Bold Move. Won't Work

All of the "WHO?" and "oh so now we don't care about 'inexperience?'" comments aside, one small thing McCain apparently missed when he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate is that many conservative women don't particularly like mothers who work outside of the home, especially mothers of infants. Much less the mother of a special needs' infant. Don't take my word on it, find a "working mom vs stay at home mom" discussion anywhere on the internet. And then stand back. Those women are scary. He'll gain some votes sure, rabid pro-lifers or Hillary supporters who were voting straight gender, but I bet there will be just as many women who stay home entirely rather than support a women they perceive as not caring for her own child.

thoughts on Barack Obama

The first time Obama landed on my radar was when I read his comments on Hurricane Katrina. I thought my god, this is someone who truly gets it. From there on in, I kept holding my breath in a sense, waiting for his image to tarnish, to find out he was as much of a game player as most everyone else in politics.
Instead, here we are. During his acceptance speech I was reminded again this is about leadership, and inspiration. This is about someone who will make us believe in ourselves and our country once again. We are at a crossroads. I truly believe this could be one of those turning points in history, that we are on the brink of great change.
Let's hope.



Statement of Senator Barack Obama on Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts
Tuesday, September 6, 2005


I just got back from a trip to Houston with former Presidents Clinton and Bush. And as we wandered through the crowd, we heard in very intimate terms the heart-wrenching stories that all of us have witnessed from a distance over the past several days: mothers separated from babies, adults mourning the loss of elderly parents, descriptions of the heat and filth and fear of the Superdome and the Convention Center.
There was an overriding sense of relief, for the officials in Houston have done an outstanding job of creating a clean and stable place for these families in the short-term. But a conversation I had with one woman captured the realities that are settling into these families as they face the future.

She told me "We had nothing before the hurricane. Now we got less than nothing."

We had nothing before the hurricane. Now we got less than nothing.

In the coming weeks, as the images of the immediate crisis fade and this chamber becomes consumed with other matters, we will be hearing a lot about lessons learned and steps to be taken. I will be among those voices calling for action.

In the most immediate term, we will have to assure that the efforts at evacuating families from the affected states proceeds - that these Americans are fed, clothed, housed, and provided with the immediate care and medicine that they need. We're going to have to make sure that we cut through red tape. I can say from personal experience how frustrating, how unconscionable it is, that it has been so difficult to get medical supplies to those in need quickly enough. We should make certain that any impediments that may continue to exist in preventing relief efforts from moving rapidly are eliminated.

Once we stabilize the situation, this country will face an enormous challenge in providing stability for displaced families over the months and years that it will take to rebuild. Already, the state of Illinois has committed to accepting 10,000 families that are displaced. There are stories in Illinois as there are everywhere of churches, mosques, synagogues and individual families welcoming people with open arms and no strings attached. Indeed, if there's any bright light that has come out of this disaster, it's the degree to which ordinary Americans have responded with speed and determination even as their government has responded with unconscionable ineptitude.

Which brings me to the next point. Once the situation is stable, once families are settled - at least for the short term - once children are reunited with their parents and enrolled in schools and the wounds have healed, we're gonna have to do some hard thinking about how we could have failed our fellow citizens so badly, and how we will prevent such a failure from ever occurring again.

It is not politics to insist that we have an independent commission to examine these issues. Indeed, one of the heartening things about this crisis has been the degree to which the outrage has come from across the political spectrum; across races; across incomes. The degree to which the American people sense that we can and must do better, and a recognition that if we cannot cope with a crisis that has been predicted for decades - a crisis in which we're given four or five days notice - how can we ever hope to respond to a serious terrorist attack in a major American city in which there is no notice, and in which the death toll and panic and disruptions may be far greater?

Which brings me to my final point. There's been much attention in the press about the fact that those who were left behind in New Orleans were disproportionately poor and African American. I've said publicly that I do not subscribe to the notion that the painfully slow response of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security was racially-based. The ineptitude was colorblind.

But what must be said is that whoever was in charge of planning and preparing for the worst case scenario appeared to assume that every American has the capacity to load up their family in an SUV, fill it up with $100 worth of gasoline, stick some bottled water in the trunk, and use a credit card to check in to a hotel on safe ground. I see no evidence of active malice, but I see a continuation of passive indifference on the part of our government towards the least of these.

And so I hope that out of this crisis we all begin to reflect - Democrat and Republican - on not only our individual responsibilities to ourselves and our families, but to our mutual responsibilities to our fellow Americans. I hope we realize that the people of New Orleans weren't just abandoned during the Hurricane. They were abandoned long ago - to murder and mayhem in their streets; to substandard schools; to dilapidated housing; to inadequate health care; to a pervasive sense of hopelessness.

That is the deeper shame of this past week - that it has taken a crisis like this one to awaken us to the great divide that continues to fester in our midst. That's what all Americans are truly ashamed about, and the fact that we're ashamed about it is a good sign. The fact that all of us - black, white, rich, poor, Republican, Democrat - don't like to see such a reflection of this country we love, tells me that the American people have better instincts and a broader heart than our current politics would indicate.

We had nothing before the Hurricane. Now we have even less.

I hope that we all take the time to ponder the truth of that message.

On Getting Old

With the way time speeds up the older I get, I've always suspected this is exactly how it goes:

"I don't feel old yet," Mrs. Fowler said yesterday, her 108th birthday.

"Should I feel old? I was 40, and then I was 108."



Happy Birthday, Mrs. Fowler, and many happy returns.

Local Woman toasts 108th year

Prayers and Perspective

As is often the way with the internet, we become involved in people's lives who we otherwise wouldn't have known. Sara is the niece of someone I originally "met" online, and later in person. She's a little girl, only a few months older than my youngest, who is battling brain cancer.

Thanks to The Caring Bridge 100s if not 1000s of people have been following her progress and offering our thoughts and prayers. Her story is all here, I don't need to repeat it. Sara L Tomorrow she will be undergoing surgery in what is clearly a risky last chance effort to save her life.

Of course anything that can be said here sounds trite. It's heartbreaking, it really is. No one should have to go through this, especially a child. "Meeting" Sara has certainly put my petty complaints and problems into perspective. Anything in my life certainly pales in comparison to this little girl's battles.

If you're so inclined perhaps you can send out a prayer or a good thought tomorrow, and in the days and weeks to come. Thanks.

Edwards: What a Jerk

We can all try for the familiar refrain: his personal life has no bearing on his ability to do his job, what goes on with his marriage is between him and his wife. Sure, why not. Let's face the facts though, if we heard this story about anyone, we'd say "what an asshole."

I never cared one way or another about Bill's Oval Office blow job. Since I did end up hearing all about it, my reaction was "what a pig." I still thought he was a great president, just one who was also a pig. And I quite honestly lost some respect for Hillary because she didn't toss his stuff out on the White House lawn. At least as a symbolic gesture.

Still the Edwards story just strikes a different chord. The image they've presented, all that fresh-faced, hand holding (apparently fake) happiness. And there's no way to overlook Elizabeth's battling cancer. No matter what the timing of the affair and his telling her was or is, how shitty is it that on top of fighting for her life, she had to wake up every day wondering when this story would hit. And we won't even get into the whole "love child" angle. (What a stupid term. Is this the 60s?) Or the assistant who is really the father because wouldn't that be an amazing coincidence, or will anyone believe whatever we're told the DNA does or doesn't show, not that it's any of our business anyhow.

The worst of it all though is the man continued to run for President! If he'd managed to get the nomination, and this came out now?! Or if he was already signed up as VP? Can you imagine the fall-out? Clinton weathered the storm because he was already president and he was doing a good job. This story would have been the kiss of death to a presidential campaign in a race as tight as this one. He had to KNOW sooner or later the shit was going to hit the fan. And still he kept trying. We all know politicians and EGO go hand in hand but there's a fine line, John, and you tromped right across it.

On the plus side, thanks to the Enquirer (go figure), the timing minimizes the potential damage. And when all the finger pointing starts, it will be a great lead-in to remind any Republicans who want to play Holier than Thou about their own candidate's shaky marital history.

The wife John McCain callously left behind

Like it or not, these days politicians are akin to celebrities, and their lives are scrutinized every bit as much. Maybe that's our loss, no doubt we lose potential leaders who aren't willing to toss themselves under the microscope. It certainly shouldn't come as a surprise though that your secrets will come out. If you don't like the rules, then don't play the game. Don't be stupid enough to go full speed ahead when down the road your doing so will torpedo your entire party's chances at a win. What a freaking jerk.

Paris Hilton one-ups McCain

I dislike Paris Hilton as much as the next person (if they've even heard of her) but credit where credit's due. This is funny as hell. Childish of me perhaps but no worse than what McCain himself is pulling. The original "celebrity" ad was a pitiful attempt. I do have an equal opportunity sense of humor though. I also got a chuckle out of McCain's passing out tire gauges on the campaign trail. And YES I do understand Obama's original point.

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die