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Where were you when that incredible thing happened?

2008-10-24 04:54:59.768366+00 by Diane Reese 31 comments

Mark Morford feels it. I feel it. Do you feel it?

The fact remains, the sheer volume of expansive energy surrounding Obama's run has been absolutely astonishing, a global outpouring of positive interest and awareness like almost no other leader, no other potential slap of progress we've experienced in modern American history. From the international headlines down to the forgotten corners of our own culture we normally never hear from, the message is the same: Something is about to upend. Something seems like it's about to give way. And the good news is, we might finally be ready.

[ related topics: Sociology Current Events California Culture Mark Morford ]

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 05:54:39.074332+00 by: crasch

I'm not feeling it. Let's review:

Is McCain as bad or worse? Yes. Obama's probably marginally better than McCain. But don't expect anything but higher taxes, more subsidies to big business, and more government abuse of power if he (or anyone else) is elected to office.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 06:13:14.537781+00 by: Diane Reese

I figured you and several others would comment along these lines. That's OK.

I'm still feeling it.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 10:32:50.921483+00 by: stevesh

Sadly (and ironically), it's people like Mark Morford who negate the possibility of true change happening. Isn't it possible to write about the exciting rise of Barack Obama without the knee-jerk inclusion of the same old ugly ad hominem stuff about Sarah Palin and, yes, even George Bush? Until you can let go of that, you're not ready.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 11:42:57.695757+00 by: DaveP

I finally figured out the definitive "Why I'm not voting for Obama."

He's a Chicago Politician. While that may not mean that he's corrupt (though it's a very good first-order approximation), I can't have voting for him on my conscience, no matter how bad the other choices.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 11:48:46.610719+00 by: Larry Burton

Most likely I'll vote for him and I do "feel" what Diane is talking about but I can come up with no reason why that feeling is there. My brain is telling me that everything he offers and everything he has supported show's he's no different than any other politician out there. His charisma is about the only thing he really has going for him. Still, I'd rather have him, marginally, than someone who would rather have "clean" government than freedom of speech.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 12:09:49.269853+00 by: ziffle [edit history]

One of his supporters mugged a McCain supporter and then carved the letter B onto her face. Thats the first time I have read of the new term 'Political Hate Crime' but that will not be the last I am sure.

Thats about what we can expect from an Obama presidency.

He is a Marxist. I am going to buy more ammunition.

The only bright spot is that finally we may find out what complete government control of every aspect of our lives and finances will be and after that finally we will elect next someone who will respect the constitution.

So feel what you want but reality will impead at spome point.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 12:16:57.637992+00 by: Dan Lyke

Compare "It's morning in America" to "Yes, we can." I think Obama is another Reagan, or Kennedy, he's got that boxcar full of charisma, that sense that can inspire patriotism, and Morford is reacting to that.

His policy statements and actions scare the living crap out of me, as Chris points out, but however bad he may be, putting McCain in the White House would be worse. I hate that people need "a leader", but they do, and Obama is one. And he's a Democrat, so there's a possibility that we'll come out of the next President's term with some fiscal restraint, maybe even a budget surplus.

So, yeah, I'm voting for Obama, if only for fears of the Bradley effect. But I'm not doing it happily.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 13:02:43.537945+00 by: Mark A. Hershberger

I still maintain that a candidates election promises and proposed policies won't tell you much about how he'll preside.

It *is* all about personality. Bush's campaign did a hatchet job on McCain. And Bush promised to get out of nation-building. The hatchet job was more telling than the promise.

Obama maintains his cool. McCain seemed on the edge in the last debate, he's cursed out his wife publicly, he left his first wife (because she wasn't attractive any more?) and holds his opponent in obvious derision.

I think they're both nuts on policy. But given two people with policies I don't like, I'll pick the guy who can deal with others respectfully.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 13:17:08.071616+00 by: JT

I may not watch a lot of television, but I do see political ads on now and then between Mythbusters and How it's Made. I've seen quite a few commercials from Obama talking about why we should vote for Obama. I've also seen a handful of commercials from McCain talking about why we shouldn't vote for Obama. I've read their issues, I realize their history, I too like the Kennedy-ish excitement surrounding Obama... but a really big thing to me seems to be that Obama can tell me why I should vote for him. McCain can't. If I were looking to choose the lesser of two evils (Bush/Kerry election style) I wouldn't so much mind all of McCain's negative ads, but since I actually want to vote for someone this time instead of voting against the other party, I enjoy seeing the ads talking about change and what can and has been done by Obama.

Last election, I felt Bush would screw up, but Kerry would screw up even more, so I actually voted for Bush. I hated that my decision had to be made that way. I don't want to feel I'm voting for someone who will "screw it up the least." Negative campaigning is a real turnoff for me.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 13:47:41.029028+00 by: Dan Lyke

Mark, to that point, a friend of mine who makes enough money that he'd be paying (substantially) more taxes under Obama's plan (not that presidents actually get to make tax pollicy) says that he's voting for Obama because he'll have the opportunity to pay more taxes, whereas if McCain gets elected, he figures that the national mood will tank so hard that he won't have the opportunity to sell as much stuff.

But except for the Second Amendment issues, all of Chris's points are actions taken by Obama, not promises made. I believe we can expect business as usual to go on in Washington should Obama be elected, we'll just do so with a positive and inspired national mood, rather than a gloomy and downbeat mood led by a guy who abandons personal relationships and bails when the going gets tough.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 14:20:15.011544+00 by: topspin [edit history]

Where were you when that incredible thing happened?

Well, I was 3 in 1960 when the last incredible thing happened politically.... and someone blew his head off on my 6th birthday. Incredible things inspire both the best and the worst of us. When charisma alone inspires political or religious passion I'm reminded of Yeats:

The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

.....or perhaps he's not. I slouched to the polls and voted for Obama, not with passion but with pragmatism. I'd like to see Justice Stevens and/or Ginsburg replaced by more liberal justices than McCain would likely be coerced to appoint.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 14:24:15.628112+00 by: m

Ziffle, the reputed "political hate crime" looks more and more like a hoax. Either the supposed villain was severely dyslexic, or the backwards "B" was carved that way because it was done in a mirror. The cops say that the alleged victim has given inconsistent statements, including whether or not $60 was stolen, as well as other conflicting statements. The cops are not releasing the results of her first polygraph, which implies that it was either ambiguous, or she was not telling the truth.

In any case, there have also been reports of McCain supporters harming Obama supporters, including at least one shooting. But this reflects on the individuals involved, not the candidates themselves.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 14:36:35.875249+00 by: ebradway

The only bright spot is that finally we may find out what complete government control of every aspect of our lives and finances will be...

I thought we got this with Bush: His overuse of "executive privilege" smacks of total disregard to the Constitution. The DHS controls more aspects of our lives than we've experienced under any Democrat. And Bush help nationalize the banks.

I know you're not any more of a Bush fan than you are a fan of Obama. But I think you read more into the pre-election rhetoric than history bears out.

What Obama has done, already, is historically significant. That significance is being felt as revelation by most but fear by others. Even John McCain has encountered and addressed the irrationality of this fear of Obama.

Obama's role in history was significant the day he got the Democratic nomination. Many Americans derive great inspiration from seeing a black man debate a white man in a Presidential election and hold his own.

McCain's problem, if he wins, is not gloating. Talk about disenfranchising the public.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 15:29:15.364309+00 by: Dan Lyke

m, the newspaper article Ziffle linked had "Tawana Brawley" all over it, but the thing that convinced me is that a lone "B" isn't one of the official designs: YesWeCarve.com.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 17:28:41.155055+00 by: m

Ms Todd has now confessed to the hoax.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 18:02:13.029273+00 by: markd

The B is a lie : http://kdka.com/local/attack.McCain.Bloomfield.2.847628.html

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 18:04:28.872688+00 by: Dan Lyke

Well, that confirms some stereotypes I've got about McCain/Palin voters.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 19:04:21.691978+00 by: markd

Wondering what "Thats about what we can expect from an Obama presidency" means now that it's a hoax.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 19:34:10.553828+00 by: John Anderson

Semi-off-topic question: is faking a "political hate crime" in and of itself a "political hate crime"?

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 19:40:09.581752+00 by: Dan Lyke

Let's see... lied to by people claiming to be victims. There's a metaphor here, I just can't seem to put my finger on it.

I feel bad, though. This woman was clearly mentally ill, and it's unfair to blame her for things that were beyond her control. I mean, not everyone chooses to be a Republican, most people are just born that way, and we have to be sympathetic.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 20:04:00.752937+00 by: JT

I wonder if we could squeeze "republican" in this quote somewhere?

Here at Globo Gym, we understand that "Ugliness" and "Fatness" are genetic disorders, much like baldness or necrophilia, and it's only your fault if you don't hate yourself enough to do something about it.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 21:30:01.310466+00 by: John Anderson

semi-more-off-topic question: is it still satire if it's actually going to happen?

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 22:15:47.634625+00 by: Dan Lyke

Re: faking political hate crimes, yep, sure seems so to me. She was using crime and racial prejudice to spread terror.

Re: satire. Satire has been dead since January 17, 2001.

A cynical comment in a forum I read got me thinking: It sure seems like each party accomplishes exactly the opposite of what they promise, Republicans preach freedom and fiscal responsibility and impose morals and run up the national debt, Democrats preach control and socialism, and end up running budget surpluses. There's a reason for this, each of them is actively working to create the environment that their constituents dislike, in order to remain elected. If they actually did what they promised to do, then there'd be no more reason to elect them.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-24 22:27:58.525587+00 by: ziffle

Well someone did take my Ron Paul sign from my yard - probably a McCain or Obama supporter - yes a Political Hate Crime in Mayberry.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-25 01:05:21.649508+00 by: TheSHAD0W [edit history]

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-25 01:14:10.090005+00 by: Dan Lyke

Shadow, he's right. The question is: Do you think it'll be a better decision economically to spend more on our military, or more on energy efficiency and foreign aid.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-25 01:45:14.050096+00 by: TheSHAD0W

Again, I don't think it makes one bit of difference.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-25 09:48:40.743434+00 by: Mark A. Hershberger

FWIW, I use oil heat in a too-large house here in Pennsylvania. After dealing with heating bills for a while, we lowered our temp to 60 during the day and did the Jimmy Carter sweater. At night, the thermostat is set to drop even further.

We cut 1000gallons of oil. I'm sure that doesn't make a difference in our foreign policy, but it sure does make a difference in the household budget.

Also, I cut my caloric intake to lose weight and don't drive an SUV. I guess I'm just a natural Obama supporter.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-25 14:08:20.196364+00 by: JT

Mark,
We have a programmable thermostat which is very nice. I'm not sure one would work for your situation since I know little about oil heaters, but we set it to 68 between 5:45 and 7:00 on weekdays and 62 for the rest of the day and night. It's cut back quite a bit on gas consumption, which is a real budget saver here where LNG is so expensive. It makes it comfy to get up in the morning and then cools for the rest of the day when I'm the only one home or we're all dressed warmly for the weather anyway.

Of course, I still have a 4x4 SUV since it snows here and we sometimes can't use the family car to make it down the mountain for school/groceries/etc.. but it does have an Obama sticker on the back.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-25 15:41:45.482006+00 by: Dan Lyke

And looks like the McCain Communications Director was in on pushing the carved "B" story before all the facts were in.

#Comment Re: made: 2008-10-26 02:08:05.278689+00 by: Mark A. Hershberger

JT: no Obama sticker -- all my friends seem to have one, though.

We have a similar programmable thermostat. That and the more efficient oil heater we got a few years ago (to replace the converted behemoth of a coal furnace) really helps out with the savings.