Taxing: Kennedy Out, Geithner In?

GENDER INEQUALITY REARS ITS HEAD UNNOTICED

At the moment it is hard to establish exactly what is going down regarding Caroline Kennedy's on/off/on/off Senate bid. Did she take herself out the running to save face on the knowledge New York Governor David Paterson has chosen some one else, presumably first-term Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand?

The initial response that Kennedy was so distraught by Uncle Teddy Kennedy's seizure on inauguration day was a ridiculous red herring apparently drawing the ire of some in the Kennedy clan. The latest rumor that tax problems regarding a housekeeper is the real reason Paterson shied away from Kennedy is plausible. Then, again, it could also be a convenient excuse. Yet, on the basis of fairness, if tax problem did derail Kennedy's bid for the Senate, it raises concerns from a gender point-of-view.

How was Tim Geithner approved by the Senate Finance Committee today with apparent egregious tax bills outstanding and Kennedy was excluded from Congress because of hers?

Detractors will say Kennedy just was not qualified to a senator. Is someone like Gillibrand experienced enough? Did we not recently elect a perceived novice to the Oval Office.

On the practical side, it was not the Kennedy name that appealed to some, but the money behind the brand. The next senator from New York will need huge resources in one of the most expensive media centers in the world and campaign twice in the next years--due to the remainder of Hillary Clinton's term in 2010.

One media outlet in sexist fashion, counted the number of "you knows" Kennedy uttered in an interview with The New York Times at 138. Would an editor bring a "you know" clicker to count a mans quirky use of language?

You know, once again, the election of Barack Obama did not radically change the attitudes of Americans with regard to race and gender equity. They still exist in full-force when the man now in charge of the nation's money supply gains his position--at a time when the job is far more crucial than that of one senator out of one hundred--with serious questions regarding his payment of taxes, while a woman with reportedly the same problem is shut out of hers.

This connection is not being made today and that, in itself, is the real problem.

Obama's Official Portrait Released

DID PRESIDENT-ELECT BUY HIS TIE AT DISCOUNT STORE?

The official portrait of President-elect Barack Obama--the one which will hang on every post office wall across the land was released yesterday.

Talk about ubiquitous. This image of Obama will likely burn an imprint on the collective brain of the world.

Take, for instance, the youthful, cocky smirk of George W. Bush's official portrait. It has been copied, mocked and repeatedly photoshopped with horns the past eight years. Click here to see it one last time.

How young President Bush looked back then as opposed to now.

By the way, I'm not liking Obama's tie and does he really need a lapel pin of the flag with one directly behind him?

Geithner Doesn't Pay Taxes; Congress Doesn't Pay Attention

LINKS TO THE PLAYERS BLAMED FOR POOR ECONOMY NOT ADDRESSED

Treasury nominee Tim Geithner doesn't pay his taxes. This piece of information did not preclude Barack Obama from choosing him anyway. The man who would be in charge of the Internal Revenue Service has an aversion to paying taxes. I have an aversion to it, too.

Comedian Steven Colbert said, "I don't pay my taxes, either. Why can't I be Treasury secretary?"

Republican Senator Jeff Sessions is right, "the man who wants to be the top tax collector in America hasn’t paid his taxes.”

Despite the inconvenient truth about Geithner and another example of the new administration lax vetting process, the nomination took a hit, but still rolls, at least, for now.

The Associated Press speculated today that the postponement of Geithner's confirmation until the day after the inauguration next Tuesday may allow the chorus of disenchantment to rise. Most likely, the postponement is designed to push the story deep into the news sections of papers across the country planning splashy commemorative editions of Obama's first day in office.

Yet, the New York Times and other publications gloss over all of this and report Geithner will likely be confirmed nonetheless.

In spite of Geithner's problems, his nomination should be shrouded in more doubt than Capitol Hill is willing to delve. Many say he is capable, but as opposed to whom? George W. Bush and the presidency? Geithner presided over Wall Street--the epicenter of much of the greed and deregulation that has ground the economy nearly to a halt. He comes from the Robert Rubin school of economics that easily extends blame for our current situation past the era of President Bush and into the late stages of the Clinton presidency.

Geithner is cozy with the bank. Familiar with the players who built the house of cards which ultimately fell with the housing bubble and it was not until word leaked that he paid his four-year-old tax bill last week that Congress began to question his nomination.

Again, nobody is looking out for the American people.

Joe The Common Man Takes A Hit

JOE THE PLUMBER'S IGNORANT STATEMENTS ARE NOT HARD TO FIND--GO TO A BAR

I would like to hit Joe the Plumber--like really hard.

Not only was the first iteration of Joe Wurzelbacher annoying and bereft of integrity and overflowing with basic conservative obliviousness to his own situation, he also was boring.

Joe the Foreign Correspondent is even worse because he's Joe the Guy Drinking Budweiser at the Moose Lodge, Joe the Politically Incorrect New Boyfriend at the Family BBQ and Joe the Guy Who Finds Larry the Cable Guy Too Hilarious.

The point is Joe Wurzelbachers are a dime a dozen. Pajamas Media, of course, is merely using the "Joe the Plumber" brand name for attention; and that's perfectly fair, but when Wurzelbacher begins opining ignorantly on the wonders of war propaganda and comes close to stoking Palestinian anger he is more dangerous than entertaining.

I liked back in World War I and World War II, when you'd go to the theater and you'd see your troops on the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for them. Now everyone's got an opinion and wants to down soldiers—our American soldiers, our Israeli soldiers. I think media should be abolished from reporting.

This statement is really a variation of Wurzelbacher's faulty personal premise and questions to Barack Obama regarding his tax plan. He did not have a personal stake in the question and did not have the wealth to actually be taxed under the plan, yet played the typical conservative fantasy they are created equally to the super rich that greatly prosper from their support despite their own interest not being met.

Wurzelbacher wants to abolish the media in war zones while fellow Americans of similar values and wealth fund these wars with their blood. In a time, when the media often times does not do its job of reporting the foreign news, people like Wurzelbacher continue to have an unwise and unhealthy view of the government and the military. As The Boss once said, "blind faith in your leader or in anything will get you killed." So can people like Joe the Plumber.

Stimulus Bill Must Think Outside The Nation's Borders

'GLOBAL NEW DEAL' REQUIRED IN AGE OF ECONOMIC INTERCONNECTIVITY

Americans are feeling the economic pinch, but, in many cases, the decisions made in Washington may effect the rest of the world more deeply. In the current edition of The American Prospect, Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson calls for a "Global New Deal".

Using the example of the American Insurance Group (AIG) and the ability to use its global tentacles to effectively be a company without a country to regulate its business, Meyerson constructs an argument that has received little attention nationwide.

Barack Obama may well seek a new New Deal to right a profoundly dysfunctional American economy. But he faces one constraint that Franklin Roosevelt didn't have to confront in the 1930s: The economy that Roosevelt saved was fundamentally a national economy that could be altered by national policies. The economy that Obama must fix, by contrast, has national dimensions that can be altered by national policies, but in matters ranging from corporate conduct to consumer safety to Americans' incomes, not to mention global warming, purely national solutions no longer suffice. To fix America today requires fixing global systems. The next New Deal won't work if it's only American.

Under the concepts of globalization, a multinational corporation is able to evade basic regulatory oversight that a nationally-based business would have to cooperate.

A report from the Center for American Progress deals more closely with the topic from the standpoint of foreign economies, saying Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to the Great Depression needs to be applied globally.

This common political imperative has created the conditions for an unprecedented exercise in international economic cooperation aimed at stabilizing the world economy and placing it on a stronger and more sustainable footing through a series of structural reforms. This is precisely the approach the creators of the New Deal took to our national economic crisis in the 1930s.

Americans may have a narrow view of the global ramifications of its own financial demise, but this fact need not preclude the newly elected president from scratching it from the national dialogue.

The European economies of Germany, France and England are searching for ways to stimulate their economies, while reports this past weekend say that Greece, Ireland and Spain may have their AAA-credit ratings downgraded because of worsening recessions. Of course, these are relatively rich nations as compared to say, Latin American countries, which are relatively stable, but are all encountering lowered gross domestic product figures in the new year.

Some economic isolationists may deny the inevitability of globalization, yet it exists. The effort to fix the U.S. economy needs to add the discussion of world markets in our national dialogu, because people around the world are beginning to argue that what is good for the United States is not necessarily good for the rest of the world

This article and others can be found at The Commonwealth Club of California's blog commonwealthclub.blogspot.com

Obama's Recovery Plan Moves To The Center

WITH TIME RUNNING OUT, CONGRESSIONAL DISUNITY STYMIES OBAMA

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has no qualms with President-elect Barack Obama's stimulus plan – and that could be a problem in itself.

After eight years of tax cuts under President Bush, some Democrats – especially Northeastern liberals like Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Barney Frank – think that giving tax breaks to businesses and middle-class families will not create long-term job growth. Scott Lehigh, writing in the Boston Globe's op-ed page, thinks tax cuts make little sense and wonders whether they exist in Obama's plan as a carrot to Republicans.

Democrats are also leery about heaping more debt on the books. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the deficit will reach $1.2 trillion in 2009, not including Obama's stimulus plan. Some in Washington also believe the total stimulus price tag will ultimately reach closer to $1 trillion. Obama's preliminary estimate is around $775 billion.

With 11 days until inauguration day, Obama, like President Franklin D. Roosevelt 76 years ago, will be afforded a brief honeymoon period in Washington and this is the impetus for the presidential feel of yesterday's speech at George Mason University.

Former labor secretary under President Clinton, Robert Reich, believes the government stimulus should reach upwards of $900 billion spread over two years and urges for it to be done quickly. "Without federal action, next year could be even worse," Reich told congressmen at a forum discussing the stimulus bill in Washington.

On his blog, Reich urges Congress to spend without caution of overextending itself.

As the buyer of last resort, the federal government must respond if that cycle is to be reversed. In my judgment, this will require a stimulus of about 6 and a half percent of gross domestic product, or a total of some $900 billion, spread over two years. That’s my estimate for the shortfall in private demand. But the federal government should stand ready to spend larger sums if necessary to get the economy back on track toward full capacity. The danger is not that the government will do too much; the danger is that it will do too little, too late.

Reich agrees with Obama's plan to upgrade the nation's infrastructure as does Paul Krugman, but some disagree with the basic Keynesian approach. Larry Kudlow at the National Review mocks Obama's progressive pedigree by saying his stimulus plan is somewhat Reaganesque. "Nobody really believes infrastructure spending will end the recession or create permanent new jobs. However, it’s interesting just how much the Obama plan has changed since the election," he wrote.

Here lies the problem facing Washington: in the shadow of a clumsily rolled out $700 billion bailout for the financial sector where many do not know where the money went and fewer gained any stimulus from the investment, how will what many people see as a chronically ineffective legislative branch deal decisively with the economy? Obama wants a bill ready to sign from Congress by Feb. 13. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is already pushing to extend the deadline. Meanwhile, unemployment reaches 7.2 percent and the prospect of this year being somewhat better than the last decreases


This article and others can be found at The Commonwealth Club of California's blog commonwealthclub.blogspot.com. Also, read about the unspoken demise of employed Americans who are not only making less money per hour, but working less of them.

Developing Storyline: Can't Trust Those Democrats

THREE WEEKS BEFORE INAUGURATION, GOP HAS SOMETHING ON NEW ADMIN.

So much for the big, scary liberal media operating in tandem with the incoming Obama administration and Democratic Congress to turn America into a socialist panacea.

If the audacity of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich allegedly selling the state's vacant U.S. Senate seat Chicago-style wasn't enough political crookedness, now comes these headlines from The New York Times:

"A Donor’s Gift Soon Followed Clinton’s Help" and today, "Richardson Won’t Pursue Cabinet Post". The latter referring to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson take his name out of consideration as Obama's Commerce Secretary because of an alleged pay-to-play scheme in his state.

Blagojevich, Clinton, and now Richardson...so much for change in Washington.

There seems to be a trend developing that surely has Republicans salivating. With still three weeks before the incoming administration takes power, Senate Minority Whip, Mitch McConnell already has three examples of Democrats acting in a supremely egregious manner. How soon until every wide-ranging progressive idea from expanding health care to stoking the stagnant economy is torpedoed by Republican rhetoric about the unapologetic graft of Democrats? How can we trust these guys with our tax dollars, the GOP will likely cry ad nauseam.

When Obama and others say something akin to "good ideas come to Washington to die" we really had a different view of how it would go down--with political posturing, not the plausible argument of trust in the party in power.

Obama's Rise Starts With The People Of Iowa

LFR'S PERSONS OF THE YEAR: THE VOTERS OF IOWA

Two thousand-eight will be go down as the year of Barack Obama. No publication in their right mind would argue with this assessment, but the end of eight years of partisan bickering under President Bush began in earnest during a snowy January night when the caucus-goers of Iowa proved that a black man could indeed become President of the United States. For this act of political bravery and vision the voters of Iowa are the LFR Persons of the Year.

Back in October of last year, the inevitability of Sen. Hillary Clinton's run to the White House began to decrease with reports of disarray in her Iowa campaign staff. The LFR wondered at this time whether Clinton might finish third in the Jan. 3 caucus--she did--but, it was not John Edwards who reaped the rewards, instead Obama easily won the nation's first contest and set the tone for the rest of the campaign season in the name of slogans such as "change we can believe in" and "Yes we can".

It wasn't just that Obama outsmarted Clinton on the ground in Iowa; this was expected. The Clintons going back to 1992 never engaged the voters of Iowa like they did in New Hampshire. President Clinton deferred to native son Sen. Tom Harkin in 1992 and ran unopposed in 1996. The sound of change, though, rang like a clarion call to voters unwilling to believe Obama could actually win the presidency when a Midwestern state featuring demographics of 92 percent whites threw up their arms in despair over the damage wrought by Republican rule and unequivocally set forth the rise of Obama on America. He would be upset in New Hampshire by a Clinton comeback but 13 straight victories along with the momentum it achieved became an unstoppable force for Clinton and ultimately the Republican challenger--Sen. John McCain.

Here's a sampling of the commentary from early January:

Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post said, "Because tonight voters decided that they didn't want to look back. They wanted to look into the future -- as if a country exhausted by the last seven years wanted to recapture its youth."

Ed Morrisey at the Captain's Quarters wrote, "Obama beat Hillary in a state that has a very small African-American demographic; he won not by playing the race card, but by simply offering a departure from Clintonian politics."

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Dick Polman seemed to be reading into the future saying, "He’s the 'change' candidate unless and until somebody else swipes the label. That won’t be easy, because now he looks like the leader of a burgeoning movement, and that’s catnip for independents and non-establishment Democrats who have long yearned to shake things up."

A diarist at Daily Kos makes the most illuminating point of all, "Tonight we saw the the core of a future progressive majority make its presence known in Democratic politics. Young Voters are not a hidden vote or icing on the cake, and after tonight, everyone knows it. "

It is easy to forget where this all started before voters in Iowa met in cramped high school gyms and clammy Elk's Lodges to thrust the candidacy of Obama towards its destiny almost exactly 11 months later. Obama was a likable, handsome candidate who could spin one hell of a speech, but until Iowa these attributes did not make a serious candidate.

The roots of Obama's successful campaign first spread in Iowa. His attention to unifying the country. The decision to never make race an issue. His ability to rally the youth and his use of sophisticated web tools such as emailing, text-messaging and grassroots organizing captured the mood of Iowans and later the entire country.

It is likely that historians will look kindly on Jan. 3, 2008 as the day America began to heal and the nation is indebted to the people of Iowa.

Obama's Gonna Take Our Guns, Ma; Let's Go To Walmart

VIEW OF BLACKS RISE WITH SALES OF GUNS

The Los Angeles Times asks today is Obama's election "a turning point in the perception of blacks?"

The view does not sound optimistic according to the feature story. The Dean of Public Affairs at UCLA still gets pegged as a music producer and the observance of "DWB" driving while black still exists.

Ominously, "The image of the black man is fear," said Damian Thompson, 35, to the L.A. Times.

Which leads us to this story in today's Chicago Tribune:

Some say they are worried that the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama will attempt to re- impose the ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004. Others fear the loss of their right to own handguns. A few say they are preparing to protect themselves in the event of a race war.

The worry of gun enthusiasts that an Obama administration would curtail their right to bear arms is unfounded.

Realistically, the smoothing of rhetoric from Democrats for the last four years regarding guns has brought significant electoral cache to the party along with governorships in the now purple-turning Rocky Mountain West.

Of course, as a liberal Obama would love to limit gun rights. This is obvious, yet the fervor to achieve that goal is nowhere near important as making the West blue in states like Montana and the Dakotas.

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer showed the party how to win in the red West playing moderate politics while toting a rifle and camo gear.

What is worrisome and a bit outrageous about the Tribune story is people would actually tell a reporter they see a possible race war occurring.

So, how would this race war start? Obama signs an executive order allowing all blacks to quit paying taxes? Obama enters a room to "Hail to the Chief" with a hip-hop beat?

Click here to read my posting on the one-year anniversary of the Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay at commonwealthclub.blogspot.com

Obama Needs To Go Large With Goals

PRESIDENT-ELECT CAN BE BOLD LIKE BUSH, BUT EFFECTIVE

Here's a truly outside-the-box idea for the next president from Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic.

The title says it all, "Why Obama Should Copy Bush (Really!)"

Of course, Cohn does not recommend emulating Bush by ignoring the Constitution, torture and general spying on the citizenry, but he does urge W.'s one-track mind towards big goals.

One of Bush’s most remarkable qualities--and one, I admit, that I frequently admired--was his stubborn focus on goals and willingness to push political boundaries aggressively. It took a president of uncommon gumption and boldness to push such a radical agenda; America, after all, is not a radical country by nature. But Bush understood political opportunity when it presented itself and he seized it. And while I’d hate to see Obama systematically ignoring policy experts and manipulating intelligence--or deliberately stoking partisan division for the sake of winning elections--I wouldn’t mind if, like Bush, Obama showed the same sort of singular focus.

A good argument can be made the Bush presidency has been highly successful for a select few, but, nonetheless; big promises were made and delivered.

Cohn lists them:

Consider what Bush has accomplished. He has overhauled the tax code, tilting it towards the wealthy and significantly reducing federal revenues. He signed a landmark education reform that changed the curriculum in virtually ever public school. He gutted the regulatory state and hollowed out the bureaucracy. He added a drug benefit to Medicare, thereby enacting the largest single entitlement expansion since the 1960s. He tipped the Supreme Court’s ideological balance with two strongly conservative appointees.

Although gas prices hover just under $2.40 per gallon in the Bay Area, Bush did deliver his oilmen buddies prices 100 percent higher during his two terms.

A week after President-elect Barack Obama's election, there is no real gauge as to how bold his foreign and domestic agenda will be. The naming of Rahm Emanuel as presidential bulldog is a signal that he will be bold domestically with a known quantity both feared and admired for getting things done in Congress.

If Obama decides to shift the country leftward or institiute bold objectives like Bush he will have two things the 43rd president did not have: a clear mandate and confidence in his intellectual heft.

Obama And The Faux Fros

If you write at a black web site like The Root, you can photoshop photos of the next president in various hairdos and get away with it.

You can also find a rundown of hairstyles worn by female politicians here, but not one of Sen. John McCain with a mohawk or Sen. John Kerry with a mullet.

Puppy Dog The Republican Hunter

NYT'S KRISTOL TALKS TOUGH; RUNS FROM OBAMA'S PUPPY

It's a dog eat dog world out there for Republicans.

William Kristol of the Weekly Standard, writes in the New York Times op/ed page his whole perception of the next four (or eight) years was transformed by the mere mention of a puppy.

President-elect Barack Obama's intention to buy his daughters a puppy during his speech last Tuesday night apparently stopped in its tracks Kristol's belief that the U.S. is still a center-right country and the loss was attributed to a huge anti-Bush vote.

"I gulped," he writes.

And so did I. According to Kristol, the canine portion of Obama's speech could be the most famous since Richard Nixon vouched for Checkers the dog. (Click here to watch Nixon's "Checkers” speech.)

Here, in a few sentences, Obama did the following: He deepened his bond with every dog lover in America. He identified with every household that’s tried to figure out what kind of dog to get. He touched every parent with a kid allergic to pets. He showed compassion by preferring a dog from a shelter. And he demonstrated a dry and slightly politically incorrect wit by commenting that “a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.

What Kristol is actually afraid of is President Bush with a brain; not just the guy you would have a beer with, but the neighbor you would rather invite over for a beer and a barbecue with the family.

For Republicans, it has come to this: posture that the country has not really changed and foster the belief the election of Obama was one entirely fictional protest vote against eight years of Bush.

A staunch conservative like Kristol finds himself confident in the face of the further loss of the new Latino voting bloc, the beginning of a Democratic Southern realignment, the loss of white men, the rise of new first-time voters but it's the sad puppy eyes of the Obama's future pet that has him in shaking in his boots.

Q&A: Two Minutes (Literally) With Rep. Pete Stark

EAST BAY CONGRESSMEN WINS HIS 17TH TERM IN OFFICE

After defeating his Republican opponent with 74 percent of the vote, Rep. Pete Stark thanked his constituency Tuesday night at the Hayward Democratic headquarter wearing a fuschia tie dotted with peace signs. He spoke with the Lunatic Fringe Report:

LFR: Congratulations on returning to another term in office. What are some of the things you will be working on in the next two years?

Rep. Pete Stark: Health care. We're just going to be trying to get health care for everybody. Universal health care is my goal.

LFR:I'm not sure the Senate will get a filibuster-proof 60, but you'll have more in the House and now you have the president. What are the chances of something happening with health care?

Stark: They're good. I think they're great. I think it's one of the most important things right now with the economy turned down more people are losing their health care. It's very irritating. Probably one of the most urgent domestic issues.

LFR: Last question, Barack Obama is now the president-elect. What are you thoughts about the night?

Stark: It's a new beginning and a change in the direction of this country. I'm excited to go back to work with him.

It's Gonna Be A Long Walk Home

THE LONG ROAD TO REDEMPTION STARTS TODAY.

Times have been difficult for Americans. The times we feel today are much different than the angst felt in the first years of the Bush presidentcy.

The pillars of our country--freedom, openness and democracy were smashed with a neo-conservative hammer laying the foundation for the fall of banks and the credit markets.

The excitement of yesterday, though, is tempered by uncertainty. Millions of Americans still wonder with the Christmas season coming how to placate their children while crossing their fingers there's enough money to pay the bills or the mortgage, for that matter.

As Bruce Springsteen wrote, "It's gonna be a long walk home" to our ideals as a people.

I've been thinking of this song, "Long Walk Home" for a few months in anticipation of the election of Barack Obama. (Listen to a snippet, here.)

What is home for us? I think The Boss puts it eloquently when he sings:

My father said "Son, we're lucky in this town
It's a beautiful place to be born
It just wraps its arms around you
Nobody crowds you, nobody goes it alone.
That you know flag flying over the courthouse
Means certain things are set in stone
Who we are, what we'll do and what we won't."

It's gonna be a long walk home, pretty darling.

American History Is Made; Personal Histories Remembered

ELECTION OF OBAMA LIFTS THE DISHEVELED AMERICAN SPIRIT

The New American President:

the land of hope and dreams

HAYWARD, Calif. - At around 5 p.m. Tuesday night NBC called Pennsylvania for Sen. Barack Obama. 

Democratic diehards watching the returns at the downtown headquarters in Hayward burst into cheers after the first of the battleground states went blue.

Rhea Palmer stood in the back with tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I’m thinking about my mom right now,” said Palmer, a resident of Hayward.

Seeing an African-American elected president of the United States is something she says she thought she would never see.

Palmer’s grandmother use to bring her along to work polling places in San Francisco when she was a little girl forging a strong belief in the power of voting.

“My mom would make us vote when we were old enough,” said Palmer “She always told us to get involved and get active in our community.”

While she realizes America still has racial problems, she also sees Obama’s future presidency as an example for other African-American men to follow.

“Seeing him up there gives me so much hope that he can show other young black men what they can do,” said Palmer.

DeWayne Ramsey of Hayward finds the prospect of living under an Obama presidency as a call to the rest of the African-American community to step up.

“This is history in the making,” he said, “You know, not all black men leave their kids. Barack Obama is a family man and this is a slap in the face to that idea.”

Ramsey also views a dearth of well-known black leaders until the arrival of Obama.

“We haven’t had a role model since Martin Luther King,” he said, “Barack Obama is now our role model.”

Democrats hoping to witness history sat in front of the big screen television in rows of chairs while other mobilized for last-minute forays onto the streets hoping to reject proposition 8 from passing.

In adjoining offices, volunteers continued to call voters who had yet to vote as of six in the evening, while lawyers sat awaiting any possible problems at the polls.

According to Edith Looney, director of the Eden Area United Democratic Party, nothing but minor problems were reported around the Hayward area.

As Obama began to tick off key states like Ohio and Florida, the excitiement began to grow. They hooted when Sen. Elizabeth Dole lost her senate seat in North Carolina and clapped their hands when former education secretarty William Bennett announced on CNN, “There’s no Bradley-effect. The country has grown up.”

Steve Bacon, a former member of the Air Force, turned to crowd from his front row seat and read a text message from his phone, “President Bush needs volunteers to get his [stuff] out of the White House. Put me down for the three to eight shift!”

By 7 p.m., anticipation rose as many realized the 205 electoral votes Obama had already received coupled with the likely inclusion of California’s 55 votes, put their candidate within 10 of the presidency.

“This is going to be over by eight,” said Oakland resident Michael Vaughn.

Local politicians such as State Senator Ellen Corbett, Hayward Mayor Michael Sweeney, San Leandro Mayor Tony Santos and former assemblyman Johan Klehs begin to trickle into the offices.

Congressman Pete Stark would later arrive to thank his constituents for returning him to Washington for a 17th time.

Just as Klehs walked in, the crowd began whooping and hollering. The stunned Klehs would later learn the image of Oprah Winfrey on the television illicited the cheers and not his presence.

Just a minute after 8 p.m, the networks called the election for Obama.

Those seated exploded from the seats. Complete strangers embraced, while in a sign of the times, teenagers attached cell phones to their ears to share the news.

A 10-minute standing ovation ensued with a mixture of applause and chants of “O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma!” and “No more Bush!” thrown in for good measure.

Even as the graphic on the screen read “Barack Obama: president-elect of the United States” Michael Vaughn still had not registered what had just occured in his mind.

“I’m looking at the screen. I can read what it says, but I still don’t believe it,” an incredulous Vaughn said.

A young African-American woman stood near the doorway with a blue scarf fitted loosely around her neck. Her hands were clasped near her mouth. Tears were welling up in her eyes mixed with a smile filled with awstruck and content.

A few young girls decked out in their Catholic school dresses sat on the floor. A parent pulled 

one close to explain the historical significance of the moment in their young lives.

As Sen. John McCain gave his concession speech, a red-headed high school girl mocked the Republican and yelled, “Who the maverick, now!”

The mood in the hot and humid offices turned somber as the newly elected president spoke to the throng of supporters in Chicago.

It was as if the weight of the moment hit everyone at once.

Between the idiosyncratic pauses in Obama’s speech you could faintly hear sniffles and quiet weeping.

An older white man stood in the back. His face reddened with tears ready to fall down his cheeks. His lips were pursed as he listened to Obama as if he was holding in the tears from falling.

The mood of Obama’s acceptance speech was a stark difference from the carnival atmosphere which occured when Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992.

There was no dancing, no fist-pumping and vaguely a smile from the new president.
Democrats watching in Hayward seemed to mimic Obama’s tone.

Seated in the middle of the group was a woman, palms laying flat on her lap. Her eyes shut tightly. She was rocking slowly back and forth with each sentence Obama would utter as if in a metatative trance. She seemed in the midst of an act of spiritual cleansing with the pain floating away into the ether.

As Obama ended his speech punctuated by the campaign slogan, “Yes We Can,” she whispered the phrase a full second before Obama and slowly opened her weary eyes.

An Election Day For The History Book

2008 ELECTION DAY PREVIEW

election'08: the race to clean the place - 1 day to go

[This election] will be remembered as the year when the not only younger people revived their interests in the issues but also first time voters. A mandate will be reached...because of this group.

These two lines appeared in LFR on November 1, 2004, on the eve of President Bush's re-election victory over Sen. John Kerry, yet they could be written in the same tone on the eve of the 2008 presidential election.

Ultimately, young voters did not respond any more disproportionately than any other election and the nation endured four more years of President Bush.

It is likely to occur again, yet because of sizable gains among white males, young voters showing up at the polls at roughly the same rate could give Sen. Barack Obama the White House.

Here's what to look for Tuesday:

McCAIN NEEDS TO WIN 5 OF 6 BATTLEGROUND STATES
Like Kerry four years ago, McCain has only a few quite iffy scenarios to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as he said this weekend.

McCain unrealistically must win a combination of five of six battleground states that include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Virginia and Colorado.

Kerry needed to win Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida to beat George W. Bush. He only won the Quaker State.

OBAMA HOVERS OVER 50 PERCENT IN THE POLLS
According to data compiled by realclearpolitics.com, Obama leads in all 15 major national polls. More importantly, Obama holds a slight majority of the vote in 14 of the 15 polls, with the International Business Daily poll having him leading 48-43.

Fifty percent is the key for Obama, making any number of undecideds moving to McCain relatively moot.

PRESIDENTIAL LANDSLIDES
When it comes to election landslides it is hard to beat Reagan trouncing Walter Mondale by 18 points in 1984 and Richard Nixon laying the wood on George McGovern in 1972.

Presidential "landslide" is a relative term within politics. Where a seven point win other races might be a squeeker, the 6-7 point average margin of victory most polls show for Obama constitute a landslide.

Merely reaching 50 percent would be historical for Democrats. Obama would be the first to do so since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. President Clinton was stymied by third party candidate Ross Perot in 1992 and scored 49.2 of the vote against Bob Dole four years later.

OBAMA BEGINS TO NAME CABINET
Invariably as it becomes apparent Obama will be elected president, campaign staffers will begin peddling the names of possible cabinet members.

Thus far, Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, a former Clinton staffer has been mentioned as a possible Chief of Staff, while a New York magazine story quotes sources saying Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will not be retained by Obama. In his place another former Clintonite and Harvard president Larry Summers may be summoned.

Obama may go Republican with Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana at the state department and Colin Powell may play some role in bringing the nation's military thought process back to circa 1998.

REPUBLICANS BEGIN THE BLOODLETTING
The losing party usually brings out the knives for their guy's failed attempt at the White House. This year it could get more ugly than usual.

McCain may have religious conservatives angry he did turn towards Jesus before selecting their darling, the lovely Sarah Palin. Old time conservatives are already seething over the loss of the "real McCain", "The Maverick". Of course, this is the McCain persona those same people found incorrigible on Capitol Hill

What is likely to happen in the next few weeks is cover stories and columns showing infighting, constant bickering and a case of too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.

SENATE NEARS FILIBUSTER-PROOF
Democrats in the Senate need 60 members including Connecticut's Joe Lieberman and Vermont's Bernie Sanders in their caucus.

They appear to be falling just short of sixty with 58 looking likely. Saxby Chambliss in Georgia and Al Franken in Minnesotacould be the key for Democrats to crack a filibuster-proof 60, something a presidential has not had since President Carter in 1976.

THE RISE OF THE LATINO VOTING BLOC IN THE WEST
In 2000, Al Gore barely won New Mexico. Four years later, President Bush won it by less than one percent. In 2008, New Mexico, with a large influx on Latino voters and a Republican bent on alienating this burgeoning majority, the state is firmly blue for Obama.

The fever may be spreading. Colorado is leaning blue. So is Nevada. Most surprisingly in recent weeks, has been the movement in the electorate towards Obama in Big Sky states like Montana and North Dakota. Neither of these states are likely to turn blue in 2008, but may go the way of New Mexico in 2012.

The World Is Watching; Hoping For Change

POSTCARD FROM THE DESERT KINGDOM OF DUBAI

election'08: the race to clean the place

By Gabriel de Andrade
Special to the LFR

Watching the run up to this election from Dubai has been both fascinating and entertaining. What I cant get over is how scared Americans seem to be of change. The fact that words such as socialism, which are perfectly normal to use in most of the free world, has some Americans scrambling for cover is quite amusing.

I can't understand is the most powerful country in the world has no problem spending billions of taxpayers money fighting useless wars in distant shores but has a problem with providing its taxpayers with health care. Watching too much Fox News has not helped. I have not come across such a bunch of righteous and ignorant commentators in my life before. I hope that this is only the view of a few and that Americans know better.

A readers poll in today's Gulf News that asks "who would you vote for to be the new US president?" has Barack Obama leading John McCain, 63 to 11. Intrestingly enough, 17 percent of those polled stated none of the above .This is interesting as it indicates to me a general mistrust of any U.S. leadership, however, the general consensus on the Middle Eastern street is anybody but George W. Bush.

Don't get me wrong. I for one and most people out here love the U.S. and its people. But Bush's actions over the last eight years has left a perception his administration had a personal and imperialist agenda. We hope that after today's vote all that will change.

That Obama is the clear favorite out here is no surprise. A vote for McCain is perceived as a vote for the status quo. Obama is seen as a young, dynamic advocate for change who will deal with the rest of the world in an unbiased and evenhanded manner.

Believe me, if he gets that right in the Middle East the US will have millions of new friends and will do a lot better in winning hearts and minds than sending troops into villages with candy. I have no doubt that if he wins today he will have is work cut out for him. To rectify the political and financial mess is going to require a massive effort and the support of all who live in the USA.

Although the polls say otherwise there is still doubt out here as to whether the people of the USA will have the courage to elect a leader of color. I sincerely hope that they will show intent and show the rest of the rest of the world how free thinking America really is. I have faith in the American people to do the right thing and hope that America has the courage to do the right thing and put Obama in office.

Gabriel de Andrade is a South African national living in Dubai. Unfortunately, he is also a fan of the Liverpool football club in the English Premier League.

Berman Fumbles Candidate's Final Stand

ESPN VET RUMBLES, FUMBLES MNF INTERVIEWS

election'08: the race to clean the place

Call him Chris "my questions were written by elementary school children" Berman.

Sen. Barack Obama (Click here for video) and Sen. John McCain (Click here for video) appeared during halftime of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Washington Redskins game.

The much-anticipated final conversation with voters before America votes tomorrow turned into ESPN's venerable anchor tossing the world's largest softball questions.

In addition, Berman and ESPN apparently believe in equal time while the rest of the broadcast world dropped that "archaic" rule years ago. Berman went on to ask both candidates the exact same question.

Berman started off by asking the 72-year-old McCain, "What did you learn about yourself?" Apparently, realizing you can't teach an old dog new tricks, McCain answered "not a whole lot."

Softball number two: "If you could change one thing in sports, what would it be?" This derivative of "If stranded on a deserted island, what blank would you bring?"

Obama, knowing the college vote could make him president, told Berman he ws tired of computers deciding college football's national championship. Later in the short interview, Obama also said college basketball's Final Four would be the sporting event he would like to attend as president.

The quite lame interviews conducted by Berman were highlighted, though, when Berman asked McCain about the best piece of advice he has received from sports.

Playing off the announcer's famous football call McCain said, "He-could-go-all-the-way!"

On the playing field, the Steelers defeated the Redskins, 23-6, meaning Obama will win the election.

Every election, of course, except for 2004, the winner of the Washington's final game before an election has correctly predicted the winner. Since the Skins lost Monday night, the incumbent president's party will be defeated.

Candidates spent $5 billion dollars campaigning for two years and one simple NFL game is all that is needed?

Hour-By-Hour; How The Election Will Go Down

AMERICA MAY KNOW ITS NEW LEADER BY 6 P.M. PACIFIC

election'08: the race to clean the place

If you can't be home watching Wolf Blitzer in front of the CNN's large Situation Room screen, here's how the election may go down when the polls begin to close starting with Indiana and parts of Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m. pacific.

3 p.m. Sen. John McCain should jump out to a quick 19 electoral vote lead with a hard-fought victory in Indiana and an easy win in Kentucky. If, for some reason, Indiana switches to Sen. Barack Obama, the election is over. The networks would also delay calling the Hoosier State until later in the hour or more. McCain leads 19-0.

4 p.m. With wins in Georgia, South Carolina McCain will extend his lead, but ominous sign of his eventually demise will creep with a bitter loss in Virginia and an easy win for Obama in Vermont. McCain leads 42-16.

4:30 p.m. North Carolina and West Virginia go to McCain. Polls also close in the battleground state of Ohio, but, again the networks will hold off calling a likely win for Obama until after five just in case. McCain leads 62-36.

5 p.m. Twenty states begin counting votes as primetime hits the East Coast. The election may well be decided during this hour or, at least, Obama could clinch the presidency with sure-fire large blue states remaining to be won. Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri could be called within this hour. The combination of Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio earlier will likely knock all the air out of any possibility of a McCain presidency. The bellweather Show Me State of Missouri may go to McCain without consequence. Obama leads 177-152.

5:30 p.m. Bill Clinton casts his vote reluctantly for Obama as Arkansas goes to McCain (I know he votes in New York). Obama leads 177-158.

6 p.m. While Obama has not reached the requisite 270 to become president-elect, the writing is definitely on the wall. With McCain roughly 118 electoral votes shy of 270 and large can't-miss states remaining such as New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the big mama--California--McCain is seeking far more than a miracle. Obama leads 246-185.

7 p.m. The state where it all began, Iowa, closes polls for Obama. Utah and Idaho easily go for McCain, while Montana shows signs of turning blue for Democrats in the future, but, today goes McCain's way. Nevada by way of an influx of Latinos and Californians goes blue. Obama leads 258-197.

8 p.m. Officially, the presidency will be won in the West as California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii go to Obama. Obama becomes president-elect of the United States, 335-197.

9 p.m. Unofficially, the state where McCain's campaign ultimately derailed with the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska sends its three electoral votes to McCain. Obama wins 335-20o.

LFR Endorsement: Barack Obama For President

Americans are somewhat reactive in their politics. The rise of a peanut farmer from Georgia was in some part voters washing their hands of Watergate and hoping for a return in the belief in government.

In this election, the American people are yearning for this same cleansing of the national soul. Two wars in the Middle East, an economy nearing Depression levels, at least--chatter about--and global standing in need of a good public relations consultant have American walking around with a haggard look.

The person who can guide America's standing at home and abroad is Sen. Barack Obama. In fact, Americans are blessed to have the only man actually capable of these things actually in the race.

That Sen. Obama burst upon the national scene four years ago and stunned the Democratic party by defeating Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primaries attests to the idea that America is truly blessed by a higher power.

It is in own national DNA to believe this. Colonists of this nation found a land rich in resources, constructed the Constitution and enriched the wealth of the new nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Scholars try not to include Manifest Destiny as a popular example of America's greatness, yet its presence directly led to American hegemony in the Western hemisphere and beyond.

Americans are fed up with being pawns in the soulless acts of the Bush administration. They do not desire to simply "shop" to help the country after 9/11 and they are still appalled their government stood back and nearly let an American city drown.
________________________

After eight years of horrendous government under President Bush, Americans need to return to the belief that our nation is blessed. At this moment in our history, we need a leader like Sen. Obama to return us to our inherent values of leadership, innovation, strength and intellect.

The world is made up of 80 percent of people without white skin. The world is watching the rise of Barack Obama as a symbol of what they believe America to be about. A country that does the right thing in the name of freedom, not the colossus that runs over countries without nary a shred of evidence. A country that can surprise you with its compassion and sheer idealism. Every country has racial disharmony, yet have never contemplated making a mixed race man its leader.

Within our borders, more Americans are suffering than ever before. It is no longer just the poor left hanging without support or a recognizable lobby for their plight. It is nearly all of us. Sen. Obama has nicely straddled the line between inciting class warfare and urging those with more to help those with less during his campaign. The rich have become increasingly richer under President Bush and Sen. Obama should symbolize a return to progressive economic policies nearly killed from the time of President Reagan on.

The stark redistribution of wealth towards the rich stood as one of our country's most symbolic troubles--the erosion of the middle class. The financial meltdown which started two months ago seemed to be the clarion call to ordinary Americans that Republican tax policy and the fattening of the rich were to blame.

Sen. Obama believes we need share the wealth, Sen. Joe Biden said it is "patriotic" to pay your taxes. They are both right and Americans see it this way. If we pledge to watch over our neighbors homes and kids and form small communities across the land where hurchgoers easily pass the hat around to help fellow parishioners in need, why would it not be easy for us to recognize during tough economic times the need to help each other?

Americans are fed up with being pawns in the soulless acts of the Bush administration. They do not want to simply "shop" to help the country after 9/11 and they are still appalled their government stood back and nearly let an American city drown.

Sen. Obama is a true populist. Over and over he has espoused the belief the campaign is not about him, but about us. He tells supporters to be ready to do their part. The response to duty is, in turn, overwhelming.

The United States did not become the most powerful nation in the history of man without the fortitude and intelligence it has exuded for over 200 years. After eight years of Bush rule, those principles briefly escaped us, but did not break us. The fact that Americans, with an awful racial history of our own, looked past skin color and put the best man in position to bring us back to be that "shining city on the hill" speaks volumes about us as people.