POLITICS AND ECONOMY: QUICK HITS

Gideon Rachman before election on red-blue US divide and what an Obama presidency would mean.

Luke Johnson on entrepreneurs, failure, coping, loss and a Marcus Aurelius close.

And now, I am going to do chi gung, make a necessary phone call, deblog, decaffeinate (tea not coffee…me and mocha, there’s a whole three novels there), have lunch and figure out how to start off the weekend(continuing to listen to Miles Davis radio might factor in). Have a good one.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

A legendary day in the life of America…it’s 2:28 a.m. and I am both exhausted and exhilarated.  Have been reading all the Twitter posts about the election;  so much elation and excitement.  So many people voting for change and willing it to happen.  And I can’t remember how to spell exhilarated — still not right (now it’s right ’cause I looked it up).

For how my visit to the polls went, check out Lisa Murray’s site; she’s collecting stories. I am so happy about the enthusiasm for democracy that seemed to invigorate the country today.

This is a cool emotion cloud the NY Times is running, asking people for the one word that best describes their current state of mind — and you can get the red and blue breakdown. Even hope is turning up red. Maybe we can work together. I think McCain did well in his speech to remind everyone how historic a night this is and how we are all Americans with a history that we are still forging. Obama’s speech (and I must admit, I usually zone a bit during them) impressed me for how aware he was of the tremendous responsibility he has just been chosen for.

Who knows where we go from here; but I hope that we can be a less divisive country after tonight. All sides will require leaders of courage and wisdom able to unite on common goals.

VOTING + IDEALISM

Well, I had pastels and a political mood.

 

ELECTION DAY

Well, Twitter is all atweet with voting, the news at noon several coverages report lines and smooth running, with maybe a few glitches this morning, Gayle called to say there were lines at polling places and everyone just seems to have that “we’re accomplishing something” energy. Everything’s been so negative — economy, political fighting, war – that it seems the perfect time to be able to step up to a voting booth, pull the curtain behind and stand for something or someone. Decide.

I’m looking forward to walking down the street and voting when Gayle gets home. Another “I Voted” sticker on the door and a sincere hope that this election gives a clear message and stays out of the courts.

Vote, darn it — a right, a privilege, a responsibility.

GULLIBLE AND TWITCHY RUN FOR PRESIDENT

YOUR VOTE COUNTS:  

 

POLITICS

Well, I did swear off (discussing) politics, religion and sex a month or so ago, but the Mets did not make the playoffs and I feel obliged to finish off the political conversation(and yet not say anything inflamatory about anyone — there’s a quest).  

I’m back to being registered as an independent — the Democratic primary put me off Democrats so I switched parties to vote in the primary (I miss Illinois where you could register independent and vote in the primary of your choice), the Republican convention put me off Republicans so I once again (thanks to the helpful volunteers at my alternate office) switched.  

I am disappointed that two women who were/are viable candidates don’t seem to meet my criteria for someone I want in charge of the country.  I am also disappointed that there really is no political party that reflects my views. The amount of money being spent on the election appalls me; the venom that seems to get spewed also appalls me.  I will say so far that Obama has seemed to keep an even keel; I can respect that.  But by the time the election rolls around, I don’t know if I’ll have any respect left for any of them. Or if one will be the leader this country needs. I’m being forced to found my faith on the orignal three part design of the government and hope that if anyone really screws up, Congress will step in — I think that might be an indication of desperation mixed with frustration.

So my conclusions: think seriously about this, vote your conscience — even if you have to write someone in; Bill Bradley was my presidential choice for a few elections, but VOTE, and if you want to pick a fight/have a serious discussion with someone, visit the Barking Carrot; she likes a good political tussle.

Now, I’m going back to sports, movies, comics and working. Take care.

BAD IDEA #3 & #4 & #5 & #6

#3:Random stats on WordPress…do you get yours or your more/less popular random neighbors? Does it change your writing.

#4: Randomly assign political parties to voters and

#5: make more of them(political parties); stick to the color theme — blue, red, green — who’s for the Mauve or Indigo party — there was just a mauve reference on Hannah Montana, I bet mauve’s Q score’s through the roof.

#6: Write fun Gilbert & Sullivan operetta crossed with Marx brothers movie for Jesse McCartney and Hilary Duff (last.fm dangerously disturbing influence) — about warring bloggers, sure…it’ll be so easy to get computers on stage/screen; typing is a riveting action — time to break for…? well, not yet sleeping, maybe flipbooming or midi keyboarding…

BACK TO ISSUES

Call from Clive Crook of the Financial Times for the Presidential Race to get back to issues and for McCain and Democrats at large to behave respectfully. Here’s the column.

I am so fed up with the whole mess. McCain has lost my respect; he seems to be more interested in winning than maintaining his integrity. There were several reasons I did not like Obama but now I’m being forced to consider if I am wrongly holding the too emotional enthusiasm of his more vocal supporters against him. So I am going to have to find neutral information and make a more informed decision. Republican volunteers are calling up and asking what is the most important issue: economy and jobs, terrorism, gas prices or healthcare. And I’ve finally figured out the most important issue for me: civil rights. I am appalled at what I am hearing is STILL going on in Minneapolis/St. Paul (Twitter’s great for on the spot updates.) As a country, we seem more inclined to defend the Second Amendment than the First.

Gayle sent me a quote from the Joseph Torsella, President of the National Constitution Center, commenting on a poll that shows Americans reluctant to hand too much power to a president: “I think it’s a basic chord in the American song and it gets louder and stronger depending on what’s happening in the headlines,” he said. The Associated Press article showed up in papers all over the world. This is the most cheerful thing I’ve heard this election season.

CONVENTIONS

I am very glad they’re over…McCain is not a natural born orator, but he showed humility and everything around and about him shows heroism. I thought he handled the protestor well. I am concerned with the e-mails I receive from the more social active members of my internet world detailing police vs. protestors episodes in both Minnesota and Colorado. I begin to fear we are not as committed to the First Amendment as the Second. It would be nice if the country had enough of a sense of humor that we could mix history in with comedy or popular entertainment, something other than the Schoolhouse Rock series, something more like Black Adder or Yes Minister where fun is made of the powers that be but a certain amount of knowledge is required to understand the jokes. And then we should ensure a base level of understanding American history. I agree that “education is the civil rights issue of the 21st century,” but if you’re going to get rid of bad teachers, how do you encourage good ones. And actual learning, not just surviving school. Society and the choices we make growing up are more and more about economic security in a world where everyone needs to work and less about dreams or talents. We might need more engineers, but we also need more programs that teach people how to think and how to use reference books and to make their own good choices, not just to memorize facts for a test or decide in 8th grade what you want to be.

Ah, hear someone say I served my country, what are you going to do, have an crisis of conscience (should I run for president and does that mean I shouldn’t have broken into Alice Millar Chapel that one of many long nights in college. And who can prove what I was doing on the Lakefill on Armadillo Day (actually on one of them, I was inside listening to Bach’s Mass in B Minor, but that’s another story) and blog out my angst (and twilight secrets).

Right, this is why I have a category called meandering. I am glad the conventions are over, as well as the Cold War. I am saddened that the Middle East situation was handled so poorly starting with the partitioning of Iraq by the British, followed by the first Bush and continued to date. And that so many have died, returned wounded and resources we should be using to feed the hungry and educate our citizens are being turned into munitions.

Where was I? Right, First Amendment, say what you want, say it with respect and don’t yell fire if there isn’t one. And stop the police harassing pacifists. My vote’s still out there.

BANNING BOOKS

Well, that’s one of the arrows the New York Times pulled out of its quiver and shot at Sarah Palin and frankly, it’s one that I care about.  Me and a whole bunch of librarians.  I didn’t know there were librarian websites until I Googled Sarah Palin + book banning.  Apparently, it’s an activity where I draw the line and toward the top of my list of unAmerican activities (although Gayle pointed out, it is actually a very American activity, but I’m on Ben Franklin’s side — let ‘em read.)  So is this Democratic “liberal media” made up boogeyman stuff or do I actually require a written apology saying well, that was the day I was smoking marijuana and wasn’t quite myself.  My constituents made me do it doesn’t really cut it.

 

Aside from the book banning accusations, strong speech, amusing sarcastic puncture wounds in the Barack Obama bubble.  I would really like for there to be a Steve Rogers (RIP Cap), Clark Kent or Lois Lane to vote for, someone on the side of truth, justice and the American way that Frank Miller, Alex Ross or some other comic high flyer hasn’t darkened yet. It’ll be a long two months I think; I hope not an even longer four years.

 

NYT article:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?bl&ex=1220587200&en=a5543a98005b8c75&ei=5087%0A