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our second black president
Feb. 3rd, 2008 07:34 amSome other thoughts about the political season. . .
Third if you count Cheney. The first, of course, was Harding. (hm. I like that sentence because it puts the words next to each other: Count Cheney, that's a more fitting title for a sith lord like Dick)
So this weekend I sorted it out a bit, and I'm backing Obama. I'm a Democrat, so obviously one of those was pretty much in the cards. And while I've got massive Clinton fatigue (almost but not quite as strong as I had in 1996 when it drove me into the arms of Ralph Nadir) it was some of the issues that decided it. Iraq is obvious. But MPR asked top policy advisors for each of the 4 remaining people who matter (yeah, I'm calling Paul & Huckabee done) what their Number One priority was. I may be misremembering but I thought it was some pretty lame answers, and the Democratic candidates had fairly subtle shades there: Romney's guy said completing free trade agreements. (2 was making the tax cuts permanent) McCain's said reigning in spending and the tide of earmarks (earmarks might have been his #2) Clinton's rep said universal healthcare (2 was "the economy") Obama's said the economy with healthcare #2.
I know on this thing, it's not much, but healthcare is not actually my number one priority either. This comes from an experience of my personal economy where healthcare had to take a back seat several times in our marriage.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mrs_lovett points out "I don't think she can pull it off." That's an astute insight, since, you know, just like Giuliani claimed he was the only candidate who could beat Clinton nationally while ignoring the elephant in the room that he couldn't even beat her in a senate race, Hilary seems to ignore how she couldn't deliver universal healthcare the last time she was president (okay okay "co-" ). I just don't think you can get healthcare done with an economic system in the shitter and that massive millstone around your neck called Iraq 2: Al Qaeda Boogaloo. Obama seems to sense this more clearly. At least, it's clearer than the perambulations of Clinton around whether or not she'd end the damn thing quickly.
There's another aspect I really appreciate. I'm a libertarian leaning leftist, okay? Which is to say I often find myself muttering about the "free markets" not being free and about wanting a gun, which I keep forgetting to pick up when we're visiting South Dakota. I think there is a real accord between liberalism and libertarianism in that historical tradition of anti-imperialism, economic liberty, and rights (here's a good article from reason). And I just don't like the word Mandatory that much. I don't! And I think Clinton's plan of mandatory insurance for all is stupid. I think Obama's one modification to universal coverage, where he insists on coverage for children but turns off the "mandatory" part for adults is just fine. Possibly, just possibly, that'll force some real competition between government funded care and private industry, and as an adult who can afford insurance right now, thanks to my work, I get to decide if I want to stick with BCBS or go to the government. Five years ago, I couldn't afford insurance. It was so bad, we had to drop coverage for Leann when Eleanor was born so we could cover Eleanor. Under Obama's plan, this would not have happened and the cost of fighting off Leann's pretty serious infection would have been covered. The money we would have saved, incidentally, would have flowed into the economy by other means thru consumption and would have contributed to economic sustainability through the longer term by also ending up in our savings accounts or a 401K.
I am also actually inspired by Barack Obama, who dropped in the King line about the fierce urgency of now during his stop in Minnesota yesterday. That specific reference is like lighting up a giant sign in neon that says "NO REALLY, HERE IS YOUR GUY" (Here's 11 pages from 2006 on why Martin Luther King's concept of The Now matters so much to me). I'm not inspired by the other candidates. Romney is not nearly the creep Giuliani was, but he's a creep. McCain is a false maverick, a myth, and a remora who attached himself to the policy decisions of our worst president Evar. Clinton is ...welll, she just... damned if I don't like her for being a woman who survived and for being so smart... but she's so compromised in all the wrong ways. We need inspiration, sometimes, to lead.
And she's a boomer. Romney's a boomer too. I'm so weary of you boomers and I'm ready to throw you off our backs, to clear the air of your stenches. Oh, hey, I think I figured this out: McCain was born in 1936, which makes him from the Silent Generation. That's why he gets such a free pass from people in my generation. You know who else are Silents, right? Lennon, McCarthy, Dylan, Gorbachev, Ginsberg, yes even my beloved ML King. Shoot, Jim Henson was born the same year as John McCain. Who doesn't love Jim Henson? Their impact on our culture is outrageous. But I don't want their president, thank you.
All that said, on MPR yesterday there was a wonderful song from John Darnielle that draws a lyrical line between voting and receiving the mark of the beast (hence the totally awesome image at right).
Third if you count Cheney. The first, of course, was Harding. (hm. I like that sentence because it puts the words next to each other: Count Cheney, that's a more fitting title for a sith lord like Dick)
So this weekend I sorted it out a bit, and I'm backing Obama. I'm a Democrat, so obviously one of those was pretty much in the cards. And while I've got massive Clinton fatigue (almost but not quite as strong as I had in 1996 when it drove me into the arms of Ralph Nadir) it was some of the issues that decided it. Iraq is obvious. But MPR asked top policy advisors for each of the 4 remaining people who matter (yeah, I'm calling Paul & Huckabee done) what their Number One priority was. I may be misremembering but I thought it was some pretty lame answers, and the Democratic candidates had fairly subtle shades there: Romney's guy said completing free trade agreements. (2 was making the tax cuts permanent) McCain's said reigning in spending and the tide of earmarks (earmarks might have been his #2) Clinton's rep said universal healthcare (2 was "the economy") Obama's said the economy with healthcare #2.
I know on this thing, it's not much, but healthcare is not actually my number one priority either. This comes from an experience of my personal economy where healthcare had to take a back seat several times in our marriage.
mrs_lovett points out "I don't think she can pull it off." That's an astute insight, since, you know, just like Giuliani claimed he was the only candidate who could beat Clinton nationally while ignoring the elephant in the room that he couldn't even beat her in a senate race, Hilary seems to ignore how she couldn't deliver universal healthcare the last time she was president (okay okay "co-" ). I just don't think you can get healthcare done with an economic system in the shitter and that massive millstone around your neck called Iraq 2: Al Qaeda Boogaloo. Obama seems to sense this more clearly. At least, it's clearer than the perambulations of Clinton around whether or not she'd end the damn thing quickly. There's another aspect I really appreciate. I'm a libertarian leaning leftist, okay? Which is to say I often find myself muttering about the "free markets" not being free and about wanting a gun, which I keep forgetting to pick up when we're visiting South Dakota. I think there is a real accord between liberalism and libertarianism in that historical tradition of anti-imperialism, economic liberty, and rights (here's a good article from reason). And I just don't like the word Mandatory that much. I don't! And I think Clinton's plan of mandatory insurance for all is stupid. I think Obama's one modification to universal coverage, where he insists on coverage for children but turns off the "mandatory" part for adults is just fine. Possibly, just possibly, that'll force some real competition between government funded care and private industry, and as an adult who can afford insurance right now, thanks to my work, I get to decide if I want to stick with BCBS or go to the government. Five years ago, I couldn't afford insurance. It was so bad, we had to drop coverage for Leann when Eleanor was born so we could cover Eleanor. Under Obama's plan, this would not have happened and the cost of fighting off Leann's pretty serious infection would have been covered. The money we would have saved, incidentally, would have flowed into the economy by other means thru consumption and would have contributed to economic sustainability through the longer term by also ending up in our savings accounts or a 401K.
I am also actually inspired by Barack Obama, who dropped in the King line about the fierce urgency of now during his stop in Minnesota yesterday. That specific reference is like lighting up a giant sign in neon that says "NO REALLY, HERE IS YOUR GUY" (Here's 11 pages from 2006 on why Martin Luther King's concept of The Now matters so much to me). I'm not inspired by the other candidates. Romney is not nearly the creep Giuliani was, but he's a creep. McCain is a false maverick, a myth, and a remora who attached himself to the policy decisions of our worst president Evar. Clinton is ...welll, she just... damned if I don't like her for being a woman who survived and for being so smart... but she's so compromised in all the wrong ways. We need inspiration, sometimes, to lead.
And she's a boomer. Romney's a boomer too. I'm so weary of you boomers and I'm ready to throw you off our backs, to clear the air of your stenches. Oh, hey, I think I figured this out: McCain was born in 1936, which makes him from the Silent Generation. That's why he gets such a free pass from people in my generation. You know who else are Silents, right? Lennon, McCarthy, Dylan, Gorbachev, Ginsberg, yes even my beloved ML King. Shoot, Jim Henson was born the same year as John McCain. Who doesn't love Jim Henson? Their impact on our culture is outrageous. But I don't want their president, thank you. All that said, on MPR yesterday there was a wonderful song from John Darnielle that draws a lyrical line between voting and receiving the mark of the beast (hence the totally awesome image at right).