Post-Partisanship?

Please! Get Real!

President Obama is, after all, a mere mortal. The new bailout bill is being touted by the media as some kind of litmus test to see if we've really entered the 'post-partisan' era. There's nothing that any one person can or should do to create instant consensus -- even the president. We are a nation of diverse opinions and that diversity will always be with us. 'Post-partisan' does NOT mean the two parties will come together and sing Kum ba yah.

So what, then, does 'post-partisan' really mean? I believe it is about attitude more than outcome. It means that the party in power actually listens to the opposition. It means they look for common ground where they can find it and accept all opinions as valid - agree or not. It means an end to the disgusting divisiveness that exerts power for its own sake with total disregard for alternative points of view.

The neo-con movement in Washington has been pandering for ever-increasing power and wielding it like a sword to destroy even the thought of respectful bipartisanship for decades. Democrats now hold virtually ALL the power. Democrats could easily dismiss the Republican opposition just as Democrats were so long dismissed. Instead, President Obama is reaching out, he is asking for input, he is open to all ideas toward conquering the daunting mess he inherited and achieving his worthy goals. THAT is 'post-partisan' politics. It has already happened and requires no litmus test.

Elections have consequences. The Democrats won. In the end, those in power will generally get what they want. That is a simple fact of life - not partisanship. When the likes of Republican leader Boehner cherry-pick inflammatory details and play the game the old way, by their old rules, they have already lost. The American public is sick of it. It's not about what he's saying as much as the provocative way he's saying it. Republicans better get smart and realize that they are being treated far better than they've treated Democrats and try - try hard - to remember how to be respectful; how to disagree without being disagreeable; how to work together toward something instead of actively working against everything. Every vengeful bone in my body wants to crush all remaining shreds of Republican power into submission -- wants to dismiss them as they so often dismissed us. President Obama is better than that. Republicans would be wise to recognize that fact and act accordingly.

My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.

At the risk of staining my joy in the moment, these words keep echoing through my mind and I needed to get them out. They were spoken by President Gerald Ford upon taking the oath of office in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Nixon's resignation. It is indeed my sincere belief that the Bush 43 administration has been another national nightmare. This is not meant to inflame or be cynical... it is just my very honest personal assessment. I hope to make that my last look backward as we all now look to the future.

President Obama [God it feels wonderful to type that!] rose to this unique moment as only he could. Joy for the day with respect for our better past while clearly repudiating our recent past. Most of all -- hope for and commitment to a future more true to our American ideals. All this and more wrapped up in an inauguration address now passed to history. A perfect beginning to what I honestly believe is the dawn of a new age. I look forward to a renewed sense of what it means to be a truly patriotic American. I look forward to regaining our status as a beacon of light for the entire world.... not for the light itself, but because of the good that light can do for all humanity.

God Bless the United States of America.
God Bless President Barack Hussein Obama.

Personal thoughts - Obama Inauguration

I'm choked up already after watching the inaugural kick-off concert last night. The peaceful transition of power in this country represents the best of our great republic to the world. Every presidential inauguration presents some measure of hope. For me, and I think many others, this one is truly different.

Barack Obama is, for me, THE candidate I've been waiting for my entire political life. The color of his skin is a wonderfully just and history-making bonus but is otherwise irrelevant to me personally. I believe this country has been on a very wrong track for a very long time. Even during the Clinton administration, Newt Gingrich and the neo-con movement of the day completely paralyzed our federal government with partisan divisiveness. Perhaps Clinton could have done more to heal that divide but the end result was still a mostly ineffective stalemate. Democrat or Republican -- I have been largely disappointed by the entire culture of our federal government since before I could vote. A lot of good people have served and I have no doubt they generally wanted what was best for the country. Certainly accomplishments have been made, but the final result will forever be judged as far short.

Barack Obama is the first candidate I've seen who, from the beginning, provided a real promise of real change. There is a difference between disagreement and divisiveness. There is a difference between political positioning and political pandering. There is a difference between standing up for what you believe in and refusing to acknowledge validity in the beliefs of others. There is a difference between running from something feared and running toward a hope for something better. As a nation, we seem to have forgotten - or maybe we're just now learning - how to come together and compromise toward the greater good. I see those differences in Barack Obama and he is the perfect person to lead the America of today toward the America of tomorrow.

I admit to being a part of the great divide. I have been so thoroughly disgusted with the actions and attitudes of the so-called conservative movement that I have found it increasingly difficult to respect it on any level. I believe that George W.'s only lasting positive legacy will be that he hastened the demise of closed-minded wedge politics and prepared the way for Barack Obama to be elected by emphasizing politic's most abhorrent aspects. Without the demagoguery he and his administration forced upon us I don't know that this country would have been ready for a President Obama. I am inspired by Barack Obama to back off. I will follow his lead. I won't always see the result I want, but I'm content to know that slowly moving the bar in the right direction is far better than not moving the bar at all.

Barack Obama speaks of bridging gaps. I am not naive. In fact, I am more accurately labeled a political cynic. Those of us who came of age during the Watergate era earned our cynicism quite honestly. This cynic, however, grew up in the 60's. I was too young to actively participate but old enough to understand the idealism. The assassinations of truly great leaders were burned into my psyche. The Civil Rights movement and Vietnam war were happening real time on the TV in my living room. It was all so senseless on its face and I carry a lot of that with me. The human race had to be capable of better than this. Music has always spoken to my soul. The 'peace and love' that defined much of the 60's most iconic music helped to form the idealism; helped to counter the craziness of the times. Barack Obama has the vision, values and talent to at least nudge the world toward realizing the lyrics of those songs. The world will always be made up of flawed human beings, but we all have the capacity to change and grow. I hold no delusions and am truly void of specific expectations. I am just filled with hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope for our great nation like I've never felt in my lifetime.

You can bet that this particular patriot will be in tears much of inauguration day. I'm unapologetic about it. I'm going to enjoy it.

God Bless America. God Bless Barack Obama.

The Rick Warren selection

The media and many pundits on the left are going on and on about how inappropriate Rick Warren is to deliver the invocation at Obama's inauguration. They are outraged at the symbolism of someone so opposed to many of Obama's positions being placed front and center at this extraordinary moment in history.

Once again..... Bravo President-elect! I support Obama's position completely and find myself in increasing awe. I am angry at the 'lefties' who want to continue the politics of division we have so long suffered, who want to now wield the power so hard won in a way that dismisses and discounts the opposition - in a way that treats them the way they've treated us.

With Pastor Warren, Obama is signaling that he will be a president for ALL the citizens of this country. He is signaling that he wants to listen to all the people - not just those who agree with him. He is being extraordinarily magnanimous- much more than I would be with a similar choice to make. Inviting conservatives to the table does not mean they're going to plan the menu.

This is entirely consistent with Obama's overarching theme of inclusiveness. This, above all, is the reason I am such a fervent supporter. I am more than pleased to see him act in concert with these values. Liberal, moderate or conservative - we are all US citizens and our new president is clearly going to respect that.

Amen!

What does change mean?

Obama continued his streak of winning words, from my perspective, when he answered a reporter's question about change. The media has been all over Obama's cabinet selections. They keep asking how he can call it change when he is appointing so many familiar faces to his cabinet. They suggest he may alienate his supporters. When a reporter directly asked about this he demonstrated a perfect wisdom with his reply. He explained that we need experienced people but that the 'new vision is my job.' Bravo, President-Elect! The 'change we can believe in' does not happen by exchanging experience for inexperience just to be different. Change happens when a new vision is set and well-communicated to those charged with implementing that vision. Change happens when decisions are made by surrounding yourself with the best of the best and valuing their expertise.

I've tried to temper my expectations of an Obama administration. The road back from Bush's bungling is long and steep. Obama, however, continues to meet or exceed my best possible expectations every time he speaks. He consistently demonstrates the wisdom and judgment required to do this job well. Clearly Obama has a mandate for change. His definition of what that means and how to accomplish it does not disappoint this voter at all... it thrills me!

What's good for GM.....

Is good for the country... right? That's how the saying goes anyway. I've heard lots of historical analyses around how and why the auto industry is on the brink of bankruptcy. Here is one consumer's point of view.

I am disgusted with the industry at large. They certainly do not deserve a bail out. They are in this situation by their own fault. It is compassion for the workers and the simple fact that the auto industry is a huge segment of our economy that I will swallow hard and accept the inevitable.

My opinion is based on my own experience. My wife and I bought a brand new Chevy in 1980. I really liked the car at first but with extremely poor design, engineering and quality control the thing turned out to be an absolute lemon. When we finally traded it in, there were 111 recalls issued for it. Badly burned... it was many years before I could even consider another American car. We finally bought an early Saturn and liked it enough to recently consider another only to find that everything we liked about Saturn was ripped apart in a huge step backward by GM. We bought a Honda.

I travel quite a bit on business so I drive a wide variety of rental cars - some American some not. I am quite disappointed to report that I simply do not like American cars. The attention to detail is always lacking. The suspension is either too mushy or too stiff. I don't find the interior controls and dash layouts at all intuitive. The seats are less comfortable. The overall look and feel of the American cars are just not appealing to me and they are much less fun and relaxing to drive. Much of this is my own individual taste and I've always assumed that American automakers were designing for others, that I was simply not part of their target market. Apparently, their only successful target market is the gas guzzling one now disappearing. Apparently, I'm not the only one who doesn't particularly like the American automakers' product line. If these companies have ever actually asked real customers what they really want, they weren't listening very well. If these companies have ever thought strategically, they have not acted on it well. I don't doubt they have tried to do market research and strategic planning -- the point here is that they've failed miserably.

While I applaud the automakers for profiting from the SUV/Truck (i.e. gas guzzler) boom, it is unforgivable that they did not use those profits wisely and strategically to plan for the future..... the future that many foreign automakers had the foresight to see a decade or two ago. They'll whine about labor costs and unfair trade practices. Certainly some of these issues are real but they are not show stoppers. I imagine unions would be very open to all kinds of cuts when the alternative is wholesale job loss. The American buyer has shown over and over again that they're willing to pay a premium to get what they want, to get a better value through higher quality and/or more features. I see a sizable number of BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus, and on and on. If the big three would have built the better product, they could have charged more for it and it would have most certainly sold.

I know the auto industry will ultimately be rescued somehow.... but even this rather liberal and forgiving taxpayer will be mad as hell if one dime of taxpayer money ends up in the hands of the short-sighted, incompetent management responsible for this mess. Further, if taxpayers are footing the bill then the government ought to mandate intelligent forward-thinking design, as well as, innovation toward 'green' transportation.

By the way, in case anyone's wondering... I currently drive a '99 Volkswagen and love it.

California's Proposition 8

I grew up in a house where I was often judged more by the alcohol intake level of my father than by the merits of my actions. Growing up in the 60s, I remember even more of the racism that often still exists just below the surface... never blatant, sometimes wholly unconscious, but omnipresent. Traits I learned and inherited from my maternal extended family - representing for me what family and love were all about - very Italian and very LOUD, were often judged as obnoxious and overbearing. I've regularly seen some self-proclaimed Christians distort what I read as the message of Jesus to the point where I don't think Jesus himself would recognize it. Growing up is always a process of discovery and decision-making. These early experiences started me toward a belief I hold very strongly today. All human judgment is incomplete and, therefore, flawed. We are all a product of our own histories, our own frames of reference. Our knowledge and understanding are limited. Our societal norms are nothing more than a collection of prejudices shaped by our collective histories. I'm not proposing anarchy. I'm not suggesting that our societal norms are wholly invalid. I'm not even suggesting that our judgments are necessarily incorrect. I'm simply suggesting that, as individuals, we all have a responsibility to know that our wisdom is incomplete and imperfect. We all have a responsibility to accept the history of others as true and valid. We all have a responsibility to seek to understand rather than to condemn.

It is in this context that I express profound disappointment with the passage of California Proposition 8 banning gay marriage. To me this represents a collective condemnation and attempted invalidation of every homosexual American's experience. Whether I agree with or support gay marriage is irrelevant. What I believe with all my heart and soul is that everyone has the right to their own conclusions, to their own passions. Not I, or anyone else, can fully know another's history, can fully understand the path any individual life may take. I have no right or true knowledge to tell anyone their love is not valid... and neither does the voting population of California. Certainly that voting population has the right to pass laws - and has. That fact does nothing to change the individual experience of those affected.