did hear that she's trimming staff, and that would not be surprising. How quickly things change! Obama and Edwards would do well to remember that there is still a lot of territory between now and the convention, so who knows what else will change-or change back.

On a related note, I am thrilled about the turnout in Iowa and New Hampshire. One of the ways things can "change" is through the involvement of lots of new people. Perhaps that's how we break partisan gridlock. As a friend said, not since the 1960's have I seen this level of interest and enthusiasm.

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GOP Candidates Mum on Moms

..and anything else that has to do specifically with women. Joanne Bamberger points out in this piece at Huffington Post that while Democratic candidates like John Edwards and Joe Biden and other have clear platform statements about women's issues-none-read that none of the r's do. Oh, they have things about the "sanctity of life" and such but nothing, I said nothing, about women's issues. Sort of lets you know where you stand with them, doesn't it? Here's an except from Joanne's piece:

And I have to say, I was shocked. At least from what they've got on their sites, it seems like the Republicans aren't very interested in women. Granted, all issues are, in one way or another, women's issues. But I'm looking for something specific about the ones we tend to deal with a lot more than our husbands, partners and significant others.
As for the Democrats, they all have places on their websites to address the so-called "women's issues." John Edwards has his Promise for American Women. Chris Dodd wrote the Family and Medical Leave Act. Hillary Clinton is calling herself a "Champion for Women." Joe Biden has a whole section on his website called "Empowering Women to Take Charge."
So I assumed that the GOP candidates would have similar topics on their sites.
I'm still looking.

Well, what I'd say about that is that if they don't care about us, then we don't vote for them. I suppose their platform on women's issues is that they will, in the most paternalistic way possible, "protect us." Oh, joy.

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