Showing posts with label Elections 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elections 2008. Show all posts
Friday, December 05, 2008
Ask Not What Your Country Can Spend For You
...ask what you can spend for your country. Hat tip: Scraps. This video by Fred Thompson (former actor, recent United States Presidential candidate) is amazing, hilarious, and brilliant. Enjoy. :)
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Looking Ahead
Just before Barack Obama got up to speak last night, I noted that his speech will be very important in where it focuses its attention. If it would mention the "failed policies of the last eight years", it would be a disaster. If it would talk about working together to move forward, it could be good. Thankfully, President-elect Obama chose the latter route.
While it was an altogether rather boring speech, with a couple of oddities - the emphasis on the thanks to his internal campaign team was somewhat disconcerting, and the "Yes we can" bit at the end was rather forced and lame (perhaps because he seemed understandably exhausted) - the overall message was reasonable and hopeful for those of us who did not vote Obama yesterday.
Today's Wall Street Journal has a pair of good pieces today that I think hint at what President-elect Obama's first responsibilities and tasks should be. The second one, written by former Vice President Al Gore with David Blood, will have to wait until after he is President: Promoting sustainable capitalism. While perhaps Mr. Gore has different ways of doing so when one looks at the details, it certainly behooves Mr. Obama to understand what policies will promote sustainable capitalism and which ones will not.
But it is the first piece, written by a lawyer who interned for Senator John Kerry, which notes what a disgrace the treatment of George W. Bush, the President of the United States, has been for years. President Clinton certainly took away some of the respect for office in this country, but it was the disrespect accorded to President Bush on a consistent basis by citizens of this country that has gone beyond the pale. In the end, however, it is up to Mr. Obama to resurrect the respect given to a President now in order to ensure that he is given the respect he deserves the next four years.
For the sake of our country, it is time to look ahead.
While it was an altogether rather boring speech, with a couple of oddities - the emphasis on the thanks to his internal campaign team was somewhat disconcerting, and the "Yes we can" bit at the end was rather forced and lame (perhaps because he seemed understandably exhausted) - the overall message was reasonable and hopeful for those of us who did not vote Obama yesterday.
Today's Wall Street Journal has a pair of good pieces today that I think hint at what President-elect Obama's first responsibilities and tasks should be. The second one, written by former Vice President Al Gore with David Blood, will have to wait until after he is President: Promoting sustainable capitalism. While perhaps Mr. Gore has different ways of doing so when one looks at the details, it certainly behooves Mr. Obama to understand what policies will promote sustainable capitalism and which ones will not.
But it is the first piece, written by a lawyer who interned for Senator John Kerry, which notes what a disgrace the treatment of George W. Bush, the President of the United States, has been for years. President Clinton certainly took away some of the respect for office in this country, but it was the disrespect accorded to President Bush on a consistent basis by citizens of this country that has gone beyond the pale. In the end, however, it is up to Mr. Obama to resurrect the respect given to a President now in order to ensure that he is given the respect he deserves the next four years.
For the sake of our country, it is time to look ahead.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
2008 Live Election Results Map
Via JoshWaxman, this is cool and reasonably useful, showing actual results (rather than polls). Enjoy!
Of Course
Please go fulfill your civic duty and vote, whomever you are voting for. It is always best if politicians are representing as much of the electorate as possible, whether they are local politicians or Presidents of the country. The more they understand they are responsible to all voters and not merely interest groups, the better it is for all citizens.
Why I'm Voting Against... Me
I'm an unemployed, married, 25-year old father of two beautiful little girls, ages 2-1/2 and 5 months. I'm also a registered Democrat, though that's somewhat misleading - while I've voted for far more Democrats than Republicans, I did cast my vote for George W. Bush in 2004, and tend to lean to the right on numerous issues. At the same time, it seems to be rather clear that my family would be substantially better off if Barack Obama were to become the next President of the United States - which is possibly a perfect example of why we should vote for John McCain.
Thank God, I'm a reasonably talented, able-bodied individual capable of performing most tasks. I'm certainly not a stupid person - as an easy example, I scored an 800 on the Math section of the SATs. However, at this point in my career, it makes more sense for me to stay home and watch my daughter while my wife works about 23 hours a week than to get a job. In fact, I'd have to make approximately $60,000 a year before taxes for it to be worth my while to get a job... and that's before factoring in the fact that I'd much rather sit at home and play with my daughters every day than sit in an office cubicle designing Excel templates (and I'm enough of a nerd that I enjoy that).
Barack Obama, if he wins, will be President of the United States with a strong Democratic majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He will be able to pass nearly any policy he wishes to, and there is no reason to assume that he would not try to implement the change he has been promising to deliver all along. This change, which includes actual tax credits - money that the government gives to people below a certain threshold, formerly known as welfare - would make it so that over half the country would be taking more from the government than they pay into it. Tens of millions of people would be like me: Better off not working or working minimally, even if they could contribute greatly to American society, ingenuity, and overall production.
Currently, 32% of Americans - a far higher rate than ever before - have zero or negative income tax liability. This number would break 50% under a President Obama. That translates into less than half the country supporting the other half plus. For those people who are successful, the effective earnings rate for additional dollars earned would drop to under 40% after taxes (federal, state, local, SocSec, etc.). This means that for every ten dollars a person would earn, they would keep less than $4, while the government would take the other $6+ and give that money to others. In essence, less than half the country - those who are the most productive, who contribute the most to society - will be responsible for the upkeep of not only themselves and their families, but the US government, the majority of the country who will be under that threshold, Social Security payments, and health care for everyone. At what point will these people simply decide that they are better off either living elsewhere to keep some of their money or that it's not worthwhile to work as hard as they do for little extra gain?
Moreover, Senator Obama has suggested that to raise some of the $4.3 trillion [$1.0t deficit, $1.32t tax credits/seniors, $1.63t Medicaid expansion, $1.4t other programs] he needs to pay for his plans, he would close loopholes for corporations to pull in another $924.1 billion. While it is highly doubtful that this is possible (it requires an estimated 25% increase in corporate taxes simply by closing loopholes), the more important issue to note is that corporations are responsible for most of the products and jobs in this country. Corporations simply do not pay taxes - taxes are just another expense they factor in when determining how much they need to charge for products and how many workers it pays to have. Any increase in corporate taxes, dividends (Obama proposes to raise the 15% rate to as high as 28%), or the like will simply result in higher expenses for the rest of the country that consumes those products - people like us.
Today will be one of the most pivotal days in United States history. The outcome of today's election will determine how this country pursues the war on terror, who gets appointed to the Supreme Court in a time when issues such as gay marriage and partial-birth abortion may come before the Court, and what economic policies this country pursues. Will we switch to a more government-run health care system? Will we promote individual choice? Will we encourage people to work more or work less?
My wife and I are heading out to vote in a few minutes, and I'll be voting for John McCain. Should he lose... well, we can make do. Getting paid to play with my daughters isn't a bad deal - unless you're the one working to pay for it.
Thank God, I'm a reasonably talented, able-bodied individual capable of performing most tasks. I'm certainly not a stupid person - as an easy example, I scored an 800 on the Math section of the SATs. However, at this point in my career, it makes more sense for me to stay home and watch my daughter while my wife works about 23 hours a week than to get a job. In fact, I'd have to make approximately $60,000 a year before taxes for it to be worth my while to get a job... and that's before factoring in the fact that I'd much rather sit at home and play with my daughters every day than sit in an office cubicle designing Excel templates (and I'm enough of a nerd that I enjoy that).
Barack Obama, if he wins, will be President of the United States with a strong Democratic majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He will be able to pass nearly any policy he wishes to, and there is no reason to assume that he would not try to implement the change he has been promising to deliver all along. This change, which includes actual tax credits - money that the government gives to people below a certain threshold, formerly known as welfare - would make it so that over half the country would be taking more from the government than they pay into it. Tens of millions of people would be like me: Better off not working or working minimally, even if they could contribute greatly to American society, ingenuity, and overall production.
Currently, 32% of Americans - a far higher rate than ever before - have zero or negative income tax liability. This number would break 50% under a President Obama. That translates into less than half the country supporting the other half plus. For those people who are successful, the effective earnings rate for additional dollars earned would drop to under 40% after taxes (federal, state, local, SocSec, etc.). This means that for every ten dollars a person would earn, they would keep less than $4, while the government would take the other $6+ and give that money to others. In essence, less than half the country - those who are the most productive, who contribute the most to society - will be responsible for the upkeep of not only themselves and their families, but the US government, the majority of the country who will be under that threshold, Social Security payments, and health care for everyone. At what point will these people simply decide that they are better off either living elsewhere to keep some of their money or that it's not worthwhile to work as hard as they do for little extra gain?
Moreover, Senator Obama has suggested that to raise some of the $4.3 trillion [$1.0t deficit, $1.32t tax credits/seniors, $1.63t Medicaid expansion, $1.4t other programs] he needs to pay for his plans, he would close loopholes for corporations to pull in another $924.1 billion. While it is highly doubtful that this is possible (it requires an estimated 25% increase in corporate taxes simply by closing loopholes), the more important issue to note is that corporations are responsible for most of the products and jobs in this country. Corporations simply do not pay taxes - taxes are just another expense they factor in when determining how much they need to charge for products and how many workers it pays to have. Any increase in corporate taxes, dividends (Obama proposes to raise the 15% rate to as high as 28%), or the like will simply result in higher expenses for the rest of the country that consumes those products - people like us.
Today will be one of the most pivotal days in United States history. The outcome of today's election will determine how this country pursues the war on terror, who gets appointed to the Supreme Court in a time when issues such as gay marriage and partial-birth abortion may come before the Court, and what economic policies this country pursues. Will we switch to a more government-run health care system? Will we promote individual choice? Will we encourage people to work more or work less?
My wife and I are heading out to vote in a few minutes, and I'll be voting for John McCain. Should he lose... well, we can make do. Getting paid to play with my daughters isn't a bad deal - unless you're the one working to pay for it.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Noteworthy
Last week, the Obama campaign decided to bar certain television stations from interviewing either Obama, Biden, or their wives after those stations asked rather tough questions in interviews (of Biden, in particular).
This week, it is interesting to note that the campaign has barred a number of newspapers from covering the campaign - though they had been doing so from the start - after those newspapers' editorial pages endorsed John McCain for President:
This week, it is interesting to note that the campaign has barred a number of newspapers from covering the campaign - though they had been doing so from the start - after those newspapers' editorial pages endorsed John McCain for President:
It will be interesting to see what kind of effect this has - knowing that only media outlets who support Obama are allowed close coverage of the campaign. Should he win the Presidency, it would be an incredible blow to the American populus to not have any serious or critical coverage of the White House and the decision-making process of the President. (Note that FOXNews is still on board, but they are not print media.)Journalists from three major newspapers -- each having endorsed John McCain -- reportedly have been booted from the Barack Obama campaign plane for the final leg of the presidential campaign.
The Washington Times reported Friday that they were notified of the Obama campaign's decision Thursday evening -- even though the paper has covered Obama from the start.
"I hope the candidate that promises to unite America isn't using a litmus test to determine who gets to cover his campaign," Washington Times Executive Editor John Solomon said in the article
The New York Post and Dallas Morning News also have been kicked off Obama's plane, according to the Web site The Drudge Report.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
An Interesting Study
I was asked to post this, and after taking it, think it's interesting and worthwhile:
It took me about fifteen minutes, but I did it rather slowly. Enjoy!
"A research team from the Psychology Department at New York University, headed by Professor Yaacov Trope and supported by the National Science Foundation, is investigating the cognitive causes of voting behavior, political preferences, and candidate evaluations throughout the course of the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. This stage of the study focuses on the information people use to inform evaluations during the last few weeks before the election. They seek respondents of all political leanings from all over the country (and from the rest of the world) to complete a 15-minute questionnaire, the responses to which will be completely anonymous..."Take it here. http://www.psychsurveys.org/brietruesdell/2008elections
It took me about fifteen minutes, but I did it rather slowly. Enjoy!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Polls Trolls
WestBankMama says it well enough - only November 4th matters - and points to a decent piece in the NYTimes on the subject, but for all those concerned about the polls, here's a quick breakdown of possible swing states. Before calculating these states, assume 255 electoral votes to Obama, 174 to McCain, including a Bush state, Iowa (7), to Obama. 270 are needed to win. Red went to Bush, blue went to Kerry. Note that polls have a margin of error between 2 and 4 points, usually, and that polls tend to skew slightly to the left. In a given state, I'd put anything that is less than 2 points toward Obama into the red column, and anything less than 4-6 points into a tossup.
I'm using the Zogby Interactive Poll from 10/19 (McCain has been surging since, for what it's worth), since it's a more reliable poll than most. Jim Zogby is an open Democrat and a solid pollster.
McCain can lose either Virginia; Missouri; Colorado + New Hampshire; or any two of NM, NH, and NV and still win. He can lose all three of NM, NH, and NV or CO and NM or NV and still tie.
I'm using the Zogby Interactive Poll from 10/19 (McCain has been surging since, for what it's worth), since it's a more reliable poll than most. Jim Zogby is an open Democrat and a solid pollster.
In none of these states does Barack Obama have greater than a 3.6% lead according to Zogby, which essentially puts them all in serious play. It's important to note that the last-second undecideds may often flip toward McCain in many of these states; not only are they red-leaning states, but people will either prefer a steady hand over an inexperienced one or will not wish for a liberal supermajority (White House - Senate - House of Representatives all blue).
- Colorado (9): Obama +0.3
- Florida (27): Obama +3.6
- Missouri (11): McCain +0.3
- Nevada (5): McCain +7.5
- New Hampshire (4): Obama +0.3
- New Mexico (5): Obama +0.6
- North Carolina (15): Obama +3.1
- Ohio (20): McCain +2.8
- Virginia (13): Obama +3.6
McCain can lose either Virginia; Missouri; Colorado + New Hampshire; or any two of NM, NH, and NV and still win. He can lose all three of NM, NH, and NV or CO and NM or NV and still tie.
Obama/Palin Ticket
Not sure if this is more funny or sad. (Opens MP3 file.) [Hat tip: Josh L]
The basic gist of the clip is an employee of Howard Stern walking around Harlem, asking Obama supporters if they support him for different policies - McCain's policies. They all support staying in Iraq, they are pro-life, anti-stem cell research (McCain actually is not against, but okay), and most importantly, would be perfectly fine with Palin as VP should Obama win.
Winston Churchill used to say that the best argument against democracy was 5 minutes with the average voter.
The basic gist of the clip is an employee of Howard Stern walking around Harlem, asking Obama supporters if they support him for different policies - McCain's policies. They all support staying in Iraq, they are pro-life, anti-stem cell research (McCain actually is not against, but okay), and most importantly, would be perfectly fine with Palin as VP should Obama win.
Winston Churchill used to say that the best argument against democracy was 5 minutes with the average voter.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
On Journalism
Orson Scott Card nails it.
Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?
By Orson Scott CardEditor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.
An open letter to the local daily paper — almost every local daily paper in America:
I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
We're Not Biased - We're Dumb
This CNN clip is hilarious and says it all:
Now, pause it and count the hands - she calls it "overwhelming" when about 10-13 hands of 30 are raised for Biden, and "a handful" when the same number of hands are raised for Palin. Now, either, she's just dumb, or she's already decided what the answer should be. Either way, good job, CNN. Ugh.
Now, pause it and count the hands - she calls it "overwhelming" when about 10-13 hands of 30 are raised for Biden, and "a handful" when the same number of hands are raised for Palin. Now, either, she's just dumb, or she's already decided what the answer should be. Either way, good job, CNN. Ugh.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
The Winner Is...
...America, for one night, at least. Tonight's Vice Presidential debate was {gasp} an actual debate, for the most part. Sure, Senator Biden asked for extra response time a couple times, and yes, he of course tried to pin quite a bit to Bush; and sure, Governor Palin (and Biden) avoided the actual question that was being asked a couple of times, particularly in the beginning. But overall, that was actually a well stated debate by both parties, which probably favors Governor Palin more than Senator Biden in terms of results, as she - like Barack Obama in the Presidential debates - was trying to show she's qualified and knowledgeable enough to carry out her duties as Vice President. Senator Biden was trying to present the Obama ticket as a superior one due to their policies, particularly by pinning McCain to Bush. It didn't seem like he gained any new support with what he was saying tonight, but he didn't make any real gaffes that could have eroded any major support.
Palin actually did a decent job not only of presenting herself as qualified, but at pushing the McCain-Palin policies over the Obama-Biden ones as well; not sure if it would sway many, but the social liberal/economic conservatives in the middle might like it. She did a very smooth job at pointing out that most of the people in the $250k+ bracket are not individuals but small businesses; I don't think Biden's arguments about Exxon getting a break resonated because people understand that that's not what Palin was referring to (Exxon is a public corporation, not able to file the way a small business does). Certainly, her arguments should have resonated with small business owners and employees, as would the $5k tax credit, because they usually don't have health insurance through their employers. That the health benefits other companies offer would become a taxable benefit was a good attempt by Biden, but I don't think it would take those voters away from the right; those same voters also gain by their companies having lower corporate taxes under McCain-Palin and are likely to be against the idea of universal health care to begin with.
I was slightly surprised that the Supreme Court didn't come up much, nor abortion. I sincerely hope that nobody tries to claim that Biden's emotional reaction about raising his kids as a single dad was fake, nor on the flip side that Sarah Palin was implying he didn't understand what it was like to "sit around the table" with one's family. She was clearly showing her connection to the middle class, and he was clearly showing he has had his share of hard times as well. I liked what he said about not questioning their motives; I liked what she said about it coming back to the actual policies. Biden's line takes away some of that "attacker" label, while hers was a nice shot at hammering home "our policies are better".
Biden may have actually helped Palin a bit by consistently agreeing with her policies as Governor of Alaska, noting he liked what she did there. He was trying to not come across as condescending but instead confirmed her abilities as an executive. One very interesting thing to watch was the two of them after the debate standing and talking to one another not only civilly but for real - it wasn't those fake political smiles, it was real discussion and actual introductions between family members. Biden came across as a true grandfatherly figure, while Palin started talking to one of Biden's daughters or nieces and was making a little impact just having that conversation, which I found interesting. Biden does seem to come across - and I don't mean this in a bad way - as someone who wants to get down to business with the people that understand what he's talking about, while Palin is trying to take her time and explain to everyone what it is that is going on and why. Biden noticeably focused his answers at Gwen Ifill or Palin, while Palin noticeably looked into the camera even when responding to Biden much of the time. I think each of those worked to their respective strengths - Biden as the person who has this experience, Palin as the person who can connect to the people.
Unfortunately, the media is going to spend the next 24 hours killing this debate and reducing it to soundbytes and comparisons and instant meaningless poll results and attributing it all to whatever they want to. Fortunately, it was probably a well-watched debate, much like the Obama and Palin speeches were, and people can actually form a decent opinion on their own without being told what they should think. All that being said, it was certainly cute how each side managed to get in their soundbytes - Biden about the "Bridge to Nowhere" and the "change" and "more of the same" mantras, and Palin with the "maverick" lines and the Reagan quotes, with the best being the "There you go again, Joe" that even Biden cracked up about. The very best line was where she mocked the jokes each made, getting laughter from Biden and the audience.
All in all, it was a really good debate, particularly the last 30-40 minutes or so. I think the best way to grade debates is not the "who won" but by grading each; whereas McCain and Obama, from the sound of it (I started to watch it on YouTube but didn't end up doing so), probably both graded in the "D" range, Palin probably got more of a B+ and Biden a B for tonight's debate. What's often - but not always! - the best measure of who won is InTrade, which is people putting actual money on these things; Obama's value to go up after the debate dropped a nice amount (60 -> 48) as soon as it ended, as did the likelihood of Palin being pulled as the VP nominee (11 -> 5). Biden's chances of being pulled as nominee rose a teeny tiny bit (5 -> 6). That sounds like Palin reassured people she was qualified to be the Vice President, which takes her from a possible lag on the ticket back to being the one who can connect to middle-class voters.
What are the chances the Presidential debate next week will be this good? Here's to hoping...
Palin actually did a decent job not only of presenting herself as qualified, but at pushing the McCain-Palin policies over the Obama-Biden ones as well; not sure if it would sway many, but the social liberal/economic conservatives in the middle might like it. She did a very smooth job at pointing out that most of the people in the $250k+ bracket are not individuals but small businesses; I don't think Biden's arguments about Exxon getting a break resonated because people understand that that's not what Palin was referring to (Exxon is a public corporation, not able to file the way a small business does). Certainly, her arguments should have resonated with small business owners and employees, as would the $5k tax credit, because they usually don't have health insurance through their employers. That the health benefits other companies offer would become a taxable benefit was a good attempt by Biden, but I don't think it would take those voters away from the right; those same voters also gain by their companies having lower corporate taxes under McCain-Palin and are likely to be against the idea of universal health care to begin with.
I was slightly surprised that the Supreme Court didn't come up much, nor abortion. I sincerely hope that nobody tries to claim that Biden's emotional reaction about raising his kids as a single dad was fake, nor on the flip side that Sarah Palin was implying he didn't understand what it was like to "sit around the table" with one's family. She was clearly showing her connection to the middle class, and he was clearly showing he has had his share of hard times as well. I liked what he said about not questioning their motives; I liked what she said about it coming back to the actual policies. Biden's line takes away some of that "attacker" label, while hers was a nice shot at hammering home "our policies are better".
Biden may have actually helped Palin a bit by consistently agreeing with her policies as Governor of Alaska, noting he liked what she did there. He was trying to not come across as condescending but instead confirmed her abilities as an executive. One very interesting thing to watch was the two of them after the debate standing and talking to one another not only civilly but for real - it wasn't those fake political smiles, it was real discussion and actual introductions between family members. Biden came across as a true grandfatherly figure, while Palin started talking to one of Biden's daughters or nieces and was making a little impact just having that conversation, which I found interesting. Biden does seem to come across - and I don't mean this in a bad way - as someone who wants to get down to business with the people that understand what he's talking about, while Palin is trying to take her time and explain to everyone what it is that is going on and why. Biden noticeably focused his answers at Gwen Ifill or Palin, while Palin noticeably looked into the camera even when responding to Biden much of the time. I think each of those worked to their respective strengths - Biden as the person who has this experience, Palin as the person who can connect to the people.
Unfortunately, the media is going to spend the next 24 hours killing this debate and reducing it to soundbytes and comparisons and instant meaningless poll results and attributing it all to whatever they want to. Fortunately, it was probably a well-watched debate, much like the Obama and Palin speeches were, and people can actually form a decent opinion on their own without being told what they should think. All that being said, it was certainly cute how each side managed to get in their soundbytes - Biden about the "Bridge to Nowhere" and the "change" and "more of the same" mantras, and Palin with the "maverick" lines and the Reagan quotes, with the best being the "There you go again, Joe" that even Biden cracked up about. The very best line was where she mocked the jokes each made, getting laughter from Biden and the audience.
All in all, it was a really good debate, particularly the last 30-40 minutes or so. I think the best way to grade debates is not the "who won" but by grading each; whereas McCain and Obama, from the sound of it (I started to watch it on YouTube but didn't end up doing so), probably both graded in the "D" range, Palin probably got more of a B+ and Biden a B for tonight's debate. What's often - but not always! - the best measure of who won is InTrade, which is people putting actual money on these things; Obama's value to go up after the debate dropped a nice amount (60 -> 48) as soon as it ended, as did the likelihood of Palin being pulled as the VP nominee (11 -> 5). Biden's chances of being pulled as nominee rose a teeny tiny bit (5 -> 6). That sounds like Palin reassured people she was qualified to be the Vice President, which takes her from a possible lag on the ticket back to being the one who can connect to middle-class voters.
What are the chances the Presidential debate next week will be this good? Here's to hoping...
Monday, September 22, 2008
Bloggdacity of Hope...
...members of the blogosphere, please come to order. All rise as the presenter of our closing address steps to the fore.
:::APPLAUSE::APPLAUSE::
::KEY TAPS::KEY TAPS::
::MOUSE CLICKS::MOUSE CLICKS::
Thank you so much…Thank you very much…Thank you, everybody.
To Chairman Ezzie and my great friend Noy G, and to all my fellow posters of this great medium, with profound gratitude and limited humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the J-Blogosphere. Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest, a champion for working bloggers and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours, (enter favorite female blogger here).
To President Bear, to President Dov Bear, who made last night the case for change as only he can make it...to XGH, who embodies the spirit of service...and to the next vice president of the J-Blogosphere, myself, I thank you. (That’s right, I’m my own running mate, how’s THAT for outside-the-box…besides, the last thing I need is another voice in my head.) I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest posters of our time, a man at ease with everyone from social commentator blogs to the posters on the sports blogs he still checks at home every night. (That’s right again, I’m talking about myself as my own running mate in what I can only figure is like the fourth person.) To the love of my life, our next first lady, ******* ***** [password protected]... and to LeBron and Braylon and Fausto, I love you so much, and I am so proud of you.
Some months ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief conversation between a young man from the mid-west and another young man from the mid-west (now exiled on the eastern seaboard in a city we shall not defile this convention my mentioning) who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in the Internets they could achieve whatever they put his blog to. [That actually isn’t true at all. A)My story has never been told in these parts, nor will it if certain people know what’s good for them B) I’m still not really sure if anything can be “achieved” around here…but I digress…]
It is that promise that's always set this sphere apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual blogs, but still come together as one J-Blogosphere family (THAT’S RIGHT I SAID FAMILY, YOU HEAR ME GIL…FA-MI-LY!...THAT’S EVEN MORE THAN A COMMUNITY, DEAL WITH IT!!!), to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years (after all, what is that document in Washington if not just one long blog posting), at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women – left wing and right wing, more religious and less religious, older and younger -- found the courage to keep it alive. ::tear::
We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our sphere is at war, our convention is in turmoil, and the Blogging promise has been threatened once more. Tonight, more bloggers are out of posts and more are posting harder for less site traffic. More of you have lost your blogs and even more are watching your SiteMeter values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach (wait a second…that’s from last week’s Orthonomics post, how did that get in here?).
These challenges are not all of the J-Blogosphere’s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of the failed policies of the current administration. My fellow posters, we are better than these last few years. We are better than this. (At least I think we are, truth is perhaps we are not and this is just who we are… could be… could be.) This sphere is more decent than one where a blogger in Ohio, one on the brink of retirement, find themselves one virus away from disaster after a lifetime (or more likely a few bored months) of hard work (or time filling, whatever). We're a better sphere than one where a man in California has to pack up the blog that he's worked on for 2 long months and watch as it's shipped off to the ether, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news (this is the story as it was relayed to me… hey, I don’t claim to understand all you people out there). We are more compassionate than a medium that lets veterans sleep on our streets (as it were, anybody got a good blog terminology for ‘streets’?) and URLs slide into anonymity... that sits on its hands while a major J-Blogospherian entity drowns before our eyes. Tonight, tonight, I say to the people of the J-Blogosphere, to those who walk the party line wherever it may lead and independent thinkers across this great internet: Enough.
This moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the Blogging promise alive. Because next week, in another post, the same party that brought you two terms of the current administration will ask this populace for a third. And we are here -- we are here because we love this sphere too much to let the next few years look just like the last few. On November 4th, we must sit up and type: A few is enough! (Yeah, I know…no wonder they didn’t call the show that.)
Now, now, let there be no doubt. My opponent, has worn the ‘uniform’ of our sphere with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and our respect. (We also ask him to kindly change his clothes, eat a proper meal and for the love of all that is good and pure in this world to take a shower.) And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the posts that we need. But the record's clear: It doesn’t matter because he isn’t one of us and we don’t like him! I don't know about you, but I am not ready to go along with somebody who isn’t one of us and who we don’t like!
And when one of his chief advisers, the man who wrote his “Eilay” post, was talking about the anxieties that J-Bloggers are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a postal recession and that we've become, and I quote, "a community of whiners." A community of whiners? Tell that to the proud bloggers of our most successful carnival who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every month and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the links that they provided. Tell that to the site owners who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their guest posters leave for their third, or fourth, or fifth tour of college or yeshiva. These are not whiners. They work hard, and they give back, and they keep going without complaint. These are the J-Bloggers I know.
Now, I don't believe that my opponent doesn't care what's going on in the lives of J-Bloggers (I shudder to think what such a person places above blogging on his ‘important’ list…honestly!); I just think he doesn't know. It's not because he doesn't care; it's because he just doesn't get it. (For shame…for shaaaaaaaaame) For over two years -- for over two years!, he's subscribed to that old, discredited philosophy: Give more and more site visits to those with the most and hope that blog traffic trickles down to everyone else. (For the un-initiated this is known as ‘clickle down bloggonomics’.) In some corners of the J-Blogosphere, they call this the "Linking Society," but what it really means is that you're on your own. Out of ideas? Tough luck, you're on your own. No interesting posts? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born boring? Pull yourself up by your own creativity, even if you don't have any creativity. You are on your own. Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change the J-Blogosphere. And that's why I'm running for president of the J-Blogosphere.
We measure the strength of our sphere not by the number of hundred comment posts we have or the profits of the most successful, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new blog, or whether the student who lives on hat-tips can take a day off, a blogosphere that honors the dignity of commenting.The fundamentals we use to measure blogging strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this concept great, a promise that is the only reason I am posting here tonight. What -- what is that promise? It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own blogs what we will, but that we also have obligations to treat each other with dignity and respect. (Check me out channeling my inner Bogner!) It's a promise that says the J-Blogosphere should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that blog owners should live up to their responsibilities to create controversy where none exists, to look out for their own personal agendas, and play by the rules of their own definition of fair play and honesty. Our blogosphere should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us (although a little discomfort here and there never killed anybody). It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most talent and influence, but for every blogger who's willing to work. That's the promise of the J-Blogosphere, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation, the fundamental belief that I am my brother blogger’s keeper, I am my sister blogger’s keeper (however, if I were a sister blogger I wouldn’t be betting my tuition money on assistance from the Y-chromosome crowd… Ezzie excluded… after all, THAT'S NOT TZNIUS!).
That's the sh’vua we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. J-Bloggers, we cannot click ‘go-back’... not with so much work to be done; not with so many children to educate (the kids dammit, what about the kids?!), and so many veterans to care for (this is an interesting question actually…what constitutes a blogging vet: time frame, no. of posts, popularity, impact??) ; not with an economy to fix (I want to make dollars off of this for crying out loud! Bring in some kessef, the moolah, some coin, a little scratch, a bit of dough, some cheddar, some lettuce, a little of the g-old…I’d like to get paid is what I’m saying), and farms to save (just seeing if everyone is paying attention) and so many lives to mend. J-Bloggers, we cannot click ‘go-back’. We cannot type alone.
Thank you. G-d bless you. And G-d bless the J-Blogosphere of America.
:::APPLAUSE::APPLAUSE::
::KEY TAPS::KEY TAPS::
::MOUSE CLICKS::MOUSE CLICKS::
Thank you so much…Thank you very much…Thank you, everybody.
To Chairman Ezzie and my great friend Noy G, and to all my fellow posters of this great medium, with profound gratitude and limited humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of the J-Blogosphere. Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest, a champion for working bloggers and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours, (enter favorite female blogger here).
To President Bear, to President Dov Bear, who made last night the case for change as only he can make it...to XGH, who embodies the spirit of service...and to the next vice president of the J-Blogosphere, myself, I thank you. (That’s right, I’m my own running mate, how’s THAT for outside-the-box…besides, the last thing I need is another voice in my head.) I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest posters of our time, a man at ease with everyone from social commentator blogs to the posters on the sports blogs he still checks at home every night. (That’s right again, I’m talking about myself as my own running mate in what I can only figure is like the fourth person.) To the love of my life, our next first lady, ******* ***** [password protected]... and to LeBron and Braylon and Fausto, I love you so much, and I am so proud of you.
Some months ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief conversation between a young man from the mid-west and another young man from the mid-west (now exiled on the eastern seaboard in a city we shall not defile this convention my mentioning) who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in the Internets they could achieve whatever they put his blog to. [That actually isn’t true at all. A)My story has never been told in these parts, nor will it if certain people know what’s good for them B) I’m still not really sure if anything can be “achieved” around here…but I digress…]
It is that promise that's always set this sphere apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual blogs, but still come together as one J-Blogosphere family (THAT’S RIGHT I SAID FAMILY, YOU HEAR ME GIL…FA-MI-LY!...THAT’S EVEN MORE THAN A COMMUNITY, DEAL WITH IT!!!), to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years (after all, what is that document in Washington if not just one long blog posting), at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women – left wing and right wing, more religious and less religious, older and younger -- found the courage to keep it alive. ::tear::
We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our sphere is at war, our convention is in turmoil, and the Blogging promise has been threatened once more. Tonight, more bloggers are out of posts and more are posting harder for less site traffic. More of you have lost your blogs and even more are watching your SiteMeter values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach (wait a second…that’s from last week’s Orthonomics post, how did that get in here?).
These challenges are not all of the J-Blogosphere’s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of the failed policies of the current administration. My fellow posters, we are better than these last few years. We are better than this. (At least I think we are, truth is perhaps we are not and this is just who we are… could be… could be.) This sphere is more decent than one where a blogger in Ohio, one on the brink of retirement, find themselves one virus away from disaster after a lifetime (or more likely a few bored months) of hard work (or time filling, whatever). We're a better sphere than one where a man in California has to pack up the blog that he's worked on for 2 long months and watch as it's shipped off to the ether, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news (this is the story as it was relayed to me… hey, I don’t claim to understand all you people out there). We are more compassionate than a medium that lets veterans sleep on our streets (as it were, anybody got a good blog terminology for ‘streets’?) and URLs slide into anonymity... that sits on its hands while a major J-Blogospherian entity drowns before our eyes. Tonight, tonight, I say to the people of the J-Blogosphere, to those who walk the party line wherever it may lead and independent thinkers across this great internet: Enough.
This moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the Blogging promise alive. Because next week, in another post, the same party that brought you two terms of the current administration will ask this populace for a third. And we are here -- we are here because we love this sphere too much to let the next few years look just like the last few. On November 4th, we must sit up and type: A few is enough! (Yeah, I know…no wonder they didn’t call the show that.)
Now, now, let there be no doubt. My opponent, has worn the ‘uniform’ of our sphere with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and our respect. (We also ask him to kindly change his clothes, eat a proper meal and for the love of all that is good and pure in this world to take a shower.) And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the posts that we need. But the record's clear: It doesn’t matter because he isn’t one of us and we don’t like him! I don't know about you, but I am not ready to go along with somebody who isn’t one of us and who we don’t like!
And when one of his chief advisers, the man who wrote his “Eilay” post, was talking about the anxieties that J-Bloggers are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a postal recession and that we've become, and I quote, "a community of whiners." A community of whiners? Tell that to the proud bloggers of our most successful carnival who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every month and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the links that they provided. Tell that to the site owners who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their guest posters leave for their third, or fourth, or fifth tour of college or yeshiva. These are not whiners. They work hard, and they give back, and they keep going without complaint. These are the J-Bloggers I know.
Now, I don't believe that my opponent doesn't care what's going on in the lives of J-Bloggers (I shudder to think what such a person places above blogging on his ‘important’ list…honestly!); I just think he doesn't know. It's not because he doesn't care; it's because he just doesn't get it. (For shame…for shaaaaaaaaame) For over two years -- for over two years!, he's subscribed to that old, discredited philosophy: Give more and more site visits to those with the most and hope that blog traffic trickles down to everyone else. (For the un-initiated this is known as ‘clickle down bloggonomics’.) In some corners of the J-Blogosphere, they call this the "Linking Society," but what it really means is that you're on your own. Out of ideas? Tough luck, you're on your own. No interesting posts? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born boring? Pull yourself up by your own creativity, even if you don't have any creativity. You are on your own. Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change the J-Blogosphere. And that's why I'm running for president of the J-Blogosphere.
We measure the strength of our sphere not by the number of hundred comment posts we have or the profits of the most successful, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new blog, or whether the student who lives on hat-tips can take a day off, a blogosphere that honors the dignity of commenting.The fundamentals we use to measure blogging strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this concept great, a promise that is the only reason I am posting here tonight. What -- what is that promise? It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own blogs what we will, but that we also have obligations to treat each other with dignity and respect. (Check me out channeling my inner Bogner!) It's a promise that says the J-Blogosphere should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that blog owners should live up to their responsibilities to create controversy where none exists, to look out for their own personal agendas, and play by the rules of their own definition of fair play and honesty. Our blogosphere should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us (although a little discomfort here and there never killed anybody). It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most talent and influence, but for every blogger who's willing to work. That's the promise of the J-Blogosphere, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation, the fundamental belief that I am my brother blogger’s keeper, I am my sister blogger’s keeper (however, if I were a sister blogger I wouldn’t be betting my tuition money on assistance from the Y-chromosome crowd… Ezzie excluded… after all, THAT'S NOT TZNIUS!).
That's the sh’vua we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. J-Bloggers, we cannot click ‘go-back’... not with so much work to be done; not with so many children to educate (the kids dammit, what about the kids?!), and so many veterans to care for (this is an interesting question actually…what constitutes a blogging vet: time frame, no. of posts, popularity, impact??) ; not with an economy to fix (I want to make dollars off of this for crying out loud! Bring in some kessef, the moolah, some coin, a little scratch, a bit of dough, some cheddar, some lettuce, a little of the g-old…I’d like to get paid is what I’m saying), and farms to save (just seeing if everyone is paying attention) and so many lives to mend. J-Bloggers, we cannot click ‘go-back’. We cannot type alone.
Thank you. G-d bless you. And G-d bless the J-Blogosphere of America.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Politics, Stupidity, & Hilarity
Daled Amos over at Soccer Dad has the full details on the fallout around the protests against Iran and Ahmadenijad since Hillary Clinton dropped out because Sarah Palin was coming. Essentially, the hosts decided to then dis-invite Palin, but to do so had to tell every politician not to come, while McCain/Palin had asked Barack Obama or Joe Biden to come to "even it out", but were turned down.
Essentially, all of these political games, starting with the Clinton pull out, have turned the protest into a dumb fight over politics and absolutely nothing substantial against Ahmadenijad. Interestingly, in the short-term this will probably reflect poorly on the Democratic Party and Obama, but will not have a long-term effect on Clinton herself; as [Serach's uncle] David Luchins notes in an interesting piece in the Forward (via Gil), Jewish voters tend to reward those with records of votes in our favor. Clinton has enough of those to woo back any supporters she's losing should she run for President in 2012 should she wish to do so. This means that Clinton could have effectively skewered Obama while avoiding any appearances with Sarah Palin.
And we all know that that's something she wants...
(I meant to use the last post on this subject to put this up, but forgot. Thanks to SuperRaizy for posting it and reminding me. This is the Saturday Night Live skit starring Tina Fey as Sarah Palin doing a press conference with Hillary Clinton. SNL's funniest stuff tends to be their political skits, no matter what your views are.)
Oh, and a great line about the issue that I read:
Essentially, all of these political games, starting with the Clinton pull out, have turned the protest into a dumb fight over politics and absolutely nothing substantial against Ahmadenijad. Interestingly, in the short-term this will probably reflect poorly on the Democratic Party and Obama, but will not have a long-term effect on Clinton herself; as [Serach's uncle] David Luchins notes in an interesting piece in the Forward (via Gil), Jewish voters tend to reward those with records of votes in our favor. Clinton has enough of those to woo back any supporters she's losing should she run for President in 2012 should she wish to do so. This means that Clinton could have effectively skewered Obama while avoiding any appearances with Sarah Palin.
And we all know that that's something she wants...
Oh, and a great line about the issue that I read:
Obama wants to meet unconditionally with Ahmadinejad, but the Democrats won't attend a rally with Sarah Palin. Now they understand how a public meeting can legitimize their adversary.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Formula for Success
There were a few good pieces in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, but this pair pretty much sums up some of the most important pieces of the economic puzzle the best:
Guess which two states have the lowest tax rates? Guess which have the highest? And finally:
The Competitiveness Index created by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) identifies "16 policy variables that have a proven impact on the migration of capital -- both investment capital and human capital -- into and out of states." Its analysis shows that "generally speaking, states that spend less, especially on income transfer programs, and states that tax less, particularly on productive activities such as working or investing, experience higher growth rates than states that tax and spend more."Hmm.
Bigger hmm. Then there's this:Ranking states by domestic migration, per-capita income growth and employment growth, ALEC found that from 1996 through 2006, Texas, Florida and Arizona were the three most successful states. Illinois, Ohio and Michigan were the three least successful.
The rewards for success were huge. Texas gained 1.7 million net new jobs, Florida gained 1.4 million and Arizona gained 600,000. While the U.S. average job growth percentage was 9.9%, Texas, Florida and Arizona had job growth of 18.5%, 21.4% and 28.9%, respectively.
Guess which two states have the lowest tax rates? Guess which have the highest? And finally:Not to mention, there's no such thing as a corporate tax. But that's for another post.Mr. McCain will lower taxes. Mr. Obama will raise them, especially on small businesses. To understand why, you need to know something about the "infamous" top 1% of income tax filers: In order to avoid high corporate tax rates and the double taxation of dividends, small business owners have increasingly filed as individuals rather than corporations. When Democrats talk about soaking the rich, it isn't the Rockefellers they're talking about; it's the companies where most Americans work. Three out of four individual income tax filers in the top 1% are, in fact, small businesses.
In the name of taxing the rich, Mr. Obama would raise the marginal tax rates to over 50% on millions of small businesses that provide 75% of all new jobs in America. Investors and corporations will also pay higher taxes under the Obama program, but, as the Michigan-Ohio-Illinois experience painfully demonstrates, workers ultimately pay for higher taxes in lower wages and fewer jobs.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A Soldier Speaks
SIL forwarded this short YouTube video to me, and I felt it was very powerful. I replied "that's amazing" to her in the middle of the video... and almost felt stupid for sending it so soon, because the end is so much more so. Please watch it.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
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