Election 2008: An Attempt to Understand Our Options

Some Closure

2009-09-20T10:07:00.017-04:00

So, I'm glad I did this blog. It was a real lesson in writing, politics, policy, and so forth. I miss the writing side of it--though I'm not sure I'd jump back into such an intense election cycle any sooner than necessary. I hope this post can bring a measure of closure to this effort of mine...

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In Support of a Public Option for Health Care

2009-06-19T18:20:00.013-04:00

So I have not had time at all to add to this blog recently, and actually started a final post a while ago that I need to finish; but, in the mean time, I had to put something out here about a public option for health care, particularly because health care reform is one of the issues that has meant...

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Progress by Union

2009-02-14T15:06:00.010-05:00

Can folks do more when gathered together than they can separately? Might that be more than a gimmicky-sounding idea of "unity" and more a calculation of possibility? Well, that is the idea I'm left with after hearing our President's speech honoring the attitude and aims of Abraham Lincoln. May...

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Belatedly, GREAT Speech

2009-02-07T12:56:00.043-05:00

In what is likely one of my last posts here, I just want to say what a solid speech now-President Barack Obama made on Inauguration Day. The bar was obviously high, but I think he did a fine job meeting it by simply talking about reality in clear terms. The video and text of the speech is at the...

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On Empathy and Ayn Rand

2009-02-01T12:03:00.304-05:00

First of all, I owe the launch of today's thought process to Ms. Jone Johnson Lewis of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society, and her thought-provoking blog post, "Empathy in the White House." The concept of empathy as a worthy and even central consideration in our world is one I've seen...

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Looking Back to Move Forward

2009-01-28T13:31:00.007-05:00

I wanted to write a post highlighting parts of President Obama's kicking inauguration speech that resonated with me, but will have to throw that up in a few days (and will then have to try to get out of the habit of putting stuff up here (possibly)--too much going on these days!). But I just read a...

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Rated in top ten Obama blogs by Blogged.com, I'll take it!

2009-01-17T12:10:00.006-05:00

So I'm about to (likely) retire this blog (though I'll leave it up here for posterity still), and was doing a quick search on it--Google and other search engines have this neat tool where you can search for any pages that link to yours. For Google, you type "link:www.fillintheblank.com." So, I did...

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My radio debut, yo

2009-01-07T20:21:00.008-05:00

Yeah, so at the suggestion of my good mother, I sent off a version of one of my blog posts here to a number of places--and they actually let me on the radio. It was cool, sitting in front of the professional mike with a crazy computer screen showing the audio recording, all that stuff. It was for...

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These Pictures Rock the Party

2008-12-13T16:15:00.000-05:00

These pictures from election night are awesome--man, I can't imagine waiting to hear whether you'd be announced the next president of the United States, what a freaking night (for McCain and Obama). The pictures are all from backstage as O waited with family and others for the results:

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Best Political Cartoon Ever

2008-12-09T21:40:00.001-05:00

I saw this cartoon up on a coworker's cubicle at work--it's definitely one of the best I've seen, though thankfully I think it'll lose its pop after January 20th. (click here to view)Gary Varvel Indianapolis Star Oct 3, 2008 EditorialCartoonists.com On a related note, I just realized recently...

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Our Man's Got Get-Up and Go

2008-12-07T11:00:00.003-05:00

I have to say, in starting to watch our almost-President Obama give his weekly address this week, I thought it sounded, well, like a bit much. But then, as he got into it, I realized, "He's going to be president, he can do these things!" It's enough to get someone excited--check it out:

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A Service-Oriented President, Finally

2008-11-30T21:10:00.007-05:00

In a time of big Thanksgiving meals for many of us, Barack, our coming President (I can't get over saying that yet, it's great), focused on those without much to eat--it's exactly the service-oriented leadership our leader-hungry country needs. From here on his Change.gov website: Saying he wanted...

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Keep the Gas Prices Up

2008-11-22T10:36:00.001-05:00

Off the bat, an editorial called "Raise the Gas Tax," from last Sunday's Washington Post, has my vote. I'm wondering if there would be any backlash to consider from it...it seems to me that if it was explained to the American people, and done in conjunction with a mammoth surge in alternative...

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Our President (almost)

2008-11-17T21:18:00.001-05:00

O and Lady O on 60 Minutes last night, well worth the watch--his temperament, their temperament, his serious mind and vision, their relationship, their history, their honesty, their humor, it's all very encouraging and quite endearing: Watch CBS Videos Online

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Unsettling Times for Jihadists

2008-11-16T22:59:00.002-05:00

This article in today's Washington Post by David Ignatius, one of their columnists, is worth the read--all about what things look like for al-Qaeda and those of a similar mind now that Obama is coming into the presidency. Here's the first part of it: Let's try for a moment to read the mind of an...

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Obama Meets With Dangerous World Leader Without Preconditions

2008-11-13T21:41:00.002-05:00

I got this and the caption in an email, so I can't claim it as my own, but great stuff, ay?

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In Only We Could Vote Out the Devastating Effects of Bush

2008-11-11T19:00:00.002-05:00

As seen in this 15-minute or so PBS NewsHour piece, the effects of Bush and his crew's war in Iraq will not soon diminish (as unfortunately is the case with too many of the problems they put into place while in office--the destructive, unregulated financial industry; inhumane budget priorities;...

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Reflections on Tuesday

2008-11-09T15:39:00.005-05:00

Charity, my wonderful and passionate aunt, living in Greece right now, recently forwarded some in my family a great reflection on the election from The New York Times--it's such a good piece. She also included a few of her own thoughts though, so I wanted to start with those; her reflections, along...

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WOW

2008-11-05T00:50:00.004-05:00

Yep, that's it, wow. New York Times photo credit. Update: I love this picture of Obama and his family on the front of The Washington Post (PDF) as they came out last night for their first appearance after winning:

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In Closing, First Principles

2008-11-03T23:54:00.007-05:00

*Note: I turned some of this post into a little radio piece you can read about and listen to here. It's a mixed bag seeing this election finally--we hope--ending tomorrow. It's been neat to feel out my own perceptions of politics and politicians, government in general and the specific issues of...

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Woe is McCain: Bad Temper, Bad Foreign Policy

2008-11-02T21:29:00.001-05:00

I couldn't help but be disturbed by this recent ten-page article in Rolling Stone called "Make Believe Maverick." It goes into John McCain's policy stances, but also his character, tracing forward from when he was young. It highlights the ways he has skated by because of his family name, from...

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Pro-Life and Pro-Obama?

2008-11-02T14:45:00.005-05:00

That's right, some folks fall into the pro-life, pro-Obama category, and rightly so in my view. I have been pro-choice for the most part, though I can't say that I've thought about it as comprehensively as I would like to--it's a tough issue. As many say, in an ideal world, there would not be any...

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A Call to Do Anything You Can

2008-11-01T13:43:00.005-04:00

Hi all, I just felt compelled to write a brief note to encourage anyone out there to do what you can with this election. Since i'm posting this email on my blog too, i have to say that folks supporting McCain have just as tall of an order to actually support him through sound arguments,...

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Obama Meets the Shenandoah Valley

2008-10-29T22:32:00.035-04:00

"I am so grateful to be in this gorgeous Shenandoah Valley. I am so grateful to be with all the people of Harrisonburg and the Valley as a whole, and here at JMU." -Barack Obama, addressing 8,000-person crowd at JMU So yeah, that's definitely a shot of Obama's plane at the Shenandoah Valley...

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The Value, and Values, of Barack: Why He Gave That Speech On Race

2008-10-27T20:46:00.003-04:00

As a part of PBS' Frontline piece "The Choice 2008" (which I hear is a good look at the candidates), they interviewed Obama's chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod. At one point they asked him: "When the Rev. [Jeremiah] Wright comments came out and the whole hubbub happened, what were your...

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