Republicans and reality

Republicans seem to be reality-challenged. November 5th was a major repudiation of their policies and stewardship, but they don't seem to have realized yet what losing means.

They are whining and demanding that the economic recovery plan include more of their one-note policy: tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts. And they are claiming that Obama is not living up to his promise of bipartisanship.

It's not that they haven't been listened to in the process of crafting the bill. Obama reminded them that he won the election, which means that the American people endorsed his economic plan, not theirs.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) was blunter:

"I don't understand what they are talking about when they say they haven't been included," said Clyburn. "We had a joint meeting two weeks ago and they were there. We had a joint meeting today ... What are they talking about that they aren't involved? They didn't win the election but they think we have to adopt their approach? They can't do that."

Why should we listen to them when they are so out of touch? As recently as yesterday, the web site of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee still contained this message:

“Thanks to Republican economic policies, the U.S. economy is robust and job creation is strong.”

Obama also responded to their petulant tactics by saying, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."

The biggest reality check of all for Republicans, however, comes in all the bush policy positions and executive orders that Obama is overturning and the appointments he is making to staff the Justice Department with bush's sharpest critics.

Obama is cleaning out the stables. Throw open the windows, let in the light, bring on the disinfectant. The Obama team is going great guns in the Executive Branch. It may take a little longer for the Republicans still in Congress to get the message; but I am increasingly encouraged that both Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress are going to help them get their reality hats on straight.

Ralph

Obama reminds Republicans, "I won."

When President Obama, in his inaugural address, said that "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist," he was speaking to enemies abroad.

He's quickly learning that he may have to speak that way to Republicans too. Not content with his compromise of putting $350 billion in tax cuts into the $850 billion economic recovery bill, Republicans are insisting on more tax cuts, complaining about too much infrastructure investment, and saying that they're being left out of the negotiations.

Meeting with Congressional leaders today to hear their views, Obama reminded the Republicans that "I won." It's said that in context the remark sounded less provocatively partisan. But I say: "You go, Mr. President."

It's not just that we won, but the American people overwhelmingly rejected the Republicans and their failed policies. You failed, your people were voted out, and you no longer get to dictate the game.

Sometimes an 80/20 vote on a good plan may be better than a 51/49 vote on an even better plan -- especially when it's a risky business and you want to share the blame if it fails. But not always, not if you have to give up too much to get the 80 votes.

Obama's experience as a community organizer, as a compromiser for the greater good, and his ideals of bi-partisanship are all fine. But there is a line to be drawn and say: OK, I have listened to you, I disagree with your proposal, and we have the power to pass our plan. So let's vote.

I was concerned that he might value bipartisanship and compromise so much that he won't use the power we have given him to forge boldly ahead. Reminding his opposition who won -- on his third full day in office -- is encouraging.

Ralph

Where is Howard Dean?

One small sour note in the whole transition and inaugural is the absence of Howard Dean. I was an early supporter in the 2004 primary, found him refreshingly candid and energetic, and was disappointed when his candidacy failed.

His subsequent term as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee has been distinguished by his successful 50 state strategy for rebuilding the party in every state. He clashed with the party establishment, who wanted to concentrate resources in fewer states. Dean proved to be right ultimately, and as a result we have a stronger grassrooots party, nurturing candidates further down the ballot who will be the future of the national party -- as well as winning the presidency.

This seems so in tune with Obama's 50 state strategy for winning the election. Which is why it's puzzling that there seems to have been a falling out between Dean and the Obama people. Nothing has surfaced (to my knowledge) of what it's about.

It was noted that he was not present when Obama announced Dean's successor at DNC, Governor Tim Kaine. Dean was said to be traveling abroad, but his staff also was quoted as saying he would have been there if he had been asked. And he was conspicuously absent from the inauguration. The DNC Chair not invited to the inaugural events? Or invited but declined to attend? Further, as far as I know, there was no comment about his absence in the news media.

It has been said that he was hoping to be chosen for Secretary of Health and Human Services. It would have been a good spot for him -- but I can see the wisdom of Obama's choosing Tom Daschle, who not only is an expert on health care legislation but has the political connections and clout to get legislation through Congress, something that Dean lacks.

But what about Surgeon General? It's primarily a bully pulpit, which Dean could have used well.

The mystery continues. It's unlike Obama to shut someone out like that, unless he has become political poison, like Jeremiah Wright. Is Dean pouting? I'd like to know the true story. And I'd like to know why it hasn't become a story we're reading about.

Ralph

not politics, for a change

The Academy Award nominations are out, and I want to applaud and highly recommend the nomination of Kate Winslet for best actress for The Reader. Having won two Golden Globes (Best Actress for Revolutionary Road and Best Supporting Actress for The Reader), she was considered a shoo-in for a nomination; but I'm delighted that her less-publicized role in The Reader was picked -- and that it was honored as Best Actress rather than as a supporting role.

To me, it was the best acting of anyone I have seen in the past year in a truly remarkable film, created by both the director and the screen writer who made The Hours. In one scene, as a witness on trial as a Nazi war criminal, Winslet is trying to explain why she had done a certain thing as a prison guard. She is absolutely believable, and with just a few lines adds to our understanding, if not our sympathy, for why some of the German people "went along" with the atrocities, not out of ideology or evil but as simple people "doing their jobs." It raises profound questions about evil and responsibility and about morally blind adherence to authority.

I recommend it highly. For anyone who avoids the horrors of Holocaust films, there are no scenes that in themselves are disturbing to watch. It focuses on the courtroom trials after the war, not the horrors themselves. And that's just one of the stories in this film. It's also a story of sexual awakening in a young boy and, later, his conflicts over responsibility and guilt, as he watches this trial unfold.

Ralph

The difference a day makes

As I sat watching george bush's departing helicopter poised to take off, the delay seemed interminable; and I found myself yelling at the TV screen: "Will you just leave !! Go ! Go ! . . Just . . Go-ohhhh ! !"

Impatience for him to be gone was emblematic of our impatience for the cleansing of our government to begin. And it has.

Immediately after he took the oath of office, Obama's first official act was to sign executive orders on ethics and transparency in government, among other things reversing bush's policies that made it difficult to obtain information under the Freedom of Information Act, and it reversed bush's executive order that allowed former presidents to claim executive privilege to keep their records in office a secret.

"Starting today, every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information, but those who seek to make it known," Obama said.

By making this his first official act, he signalled that his administration is not going to be doing business as usual. Along with many of his inaugural speech references, it was a sharp repudiation of the bush/cheney era -- but without cheap digs to score points, just a clear stating that it's going to be different.

Other vastly different policy principles are already evident in Obama's first 48 hours in office. Here are some of the things he has already done:

1. issued executive orders to stop and/or overturn bush's eleventh hour orders that adversely affect the environment, such as mining and development of federal lands.

2. one of his first calls to international leaders was to Palestian leader Abbas, signalling a more even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And his annoucement today of George Mitchell as Mid-East Envoy is another powerful signal of serious intent to be involved in finding a peaceful solution.

3. announced a salary freeze for White House Staff that make more than $100,000 -- a signal of solidarity with those being hurt by the economic crisis.

4. announced strict policies limiting the effect of lobbyists and ending the revolving door that let lobbyists work in government in the same area as their prior lobbying jobs.

5. halted the military tribunal hearings at Guantanamo for procedural review and ordered the prison to be closed down within a year.

6. met with top military/defense advisers, including Generals Petraeus and Odierno, to order plans for drawing down our troop level in Iraq and for an increased focus on Afghanistan.

7. issued an executive order banning torture and shutting down CIA secret prisons abroad.

8. extensive, ongoing discussions with his team of economic advisers, to refine the recovery package.

9. other areas expected to be quickly reversed, if not already: funding for stem cell research; abstinence only sex education and restriction of federal aid to family planning clinics that do abortions, or in some cases, even those that offer contraception.

10. remarkable changes in what's on the White House webpage: for example, under the Civil Rights section is a whole list of gay/lesbian positions of the Obama administration, including support for full civil rights and federal benefits for same-sex partners, adding sexual orientation to the federal hate crimes legislation, supporting the employment non-discrimination legislation, opposing a constutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage, repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the military, expanding adoption rights for same-sex parents, and more funding for AIDS prevention.

President Obama will surely disappoint some of his supporters. My greatest concern is that he will too readily compromise in order to get a larger bipartisan support for some legislation. I want him to use the power he has to be bold and bring as much change as possible. But, as of now, I also trust his judgment and political wisdom more than I do my own.

What a refreshing change: to know that we have a president that is smarter and knows more than I know, is wiser than I am in spite of his young years, and has superior political wisdom.

I am satisfied.

Ralph

Obama's sober sermon

Obama's inaugural address will be the subject of opinion and analysis for some time. As Arianna Huffington pointed out, "The new president and the throng that turned out to cheer him and hear him today were on two very different missions. The crowd had come to celebrate. Obama had come to deliver a sober sermon."

He could have taken the expected road of poetry and soaring rhetoric, that he does so well, and raised his already 80% approval rating. He could have quite justifiably reveled in the historic moment of being the first African-American president.

Instead, he began with "I stand here today humbled by the task before us." This was going to be a call to responsibility, to common purpose, to growing up. Indeed, after quickly laying out the problems facing our nation, he said:

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. . . . our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.

Arianna, commenting on this, wrote: "There was something very powerful about watching this relatively young man, one of the youngest to ever hold the highest office in the land, telling the people of America to grow up."

It was not celebratory, and some were disappointed. But it was what we needed to hear. It was not gloom and doom; it was sober and challenging. It was not without optimism; but Obama made it clear: our success as a nation must be earned.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

Not until four paragraphs from the end did he mention this moment in our racial history, and then only with one sentence. But it was a powerful reminder, and it was enough:

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

And in the end he did not quote Lincoln but George Washington.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Celebratory? No. Necessary? Yes. Optimistic? Far more so than empty promises or self-congratulations. Because it might just work, if we will.

Ralph

President Obama

President Obama's inauguration speech was so good on so many different levels that I need some time to digest it. At this point, I can think of no greater praise than to say I believe it is truly and typically "Obama-esque." It will stand as a majestic call to reality, shared responsibility, and service.

A few details of interest: it was quickly pointed out by commentators that he used the word "I" only three times, and one of those was to say that he accepted the office with humility. Typical of Obama's emphasis on "we" throughout his campaign: "we can do it."

And this I noticed and appreciated: the diversity as represented even in the makeup of the musical quartet. The group included one Chinese-American, one Israeli-American, one African-American, and a woman with a Hispanic name. They played a piece by the pop-classical composer John Williams, and it was based on a theme from the most quintessentially American classical composer, Aaron Copland, himself Jewish.

Beautiful symbolism but without sacrificing excellence to make a statement. Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Aaron Copland are not just politically correct window dressing.

An historic moment; a brilliant beginning.

Ralph

01-20-09

01-20-09

These numbers have been staring at me from my refrigerator magnet now for over a year. And now the magic number has arrived, purged and cleansed of association with george bush and his disasterous administration. They now belong completely to Barack Obama.

But not only to Barack Obama and the hope for his presidency, based again in the Reality World of respect for intelligence, scientific evidence, and pragmatic political solutions that benefit average citizens rather than just the rich and powerful.

No, this date also belongs to the Obama Family. It was symbolized so powerfully on election night when this beautiful young family, all four of them, not just the politician himself, walked out onto the platform to greet the throng of supporters and acknowledge the victory. We have elected a close-knit, loving family to serve as our royalty and our role models. And they will be superb.

Today, I am less focused on policies, though I am excited at the changes that will come. Today is for soaking up the change in tone and attitude.

Mickey Nardo says it best in his blog from yesterday, "my hope," in which he talks about kindness as a quality that's been missing and that Obama displays repeatedly:

So what I’m looking for from Obama is a consistent modelling of his kindness, and he’s doing fine so far. I don’t think kindness is naive. One can be at war without being unkind. One can drive hard bargains and still treat others kindly. Just like one can feel really angry at a spouse or a child, and still act without unkindness or cruelty. As soon as one makes the step of depersonalizing or dehumanizing another person or group, making them some other kind, the bond of shared humanity is broken and the resulting unkindness just contributes to what’s wrong in the world.

Paradoxically, a career in Psychiatry exposed me to a lot of what’s dark in the world, particularly in the public sector - criminals and worse. But that exposure in fact strengthened my belief that there was really no such thing as evil - at least as an intrinsic quality. There were just a lot of people who were pretty sick or deluded, usually from being treated unkindly in the world.

I have no illusion that the coming Administration can infect America with kindness. It’s only an ideal. But I think Barack and Michelle can do something absolutely remarkable, if they continue their present course, and resist the kind of retaliation and disdainfulness we’ve seen modeled these last eight years. He’s a smart guy, and I anticipate that he’ll govern wisely and get everything possible out of his aides and advisors. But the biggest gift he’s got to give is not from his brainpower or political skills, it’s by setting an example that we haven’t seen for a very, very long time.

Someone once chose kindness -- ie, treating others as you would like to be treated -- as the essential quality both in religion and civil society. The Obamas have it, and they pass it along. It dovetails, and perhaps infects, his policies and his programs. Mickey says he has no illusion it will infect America. I'm not so sure. Perhaps not quite an epidemic, but just like a smile to a stranger often gets passed on -- a few kindness germs beginning to spread through Washington, the press corps, our diplomatic relations. Who knows what could happen?

Before my more cynical friends start rolling their eyes and point out all the evil in the world that must be stamped out before it destroys us, I'm not naive either. Nor is Obama. He backs it up with toughness and pragmatism. But, you know what? It doesn't have to be either/or.

We're leaving the mentality of "you're either with us or you're against us." We're into community organizing, negotiating, recognizing others and talking with them. It's feels like a new day.

Ralph

. . . and one to go !

I'm back, just in time for the final 24 hour countdown. I began the day-count almost two years ago, when it was over 600. It seemed to move so slowly. Then suddenly one day last fall, that refrigerator magnet with "01-20-09" shifted meaning. No longer was it the long-awaited day we would finally be rid of george bush; it was now Barack Obama's first day as President of the United States.

So far, the transition and the inauguration events seem nearly flawless. It's still hard to imagine the full impact of this historic occasion -- the first person other than a white male ever to be sworn in as our president: An African-American man, whose wife's ancestors were slaves, will be our First Family and will live in the White House that was built with slave labor. And that excitement is hightened 100-fold by the fact that we're replacing a very limited man with a truly gifted one, and going from 22% approval rating to nearly 80%.

A sidelight to tomorrow's significance will be that, mercifully, we won't be bombarded any longer with the "exit interviews" and the faux-victory laps of george bush and dick cheney. If any network wants to show re-runs, I suggest they play them on the comedy channels.

Asked if he had made any mistakes, Cheney did fault himself for having overestimated the ability of the Iraqi people to "bounce back" after the U.S. invasion, blaming the chaos on years of oppression under Saddam Hussein.

Hmm: his only mistake was in being let down by other people -- and it's all Saddam's fault anyway. No mention of his ignorance of the ethnic and religious rivalries that were inevitably going to make it nearly impossible to come together as a unified young democracy. I can think of a few other mistakes, some of which I believe are prosecutable as war crimes, others as impeachable offenses. But that's for another day.

For today, and tomorrow, let the sun shine in -- and keep the Obamas safe.

Ralph