If there's one thing we should know for sure, it's that John McCain and his creationist running mate Sarah Palin will continue George W. Bush's war on science. And in a world where scientific research and technological breakthroughs are increasingly vital for a nation's future health, another four years of defying science in favor of trusting in faith will help the U.S. continue its rapid free fall back to the Middle ages.
At Science Debate 2008, a group of citizens got together to try and inject science into a Presidential debate that seems destined to completely deteriorate into a dialogue of foolishness. From the Science Debate 2008 Web site:In November, 2007, a small group of six citizens - two screenwriters, a physicist, a marine biologist, a philosopher and a science journalist - began working to restore science and innovation to America’s political dialogue. They called themselves Science Debate 2008, and they called for a presidential debate on science. The call tapped a wellspring of concern over the state of American science.
Within weeks, more than 38,000 scientists, engineers, and other concerned Americans signed on, including nearly every major American science organization, dozens of Nobel laureates, elected officials and business leaders, and the presidents of over 100 major American universities. ...Among other things, these signers submitted over 3,400 questions they want the candidates for President to answer about science and the future of America.
The organizers sent a list of 14 science-related questions to both Barack Obama and John McCain. Obama recently sent in his answers, and for those who live in the Reality-Based Community, his answers were a breath of fresh air after eight years of an administration that thrives on ignorance. Among his responses:Stem cell research holds the promise of improving our lives in at least three ways—by substituting normal cells for damaged cells to treat diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, heart failure and other disorders; by providing scientists with safe and convenient models of disease for drug development; and by helping to understand fundamental aspects of normal development and cell dysfunction.
For these reasons, I strongly support expanding research on stem cells. I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations. As president, I will lift the current administration’s ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001 through executive order, and I will ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight.
I recognize that some people object to government support of research that requires cells to be harvested from human embryos. However, hundreds of thousands of embryos stored in the U.S. in in-vitro fertilization clinics will not be used for reproductive purposes, and will eventually be destroyed. I believe that it is ethical to use these extra embryos for research that could save lives when they are freely donated for that express purpose. I will re-establish [the National Aeronautics and Space Council] reporting to the president. It will oversee and coordinate civilian, military, commercial, and national security space activities. It will solicit public participation, engage the international community, and work toward a 21st century vision of space that constantly pushes the envelope on new technologies as it pursues a balanced national portfolio that expands our reach into the heavens and improves life here on Earth.
As president, I will increase funding for basic research in physical and life sciences, mathematics, and engineering at a rate that would double basic research budgets over the next decade.
Don't expect McCain to bother answering. There's just no benefit for him to enter any debate that involves science when a good chunk of his supporters still believe the Earth is 6,000 years old and God planted bones of dinosaurs deep into the Earth as a test of faith.
--WKW
Science Debate 2008: Obama steps to the plate, don't expect McCain to do the same
Hurricane Gustav: How to Help
CNN has an article about people staying behind in New Orleans despite evacuation orders. Some key quotes:
"The thing is... most people don't have cars to leave, don't have money for gas. Pay for a hotel for that long? I mean, you have to do whatever you have to do, and I guess I'm gonna stay and work." [--Michael Kennedy, dishwasher]
"If I left, I'll probably lose my job," said Jeremiah O'Farrell, another dishwasher who is staying put. "I really don't have anywhere to go if I could leave."
[Ninth Ward resident Sidney] William wants desperately to leave his native New Orleans to avoid Gustav. He didn't leave for Katrina because he didn't have the money. He won't talk about what happened to him during that storm.
"I wish I had the money to go." Rejected for disability subsidies, he depends on his 23-year-old daughter, Gloria, to support the family.
From an AP article on the mandatory evacuation:
About two dozen Hispanic men gathered under oak trees near Claiborne Avenue. They were wary of boarding any bus, even though a city spokesman said no identity papers would be required.
"The problem is," said Pictor Soto, 44, of Peru, "there will be immigration people there and we're all undocumented."
And:
Unlike Katrina, when thousands took refuge inside the Superdome, there will be no "last resort" shelter, and those who stay behind accept "all responsibility for themselves and their loved ones," said the city's emergency preparedness director, Jerry Sneed.Emphasis added.
Brownfemipower has a post up about how you can help low-income women of color and their families and prisoners who need to be evacuated. If you have any other information on how to help, please leave it in comments.
Shakers in the area, you and your families are in our thoughts.
Doing Karl Rove's work for him
All around the blogosphere, I see people wondering if John McCain really thinks women are stupid enough to be fooled by his rather transparent and cynical choice of VP and vote with their vaginas despite Palin's antichoice, antifeminist, antievolutionary views.
Pshaw, I say.
This is vintage Rovian turning-your-opponent's-greatest-strength-into-a-weakness politics. Here's how I see it: McCain has been making a pitch for disaffected Hillary voters for a while now -- you may recall, for instance, that after Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, called Clinton a bunny boiler during his speech announcing that he was throwing his support behind Obama, McCain called him out. And because McCain called him out, Cohen issued an apology (of sorts) -- about the only apology out of anyone associated with the Obama camp for misogyny directed at Clinton. And after that, McCain started making a show of respect for Clinton -- a far cry from his earlier giggling when asked, "How do we beat the bitch?"
Well, what's one of the Democratic Party's greatest strengths? Its appeal to women -- who make up more than half the electorate -- as the party that cares about their rights. The party's problem, of course, is that Clinton's candidacy exposed that for the expedient lie it is, since the party establishment allowed the blatant misogyny directed against Clinton by the media, Democratic lawmakers, the Obama campaign and the rank-and-file to go unchallenged. Then, when Obama was ushered into the nomination by a fishy decision by the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee that was contrary to the DNC's own rules, the party establishment finally spoke up, albeit weakly. But only for so long, because there was no time to pay attention to silly things like rooting out misogyny in the party that claims to care about women. Get in line and vote for the Chosen One, and keep your mouth shut and don't spoil the optics.
This did appear to be a fairly serious problem for the Dems; Obama was losing support among women and other groups with his lurch to the right. And instead of trying to bring those voters back into the fold with persuasion and carrots and addressing their concerns, the campaign, the party, the media and especially the fan base turned to threats, mockery, infantilization, accusations of racism, doomsaying and RoeRoeRoeRoeRoe when those voters started saying that gosh, love to vote for you, but you haven't given me any reason to and how dare you assume that I have nowhere else to go?
Now, there was never a real risk that progressives would vote for McCain en masse; those Hillary supporters who show up in polls as planning to vote for McCain may very well be Republican and Independent women who were voting for Clinton, not for the Democrats.
There has been, however, a real risk that progressives who are sick of the misogyny and sick about the direction the party was taking would sit this one out. And the Republicans were counting on that continuing.
And then a funny thing happened -- after a lot of tension about whether Clinton and her 18 million supporters would be shut out of the Convention, the Obama people agreed to give Hillary and Bill Clinton prime-time speaking slots. And they both spoke of unity, and urged Hillary's supporters to vote for Obama. And a lot of the Hillary diehards here watched those speeches and said they were convinced, they'd now vote for Obama. Others, too -- as Jack Goff said, it was what he'd been waiting for, though he hadn't known he'd been waiting for anything.
Obama's speech, too, convinced more people that Obama was not necessarily all style and no substance, that he understood the need to talk issues and the need to fight.
Then McCain -- who, it should be noted, was telling the press he had not selected a running mate as late as the final day of the Democratic National Convention -- dropped the Palin bombshell.*
Right on cue, the sexist attacks against Palin began on the left -- which the McCain people were undoubtedly counting on.
Let's look at how McCain's selection of Palin fits in to the Rovian playbook. Already, feminists on the left are asking whether McCain thinks that women vote with their vaginas -- but that only allows the GOP to turn that back on the Dems and ask why feminists think that Palin was chosen only because she's a woman. Same with all the "what kind of mother" talk -- aren't Democrats the ones who are supposed to be all for working mothers?
Then there's all the "Governor Barbie," bimbo, golddigger, VPILF, CUNTRY, etc. crap. Oh, the Republicans will undoubtedly say, look how much the Democrats value women. All that unity business was a steaming pile of bullshit; they don't value you when the chips are down.
And what the Republicans will do that the Democrats will not is call out the misogyny against their candidate. I've said it before -- the Republicans would never, in a million years, stand by and let the media and the party rank-and-file treat one of their female candidates the way that Clinton got treated during the primary.
Thus, they turn a Democratic strength into a weakness. Or, rather, expose it as a weakness.
Now, as to why I don't think that McCain actually thinks that disaffected Democratic women will flock to him just because he picked a wingnut gun-nut creationist woman with some ethical problems as a running mate: because he doesn't have to get them to vote for him. He has to get them to stay home in swing states.
And what better way to get them to stay home than pick a running mate who not only helps him with his own base, but whose very physical presence he knows will bring out the misogynist bully boys who made Hillary's life (and those of her supporters) such hell? The ones who never tire of making it perfectly clear that women who want attention paid to their issues in this election are not welcome in the Democratic Party?
Making it all the more perfect is the fact that Obama is boxed in -- if he fails to rein in the football hooligans who comprise his rabid fan base, he will be (rightly) accused of supporting the misogynistic attacks against Palin, but if he publicly reins them in, he will be (rightly) accused of failing to do the same when those attacks were directed against Clinton, which will allow the Republicans to question the legitimacy of the process that put him over the top on the delegate count.
That genie isn't going back into the bottle, not now.
And all those football hooligan fanboys who've turned their unleashed ids onto Palin now that Hillary's out of the race and in the fold? They're doing Karl Rove's work for him. And so are the astroturfers and concern trolls.
Congratulations! How does it feel to help get McCain elected?
H/T to Eva in comments at Feministe, whose comment helped me crystallize some of these thoughts. Nadai also had similar thoughts. UPDATE: See also Hecate.
UPDATE II: Violet Socks has a couple of posts on the same theme; also see Anglachel on how much this pick had to do with McCain's reconciliation with his own base, which is borne out by how excited they are by Palin.
UPDATE III: See also Avedon (who points out a comment by BDBlue, Chicago Dyke and Digby.
_____________
* Just to be clear: I don't think Palin was chosen just because she's a woman. I do think it was a factor, based on what McCain's perceived needs were. But she helps him in other areas as well, including with the base and with being a fresh face in Washington. And people sure are talking about her, aren't they?
John McCain asks for nothing for his service, but accepts $227,000 anyway
In Sarah Palin's e-mail requesting campaign donations from John McCain supporters she delivered this little gem:
"What I admire most about John McCain is his unwavering ability to put our country first and to ask for nothing in return for his decades of service ..."
John McCain receives a salary of $169,300, plus health care and other benefits from the U.S. government.
McCain also receives a $58,358 annual disability pension payment from the government for the injuries he suffered as a prisoner of war.
So remember, earning $5 million a year is considered rich. Taking $227,600 per year from the government is not even to be considered. After all, he didn't ask for it. And to someone in McCain's financial stratosphere, that money is barely enough to cover the help he employs to take care of his numerous properties and homes.
(Update: After adding in his Navy Pension of $11,038, the price it costs taxpayers for John McCain to give his service freely is at $238,638 per year. HT Chryslin in comments.)
--WKW
Crossposted at Williamkwolfrum.com
Michelle Obama Racism/Sexism Watch, Part 15
The LA Times honors our potential first lady Michelle Obama with a great article about how smart and accomplished she is a crappy little sidebar about her "politics of fashion," accompanied by a slide show of her in 10 different outfits and a poll inquiring if you think she is: 1. Too frumpy; 2. Too matronly; 3. Flawless first lady; or 4. Too sexy.
It really bothers me that the first and fixed photo on this piece is one that includes Sasha and Malia, which suggests that the two little girls' "fashion choices" are to be judged, too. It's bad enough they're doing this shit to Michelle, but to do it to Sasha and Malia just makes me want to punch things.
[H/T to Shaker Sam. Michelle Obama Sexism/Racism Watch: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen.]
Obama Racism/Muslim/Unpatriotic/Scary Black Dude Watch, Part 74
"Obama is my slave." The "best" part about the story is how the asshole who made the shirt in the first place may have invented the race-baiting story about a woman getting assaulted for wearing it.
Shakers Renee (who gets the hat tip) and Frau Sally Benz have more.
Obama Racism/Muslim/Unpatriotic/Scary Black Dude Watch: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine, Forty, Forty-One, Forty-Two, Forty-Three, Forty-Four, Forty-Five, Forty-Six, Forty-Seven, Forty-Eight, Forty-Nine, Fifty, Fifty-One, Fifty-Two, Fifty-Three, Fifty-Four, Fifty-Five, Fifty-Six, Fifty-Seven, Fifty-Eight, Fifty-Nine, Sixty, Sixty-One, Sixty-Two, Sixty-Three, Sixty-Four, Sixty-Five, Sixty-Six, Sixty-Seven, Sixty-Eight, Sixty-Nine, Seventy, Seventy-One, Seventy-Two, Seventy-Three.
Sarah Palin Sexism Watch, #4
I opened my email this morning to about two dozen emails with the subject heading "Sarah Palin Sexism Watch." Sigh.
In Good News: Heather Michon takes on the Bad Mother meme in Sarah Palin, Now Starring In "What Kind of a Mother..."
And now the Bad News:
Bill Wolfrum forwarded this classy piece from the WaPo, in which Palin is never even mentioned by name: "John McCain will have to do better than naming Tina Fey his vice presidential choice." Fey is an unapologetic progressive and a feminist, which likely makes the flippant comparison an insult to both women. But they look alike! And that's all that matters when it comes to women, of course.
Shaker Elisabeth sent along some charming t-shirts and a bumpersticker (for which I won't provide links, but I'm sure you can find them if you really want to):
Shaker Veronica passes on this catch by Kate D. in which Yahoo/WSJ headlines Palin's "workout, eating habits." Says Kate: "something tells me this wouldn't be a headline on yahoo this evening if tim pawlenty had been mccain's vp pick."
Shaker Rebecca points to this post at Wonkette (by way of Maru) in which a picture of Anna Nicole Smith sitting on J. Howard Marshall's lap is offered as the new McCain-Palin campaign poster.
Shaker Juliemania finds another charming campaign poster at Slog: McCain/Trollop. I get that it's probably meant to point out that McCain is a sexist pig who reportedly referred to his own wife as a trollop, but that's not the way to do it. Seriously. Because too many people won't get the joke; they'll think the joke is that Palin's a trollop. Irony: FAIL.
More to come, I'm sure. Sigh.
[Sarah Palin Sexism Watch: Parts One, Two, Three. We defend Sarah Palin against misogynist smears not because we endorse her or her politics, but because that's how feminism works.]
The Virtual Pub Is Open
TFIF, Shakers.
This election's going
to kill me for sure.
Belly up to the bar
and name your poison.
Yard Art
I had some ibises in my backyard this afternoon (click to enlarge): 
Pink flamingos are so retro, anyway.
Grumble
You know, there are a lot of reasons I'm feeling pissed about John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin.
I'm pissed at the Dems because it feels like they let Clinton get beat to fuck against that glass ceiling until she was black and blue only for the fucking Republicans to make use of her sacrifice, while the Democrats gave us a total dipshit who made fun of his wife being educated in his acceptance speech.
And I'm pissed at the GOP who, chief among them John McCain, have made patently clear while going after Obama that the experience threshold for a national ticket is beyond what he has, and that said threshold is non-negotiable, but nonetheless chose someone who failed to pass that threshold, ergo heavily suggesting that Palin is merely a token.
And I'm pissed at everyone who's using the nomination of a woman to a national ticket to unleash yet another torrent of misogyny, whether to demean or to "honor" her.
But mostly I'm pissed that John McCain and Karl Rove and the GOP shat all over a historic moment in our nation's history and couldn't give Obama one. goddamn. day. to be rightfully celebrated as a candidate of national historical significance. Everyone should be talking about that speech today. Everyone should be contemplating what it means to have that barrier broken, should be thinking about fucking bookends.
It's something we should be talking about at water coolers and diner counters. It's something we should be thinking about. And I'm pissed that we're not.
It's one thing to steal the thunder of a regular old political candidate; that's all part of this stupid, cynical game. But it wasn't just Obama's thunder McCain endeavored to steal. It wasn't just the Democrats' thunder. It was the thunder of every American—because Obama's nomination was part of the history of this nation and belongs to all its citizens.
Fuck John McCain and his contempt for history and contempt for country and contempt for all of us. The rotten thief.
We should never forget that this announcement, made when it was and how it was, was in no small part because John McCain and Karl Rove and the GOP are hostile to genuine progress and have not the slightest modicum of respect for the history Barack Obama has made.
Sarah Palin Sexism Watch, #3
Insert your found examples of sexism against GOP veep nominee Sarah Palin here.
This has already started happening a bit in the first two threads, but I wanted to give everyone a single place to collect examples of sexism surrounding the announcement of Palin as McCain's running mate. It's an open thread, but let's try to stick to just leaving examples for ease of navigation; there are plenty of other threads for related discussion.
[Sarah Palin Sexism Watch: Parts One, Two. We defend Sarah Palin against misogynist smears not because we endorse her or her politics, but because that's how feminism works.]
Remember
Click ↑
Thank you for the heads-up to Shaker Anita, who writes: "Today is the anniversary of Katrina and we're packing up to evacuate. We must leave in the morning. We have a little more warning this time but the stress is greater because this is a still a very fragile city full of nightmares that have not stopped and wounds that have not healed."
Be safe, Anita. We are thinking about you.
(((hug)))
John McCain and GOP to Veterans - Screw you
From The National Review:
I'm hearing that a delegate to the GOP Convention Committee on Rules will introduce an amendment at today's meeting that would instruct caucus states to provide for some way for soldiers to vote. As it stands, military members deployed abroad have no way to participate in caucuses, and a coalition of veterans' groups has been trying to change that. I'll be at the meeting, and I'll update you as soon as I hear anything.So how hard is it to actually make sure that Veterans have a way to participate in caucuses? For the GOP- led by John McCain - harder than you'd think:
The amendment passed, but not before delegates from Texas, Louisiana and other caucus states led an effort to render it non-binding. I've posted the amendment below, with the original language in strikethrough, so you can see what they did:But hey, Republicans are the party of defense, right. I'm
Any process authorized or implemented by a state party for selecting delegates and alternate delegates or for binding the presidential preference of such delegatesshallmay use every means practicable, in the sole discretion of the state party, toallowencourage active military personnel the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.
Clearly, this language changes the rule to something more like a recommendation ...
--WKW
Friday Cat Blogging
"Strings are fun."
Matilda and Olivia declined to be interviewed.
Really new batteries
Your Blogscientist has been falling down on the job. A few days ago I saw plenty of headlines about new nanoscale batteries. Everything's nano-whatnot these days. I figured I'd read about it later. No doubt somebody had an extra 5% improved energy yield or something.
Turns out, no, this is really new. A team at MIT has genetically engineered bacteriophages -- a kind of virus that normally attacks bacteria -- to assemble batteries. Put them in a soup with the right ingredients and they pull out what they need to assemble anodes, cathodes, and, in short, batteries. (Abstract of Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences article.)
"[R]ight now the thing is trying to make the best material possible, and if we get a really great material, then we have to think about how do you scale it."Scaling up means laptop batteries, car batteries, and -- shoot for the stars, any damn fool can hit the ground -- electromagnetic rail gun spaceship launching batteries.
Totally Not Cynical
Sarah Palin, earlier today:
I can't begin this great effort without honoring the achievements of … Senator Hillary Clinton, who showed such determination and grace in her presidential campaign.Sarah Palin, last March:
[At the NEWSWEEK Women & Leadership Event in Los Angeles], Palin talked about what women expect from women leaders; how she took charge in Alaska during a political scandal that threatened to unseat the state's entire Republican power structure, and her feelings about Sen. Hillary Clinton. (She said she felt kind of bad she couldn't support a woman, but she didn't like Clinton's "whining.")Charming.
[H/T to Shaker Ryan.]
(Video) McCain Announces Sarah Palin as VP
Here is Senator McCain announcing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Transcript of both of their remarks.
Update: Video of Governor Sarah Palin's speech. Mine is malfunctioning. Here is a different one.
Part Two
Sarah Palin Sexism Watch, #2
VPILF.com. Is all I'm sayin'.
[Sarah Palin Sexism Watch: Part One. We defend Sarah Palin against misogynist smears not because we endorse her or her politics, but because that's how feminism works.]
For the Record
McCain's selection of Palin is opportunistic, disingenuous, cynical, and an egregious insult to women in that it suggests women are: A) interchangeable; B) monolithic; and C) too unsophisticated to cast a vote based on issues.
Also for the record: Water is wet.
Quote of The Day
"I am worried that the Republicans will defend Palin against sexist attacks in a way the Democrats never did." — Redstocking Grandma in comments.
Sarah Palin Sexism Watch, #1
Well, that took—what?—an hour? Petulant just emailed me to say he heard someone on the Stephanie Miller Show calling Palin a "bimbo." (Presumably because she's a former beauty queen.) And I'm already reading indictments of "her" that include information like "her husband works for an oil company."
Fuck.
Says Pet: "The slaughter of your gender begins anew!" Sob.
For the record, there is plenty about which to criticize Palin that has absolutely fuck-all to do with her sex. She's anti-choice, against marriage equality, pro-death penalty, pro-guns, and loves Big Business. (In other words, she's a Republican.) There's no goddamned reason to criticize her for anything but her policies.
And I'll go ahead and put it right in the fucking inaugural post in this series: I will defend Sarah Palin against misogynist smears not because I like or support her, but because that's how feminism works.
Cheesus. I'm exhausted already.
A Reminder
Not that my opinion is vastly important, but for the record, I was really happy last night. Obama managed to impress me; considering the many issues I have with him, that was significant. There was a lot I didn't like (Clean coal and nuclear power? Really? Before solar and wind? And for the luvva pete, can someone please just say "LGBTQ folks have every right to be married?" Can we not forget the BTQ folks while we're at it? And can we leave Jesus out of this?), and there was a lot I did like, and one or two things that shocked me. (It was gobsmackingly fantastic to finally hear a Presidential candidate say that poverty is one of the main causes of war.) I don't know if I'm ready to cast my vote for him yet (if he had any sort of voting record that made me believe what he promises, I'd be warming up to him much more), but I'll definitely be closely watching the debates. All in all, it was an excellent speech.
Needless to say, the Right is probably crapping in their Dockers right now, and the hysteria is about to become intense. I remember thinking, as I watched the arial shot last night, "There is no way in hell McCain will ever be able to fill a stadium half that size." As many are pointing out this morning, even Pat Buchanan was gushing over Obama's performance. This is going to be a tough speech to top, and an even tougher candidate to beat. The McCain team has definitely got their work cut out for them. Let's all expect the height of ugliness.
That said, I would like to bring up this little reminder: to folks on "The Left," regardless of where their support lies:
All of this argument regarding Obama, and Biden, and "spoilers," and Clinton, and Nader, and PUMAs, and spite, and being thrown under the bus, and browbeating, and voting Green, and voting your conscience, and party unity, and all the rest amounts to absolutely nothing if we don't have free elections.
It doesn't matter if we have another Florida.
It doesn't matter if we have another Ohio.
It doesn't matter if Diebold is still counting the votes.
It doesn't matter when American Senators don't have the courage to recognize the Congressional Black Caucus.
And, it doesn't matter when Vote-Verified Paper Legislation only gets cosponsored by one, that's one Senator. And that sentator's name wasn't Obama, Biden, or Clinton, for that matter.
The Republicans have nothing. They have an unpopular party, a history of scandal and failure, a President and Vice President they don't dare show at their convention, an unpopular candidate that probably won't be able to keep his temper during a debate, and a stupid logo.
However, the past two elections, many of us have said "They can't possibly win."
We need to be vigilant. We need to be loud. And we need every vote to be counted.
No more vote fraud.
The Big Speech
My piece about media coverage of and reaction to Obama's acceptance speech last night is now up at The Guardian's Comment is free America:
Joe Biden takes the stage. I think there may be more people in the stadium than in the entire state of Delaware. He's loving it. He ends his speech, Rat Pack-like, with "Love ya!" which I have to say I much prefer to "God Bless You." "Love ya!" has some real bada-bing.Read the whole thing here.
Filler, filler. Now the gang at MSNBC are pouring over the speech excerpts, and, while they're doing a better job than the loathsome Morris, it's still painful. If Nora O'Donnell refers to the "optics of this event" one more time, I'll go on a killing spree. It's nonetheless an improvement on what's going down at Fox, where they're rehashing "the Jeremiah Wright scandal" and Brit Hume begrudgingly admits that Mile-High Stadium is "pretty full." It's full metal crazy over there.
Finally, at long last, the senior senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, comes out to introduce Obama, and we are moments away from the Big Speech. Jitter. Durbin's followed by a bio piece about Obama and his family, which is very nice.
And then Obama comes out.
Cameras flash like frenzied lightning bugs and the crowd roars. The staging is amazing. It is truly worthy of the historic moment to which we're all bearing witness – this is an African-American man who has is accepting the nomination for the presidency by the Democratic party. Wow. I am without cynicism or snark. I am awed.
I listen to the speech.
Barack Obama's promise(s)
While I still maintain a level of pessimism over what will happen in November, for the reasons I detailed, I felt that Barack Obama came off as Presidential in his speech at the Democratic National Convention. I attempted to view November through a lens of Realpolitik, and looking at Obama's coronation last night through those same lenses, I believe Obama did very, very well for himself and the Democratic Party.
But I believe the "sure, he's going to save the world but how will he do it and pay for it" meme being rapidly passed around through the media and through Obama's opponents and undecideds is already and will continue to be overplayed. And while skepticism over a politician's campaign promises is natural and necessary, should Obama be elected he would need to take a four-year nap in order to fail to deliver as spectacularly as the sitting President.
In his acceptance speech at the 2000 Republican National Convention, Bush promised that:- He would give massive tax relief for all (how did you spend your $300?)
- He would fix Social Security while not touching it.
- He would ban late-term abortions.
- He would "protect the natural world around us."
- He would shore up the Medicare system and "make prescription drugs available and affordable for every senior who needs them."
- He would reduce world nuclear stockpiles.
- He would deploy a robust national anti-intercontinental ballistic missile defense shield.
- He would give American workers security and independence that no politician can ever take away.
- He would hold those who spend your tax dollars accountable.
- He would "renew the promise of America's public schools."
- He would give the military need better equipment, better training and better pay and respect them.
- That when he used the military "the cause must be just, the goal must be clear, and the victory must be overwhelming."
- He would "change the tone of Washington to one of civility and respect."
Bush - who entered the 2000 election with a resume that is quite a bit like Obama's but with several failed attempts to be a businessman - ran under the umbrella that "times of plenty like times of crises are tests of American character." Few in the mainstream media were concerned with how he would accomplish these things. Few questioned if he was competent or experienced enough to accomplish his vast agenda.
A national convention is not a time for a candidate for President to keep his hopes and aspirations grounded. It is a time for soaring rhetoric and hope. And that's what Barack Obama delivered. And in doing so, he outlined his plans in far more detail than either Bush or Bill Clinton before him.
While his promises were oft-times grandiose, I have no doubt whatsoever that a President Obama would attempt to deliver on them with far more intellectual honesty than President Bush. And history should show us that how John McCain would deliver on the campaign promises he makes next week at the Republican National Convention.
--WKW
McCain Picks Sarah Palin
How Good Was Obama's Speech Last Night?
which is usually only reserved for the GOP.
My favorite pix from last night are below the fold.
* * *
Read These Now or Crucified Frogs Will Destroy Your Soul
The Democratic Convention is over! YAY! Now a few days of rest before the Republican National Convention starts on Monday. (Weather permitting)
Here are some quick links.
McCain will announce his VP today in Dayton, OH. I so want it to be Willard. Please let it be Willard! Update: Fox News, which is always factually correct, says Willard is out and that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the pick. Hmm...Del Martin, and What Makes a Life Meaningful. (Greta Christina)South Ossetia seeks to merge with Russia.US vulture funds head to Europe. (Spiegel)HA! I am watching Fox and Friends because I need a good dose of crazy this morning and as Fox is prone to do, a body language expert is on to analyze Senator Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention. "Mister Obama used some fingers," says Steve Doocy. "He does a regular point, and a double finger point which means he wants to debate." UGH!!!!!! "He's angry and disdainfully."National guidelines released for earwax removal.The race to save the Hubble telescope. (Discover)Robots Learn To Predict Where Their Leader Is Going, And Follow Along.Explosives Go 'Green' ... And Get More Precise.Center for Food Safety: Irradiation.Pencils, Pencils, Pencils! (Brand Name Pencils)Pierre Boulez talks about conducting. (Guardian)Rufus Wainwright dropped plans to compose a work for the Metropolitan Opera because of a dispute with the language of the libretto. (NY)Pope labels crucified frog sculpture blasphemous. (Guardian)
Senator Obama is the Democratic Nominee for President
Video of Senator Obama at the Democratic National Convention will be posted here shortly. Here is 16 minutes of his speech from MSNBC. When the full speech is available, I will update this post. (Updated with full video)
The transcript of his speech is below and the introduction video that aired before Senator Obama's speech is below.
To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation;
With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.
Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest - a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours -- Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.
To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia - I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you.
Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the briefu nion between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.
It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.
That's why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women - students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.
We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.
Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.
These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.
This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.
This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.
We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.
Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."
Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.
But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.
The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives - on health care and education and the economy - Senator McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this President. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisors - the man who wrote his economic plan - was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."
A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. These are the Americans that I know.
Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?
It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.
For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.
Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.
You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.
We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President - when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.
We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work.
The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great - a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.
Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.
In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.
When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.
And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.
I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.
What is that promise?
It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.
It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.
Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.
That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.
That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.
Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.
I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.
And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.
Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.
As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.
America, now is not the time for small plans.
Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.
Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.
Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.
And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.
Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.
And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.
Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise.
And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.
For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.
And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.
That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. We need a President who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.
You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice - but it is not the change we need.
We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.
As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.
I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.
These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.
But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.
So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.
America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.
We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.
I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.
You make a big election about small things.
And you know what - it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.
I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.
But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.
For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
America, this is one of those moments.
I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.
And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.
This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.
That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.
And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.
The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.
But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.
"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."
America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.
Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.
Vice-President Al Gore at the Democratic National Convention
My video is taking forever, so here is Al Gore's speech via TPMTV
Transcript below:
One of the greatest gifts of our democracy is the opportunity it offers us every four years to change course. It’s not a guarantee; it’s only an opportunity. The question facing us is, simply put, will we seize this opportunity for change? That’s why I came here tonight: to tell you why I feel so strongly that we must seize this opportunity to elect Barack Obama President of the United States.
Eight years ago, some said there was not much difference between the nominees of the two major parties and it didn’t really matter who became president. Our nation was enjoying peace and prosperity. Some assumed we would continue both, no matter the outcome. But here we all are in 2008, and I doubt anyone would argue now that election didn’t matter.
Take it from me, if it had ended differently, we would not be bogged down in Iraq, we would have pursued bin Laden until we captured him. We would not be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis; we would be fighting for middle-income families. We would not be showing contempt for the Constitution; we’d be protecting the rights of every American regardless of race, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation. And we would not be denying the climate crisis; we’d be solving it.
Today, we face essentially the same choice we faced in 2000, though it may be even more obvious now, because John McCain, a man who has earned our respect on many levels, is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House and promising to actually continue them. The same policies all over again?
Hey, I believe in recycling, but that’s ridiculous. With John McCain’s support, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have led our nation into one calamity after another because of their indifference to fact; their readiness to sacrifice the long term to the short term, subordinate the general good to the benefit of the few and short-circuit the rule of law.
If you like the Bush-Cheney approach, John McCain’s your man. If you want change, then vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Barack Obama is telling us exactly what he will do: launch a bold new economic plan to restore America’s greatness; fight for smarter government that trusts the market, but protects us against its excesses; enact policies that are pro-choice, pro-education and pro-family, establish a foreign policy that is smart as well as strong; provide health care for all and solutions for the climate crisis.
So why is this election so close? Well, I know something about close elections, so let me offer you my opinion. I believe this election is close today mainly because the forces of the status quo are desperately afraid of the change Barack Obama represents.
There is no better example than the climate crisis. As I have said for many years throughout this land, we’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the future of human civilization. Every bit of that has to change. Oil company profits have soared to record levels, gasoline prices have gone through the roof and we are more dependent than ever on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels.
Many scientists predict that the entire north polar ice cap may be completely gone during summer months in the first term of the next president. Sea levels are rising, fires are raging, storms are stronger. Military experts warn us our national security is threatened by massive waves of climate refugees destabilizing countries around the world, and scientists tell us the very web of life is endangered by unprecedented extinctions.
We are facing a planetary emergency which, if not solved, would exceed anything we’ve ever experienced in the history of humankind. In spite of John McCain’s past record of open mindedness on the climate crisis, he has apparently now allowed his party to browbeat him into abandoning his support of mandatory caps on global warming pollution.
And it just so happens that the climate crisis is intertwined with the other two great challenges facing our nation: reviving our economy and strengthening our national security. The solutions to all three require us to end our dependence on carbon-based fuels.
Instead of letting lobbyists and polluters control our destiny, we need to invest in American innovation. Almost a hundred years ago, Thomas Edison said, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” We already have everything we need to use the sun, the wind, geothermal power, conservation and efficiency to solve the climate crisis—everything, that is, except a president who inspires us to believe, “Yes we can.”
So how did this no-brainer become a brain-twister? Because the carbon fuels industry—big oil and coal—have a 50-year lease on the Republican Party and they are drilling it for everything it’s worth. And this same industry has spent a half a billion dollars this year alone trying to convince the public they are actually solving the problem, when they are in fact making it worse every single day.
This administration and the special interests who control it lock, stock and barrel after barrel, have performed this same sleight-of-hand on issue after issue. Some of the best marketers have the worst products; and this is certainly true of today’s Republican Party. The party itself has on its rolls men and women of great quality. But the last eight years demonstrate that the special interests who have come to control the Republican Party are so powerful that serving them and serving the national well-being are now irreconcilable choices.
So what can we do about it? We can carry Barack Obama’s message of hope and change to every family in America. And pledge that we will be there for Barack Obama—not only in the heat of this election, but in the aftermath as we put his agenda to work for our country.
We can tell Republicans and Independents, as well as Democrats, why our nation needs a change from the approach of Bush, Cheney and McCain. After they wrecked our economy, it is time for a change. After they abandoned the search for the terrorists who attacked us and redeployed the troops to invade a nation that did not attack us, it’s time for a change. After they abandoned the American principle first laid down by General George Washington, when he prohibited the torture of captives because it would bring, in his words, “shame, disgrace and ruin” to our nation, it’s time for a change.
When as many as three Supreme Court justices could be appointed in the first term of the next president, and John McCain promises to appoint more Scalias and Thomases and end a woman’s right to choose, it’s time for a change.
Many people have been waiting for some sign that our country is ready for such change. How will we know when it’s beginning to take hold? I think we might recognize it as a sign of such change, if we saw millions of young people getting involved for the first time in the political process. This election is actually not close at all among younger voters – you are responding in unprecedented numbers to Barack Obama’s message of change and hope.
You recognize that he represents a clean break from the politics of partisanship and bitter division. You understand that the politics of the past are exhausted, and you’re tired of appeals based on fear. You know that America is capable of better than what you have seen in recent years. You are hungry for a new politics based on bipartisan respect for the ageless principles embodied in the United States Constitution.
There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon awakening to the challenge of a present danger, shaking off complacency to rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of embracing change.
A century and a half ago, when America faced our greatest trial, the end of one era gave way to the birth of another. The candidate who emerged victorious in that election is now regarded by most historians as our greatest president. Before he entered the White House, Abraham Lincoln’s experience in elective office consisted of eight years in his state legislature in Springfield, Illinois, and one term in Congress – during which he showed the courage and wisdom to oppose the invasion of another country that was popular when it started but later condemned by history.
The experience Lincoln’s supporters valued most in that race was his powerful ability to inspire hope in the future at a time of impasse. He was known chiefly as a clear thinker and a great orator, with a passion for justice and a determination to heal the deep divisions of our land. He insisted on reaching past partisan and regional divides to exalt our common humanity. In 2008, once again, we find ourselves at the end of an era with a mandate from history to launch another new beginning. And once again, we have a candidate whose experience perfectly matches an extraordinary moment of transition.
Barack Obama had the experience and wisdom to oppose a popular war based on faulty premises. His leadership experience has given him a unique capacity to inspire hope, in the promise of the American dream of a boundless future. His experience has also given him genuine respect for different views and humility, in the face of complex realities that cannot be squeezed into the narrow compartments of ideology. His experience has taught him something that career politicians often overlook: that inconvenient truths must be acknowledged if we are to have wise governance.
The extraordinary strength of his personal character – and that of his wonderful wife, Michelle – is grounded in the strengths of the American community. His vision and his voice represent the best of America. His life experience embodies the essence of our motto – e pluribus unum – out of many, one. That is the linking identity at the other end of all the hyphens that pervade our modern political culture. It is that common American identity – which Barack Obama exemplifies, heart and soul – that enables us as Americans to speak with moral authority to all of the peoples of the world, to inspire hope that we as human beings can transcend our limitations and to redeem the promise of human freedom.
Late this evening, our convention will end with a benediction. As we bow in reverence, remember the words of the old proverb: “when you pray, move your feet.” Then let us leave here tonight and take the message of hope from Denver to every corner of our land, and do everything we can to serve our nation, our world—and most importantly, our children and their future—by electing Barack Obama President of the United States.
