Obama Takes On The Economy--New Deal Style

President-Elect Obama (it's still fun to say that) has been busy putting together a team of the right people to solve the economic crisis. That formally includes Tim Geithner and Larry Summers now.

His goals? A New New Deal.

Obama wants to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011 by re-imagining and rebuilding America's infrastructure. Such long term investments in our infrastructure saved us from the grips of the Great Depression and it's so comforting to hear a plan talked about like this. As Robert Reich puts it, this is a "down payment" on America's economic future.

It's so gratifying to hear about change from the bottom up--from the worker to the CEO instead of the other way around. When the population is employed and paid, they are happier and better contributors to society, thereby creating a community that people want to save. An investment in America's workforce is more than just a temporary bandaid, like the Bailout of 2008 is, it's a permanent committment to keeping America working.

So, where do we go from here? The next step has to be health care. People need a health care system that works--that provides care for all, instead of for the fortunate few. If people have jobs and health care, there's no telling where our society could go.

The measurements for new curtains begin

Obama is making his first trip since the election to the Oval Office today. I wonder if Michelle will come with him to help him feng shui the place out. God knows it needs it after the past eight years. In fact, it probably needs a seance and some herbs to be burning in the corner. It wouldn't hurt to replace the carpet either--you know W's spilled shit on there and never told anyone about it (and to be fair, I would have too).

Here's what I suggest--limit the family pictures and just go for a clean look. I can tell you from the clutter on my desk that a clean office would be a great start. You can always add things later if you need them.

Oh, and nothing says "it's just another day at the [Oval] office," like a red stapler.

Thoughts On An Historic Moment

Tonight has been so moving. I have sat with people I've never met and had one common goal--to make sure that Michigan has a stem cell research policy that's right. I've sat here and watched friends win local elections. I've seen a new Michigan Supreme Court Justice elected.

But most importantly, I've finally answered the questions of a young Sam Grace who questioned why everyone in power was white and male. Tonight, one of those questions has finally been rhetorically answered.

In a brilliant speech, to an energized country, and a world waiting for change, Barack Obama stood and asked us to work with him--to work for ourselves--and be the change we wish to see in the world. For the first time since I can't even remember when, I feel optimistic about the future of this country.

There are hard battles before us--reproductive rights, workers rights, equal pay, energy independence, global warming--but there is nothing I feel we can't do tonight.

Yes we can.

Yes we did.

Yes we will.

Stop what you're doing....

And play Super Obama World. It's a take off of Super Mario, of course, but even better. Instead of dodging mushrooms, he dodges pigs with lipstick in ALASKA.

Try it now and never find yourself bored again.

When Karl Rove Speaks, I Usually Vomit

But apparently he predicted an Obama landslide today.

I'm so conflicted right now. What do I do? Do I believe him? Or is this the devil's trick? Is this the temptation of Sam Grace? Should I grab the closest apple and run?

This is a dirty, dirty trick. But I'll take it.

Final Push

Pour A Forty: Obama's Grandma

Knowing how much grandmothers can mean to a person, I say this with great sadness: Obama's grandmother passed just hours before her grandson's big election day.

Everyone pour a forty for Madelyn Dunham.

The Great Undecided Voter Checklist

I've never understood undecided voters. And I've never made that a secret. I just don't get what makes them tick. Either you're for something or you're against it. It's pretty simple to me. With McCain looking to close the gap on his status as underdog, it's time we do something about this.

I guess my normal forgiving nature has changed this year, because now more than ever I just don't get undecided voters. What is it that makes things so muddy for you?

For those still confused, please take the following test.

The Great Undecided Voter Checklist

Instructions: print up this list and check the boxes next to the positions you agree with. Just like a Cosmo quiz, once you're done, add up who you agreed with the most--Obama or McCain. The one you agreed with the most is your winner. It really is that simple!!!

Taxes
[ ] Obama wants to cut taxes for the middle class and close loopholes for the rich and big business.
[ ] McCain wants to cut taxes for business and the rich, hoping the rest will trickle down.


Higher Education
[ ] Obama wants to fund higher education and believes higher education is a fundamental right.
[ ] McCain wants to re-do the way in which higher education financing is done.

K-12 Education
[ ] Obama supports fully funding programs like No Child Left Behind and invoking merit pay for teachers in a way that promotes good education without stripping teachers of their right to unionize.
[ ] McCain supports vouchers so that parents can take their kids out of public school and put them in private schools and let the public schools deteriorate.

Energy
[ ] Obama wants to invest in alternative fuels starting on day 1.
[ ] McCain wants to drill baby drill until we find an answer.

Foreign Policy
[ ] Obama wants to use diplomacy and meet with foreign leaders--even those we disagree with--in order to foster a dialogue and perhaps prevent catastrophes.
[ ] McCain wants to show muscle to Iran and Iraq.

Reproductive rights
[ ] Obama believes it is a woman's right to chose and that Roe v. Wade was properly decided.
[ ] McCain mocks the "health of the mother" exception and thinks Roe v. Wade was wrong.

War in Iraq
[ ] Obama did not support the invasion or the surge and thinks we should leave soon.
[ ] McCain supported the invasion and the surge and thinks we should stay longer.

Gay Rights
[ ] Obama believes in civil unions and gay rights.
[ ] McCain does not agree with civil unions or gay marriage and finds support from the factions of society that use hate as a tool against gays.

Equal Pay
[ ] Obama flew back to D.C. to vote for the Ledbetter Act.
[ ] McCain voted against the Ledbetter Act.

Health Care
[ ] Obama wants to start a national health care program where no one is left without health care coverage.
[ ] McCain wants to privatize health care and give a tax incentive for buying on the open market, leaving loopholes for companies to deny coverage.

Social Security
[ ] Obama wants a strong social security benefit.
[ ] McCain would like to privatize social security.

Judicial Philosophy
[ ] Obama believes that the Constitution is a living document that needs to be interpreted by not only reviewing the history behind it, but the intent and the precedent which has discussed it over the years.
[ ] McCain is a strict textualist believing the Constitution has a fixed meaning that provides for certain rights and not others.

So what's the problem? Make a decision already!!!!!!

A Manifesto: Why I'm Voting for Barack Obama and Why You Should Too

Over the past six weeks, I have brought you stories from people on everything from stem cell research, to race and beyond. We've talked about Hillary and Michelle, John and Sarah. We've discussed local matters and national ones. We've talked foreign policy and hot topics. But tomorrow, it all comes down to your ballot.

Though I'm usually a big believer that local politics are far more influential on our daily lives than national ones, I can't help but feel a little more tilted in the other direction this time around. You see, after living through eight years of absolute idiocy, I am beginning to appreciate the power of the presidency again. Unfortunately, until now, it's not been a good thing.

Four years ago this summer, I watched a young, charismatic and unknown man take the stage at the Democratic National Convention. While he spoke, something in me stirred that had not been awakened for years. For the first time in a decade, I began to feel my love for politics grow with each word he spoke. And from that moment on, I've guaranteed friends and family alike that when they saw Barack Obama, they were looking at the next president of the United States of America.

Campaigns change a lot. Though this one has not changed my mind about Obama's future, it has hardened me to a lot of truths--gender and race inequity are more prevalent than ever, the economy is not a one-fix-cures-all-problem, and people who were hurt worst by the GWB politics still believe in so-called "conservative values."

So for those still interested, and hell even for those who aren't, here are the reasons I'm voting for Barack Obama.

1. Obama's message of hope is the right message at the right time.
The first thing that made me pause in 2004, is the most important thing I think the nation needs today--a message of hope. We've invested the past eight years in two failed wars, a broken-down economy that has little chance of bouncing back on its own, and a general distrust for government. That message of fear has done nothing but seperate people and engender hate. Hell, even Yoda would tell you that. The thing is that America is so receptive to Obama's message because America is thirsty as hell for a new way of doing things. It's as if the past eight years have been a cash-only bar where very few get a drink and we have the promise of an open bar with unlimited top-shelf liquor staring us in the face.

Hope is what America needs right now because we have so much to work on. Without hope, we're likely to give up when times are hard. With hope, we're likely to work harder. We need a leader with hope to help us through these trials and errors. I'm not saying that Obama won't screw up at anything--because he will--but I'm saying that his underlying message is what America needs, gaffes and all, at this point in our history.

2. Obama's energy policy is by far the most thorough and thought-through policy.

One large thing that is keeping this country from realizing its potential is its dependence on the energy of the past. Think of this--for a hundred years cars have run primarily on gasoline. The gas mileage that cars were getting in the 1960s is on par with what many cars are getting today. People are using more, not less. And yet we are confused as to why we are so dependent on foreign oil.

The answer isn't to drill here, drill now or drill ever. That's a band aid on the biggest gaping wound that mankind has ever self-inflicted. The answer is to invest in new technologies, the way we did a hundred years ago, to further ourselves. The answer is to harness the Earth's less destructive powers for our own needs. Drilling isn't the answer. Clean coal isn't the answer.

In addition, one thing that Obama stands head and shoulders above McCain on is the idea of conservation. McCain's idea of conservation cannot be bigger than the head of a pin, considering he heats and cools 9 houses and fuels 14 cars.

3. Obama's foreign policy stance is sorely needed.

Anyone who thinks that America hasn't taken a beating in the PR sense of the term over the past eight years needs a serious head examination. The fact is that America is more vulnerable today than it was eight years ago specifically because of the ridiculous choices made by those in power. Instead of using diplomacy, we've found stupid reasons to wage war. Instead of standing firm on finding Al Qaeda, we've stood shaky on everything. America is being looked at like the boy who cried wolf.

Obama stands for rebuilding the relationships we've broken, building ones we've never had and making America stand behind its word. Foreign policy isn't about whether you'd negotiate with terrorists or bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-Iran, it's about what standards you set for going to war, discussing terms of settlement and moving forward as a united world. Preconditions to sitting down with other foreign leaders aside, do you really think that McCain the self-made war hero, if elected, won't try and start his own war?

I'm sick of hearing from the world how America has failed. I'm ready to stand with Obama to make America right again, by leaning left.

4. Obama's economic policy is the right policy for the U.S. right now.
The facts on this are clear--McCain just doesn't get it. From a young age, McCain was the son of a naval officer's family. He never had to struggle hard to get ahead, get an education, get a job, or get his bills paid. And while it's nice to have ideas about money, if you've never been where the bulk of America is or is heading right now, you have no idea what is needed to get things right.

Spreading the wealth isn't a socialist tactic--it's a way in which to deamonize fair taxes and services for all. Over the past eight years, we've watched the Enrons, the AIGs, the Haliburtons et al come to power with our tax dollars cushioning the way. Not once has the GOP or McCain questioned this as socialism or "spreading the wealth." In fact, that notion of spreading the wealth has only been questioned when individual citizens were the ones benefitting from any reallocation.

Cutting taxes might have been the answer when Ronald Regan came to power decades ago, but for America in the 21st century, it just doesn't hold water. Cutting taxes will not help those who cannot afford to eat. Cutting taxes won't pay for outrageous energy bills because we have nothing other than oil and coal on which to rely. Cutting taxes will not help a sick mom live to see her son graduate high school. Cutting taxes, in other words, just doesn't cut it. Running on a platform of lower taxes does nothing to help the country.

Obama has a solid financial economic plan based on cutting government spending where necessary and increasing it with those new-found dollars where needed. He believes in affording people not only the right to unionize, but the right to go to college, the right to believe in the American dream again, and the right to have a home and credit without the terms changing at big business's whim.

5. Obama makes us invest in our own futures.

Obama doesn't just turn the page on the old political rule, he opens a new book entirely. Instead of telling us what he can do to make our lives better, he has decided to run a campaign based on that old JFK slogan "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Over the weekend I was at various volunteer offices and saw people of every different race, creed, color, belief, age, background, etc. manning the phones and knocking on doors. I saw people in West Bloomfield with Obama signs on their lawns--lawns that very well have never seen a political lawn sign before.

What scares the McCain people about Obama's following isn't that Obama will have power in an Obama administration--it's that people that have been disenfranchised for so long will have power in creating their own destinies. Obama has made his campaign a campaign for change based on the idea that we all have a stake in our political futures--not just the future of one man or woman, but the future of our society. Obama has made us break down walls and talk about race and age and gender and personal freedom. Obama has made us invest in our own political cache and together, we have made a difference.

In other words, ask not what Obama can do for you, but what you can do for you.

People are already turning out in droves for early voting in unprecedented numbers. People are volunteering for campaigns that they never took interest in before. People are getting involved, and the part of the people, the Dems, looks to make a comeback.

Tomorrow night I pray that I go to bed exhausted but happy in the knowledge that for the first time as an adult, I can hope to be happy and proud to be an American again. I pray that I go to bed knowing that hope is not only an idea, but hope is on the way. But more importantly, I pray that I wake up the next morning knowing, more than ever, that a group of Americans can do something truly magical together and change the paradigm of politics-as-usual that has plagued our nation for too long, helping only those who can help themselves and leaving behind those who can't. There's a reason why McCain is lagging in the polls--it's because the old playbook doesn't play to Americans anymore. A historic day is on the horizon and hope is on the march. The final play is set and I'm sure there will be an audible here or there...but the time has come.

In other words, I can't wait to hear the talking heads say that Obama is our next president. Upwards and onwards, America. Upwards and onwards.

Eye of the Tiger, Barack. Eye of the Tiger.

Polls are still showing an Obama victory within reach. Even Stephen Colbert endorsed him and last night in his segment called DaColbert Code he had a preminition (several actually) of an Obama victory.

In that vein, I realize that the taste of sweet victory may be on our lips and in our minds, but we must remember that the fight is still on and, as Rocky Balboa once said to Apollo Creed, "I didn't hear no bell." McCain is looking to gain votes where ever he can and if you think the GOP machine is going to rest easy and let this one slip away, you're crazy.

Therefore, to motivate those of you feeling as if you can just phone it in over the next few days and not hit the pavement, the interwebs and the phone lines full force, here is a video of one of the most inspirational songs of our time: Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger."

Some said it was only a matter of time...but really it's only a matter of hate

Authorities with the ATF announced today that they foiled the plot of 2 neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Obama and 102 other Black people.

There was just a post today on a blog I found (Kat's Litterbox) about how people are silently and not-so-silently wondering when the racism in this country will threaten Obama's life.

I presume that this is probably not the first plan to assassinate Obama, and it won't be the last. Therein lies the tragedy.

So for those of you who say racism is dead and we're in a post-racial world, I hope you've just had a wake up call regarding the state of racial affairs in the U.S. today. The thing is that racism is here and it's often not this blatant. Usually it comes as attacks to affirmative action or insults to "flashy" Black leaders, rarely does it become so brilliantly clear as this.

To say the color of one's skin should not matter is the truth. To deny that it does is a lie.

Hot Topics: Am I Pinko Commie Scum?

One of the things that I'm not shocked to hear from people like this (and this and this) is that I'm some sort of socialist, left wing nut. Though to be brutally honest, I don't much care because if socialist, left wing nut means I believe in fairness and equality, then I guess they're right to that extent. But recently, the "bailout" or "rescue" plan and the surrounding inequity in our financial system has lead a lot more people to be fellow comrades. I guess when it comes to money, tough times make for strange bedfellows. It seems McCain believes in Selective Socialism.

Something is starting to catch on in America though from the academics all the way down to the factory worker--when it comes to the rich and powerful, socialism is acceptable; it's only when the weak and poor are helped that it becomes such a sin. The facts are the facts--this most recent bailout was nothing more than government subsidizing the mistakes of the rich and powerful on Wall Street and in financial centers around the country. This was socialism. There are many who were mad about this instance of socialism, though, that don't get the basic fact-of-the-matter, which is that this type of socialism goes on all the time, you just have to make enough money to take advantage of it. McCain faults Obama for claiming to want to spread the wealth (which I think is a great idea by the way, and I'll stand by that), but McCain's policies as a senator and the GOP's platform as a whole support this kind of socialism.

In the past decade, Americans have watched as their wages stagnated and even fell. With a President Obama, the middle class will see a $13,000 a year increase in wages. With a President McCain, the middle class will only see a $5,000 a year increase in wages. Perhaps it's just me, but if we are to truly be capitalists, wouldn't we promote a greater and stronger middle class who has the purchasing power to make our economy whole? Yet McCain's politics give the middle class less just in time to give the companies more.

I think we've seen the end result of deregulation in the financial and energy markets. It has lead to higher costs of living and lower wages for the average American worker. Though the fundamentals may be strong, the deck is stacked against them. Regan said deregulate now--and we did. Bush I echoed this--and we continued. Bush II played favorites with the likes of Enron and Haliburton--and we didn't stop it. Do you really think McCain won't do this too?

What we've done over the past 60 days says a lot about what our contry is willing to do for the rich and what we aren't willing to do for the poor. We're willing to bail out Wall Street for falling victim to it's own greed and laissez-faire attitude while punishing everyday Americans for living outside of their means or just trying to get by. Instead of helping the people that need it most, we helped the ones who caused the problem, hoping that, in the end, they would help us. And now most of us can't get a loan or line of credit to save our lives--and that's exactly what people have to do to get by. If that isn't basic socialism, I don't know what is.

The thing is that those people in high finance don't give two cents, quite literally, about the rest of us. In fact, they're making a killing off of our genorousity in the bailout. We've been asked instead to look at Joe the Plumber, forgetting that Joe the Banker is raping us dry and Joe the Homeowner and Factory Worker is getting the shaft.

If I may use a McCain line: Here's the facts, my friends. John McCain doesn't want to spread the wealth because people like him who have so much of it are afraid that making the pie bigger will divest them of their piece of it. What they don't get is that when the pie is bigger, everyone can have a big slice.

Or do they not want us to eat at all?

But don't worry conservative types who claim I'm pink commie scum....there are plenty of people out there who agree with me and my values. And I'll stick by them (like here and here and here and here) any day of the week.

A Slap the GOP Needs, If You Ask Me

This weekend, Republican Party faithful and token Black man of any consequence, Colin Powell, decided he had enough of the secrecy and decided to endorse Barack Obama for president. In what many called a brilliant oratory on his decision to do, Powell outlined the reasons for his Obamania.

Reporter: Do you think that Sen. Obama will be a better transitional president than potentially Sen. McCain?

Colin Powell: I think that Sen. Obama brings a fresh set of of eyes, a fresh set of ideas to the table. I think that Sen. McCain, as gifted as he is, is essentially going to execute the Republican agenda, the orthodoxy of the Republican agenda with a new face and with a maverick approach to it. And he'd be quite good at it. But I think we need more than that. I think we need a generational change. And I think Sen. Obama has captured the feelings of the young people of America and is reaching out in a more diverse, inclusive way across our society. Watch Powell tell why he supports Obama »

Reporter: Could you talk to us about when your decision was made final? When did you finally set your heart on Sen. Obama?

Powell: I have been watching, as I said [on "Meet the Press"], for a long time, and then, within the past couple of months, I really said, you know, you just can't keep watching. You've got to kind of settle down.

And frankly, it was in the period leading up to the conventions, and then the decisions that came out of the conventions, and then just sort of watching the responses of the two individuals on the economic crisis. It gave me an opportunity to evaluate their judgment, to evaluate their way of approaching a problem, to evaluate the steadiness of their actions. And it was at that point that I realized that, to my mind, anyway, that Sen. Obama has demonstrated the kind of calm, patient, intellectual, steady approach to problem-solving that I think we need in this country.

Reporter: Mr. Secretary, there were a number of chinks in your own armor, actually, because of the lead-up to the Iraq war and the events. How much did that play into your decision about this? And will it be taken perhaps by some, because of your previous high-profile position, won't it be taken by some as a repudiation of the Iraq war?

Powell: I don't know why. The Iraq war is the Iraq war. We now see that things are a lot better in Iraq. Maybe if we had put a surge in at the beginning, it would have been a lot better years ago, but it's a lot better now, and we can see ahead to where U.S. forces will start to come out. And so, my concern was not my past or what happened in Iraq, but where we're going in the future. My sole concern was where are we going after January 20 of 2009, not what happened in 2003.

I'm well aware of the role I played. My role has been very, very straightforward. I wanted to avoid a war. The president agreed with me. We tried to do that. We couldn't get it through the U.N. and when the president made the decision, I supported that decision. And I've never blinked from that. I've never said I didn't support a decision to go to war.

And the war looked great until the 9th of April, when the statue fell, everybody thought it was terrific. And it was terrific. The troops had done a great job. But then we failed to understand that the war really was not over, that a new phase of the war was beginning. And we weren't ready for it and we didn't respond to it well enough, and things went very, very -- very, very south, very bad.

And now it's starting to turn around through the work of Gen. Petraeus and the troops, through the work of the Iraqi government, through our diplomatic efforts, and I hope now that this war will be brought to an end, at least as far as American involvement is concerned, and the Iraqis are going to have to be responsible for their own security and for their own political future. ...

Reporter: Sir, what part did McCain's negativity play in your decision, the negative tone of the campaign?

Powell: It troubled me. We have two wars. We have economic problems. We have health problems. We have education problems. We have infrastructure problems. We have problems around the world with our allies. So those are the problems the American people wanted to hear about, not about Mr. Ayers, not about who's a Muslim or who's not a Muslim. Those kinds of images going out on Al-Jazeera are killing us around the world.

And we have got to say to the world, it doesn't make any difference who you are or what you are, if you're an American, you're an American. And this business, for example, of the congressman from Minnesota who's going around saying, "Let's examine all congressmen to see who is pro-America or not pro-America" -- we have got to stop this kind of nonsense, pull ourselves together and remember that our great strength is in our unity and in our diversity. And so, that really was driving me.

And to focus on people like Mr. Ayers and these trivial issues, for the purpose of suggesting that somehow Mr. Obama would have some kind of terrorist inclinations, I thought that was over the top. It was beyond just good political fighting back and forth. I think it went beyond. And to sort of throw in this little Muslim connection, you know, "He's a Muslim and, my goodness, he's a terrorist" -- it was taking root. And we can't judge our people and we can't hold our elections on that kind of basis.

So, yes, that kind of negativity troubled me, And the constant shifting of the argument. I was troubled a couple of weeks ago when in the middle of the crisis, the [McCain] campaign said, "We're going to go negative," and they announced it, "We're going to go negative and attack [Obama's] character through Bill Ayers." Now I guess the message this week is, "We're going to call him a socialist, Mr. Obama is now a socialist, because he dares to suggest that maybe we ought to look at the tax structure that we have."

Taxes are always a redistribution of money. Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to those who paid them, in roads and airports and hospitals and schools. And taxes are necessary for the common good. And there is nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is or who should be paying more, who should be paying less. And for us to say that that makes you a socialist, I think is an unfortunate characterization that isn't accurate.

I don't want my taxes raised. I don't want anybody else's taxes raised. But I also want to see our infrastructure fixed. I don't want to have a $12 trillion national debt, and I don't want to see an annual deficit that's over $500 billion heading toward a trillion. So, how do we deal with all of this?

Reporter: Are you still a Republican?

Powell: Yes.

Reporter: Have you conveyed your decision to Sen. Obama?

Powell: Calls are being made. Thank you.

The Republican armor is crumbling. Just yesterday, BrotherGrace called to try and get talking points on Ayers and Acorn attacks he was receiving from Republicans at the gym of all places. When I started off with the simple fact that such attacks were total diversions from the facts, Brother Grace echoed "well, of course, I know that." The fact is, everyone is starting to know that except those blinded by the Republican agenda and M.O. for the past 20 years which has been to slash and burn until you discredit someone at whatever cost necessary.

Many now think that Powell's endorsement of Obama is a bit of a dig against the GOP, rather than a pure endorsement of Obama. I think this is probably largely true, but that doesn't mean that the endorsement is any less powerful as a result. The fact is that a true player in the GOP who has been faithful to the GOP line for many years, through many leaders has found himself in a place where enough is, finally, enough.

I think that sends a bigger message than anything else could. It's not when your opponents decry your tactics that you should necessarily worry, but it is when your faithful break ranks to do so that you should begin to contemplate your methods. Are you listening, John?

Why John Doesn't Get Joe...or Jane...or John...or Julio....or Jamal

Between you, me, and well, the internet, I have to say that I'm developing quite the crush on Robert Reich. In fact, in the debate last night I was crossing my fingers that Obama would speak his name as one of his advisors. He of course dashed my dreams and didn't. What Obama neglected, I'll bring to light.

One of the things that has irritated me so much about the way in which the current "bailout" has taken place, was the blame that the American Worker and the Middle Class and Working Class folks out there have taken the shaft from every side. (And I'm not talking about Joe the Plumber, who has a recession proof job and can afford to buy a business.) Not only are they being screwed because they can't get credit to afford basic things, but they need credit in the first place to buy basic things. And to add insult to injury, there are people out there who consider themselves concerned and compassionate people who continue to blame those who have suffered most in this crisis (and continue to suffer the most) as a way of explaining the problem. It's like you can't talk about predatory lending without throwing in some quote about how some people abused the system. You can't discuss credit without saying that people live beyond their means. You basically can't talk about the have nots without faulting them for having not and wanting more.

I'm not here to say that there aren't people who live beyond their means and that I haven't been one of them. But what I am saying is that we have got to stop demonizing the working men and women of this country who have to get credit cards to pay for basic necessities because wages are stagnant and jobs are few and far between. People who took on larger mortgages than they probably should have were convinced by so-called experts that it was not only okay, but a good way for them to build equity and credit. Moms and Dads who use the plastic at the pump to get to work aren't doing it to afford a vacation, they're doing it to afford a life. So for those who don't have those problems and for those who never have had those problems, it's not surprising that the average John, Jane, Julio, Joanna and Jamal are being lambasted for doing what they needed to in order to get by and, god forbid, get ahead.

And to that message, comes Robert Reich's latest commentary. It's short and sweet and to the point: the American worker has been taking on more than s/he could handle because s/he has no choice. Very few Americans are vacationing, let alone taking luxury vacations. Very few Americans are purchasing new cars, let alone fancy ones. Very few Americans are taking on new homes, let alone ones too big for their budget. And yet we cannot seem to demonize the true demons without throwing some dirt in John, Jane, Julio, Joanna and Jamal's faces. It's a classic fault of the limousine liberal and it's coming out in places I never expected. I expect this commentary from GWB. I don't expect it from seasoned labor lawyers.

The thing is that today's American Worker is damned if she does or doesn't, whether she spends or saves, whether he works or not. Joe the Plumber is an exception, not the norm. And even if he were, McCain would still fail to grasp the ways in which his policies would kill him and bleed him dry.

Joe the Plumber--This Week's For You

I find it highly ironic that John McCain pulls in "Joe the Plumber" to try and prove his points on the economy. McCain's insistence that the fundamentals of the American economy--the American Worker--are strong, have rung hollow every step of the way. His reaching out to Joe the Plumber is just another attempt to connect with middle-class white men who are leaning towards Obama.

Let's see how McCain really feels about Joe the Plumber and all the other Joes and Janes out there in the work force.

• McCain supports free trade agreements without any restrictions requiring a true free trade for laborers and not just for businessmen.
• McCain was against the Ledbetter Act which would have allowed people to sue for an equal pay violation when they learn of it--not to be outsmarted by companies until the statute of limitations runs just to be out of luck when it comes to a lawsuit in federal court.
• McCain is against the Employee Free Choice Act, which would level the playing field for those workers wishing to join or form unions.
  
• McCain wants to tax health benefits and make it less likely that employers will pay for health care.
• McCain voted against an increase in the minimum wage as recently as 2007.

The record is quite clear--unless you're one of the wealthiest 2%, you just don't matter. Check out more here.

Oddly enough, Joe the Plumber might not be such a McCain fan....the major plumbers union in America endorses Obama.

Oh snap, indeed.

A White Guy (not Tim Wise) Talks Race...and he's Working Class Folk

This video speaks volumes about the ability of the American people to learn to recognize and overcome racism. It's a counter for those who were unable to stomach the previous two.

He Must Be Un-American....He's Black, His Dad Was a Foreigner and His Middle Name's Hussein

For months, Obama we have subtly and not-so-subtly been beaten over the head with the theme that Obama just isn't "American enough" to be President. This tactic reeks of racism from days gone by and inherent fears and hatred of the unknown "other." It's a sad commentary on America that this has worked with some people.

But it's more than just a tactic. It's a Rovian like strategy that plays on the fear of the different. This fear popped up more than ever after 9/11 and although it's died down in a lot of major ways, it's been pervasive in our foreign and domestic policy ever since. For those who say it hasn't, I need only direct you to the detainees at Gitmo to prove my point.

It still amazes me, I guess because I've yet to become totally cynical, that this strategy works. It does work, though, and it works well. Obama has been labeled a Muslim as if that were a bad thing--as if his religion detered him from doing a good job as president. Obama's been labeled an elite--as if knowing the difference between nuclear and nucular is a bad thing. Obama's been labeled too flashy even though he's probably one of the least flashiest people I can recall. Underneath all of these comments, lies a sickening truth...America is racist.

So the news today that McCain is trying harder than ever to link the word "terrorist" to Obama's campaign is not surprising. In fact, it's sadly reassuring that McCain is going this far because it shows he's strugling badly. Nevertheless, the fact is that certain segments of White America falls for these divisive tactics more often than not.

How does this relate to foreign policy? Well, if America is inherently racist, and we elect a president who plays on those ingrained fears, how does it stand a chance of actually discussing the issues with countries like Iran and North Korea? We don't. That's why McCain won't discuss whether he'll talk to Iranian officials--because he won't. Diplomacy is not a characteristic of a McCain Administration. And if we recall, that's how we got into this quagmire of never-ending wars in the first place.

McCain claims to speak softly and carry a big stick, but if the words and tactics you are using speak louder than words, it makes no difference what you say.

And that, my friends, is just another reason not to vote for McCain.

Foreign Relations Step 1: Restore Our Relationships

I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to study abroad in France during the summer between my junior and senior years of college. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget and that is everything the cliches about studying abroad promised. I stayed with an amazing host family and lived the language.

But more importantly, I lived as an American in a foreign land.

I was in France in the summer of 2002. This was less than one year after 9/11 and nearly a year before the infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech on May 1, 2003. Needless to say it was a trying time to be an American abroad.

My host family taught me many things, but one of the things that really struck me was the fact that, unlike stereotypes the did not hate Americans. Americans, for example, had helped France out in World War I and saved it from the Nazis in World War II. But it seems that since then, we've done nothing but tarnish our own image.

One day I was walking down the streets of the small city where I frequented after class. On the light posts there were posters for a protest. A protest against American invasion of Iraq. On the posters was a picture of George W. Bush, riding a rocket with a cowboy hat on. The perfect Kubrickian-masterpiece. I've never been a W fan, but at first I was a bit miffed. Then I read what it really meant--they don't hate me as an American, they hate my country's policies. And rightfully so.

One night, my host family had over one of their former host-students for dinner who happened to be in town. He was a citizen of Kuwait. Imagine the tension at the dinner table that night with my country invading the country just to the north of him, claiming to be liberators yet again. Imagine the tension at the dinner table that night with many in my country calling for the heads of so many innocent Arabic and Muslim people as some battle cry. He was an unbelievably nice person, but I couldn't help but see Americans through his eyes that night and, for once, I was the outsider.

I have thought of these experiences over the past six years in dealing with our foreign relations debacle. I think they really speak for themselves.

I just hope when I go back to France, I'm greeted with a little less angst for being an American and a little more hope for the future. I am convinced that this can only happen if Obama is elected. McCain is a great war hero. Do you honestly think that he isn't going to want a war of his own, whether it's Iran, North Korea or somewhere entirely different? And do you think our armed services can take another unncessary, time consuming and life-wasting war? I think not.

I mentioned the other day about how McCain's issues section has no section on foreign relations. This is indicative as to what a McCain presidency would bring--more disdain from the world community. You think the Bush Doctrine was bad? Think of what the McCain doctrine would be.

I seriously question whether America will last as a country for the rest of my natural life, but I know with McCain that it won't. We have to stop depriving ourselves of our own opportunities and relationships and get back in there with diplomacy and true world leadership.

We need, in otherwords, relationship counseling with our allies. I, for one, think Obama should be in the driver's seat.

The GOP is Desperately Seeking Gwen

In another sick, sad and gruesome attempt to somehow postpone or cancel tomorrow night's VP debate, the GOP has decided to stick it to the one person they haven't tried yet--the moderator, Gwen Ifill.

I have grown up watching debates with Gwen Ifill and, let me tell you, there ain't no one more impartial then Gwen Ifill. She takes her job seriously and doesn't let her personal views get in the way.

So imagine my surprise today when I get some news that there is "controversy" around Ifill because (God forbid!) she's writing a book about race and politics...a book that is more historical than opinion and just happens to feature Barack Obama because, well, he's the first Black presidential candidate from a major party.

Since I have time because I can't leave work yet, I decided to pull up Gwen's bio. There is nothing so much as a hint of the so-called "liberal bias" that GOPs like to spew when backed into a corner. Of course, aside from the fact that she's BLACK.

Then I meandered over to the other moderators' bios.

Jim Leher is a BUS ENTHUSIAST. Therefore, he must favor public transportation. As such, he must be liberal because he wants to preserve a socialized form of transportation. I guess we should go back in time and cancel that debate.

Tom Brokaw, who is hosting the next Presidential Debate is on the SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS BOARD OF VISITORS AT THE HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY!!! Naturally, he must be biased to Obama.

Clearly, the only qualified candidate they got to moderate was Bob Schieffer--who happens to be an old pal of George H.W. Bush and went to a Christian college (and not one of those fancy Black colleges either). Now there's a solid guy.

Let's just cancel everything but that last debate. Obviously the debate commission is biased.

The Problem With Tax-Breaks for Healthcare - or - McCain's Healthcare Plan: Don't Get Sick

I think as a nation that we've largely overcome the hump of getting everyone on board with the notion that we need some sort of nationalized health care. Even the most conservative people I know believe health care should be a right, not a privilege. I may be wrong on this general consensus, but I'm going to believe in it because I want to believe that there's a general will to do the right thing out there.

That being said, I'd be remiss if I let this week go by without laying out exactly where a national health care plan should go and what it should do. Though I have my disagreements with Obama's plan (e.g., not a mandate or universal coverage, but rather coverage for those whose employer does not provide it and incentives for employers to provide it or enroll in the national plan) and I believe that whatever national health care plan does eventually make its way to the people will look different from what is proposed, I cannot stand idly and not comment on McCain's complete failure to address the problem.

So to break it down, here's why McCain's Health Care Plan is a massive failure:

• It does not mandate coverage. Under Obama's plan, flaws and all, every American will be covered by a plan, one way or another. That's not true under McCain's plan. McCain's plan offers tax incentives to getting coverage, but does not make it even more available than it is now and doesn't require every person to be covered and every insurer to accept you regardless of medical history. In other words, you're on your own. And as anyone who has shopped for alternative coverage can tell you, you are screwed.
  
• It encourages "free market" policies to take advantage of Americans. Instead of being insured under group policies, every person would be insured by an individual policy. McCain calls this being responsible for your own health care. McCain's solution to the insurance issue: "An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines." That's a direct quote. Here's a translation: big companies are still going to make money off of a basic service, something we know doesn't work. Furthermore everyday Americans will be lucky if they can even find coverage because competition does not provide basic safeguards. If anyone needs a lesson about that, they need look no further than the current financial meltdown.
  
• It taxes those whose employer does provide benefits. That's right Joe Blow--now your company-provided health care will now count towards your income and be taxable. So much for cutting taxes to help the economy. In other words, since health care benefits for a family equal about the equivalent of $12,000, those who need the break the most--working families--will instead be taxed at a higher level for benefits they receive. Of course, they'll get a tax break...in amount much less than the increased taxed income they'll be charged for. In other words, the plan isn't so much of a plan to encourage coverage, it's a plan to encourage people to go out into the "free market" to get insurance--even if that insurance is not as good--because there are greater tax benefits to do so. Surely, such a policy is absurd to anyone. At least, I thought that. Meanwhile companies will be greater encouraged (as if they needed more encouragement) to lower benefits to their employees and basically strip the American Worker (the 'fundamentals of the economy') of any chance of breaking even.

The end result of McCain's plan is this: not only is the American Worker screwed, he's screwed without a kiss. A good resource to review these policies substantively is the Economists for Obama site. There is also a narrative comparison of the effect either plan would have on ordinary Americans. Another good source is a straight-talkin' break down of what McCain's plan truly brings to the table.

The choice is pretty clear--there is a choice between coverage for all and coverage for the elite few who probably don't need it anyhow. I'll take the former any day of the week.