The significance of President-elect Obama's election really can't be overstated. It's a huge step for us to elect an African-American to serve as President of the United States. It's really an amazing thing. Not that you don't know that, but I'm just saying.I'm very optimistic that he can have a successful administration. Lots of folks feel that his hands will be tied by the $700 Billion being given to Wall Street. I would remind these people that some of the most progressive changes made in our history were in reaction to the Great Depression. A public works investment in clean energy, for example, would be good public policy, good for the environment and good for the economy.
Prognostication about the Obama cabinet and staff positions suggest that he might draw too heavily from current Congress members, Rahm Emanual and John Kerry have been mentioned. My sense is that President Obama will need all the help he can get in Congress and he ought to draw from other sources for his key staff.John McCain gave a concession speech that showed the country the side of him that most of us liked. I think the race would have been much closer, if not a different outcome, if he'd chosen Tim Pawlenty, a moderate governor as his running mate. Experience was McCain's trump card and he threw it away by picking Palin. It will be interesting how McCain choses to finish his time in the Senate; perhaps he'll refocus on immigration reform.Alaska mystifies me. They re-elected a felon and a pending felon. Ted Stevens will not return to the Senate. I need to find out if Palin can appoint herself to the Steven's seat. If not, I have two words for you regarding Sarah's political future. Katherine Harris. Palin ran a vile campaign. Alaska can have her. I wonder if Levi bails on Bristol now that the media attention has shifted.In California, Proposition 8 won. This measure undid a California Supreme Court ruling that allowed gay folks to get married. In 2000 a similar anti-gay marriage measure passed. Eight years ago the margin of hate fear hate was 22%. This time it is only 5% (with ballots still to count). Change will come. This time, the Mormon church was the key funder for the pro-8 side. I think the Mormon's are jealous since they are limited to only one wife and so they too are not able to marry as they'd like. In the Sacramento area there is a huge ex-pat USSR contingent. They have been virulently anti-gay. These folks follow the pilgrim tradition of escaping persecution only to establish it here in America.
Obama's health care plan is too timid for my taste; a more aggressive plan that separates health care from employment would do wonders for employers as well as citizens.And keep in mind this reference to Reagan that Obama made in the primary season. I think Reagan was a criminal president who is given way more credit than deserved. But I'm in the minority on that, I think. But for present purposes, don't underestimate the power that Obama's communication skills give him. We've forgotten what it's like to have an articulate president. It would be interesting if Obama kept his campaign infrastructure in place so that he could use it to rally the American people and get us behind his endeavors as he attempts to move them through Congress.
Prognostication about the Obama cabinet and staff positions suggest that he might draw too heavily from current Congress members, Rahm Emanual and John Kerry have been mentioned. My sense is that President Obama will need all the help he can get in Congress and he ought to draw from other sources for his key staff.John McCain gave a concession speech that showed the country the side of him that most of us liked. I think the race would have been much closer, if not a different outcome, if he'd chosen Tim Pawlenty, a moderate governor as his running mate. Experience was McCain's trump card and he threw it away by picking Palin. It will be interesting how McCain choses to finish his time in the Senate; perhaps he'll refocus on immigration reform.Alaska mystifies me. They re-elected a felon and a pending felon. Ted Stevens will not return to the Senate. I need to find out if Palin can appoint herself to the Steven's seat. If not, I have two words for you regarding Sarah's political future. Katherine Harris. Palin ran a vile campaign. Alaska can have her. I wonder if Levi bails on Bristol now that the media attention has shifted.In California, Proposition 8 won. This measure undid a California Supreme Court ruling that allowed gay folks to get married. In 2000 a similar anti-gay marriage measure passed. Eight years ago the margin of hate fear hate was 22%. This time it is only 5% (with ballots still to count). Change will come. This time, the Mormon church was the key funder for the pro-8 side. I think the Mormon's are jealous since they are limited to only one wife and so they too are not able to marry as they'd like. In the Sacramento area there is a huge ex-pat USSR contingent. They have been virulently anti-gay. These folks follow the pilgrim tradition of escaping persecution only to establish it here in America.