Via 3QuarksDaily, here’s some criticism of Elizabeth Alexander’s poem yesterday.
January 21, 2009
Against the Inaugural Poem
Posted by Michael under Uncategorized | Tags: Obama, poetry |Leave a Comment
January 20, 2009
If he lives up to very much of his potential, this will be a Hoover-to-Roosevelt size shift. It may seem distasteful to bash #43 today, and indeed I was disappointed to hear that the crowd today greeted Bush with “Na-na-na-na/hey heyyy/good-bye” as though he were nothing more than a visiting basketball player fouling out on the crowd’s home court. Disappointed not because it was disrespectful; disappointed because Bush’s failure is much deeper than such a taunt suggests, and because the results of this failure demand solemnity at this moment, not adolescent scorn. Reflecting on this is critical, because today is the not only the beginning of something; it is necessarily the end of something as well.
The beginning of what, we do not know. It’s impossible to predict what we will say about Obama in four years, or eight. He, his poll numbers, and ultimately his legacy, will be shaped by events which haven’t yet transpired. But today, by all appearances and evidence, we have a president who is smart, eloquent, curious, and willing to listen. A president who believes global warming has to be dealt with aggressively, and that abstinence-only policies are not the way to fight AIDS in Africa. A president who believes in supporting the LGBT community. A president who believes the world is complex, not simple. That is a welcome change, and it makes me believe there’s a chance that some of our problems can be solved.
To quote Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, “Barack is selling hope. And I’m buying.”
I’m not drinking any Kool-Aid, and I expect I’ll be among millions disappointed with one thing or another.
But man, am I glad–and still in some disbelief–to call this guy President of the United States:
November 23, 2008
On Secretary of State Clinton
Posted by Michael under Obama, politics | Tags: Clinton, Obama, politics |Leave a Comment
No posting lately, as it’s been finals at school and the kids and I have been sick (Jen has escaped… for now). But the one story that’s been out there that I’d have liked to blog about as it was happening was the news of Clinton for SoS.
If it comes to pass as the New York Times reports, I think this is, on balance, a pretty good move on Obama’s part. While I’m not necessarily convinced by the old (and funny) Lyndon Johnson line about J. Edgar Hoover (who says a person couldn’t piss inside the tent from inside the tent?), I do think this would snuff out any Machiavellian temptation to attempt a Clinton challenge to the sitting president in four years, which isn’t impossible if she isn’t a significant part of the administration. Instead, it gives Hillary a stake in the success of Obama’s presidency; indeed, if she’s a memorably successful Secretary of State, it keeps her chances alive for succeeding Obama in 2016, should he win a second term.
As for concerns about Bill Clinton’s connections abroad, I really don’t think the Clintons will want any drama on that end, for their own good. And if something damaging does come out, it’ll hurt Hillary far more than Obama. Regardless, this is good political chess, and checkmating the Clintons remains as important as anything.
Among other things, the move makes this pre-Iowa-caucus debate comeback seem prescient:
November 5, 2008
I still can’t believe it, but Barack Obama is going to be the 44th President of the United States of America.
I will remember this night.
November 4, 2008
October 21, 2008
Monday Night Thoughts
Posted by Michael under miscellany | Tags: baseball, football, miscellany, Obama |Leave a Comment
The Broncos are just awful tonight.
The Phillies finally have an opponent for the World Series.
Obama has seemingly consistent leads in Colorado, North Carolina, and Virginia. Who would’ve thought it? And is McCain seriously giving up on Colorado but contesting Pennsylvania?
More support for Obama and his positions, from conservatives, here, here, and here (though Luger’s is not an endorsement).
Sarah Palin Stat of the Week
SNL Appearances: 1
Press Conferences: 0
October 15, 2008
Pre-Debate Thoughts
Posted by Michael under debates, McCain, Obama, politics | Tags: debates, McCain, Obama, politics |Leave a Comment
Watching these debates has been nerve-racking for me. I can barely stand to actually sit and watch them. But here I’ll be, in the computer lab, trying to stream the video (if we don’t have customers in the lab). It is, as many have said, McCain’s last chance to change the story, but unless he reveals that he has just returned from the mountains of Tora Bora, and personally drags Osama bin Laden onto the stage in handcuffs, I’m not sure what he can do to change perceptions 20 days out.
Obama has to stay calm, having no idea if he’s going to be debating the McCain that Palin wants to see, or the McCain that Bloomberg wants to see (though I think I know which one will be more persuasive to undecided voters). Fortunately, he’s good at remaining calm.
And I have to say, after reading this, I’m glad I had posted this. Now let’s hope it turns out to be a brilliant trap that McCain will walk right into.
I’ll try to post about the debate afterwards.
And let’s not forget, my Fightin’ Phils are one game away from the World Series…
May 8, 2008
If you read that last post…
Posted by Jen under birth order, Obama | Tags: birth order, Obama |Leave a Comment
then I know that you’re curious about this. But it was this follow-up comment that really got me thinking:
“…Barack Obama may be a middle child of his father, but he is the oldest child of his mother and was raised by his grandparents as almost an only child. How does this fit into the birth order?”
Another interesting set of experiences for the résumé…for more on Obama’s “complicated family” check out the Sun-Times.
May 4, 2008
Ron Paul for Obama
Posted by Michael under Obama, politics | Tags: Obama, politics |Leave a Comment
Not an endorsement, but still.
April 12, 2008
Obama’s Counterpunch
Posted by Michael under Obama, politics | Tags: Obama, politics |Leave a Comment
Much like Matt Yglesias, I’m struck by Obama’s ability to throw a rhetorical counterpunch after he says something that sounds like bulletin-board material for Republicans.
Here are the original remarks that he made at a San Francisco fundraiser last Sunday, via HuffPost:
“You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them,” Obama said. “And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
And, after accusations from McCain and Clinton of condescension toward working-class America, here is his response:
Now, I don’t have any idea what John Kerry was trying to get at when he made his infamous gaffe during the 2004 election, and don’t particularly care at this point. But even if he actually had a legitimate point, once these words are out of his mouth, it’s hopeless. If he can’t even defend himself from the outright smears about his war record, he certainly can’t defend a point rooted in the intricacies of passing legislation.
Obama, it seems, can defend himself not only against the smears, but also against the occasional ill-advised remark.
