More Good Stuff Happening

Sorry for my lack of posts this week, I have been holed up at a focus group facility watching one-on-one interviews with users of our Product. In order to keep the anonymity of the Not-Quite-As-Big Corporation I cannot reveal the identity of the Product but I can say that listening to four people a day talk about it for 90 minutes each can wear on a person. So much so that the person has no energy to blog when they get home.

Be that as it may, I did want to say that now that we are well into President Obama's second week in office, I am continuing to be thrilled with what he is accomplishing already.

This is a picture of the President today as he signed the equal pay legislation called the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Ms. Ledbetter, whom the Supreme Court had ruled against in her suit regarding inequality of pay, is standing next to the President. (Picture courtesy of the NY Times)

From the Times:

“'It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign — the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness,” the president said.

He said was signing the bill not only in honor of Ms. Ledbetter — who stood behind him, shaking her head and clasping her hands in seeming disbelief — but in honor of his own grandmother, 'who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up again' and for his daughters, 'because I want them to grow up in a nation that values their contributions, where there are no limits to their dreams.'”

President Obama also did not hesitate today to dress down Wall Street for giving out billions of dollars in bonuses to the very geniuses that helped run their companies into the ground and be forced to ask for billions in government bailouts.

"'That is the height of irresponsibility,' Mr. Obama said angrily. 'It is shameful, and part of what we’re going to need is for folks on Wall Street who are asking for help to show some restraint and show some discipline and show some sense of responsibility.'"

It's good to see a president who actually calls these people on their profligate ways.

Of course, looking at the bonuses as a whole (rather than individually), due to the job losses on Wall Street the total amount of money being given in bonuses is actually 50% lower than last year, dropping to the lowest level since 2002. This does not bode well for New York State and New York City, which depend heavily on this money for tax revenues. Seems you can't win no matter what.

In other good stuff, Former Governor Rod Blagojevich has finally been convicted by the Illinois Senate in his impeachment trial. His last minute whirlwind tour of the talk show circuit, as well as a final "closing argument" at the trial, apparently did not change any minds, since the Senate voted unanimously to remove him from office.

I am not at all positive that the criminal case that is to follow will reach the same conclusions, as it is possible that nothing he actually did was illegal. A person can't be put in jail simply for running his mouth, as DH says. Blago claims his quotes are being taken "out of context." It's certainly possible. I guess we'll find out when that case comes to trial. But in the meantime maybe, just maybe, we won't have to listen to him anymore for awhile? And yes, that would be a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say.

Now if we could just stop hearing about Sarah Palin, life would be really good. But she doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.

The First Week of the New Era of Hope

I haven't been in the mood much to post this week because everything is going so well. The euphoria of President Obama's inauguration hasn't worn off yet and there is very little to complain about so far.

DH and I took Inauguration Day off and spent it celebrating the inauguration. We attended a gathering of like-minded Democrats at a local restaurant to watch the inauguration. I brought my camera, as did a number of other people. I didn't get very many good shots of anything but here are a couple that didn't turn out that badly.

Here is a view of some of the attendees raptly watching the wide-screen TV, and another of the TV when President Obama was taking the oath of office.

I have been happy to see that President Obama has immediately begun carrying out some of his promises, such as signing executive orders to close Guantanamo, implementing ethics rules regarding lobbyists, pledging a more open and transparent government, and more. He is working on getting the economic stimulus plan through Congress and reaching out in a bi-partisan way to Republicans even though the GOP doesn't really need to sign off on this bill in order for it to pass.

People are feeling hopeful and his approval ratings so far are very high - in fact, at 83%, substantially higher than either George W. Bush or Bill Clinton at the end of their respective transition periods.

Not everything is perfect, and we need to keep an eye on things. For instance, President Obama has waived the effect of his ethics rule for one particular appointment - his deputy defense secretary.

Rachel Maddow has started a segment called "Scrub, Rinse, Repeat," which chronicles the steps President Obama is taking to reverse the worst abuses of the Bush administration. She is also keeping an eye on lapses such as the above appointment that don't quite live up to the ideals the President is espousing.

She has also noted in a recent show that the stimulus bill doesn't have as much spending on infrastructure as he makes it sound. We can all hope that the tax breaks that are included may be cut back somewhat in order to allow more spending where it will really make a difference. Getting GOP support for the bill isn't as important as getting the bill right, as she points out.

In terms of foreign policy, apparently China is annoyed because of a couple of things that have been said. The Chinese powers that be cut off the President's inaugural address to their television viewers when he mentioned that Americans had "faced down communism" and a later remark about the Chinese possibly manipulating their currency (made by Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner regarding a belief of the President's) didn't go over very well either. But this is a minor speed bump and I'm sure as the administration gets its sea legs this will be smoothed over. Perhaps Hillary will go to China and make nice to them!

All in all it has been a good first week and I am feeling very optimistic. I had forgotten what it felt like to have a President I could actually believe in, someone that seems to know what he's doing. It is very refreshing.

We've Come a Long Way

A friend sent me this video and I thought it was worth posting here. It's fascinating to watch the faces of all of our past presidents morph from one to the other and finally culminate with our 44th President, Barack Obama.



We are finally down to the last day. As of noon tomorrow, Change will be here.

Don't I have enough problems?

I've noticed a certain tendency in myself lately: Instead of just listening to the news and letting it flow over me, responding with a vaguely depressed thought, such as "Jeez, I wonder what THAT will do to my 401k???" - now I am actually trying to think of solutions to our problems.

I've found myself wondering, "Gee, should they bail out the car companies? What can we do to make them more competitive and not just give them money? Perhaps we can require them to promise not to make any more SUVs. Or maybe we should give them incentives to produce higher gas mileage cars. Or maybe..."

In other words, I'm internalizing the country's problems and trying to solve them as if they're mine to solve. This is not healthy! Let's face it, even if I came up with a great solution and posted it to this blog it isn't going to be noticed. (***Update: Thanks to Liberality and Fran for reminding me that if any of us DO have good ideas they want to suggest to the President-Elect, we should go to Change.gov and send them to President Obama. I didn't mean to imply that we ordinary citizens can't make a difference.)

So I gave myself a good talking to, and reminded myself that President Obama is in charge. He is picking a team of experts who will be able to figure this out. Even David Brooks thinks he's making good decisions. (If I didn't know better I'd think he was secretly rooting for Obama all along and is relieved that he won.)

"Already the culture of the Obama administration is coming into focus. Its members are twice as smart as the poor reporters who have to cover them, three times if you include the columnists....And yet as much as I want to resent these overeducated Achievatrons (not to mention the incursion of a French-style government dominated by highly trained Enarchs), I find myself tremendously impressed by the Obama transition."

Brooks goes on to say, "Unlike past Democratic administrations, they are not just handing out jobs to the hacks approved by the favored interest groups. They’re thinking holistically — there’s a nice balance of policy wonks, governors and legislators. They’re also thinking strategically."

This is finally what we have needed all along. Some may criticize Obama for picking Washington insiders, but you need insiders to get things done. Jimmy Carter picked outsiders and wasn't able to be effective.

And I love that they are so smart and educated, and actually have relevant experience for their jobs. As Jon Stewart said back in April, "I not only want an elite president, I want one that is embarrassingly superior to me."

Well, thank goodness, we've got one. And he's appointing a whole crew of superior cabinet members to boot.

Maybe we'll actually be in good hands this time - and I can stop worrying about how I personally would solve the problems of the American car companies.

Aftermath

The cheers are already dying down and the business of transition has begun. President-Elect Barack Obama (I love the sound of that), being his usual measured and organized self, is already well along in planning his transition team. He will be ready to be president on Day One, as Hillary Clinton liked to say. And even sooner, the way things are going.

But for now, I am not yet ready to give up the jubilation that accompanied his amazing victory and I am still thinking about what it means for us as a country.

In Gail Collins' Op-Ed piece this week in the New York Times she reflected on the euphoria that accompanied Tuesday's election results. She ended her column with the following thoughts about her (and my) generation, the Baby Boomers:

"Finally, on behalf of the baby-boom generation, I would like to hear a little round of applause before we cede the stage to the people who were too young to go to Woodstock and would appreciate not having to listen to the stories about it anymore. It looks as though we will be represented in history by only two presidents, one of whom is George W. Bush. Bummer.

The boomers didn’t win any wars and that business about being self-involved was not entirely unfounded. On the other hand, they made the nation get serious about the idea of everybody being created equal. And now American children are going to grow up unaware that there’s anything novel in an African-American president or a woman running for the White House.

We’ll settle for that."

My first thought was that actually, Obama IS a Baby Boomer. Born in 1961, he's at the tail-end of my generation, since the definition of the Boomer designation is to be born between 1946 and 1964. However, since Obama does not identify with the Baby Boomer generation, and so many members of younger generations claim him as their own, I'll let that go.

But Collins' column made me start thinking about the long road we have traveled to reach this place and time. We sometimes forget that so many things were accomplished by previous generations, and it is because of them that this country was able to put aside the past and elect Barack Obama.

Isaac Newton said, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." This applies to the progress this country has made in the last 50 years.

Just a few of our giants - there were so many more - included President Truman, who integrated the armed forces; President Eisenhower, who enforced the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling; Martin Luther King, who inspired a whole generation of young activists to march and work for racial equality; John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy who promoted civil rights; Lyndon Johnson, who followed through and passed the Civil Rights Act; Nelson Mandela and his fight against apartheid; the folk singers of the 1950's and 1960's (The Weavers; Peter, Paul and Mary; Bob Dylan; Phil Ochs - and many more) who used music to change minds; writers such as James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, John Howard Griffin, and others, who explored the experience of being black in America; and of course, movies and television programs that exposed attitudes and changed perceptions.

In the 1960s we finally had television programs with African-American actors in them in lead roles, such as "I Spy" with Bill Cosby, "Julia," with Diahann Carroll, and Star Trek, which creator Gene Roddenberry ensured would depict an idealistic future where everyone was equal. African-American actress Nichelle Nichols had a lead role as the Communications Officer on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Television continued to play a key role in changing attitudes. When "24" came on the air in November, 2001 with an African-American, Dennis Haysbert, as President David Palmer, I think a lot of people looked at his calm demeanor, his wisdom and integrity and said "I wish THAT guy was President NOW!"

The feminist movement was happening at the same time, breaking down barriers for women as well. Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and others inspired women to continue the work toward equality that had begun back in the late 1800s with the women's suffrage movement. In politics we had Bela Abzug, Shirley Chisolm, Margaret Chase Smith, Geraldine Ferraro. In television, The Mary Tyler Moore Show showcased a single, successful career woman, followed by many other role models.

In 1972, Title IX was passed, making it the law of the land that "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." This changed the face of many educational institutions, especially in the area of sports participation, which helped women gain confidence and leadership abilities.

Hillary Clinton's candidacy for president took women one step closer to true equality. It also revealed that deep-seated sexism is still rampant. However, the next generation will rise above that and Hillary has broken the ice for the next woman presidential candidate - or perhaps she will still be back herself.

There has been progress in gay rights as well. The Stonewall riots really kicked off the modern movement for gay rights, in 1969. Since then, there have been many steps forward for gay rights, and there has been more openness about sexual orientation both in the community and in the media. The culture is finally changing, and many states have domestic partnerships, civil unions, and finally, marriage.

But there seems to be a tendency for there to be a step back taken for every step forward.

When he was campaigning for President in 1992, Bill Clinton promised to allow anyone, no matter their sexual orientation, to serve openly in the military - and then after he was elected he compromised with the infamous "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.

And when the California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage earlier this year and affirmed a right to marry for same-sex couples, the issue was immediately brought to the voters in Tuesday's election, with Proposition 8, which proposed to take that right away through a constitutional amendment.

Sadly, Proposition 8 and several other similar ballot measures in other states passed on Tuesday. In California, two lawsuits have already been filed to challenge the decision. Let's hope they prevail.

We still have a long way to go in terms of equality - for African-Americans, for women, and for the gay/lesbian/transgender community. Bigotry and hate are still out there, and we must be ever-vigilant against them.

But the election of Barack Obama has shown that we as a country can overcome hate, prejudice and bigotry and, as Martin Luther King said, judge others not "by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." And let's add to that, "not by their gender, not by their sexual orientation." Then and only then will this country be a country where everyone truly has a right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." But electing Barack Obama has been an important step in the right direction.

YES WE CAN!!!! AND WE DID!!!

Photo from MSNBC.com.

It's a landslide!!! Obama wins!!!

It is amazing and wonderful.

Start a Movement!

A friend sent me this video with my name emblazoned all over it. So I thought I'd post it here so you can send it to your friends.

For my purposes I decided to pick Robert Rouse as the lucky 3rd party candidate since a) He has the right politics, b) he uses a real name ("Mauigirl for President" just doesn't sound right) and c) He has a great blog, so go read it! And also? He does videos, sings, and has a myriad of other talents! Hey, maybe he should run for President???

Will catch up more later - we were in the Adirondacks over the weekend, and a good choice it was. I understand it was rainy and cloudy and basically awful in New Jersey, while we were blessed with beautiful weather the whole time we were away!

Happy 4th of July, a few days late!

Jon Stewart on the Obama "Gaffe"

The opening segment of last night's "Daily Show" was a brilliantly hilarious summary of the furor created by Barack Obama's comments about the "bitter" Pennsylvanians who turn to guns and religion in their angst.

Stewart covers the media's response to Obama's comments, and Hillary's sudden love of firearms, as well as showing some cute clips of her drinking at a bar somewhere in the depths of Pennsylvania. (She actually seemed to be having a genuinely good time with the bar's patrons, I must admit).

Whether or not you thought Obama's words were "ill-chosen" or condescending, Jon Stewart did a great job of showing the media deluge of commentary about Obama seeming "elitist" by saying what he said.

I particularly liked Stewart's comments toward the end of this clip:

"Doesn't elite mean 'good'? Is that not something we're looking for in a President anymore?"

and, to the candidates:

"If you don't actually think you're better than us, then what the f**ck are you doing???"

"Not only do I want an elite President, I want one who is embarassingly superior to me!"

He has an excellent point. Since when is it a good thing for our presidents to be "someone I'd want to have a beer with"? Why is it a good thing for the President of the United States, the most powerful country on earth, with the ability to wipe out the rest of humanity, to be someone who is no better than the average Joe on the street?

Shouldn't we at least have some kind of job requirements for President? A certain IQ level, perhaps, or a test they should be able to pass? Maybe at least some good references?

Heck, people who adopt pets have to pass more requirements than the President of the United States!

I'm sure you will agree that there has to be a better way to elect a President than the way it's being done today. I just don't know what it is.

Hope you enjoy the "Daily Show" video!