Obama wins a Nobel Peace Prize…?
The news was announced that Barack Obama has been selected by the Norweigian Nobel Committee as a winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
My first reaction is congratulations as this is a nice honor for our Prez to win, on the other hand I am concerned. First let me declare that I am a fan of Obama and I voted for him. Funny coming from someone who has voted the Republican ticket since I was eligible to vote, but something was different this year.
I liked the message of change, I had hope in the messages of health care reform, improvement of foreign relations, and an overall changing of the guard per se. The stance on the wars seemed to be a stand still, troops dying in large numbers and seemingly no direction of our executive leadership to change the course.
I’m just at odds with him actually winning the award right now, almost as if the committee felt bad that his bid for the Chicago 2016 Summer games bombed. Granted, Obama is a true statesman of what is just and right, but so are a lot of other Presidents, the problem is convincing Washington lawmakers to get on board with your thinking.
Yes, he is an advocate of sweeping reform and change, but that is the stance of all politicians and only a few economically viable programs actually see the light of day.
Yes, he is making great strides to reach out to other nations and mend wounds that were seen caused by the last admin. However, the differences in cultures, values, and religion go back thousands of years and it’s not like other administrations weren’t trying to win over the Middle East.
I guess my issue is that I want to see Obama hit hard times and I want to see him tested. I don’t want purely the flash of fancy speeches, the well crafted delivery to world leaders, or the public view that words equate to action, they don’t.
The Peace prize is not only an accolade but now might become a burden. A burden to perform. The award places him in a position which requires even more expectation to lead but also to achieve. Not all goals in politics are reachable, there are accommodations, backdoors, and alternative approaches.
My fear is that too much God like treatment will tarnish the underlying truth, the truth being that Obama is at a very critical crossroads of his tenure and the moment of truth is starting to peak. The world will inevitably be watching now.
Give the coat tails a break for now
I get a lot of spam each day and I usually mass delete them all. But this one caught my eye: “From: Obama for America <info@barackobama.com>” Subject: “Your Victory T-shirt”. I’m all for a free t-shirt, I’ve got freebies in my closet from trade shows, gym promotions, 5k runs, and pro sporting events. I rarely wear any of them, but they’re free and you never know when you’ll need that bright orange shirt with a slight entrendre referencing a penetrated network.
I don't have any more CHANGE to give
But my Victory t-shirt wasn’t going to be free. I actually really didn’t think it would be FREEfree, I thought it might require a survey plus shipping fees or whatever. But I was wrong:
But before we take the next step, we need to get our house in order.
The Democratic National Committee poured all of its resources into building our successful 50-state field program. And they played a crucial role in helping Barack win in unlikely states like North Carolina and Indiana. We even picked up an electoral vote in Nebraska.
The DNC took on considerable debt to make this happen.
Make a donation of $30 or more now to help the DNC pay for these efforts, and you’ll get a commemorative 2008 Victory T-shirt.
…As we start laying the groundwork for real change, we need to help the DNC recover the resources it took to win. Please make a donation today and get your 2008 Victory T-shirt
Really? Is NOW the best time to begin that fund raising endeavor again? Have we not just been BOMBARDED with daily spam trying to get money from us for random campaign resources? It was not even a full week since the election and they decided it was appropriate to ask for more money.
It’s like you’d tell a teenager, if you’ve already spent your allowance, you’re not getting any more from me until next time.
I’m a Democrat and I’m thrilled with the newly elected Democrats for Congress and other positions, but please do not brag about the fruit of your efforts and then ask for more money to pay for them so soon. Why don’t we wait to make sure those newbies actually produce results, then you’ll have proof positive that the efforts paid off to get the right people in office and it will be easier to get people to come off with some money.
In today’s economy please don’t try to bleed me dry without showing me results. If these new members get the right things done, then I’ll see that the DNC’s efforts were worthwhile and worthy of financial help. Remember, it’s not like Congress’ approval rating was sky high before the election, so they don’t really have a good track record on which to base their request for more money….YET.
I have high hopes for this new government and truly believe that they can accomplish great things, but can we please wait at least a few months before asking for money to pay back the organization that got them elected?
The Big Day!
I love election day, it feels like the Superbowl to me and I am already thinking of all the munchies I am going to put together to watch the returns come in.
I expect an Obama victory, but not the blow-out that many forecast. I believe, and have a $0.25 bet with a fellow blogger, that the over-under on the electoral college count will be 310 for Obama. I took the “under”.
I would like to see McCain pull it out, but I just do not think it is in the cards.
However, I thought I would take a moment and say a few good things about Obama, why I do not fear the socialist takeover of the American system that many on the left would like to see and many on the right fear (and probably have blown out of proportion).
First, I think that Obama is highly intelligent, honest and loves his country. I also think he is a consensus seeker and will surround himself with highly intelligent advisers. Obama also has a track record of taking in all views. On this last point I will give him credit over the current Administration.
Secondly, I think the Republicans will keep 42 seats in the Senate and that combined with the moderate Democrats in the Senate will provide a ballast against any radical moves to overhaul anything (tax policy, healthcare, etc) in a way that would be disruptive to the economy.
Thirdly, the weak state of the economy itself requires treading carefully into any attempts at modifying the system, particularly tax rates, and the glaring problem that both parties want and will attack aggressively in the first 100 days will I suspect be to repair the lax regulation that led to the recent financial crises. I think the focus on this will be so intense it will take away from other initiatives that may be less attractive to conservatives.
Finally, with respect to tax policy, the Bush tax cuts were going to be allowed to roll-off in 2010 regardless of who was elected President. Anyone who says differently is just wrong. With the makeup of congress as is, much less with the make up we will have after this election, extension of those tax cuts had no chance. I think allowing those tax cuts to expire will be the extent of major adjustment to tax rates in the first two years of an Obama Administration. I did not feel like the federal government was extracting unfairly from my income prior to the Bush tax cuts, so allowing them to expire does not bother me that much. Plus, anyone paying attention at the time, and I recall thinking about how the tax cuts were structured, knew that this was a temporary windfall that would go away at some point any way.
So all in all, I still feel good about our nation and its future and so should you (especially if you are an Obama supporter). I will also add that I do think Obama might be the right guy to restore some of our prestige internationally. The world wide support for him is great. I know that should not matter to voters what people in Africa, Asia, India, Europe think. But the fact is our credibility and respect has been hammered and as long as Obama strongly supports our national interest – if his international popularity restores some of that prestige I am all for it.
Obama wins the real American Idol?
Well it is official Obama is bigger than American Idol, and John Kerry would at best be his strange sidekick. As a side note, the Nielsen numbers don’t count PBS or C-SPAN, really? These are the only people who watch political shows who do not have cable, so who knows Obama may had another 10 million viewers. Now that is impressive.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92S3HOG1&show_article=1
Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy
I am not saying Barrack Obama is comparing himself to Kennedy, but I am saying the DNC is doing everything but saying it for him. Is Obama moving, yes. Is Obama able to make people feel energized, clearly. However, you and I know that “The Line” (“Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy: I knew Jack Kennedy; Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”) is going to be said by someone very soon, and my money is on day 1 of the RNC.
Democrats are all liars or at least massive exaggerators
Just ask Glenn Beck. He will tell you the truth, and nothing but the truth…. Oh I cannot wait for his biting responses to the RNC comments. (Holding my breath)
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/27/beck.conventions/index.html
Is Michelle Obama white?
OK OK OK, you and I both know that headline was meant for “Shock and Awe”, but the rationale is what I want you to think about. The other night I was watching the Democratic convention, and Barack Obama’s wife Michelle was speaking. Let me be perfectly clear here, she was articulate, she was on point, she was likeable, she was in short: perfect in every way, dress, hair, education, and yada yada yada.
However, I found myself thinking about many of the stereo types I grew up with, and all of you who grew up in “white America” know what they are, so I won’t dignify them by writing them out, but one we can all agree on is a black man cannot (or should not) be President. Michelle Obama obliterated these stereo types, much in the same way Barack Obama has and will continue to do, and she did it with perfect style.
So I said all of those things (all of which are totally true), so you would take this paragraph with a grain of salt and with the good spirits it was intended. OK here it comes. I wanted her to be a little more ethnic. I wanted to shock the foundation of white America, and make them vote for someone who wasn’t in every way palatable to white America. Sure their skin color is a large hurdle white America will and needs to overcome, but there are so many other stereo types that shouldn’t preclude someone from holding the position of President either. Think about it, I doubt there are any pictures of Barack totally wasted in college doing a panty raid, and I do not have the same doubts about some Presidents, nor do I think Barack would fail to exceed 30 on his ACT or 1200 on his SAT, and some Presidents probably would not meet that criteria, so would it be that big of a deal if Barack and Michelle used some traditional “black” jargon in their conversations, or if Barack said “much love” to a good friend?
I simply do not believe even if Barack is elected, people in white America are changing their racial bias, but rather I believe most feel like they are just electing a very tan skinned picture perfect couple with an Ivy league education and law degrees. But even if the Obama’s can’t change white America beliefs on their own they are certainly proving in everyway that two black people in America rose out of tough financial circumstances and made a name for themselves in a way truly unique to themselves. So let me be the first to say congratulations to the Obama’s, and specifically Michelle with a good old fashioned.
“You go girl!”
Sincerely,
They
It’s 3:00 a.m., does Hillary feel safe?
Watching the Democratic primary the other night, I was struck by the energy
and enthusiasm that Hillary Clinton offered for Barack Obama, but after all
was said and done I still had no answer to an important question, does
Hillary believe she will be totally safe at 3:00 a.m. when Barack answers
the call?
Being that this is one of, if not the first, posts I will put on this site
you will not have read about my beliefs on national security, Hillary
Clinton, Barack Obama or for that matter anything at all, so you will have
to take my thoughts at face value, but keep in mind I am not attractive so
the value of my face is marginal at best.
Ok, now back to the question. Does she feel safe? I don’t know, but I do
know she did not address the issue, and I would like to hear her say that
Barack Obama is the best person for the job, or at least admit before the
national t.v. audience that she hopes there is a party line setup in
Washington, so it rings at Joe Biden’s house at the same time.
They
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