There were only 4 people in Yankee Stadium last night. There was no game. There was no ceremony. The seats were empty. My father, who passed away in 1979, was sitting next to me.Though only two people (my daughter and I) passed through the turnstiles, my son was on my other side, occupying a seat next to his sister.
This was not a night about Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle or Jeter. This was a night about my being 6 years old and having my father under a 'tent', sweating with me throughout the night, as I 'vaporized' away the whooping cough that was making it hard to breathe.
This was not a night about 26 World Series, or George Steinbrenner. This was about having a young son, named after his grandfather whom he would never meet. This was about having a daughter who would share some of her grandfather's finest qualities but would never get to know his smile or feel his warmth.
This was not a night about records that were broken, or would never be broken. This was about walking through the turnstiles, year after year, so glad that you could spend one more day, a few more hours, in the company of those you loved so much. This was about being grateful.
This was not a night to dwell on a season lost. This was not a time to wonder about what could have been. This was a time to understand that this arena gave you the opportunity, for the last 50 years to enjoy the moment. This was a time to reflect on life outside the lines and away from the crowds. This was the moment when the emotions were allowed to wash over you.
I did not say goodbye to Yankee Stadium last night. I did not walk away after the final pitch and the final out and dwell on the good and the bad that I had seen over the last half century. I walked out, 4 astride , arm in arm in arm with the memories of my dad, my son and my daughter. It was a unique moment in my life and one that baseball permitted me to have. For that, it was a game I will never forget.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Brother can you spare a dime?
When did I agree to bail out every institution that got caught in this financial crisis? The latest figures mean that each person in this country has now contributed about $3600 (a family of 4 has now 'invested' over $14,000) in trying to stem the tide of the ongoing disaster. Am I to expect a thank you note from all those whom I have just saved from extinction? I don't remember anyone coming up to me with hat in hand, suggesting they had made a mistake or been duped. I don't even remember writing the check.
Am I done now? Can I go to sleep knowing that my Uncle Samuel has now fixed what is wrong with the economy? Can I rest assured that we have put our finger in the last hole in the dike?
Am I now supposed to start doing repair work on what must be several million homes in which I have invested? For a party that has always preached deregulation, and letting the markets correct themselves, can I expect the Republicans to be standing on the roofs,fixing all the holes? Are they going to patch up the damage, or can I expect a complete renovation? Are we all going to get rich in the future on these investments? Have we bought ourselves security, or only put a bandaid on the biggest wound of all time?
Only time will tell.
Am I done now? Can I go to sleep knowing that my Uncle Samuel has now fixed what is wrong with the economy? Can I rest assured that we have put our finger in the last hole in the dike?
Am I now supposed to start doing repair work on what must be several million homes in which I have invested? For a party that has always preached deregulation, and letting the markets correct themselves, can I expect the Republicans to be standing on the roofs,fixing all the holes? Are they going to patch up the damage, or can I expect a complete renovation? Are we all going to get rich in the future on these investments? Have we bought ourselves security, or only put a bandaid on the biggest wound of all time?
Only time will tell.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Great Divide
It is the 21st century version of the civil war. While the population in the country is much larger in area then 150 years ago, and North versus South doesn't quite fit, you get the picture.
There is a philosophical chasm that divides us. It is felt deeply and passionately by almost all citizens of this country who have a pulse. Each side believes the other bereft of common sense. Each talks to their constituents and shakes their collective heads in disbelief that there is really such significant support for the other side. "What universe dropped these ignoramuses into our lap?" each side is thinking. If only they had a shred of intelligence, and were not so susceptible to being swayed by empty rhetoric, then we could have a leader who could take us out of this deep morass and lead us back to the glory days. Each side is convinced that the other is completely, utterly and absolutely without any justification for its support of its candidate. How can we be living side by side and yet be living in such totally different worlds?
I am unable to carry on conversations with those who do not share my beliefs. I am unable to listen to the talking heads on television who espouse a view contrary to mine. There must be many tv sets that never turn on Fox News, while an equal number would rather eat worms then be forced to spend a minute listening to Keith Olbermann and others on MSNBC rail against everything that is wrong with the politics of the party republican.
How is it that we can be wired so differently? Are we really a country of good old boys and intellectual elitists? How did it come to pass that there are entire sections of the country that have such disregard for entire other regions? How is it that red and blue is so black and white?
I go to sleep every night thinking that there must be something we can do as a collective to convince the other side to abandon their ways. I force myself to believe that there is someone smarter than me who must have the vision and the understanding to reach across the great divide and drag the imbeciles out of the darkness into the light. I am equally certain that the other side is convinced that if they can have a mass intervention they can deprogram us and enable us to see the error of our ways.
We have been living through the presidential process for about a year and a half. I thought that the nomination procedures were draining, frustrating and intense. Little did I know that they were merely a prelude to what appears will be a 2 month exercise in hand wringing, primal screaming and obscenity laced thinking. I am afraid that in the end, we will stand toe to toe, ready to do battle with the enemy, and the enemy will be ourselves. As Rodney King once asked, "can't we all just get along"? The unfortunate answer is an emphatic NO.
There is a philosophical chasm that divides us. It is felt deeply and passionately by almost all citizens of this country who have a pulse. Each side believes the other bereft of common sense. Each talks to their constituents and shakes their collective heads in disbelief that there is really such significant support for the other side. "What universe dropped these ignoramuses into our lap?" each side is thinking. If only they had a shred of intelligence, and were not so susceptible to being swayed by empty rhetoric, then we could have a leader who could take us out of this deep morass and lead us back to the glory days. Each side is convinced that the other is completely, utterly and absolutely without any justification for its support of its candidate. How can we be living side by side and yet be living in such totally different worlds?
I am unable to carry on conversations with those who do not share my beliefs. I am unable to listen to the talking heads on television who espouse a view contrary to mine. There must be many tv sets that never turn on Fox News, while an equal number would rather eat worms then be forced to spend a minute listening to Keith Olbermann and others on MSNBC rail against everything that is wrong with the politics of the party republican.
How is it that we can be wired so differently? Are we really a country of good old boys and intellectual elitists? How did it come to pass that there are entire sections of the country that have such disregard for entire other regions? How is it that red and blue is so black and white?
I go to sleep every night thinking that there must be something we can do as a collective to convince the other side to abandon their ways. I force myself to believe that there is someone smarter than me who must have the vision and the understanding to reach across the great divide and drag the imbeciles out of the darkness into the light. I am equally certain that the other side is convinced that if they can have a mass intervention they can deprogram us and enable us to see the error of our ways.
We have been living through the presidential process for about a year and a half. I thought that the nomination procedures were draining, frustrating and intense. Little did I know that they were merely a prelude to what appears will be a 2 month exercise in hand wringing, primal screaming and obscenity laced thinking. I am afraid that in the end, we will stand toe to toe, ready to do battle with the enemy, and the enemy will be ourselves. As Rodney King once asked, "can't we all just get along"? The unfortunate answer is an emphatic NO.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Pain and Suffering
It was riveting, disgusting and horrifying. It was hard to watch and harder not to. It was compelling in the most awful sense of the word. It was unforgettable and yet something that we all wish was not part of our collective memory. We were all there and we all lived it. Yet the only reason we are here was because we were not there.
As I watched the 102 minutes that reshaped our view of ourselves and the world forever, I found myself reacting more intensely than I thought I would 7 years later. Yet, what struck me as I watched the grief pour out in front of me was a thought that repeated itself over and over. The pain and suffering that I was witnessing is not a scene that is uniquely ours. While we would believe that because it happened to us, it was an American tragedy of epic proportion, the sad reality of our world is that this scene, in different scope and context, is repeating itself over and over in other arenas.
As I listened to the anguished voices of those staring out at the grotesque world glowering in front of them; as I listened to those enveloped by the blackness that descended upon them, gasping for breath; as I recoiled at the images that were parading before my eyes as I sat in my remote safe environment, I couldn't help but realize that there were others around the globe who had experienced, and continue to experience these nightmares on a recurring basis. It is unfathomable to try to know the depths of the pain that must live within these people, as they watch and wait for their world to explode at any moment.
How can war and killing be the right answer ? How can we react to our tragedy and not empathize with the tragedies of others? How can we not know what it must feel like to be the family of one who is suddenly gone forever, whether the loss is sustained in New York city or in other parts of the world that we somehow feel removed from emotionally? We have to understand intellectually that they undergo the same range of emotions that we do, that they feel the loss as much as we do, that they grieve like we grieve. We must understand that they feel the same need to lead a civilized and meaningful life that we do.
So as we stand as one and say we will never forget, I have to ask myself exactly what that means. Does it mean that we are justified in inflicting what seems sometimes to be indiscriminate pain based, if the ugly truth be known, on our sense of moral outrage? I know that there is a feeling in many that war is somehow patriotic, but I have a very hard time accepting that as a concept that is appropriate. When I see the pictures of the events of 7 years ago, when I hear the voices crying out, when I touch those covered in remnants of what was, when I smell the melting remains of the great skyscrapers, when I feel the shaking in every part of my being, I know that for everyone, everywhere, there have to be better answers.
I am not a religious person but if I pray for anything, it would be for guidance. As we walk blinded through the rubble, we look for the first hint of light to take us out of the nightmare. 7 years later, I am not that we have seen the light yet.
As I watched the 102 minutes that reshaped our view of ourselves and the world forever, I found myself reacting more intensely than I thought I would 7 years later. Yet, what struck me as I watched the grief pour out in front of me was a thought that repeated itself over and over. The pain and suffering that I was witnessing is not a scene that is uniquely ours. While we would believe that because it happened to us, it was an American tragedy of epic proportion, the sad reality of our world is that this scene, in different scope and context, is repeating itself over and over in other arenas.
As I listened to the anguished voices of those staring out at the grotesque world glowering in front of them; as I listened to those enveloped by the blackness that descended upon them, gasping for breath; as I recoiled at the images that were parading before my eyes as I sat in my remote safe environment, I couldn't help but realize that there were others around the globe who had experienced, and continue to experience these nightmares on a recurring basis. It is unfathomable to try to know the depths of the pain that must live within these people, as they watch and wait for their world to explode at any moment.
How can war and killing be the right answer ? How can we react to our tragedy and not empathize with the tragedies of others? How can we not know what it must feel like to be the family of one who is suddenly gone forever, whether the loss is sustained in New York city or in other parts of the world that we somehow feel removed from emotionally? We have to understand intellectually that they undergo the same range of emotions that we do, that they feel the loss as much as we do, that they grieve like we grieve. We must understand that they feel the same need to lead a civilized and meaningful life that we do.
So as we stand as one and say we will never forget, I have to ask myself exactly what that means. Does it mean that we are justified in inflicting what seems sometimes to be indiscriminate pain based, if the ugly truth be known, on our sense of moral outrage? I know that there is a feeling in many that war is somehow patriotic, but I have a very hard time accepting that as a concept that is appropriate. When I see the pictures of the events of 7 years ago, when I hear the voices crying out, when I touch those covered in remnants of what was, when I smell the melting remains of the great skyscrapers, when I feel the shaking in every part of my being, I know that for everyone, everywhere, there have to be better answers.
I am not a religious person but if I pray for anything, it would be for guidance. As we walk blinded through the rubble, we look for the first hint of light to take us out of the nightmare. 7 years later, I am not that we have seen the light yet.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Everything Palin
In what is arguably one of the strangest circumstances in Bizzaro world, otherwise known as the run for the Presidency of the United States, it appears that one of the Vice Presidential candidates has gone missing. Despite a massive search and rescue mission (now more of a search and recovery mission) there is still no sign of one Joseph Biden. Like mythical tales of old, it appears that this venerable democrat has been swallowed whole in the belly of the beast commonly known as Sarah Palin. He has become an irrelevant part of the discussion.
The legend of Palin (never to be confused with the actual events of her life) has now out-Baracked Barack. In the past we have been subjected to endless whining from the Republican horde about the celebrity status of the Democratic nominee, and the fact that behind the façade was a lot of nothing. You can bet your last dollar (and if the Republicans remain in office, it may well be your last dollar) that there is nothing but glee in the Republican backrooms as the tables have now turned. Everywhere one looks, there is another image of the gun toting, oil drilling, mother loving (I mean loving mother), young and sexy vice Presidential candidate. Step aside, Obama, there is a new kid in town.
The question is whether she is a one hit, one week wonder, or a two month juggernaut. If the latter is true, all us Democrats might as well be packing our bags right now and start looking for other places that will embrace our philosophies. If Palinmania prevails we will all be made as irrelevant as Joe Biden.
This has now clearly turned into a battle of the 40 somethings. It is incomprehensible that McCain is riding the coattails of this out of left field vice presidential candidate. The reality for today is that McCain could easily disappear to the same place where Joe Biden is currently residing and we might not even miss him. How sad and strange to find that after the exhilarating battle between Obama and Clinton, that energized the Democratic base predicated on the substance of the ideas and the intellectual force of their candidates, we are left with this.
If the Republicans have their way, Joe Biden will next be seen on some infomercial for hair transplants sometime in the middle of the next Republican administration. Remember me, Biden will say, I was the Democratic vice Presidential candidate in the beginning of the era of Palin-tology.
When Obama distanced himself from Hillary Clinton as his VP choice, and all the baggage that this would bring, could he ever have envisioned the consequences that such a decision wrought? There is not a word in the language that properly conveys the astonishment the Democrats have felt at one day mocking the choice of Palin as the idiocy of the desperate Republican Party in full view, to the next day watching the Palin phenomena emerge in its ever present, ever growing fully developed form.
It is as though Republicans were rope-a doping the Democrats into this position. Could Obama really be George Foreman, who exhausted himself by trading punches with Clinton, and now has nothing left? Can Palin really be the left-right (or right-right) combination that fells Obama and the Democratic Party?
I am internally apoplectic at the events swirling around. All touch with reality seems to have been abandoned. When white women move in enormous numbers to support Palin merely because she is a woman, irrespective of what may be her position on issues regarding women, I fear that all is lost. There is seemingly almost no point in parading the candidates before the public to ‘debate’ issues when the answers are irrelevant.
I can imagine a scenario where Palin lines up her husband (world champion snow dude), her son (in full uniform, on his way to do battle), her pregnant daughter (practicing her breathing for labor), her future son-in-law (deleting the cell phone numbers of all his other women friends), her ‘standard issue’ middle daughter, her youngest daughter (practicing her cowl-licking techniques on the baby), and her baby son (just being her baby son with attendant problems), has them all take a bow, and then one by one leave the stage, with the Governor the last to go, waving and smiling. It is like a scene from Sound of Music, where the Von Trapp family exits stage left.. When the stage is finally empty, we all know that this family is going off to fight the good fight for all of us.
In a world where fluff replaces substance and fiction replaces fact, Democratic nightmare becomes reality. If the Democrats can’t find a way to derail everything Palin, they will soon wake up to 4 more years of more of the same.
The legend of Palin (never to be confused with the actual events of her life) has now out-Baracked Barack. In the past we have been subjected to endless whining from the Republican horde about the celebrity status of the Democratic nominee, and the fact that behind the façade was a lot of nothing. You can bet your last dollar (and if the Republicans remain in office, it may well be your last dollar) that there is nothing but glee in the Republican backrooms as the tables have now turned. Everywhere one looks, there is another image of the gun toting, oil drilling, mother loving (I mean loving mother), young and sexy vice Presidential candidate. Step aside, Obama, there is a new kid in town.
The question is whether she is a one hit, one week wonder, or a two month juggernaut. If the latter is true, all us Democrats might as well be packing our bags right now and start looking for other places that will embrace our philosophies. If Palinmania prevails we will all be made as irrelevant as Joe Biden.
This has now clearly turned into a battle of the 40 somethings. It is incomprehensible that McCain is riding the coattails of this out of left field vice presidential candidate. The reality for today is that McCain could easily disappear to the same place where Joe Biden is currently residing and we might not even miss him. How sad and strange to find that after the exhilarating battle between Obama and Clinton, that energized the Democratic base predicated on the substance of the ideas and the intellectual force of their candidates, we are left with this.
If the Republicans have their way, Joe Biden will next be seen on some infomercial for hair transplants sometime in the middle of the next Republican administration. Remember me, Biden will say, I was the Democratic vice Presidential candidate in the beginning of the era of Palin-tology.
When Obama distanced himself from Hillary Clinton as his VP choice, and all the baggage that this would bring, could he ever have envisioned the consequences that such a decision wrought? There is not a word in the language that properly conveys the astonishment the Democrats have felt at one day mocking the choice of Palin as the idiocy of the desperate Republican Party in full view, to the next day watching the Palin phenomena emerge in its ever present, ever growing fully developed form.
It is as though Republicans were rope-a doping the Democrats into this position. Could Obama really be George Foreman, who exhausted himself by trading punches with Clinton, and now has nothing left? Can Palin really be the left-right (or right-right) combination that fells Obama and the Democratic Party?
I am internally apoplectic at the events swirling around. All touch with reality seems to have been abandoned. When white women move in enormous numbers to support Palin merely because she is a woman, irrespective of what may be her position on issues regarding women, I fear that all is lost. There is seemingly almost no point in parading the candidates before the public to ‘debate’ issues when the answers are irrelevant.
I can imagine a scenario where Palin lines up her husband (world champion snow dude), her son (in full uniform, on his way to do battle), her pregnant daughter (practicing her breathing for labor), her future son-in-law (deleting the cell phone numbers of all his other women friends), her ‘standard issue’ middle daughter, her youngest daughter (practicing her cowl-licking techniques on the baby), and her baby son (just being her baby son with attendant problems), has them all take a bow, and then one by one leave the stage, with the Governor the last to go, waving and smiling. It is like a scene from Sound of Music, where the Von Trapp family exits stage left.. When the stage is finally empty, we all know that this family is going off to fight the good fight for all of us.
In a world where fluff replaces substance and fiction replaces fact, Democratic nightmare becomes reality. If the Democrats can’t find a way to derail everything Palin, they will soon wake up to 4 more years of more of the same.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Lessons
We should all be deeply indebted to the Republican party as they continue to give us a primer in how to win friends and influence people. As we go through the next 60 days, we should keep in mind those invaluable pointers that will set the parameters for how this race should be run. In no particular order of importance, these criteria are:
1. Perception is reality- As we watched Senator McCain talk,he reminded us all that he HATED WAR. Will someone please remind us that this is true when he refuses to talk to our 'enemies' and escalates our troop involvement around the globe in the next 4 years.
When we hear the shouts of USA, USA emanating from every corner of the arena, we know that the Republicans are telling us that they are real Americans and we are not. Why then do they abandon so many of us (the poor, the minorities) each and every day?
When Governor Palin talks of having a special needs child and protecting all those with similar problems, will she promise to support stem cell research? When she speaks of replacing Hillary Clinton to break the glass ceiling for all women, will she promote any one of the causes that Senator Clinton so clearly believes in for women's rights?
Policy positions fall in this glazed over Alice in Wonderland universe. There is nothing attached to these people other than their superficiality. I sometimes feel like I am watching a fourth grade election. Whether the Democrats want to believe it or not, this is a popularity contest and the person with the most interesting story, not the most impressive credentials, is the one bound to emerge with hands aloft.
The Democrats must stop talking about their positions and must start talking about about anything but their positions.
2. Negative is positive- John McCain long ago promised that he would not turn this contest into a battle of negatives. Can he please tell his henchmen and Governor Palin of this promise? Can Senator McCain not tell us that the Democrats would increase taxes for everyone when 95% of us would receive a tax cut under Senator Obama's plan.
How is it that Governor Palin can somehow mock Senator Obama who chose not to cash in on his economic opportunities after Harvard Law School but decided to devote his time and energy to community service for the most unfortunate in Chicago? Governor Palin in equating her time as Mayor of Wasilla to Senator Obama's time as a community organizer, except with real responsibilities, minimalized and diminished his accomplishments.
3. There is no past- It was amazing to watch Senator McCain and Governor Palin warn Washington that they should watch out, because change is coming with the Republicans. I could have sworn that McCain has been a member in good standing of this party for 26 years, but I guess that was someone else (his evil twin). This 'maverick' who voted along with the Republican position in over 90% of the votes in the past year, must be different from the person espousing change as the centerpiece of his candidacy. When McCain spoke of understanding that so many of us were hurting and distressed, but that he would come to our rescue, he must have been speaking in tongues. He and Palin have managed to 'third party' the Republican party and separate themselves from the disasters the party has created.
4.We can amend our statement at any time- Can the Republicans do any better a job of 'recreationism' than what they have done with the war, as we followed a journey from attacking the ones who took down our buildings, to destroying those with weapons of mass destruction, to preserving democracy? They take the message of the moment and shape it and twist it and mold it and it becomes anything they want it to be.
Obama was not ready to lead, he was not a person with enough experience. When Palin surfaced, and when the experience issue did not create the momentum building that Republicans hoped for, they now shift the message to tell us that the maverick and the hockey mom are the only ones who will bring us change. Obama's change is an intellectual exercise. The change that McCain and Palin will bring is rooted in the 5 years of captivity of McCain and the hockey mom toughness of Palin. Forget that they are part of the establishment. Forget experience, remember change (and forget that the Democrats brought this concept to us , and believe this is a Republican idea).
5. Stupid is the new smart- While the Democrats are the party of Al Gore, the Clintons and Obama, their intellectual accomplishments only mean that they are elitist. It is much more comfortable for us to believe in people who are more like us, lousy students, with not a great deal of smarts (would we all agree that McCain graduating 5th from the bottom of his class,and Palin running through more colleges than anyone you or I know ever did, does not demonstrate a great deal of intellectual industriousness?) . Smart is bad, dumb is good. Smart is out of touch, dumb is being one of the people. It is a world turned upside down, and the Republicans stand on top of this universe.
6. Where's Waldo?- My family and I spent several nights looking at a sea of white and whiter faces. Could one imagine a party any more segregated? The good ol' boys and girls of the Republican convention barely try to hide their disregard for those who are not one of them. It is an us against you mentality and a call to gather together to protect us against those who are different. The Democrats, and their all inclusiveness, have an identity crisis.
7. Different playing fields- When Obama and Clinton squared off, the party was energized, the candidates were energized and there was a debate in which each person was addressing similar questions. The Republicans do not answer the questions the Democrats raise on policy issues. The Republicans set their own agenda on personality issues. If the Democrats insist on talking to the people about what they will do, instead of who they are, they may be talking right past those people who they must bring into the fold. Obama seems unsure of where his message should take him. The drive and enthusiasm seem strangely lacking. With Clinton, he could do battle . With McCain, he is likely to find someone who will not engage him, but will deflect and redirect. Unless Obama can chase McCain down, he may be in serious trouble.
It is time for the Democrats to take stock of what the Republicans are teaching. If, in all their intellectual capacity, they cannot learn these lessons quickly and well, they may find themselves on the outside looking in to Wonderland for another 4 years.
1. Perception is reality- As we watched Senator McCain talk,he reminded us all that he HATED WAR. Will someone please remind us that this is true when he refuses to talk to our 'enemies' and escalates our troop involvement around the globe in the next 4 years.
When we hear the shouts of USA, USA emanating from every corner of the arena, we know that the Republicans are telling us that they are real Americans and we are not. Why then do they abandon so many of us (the poor, the minorities) each and every day?
When Governor Palin talks of having a special needs child and protecting all those with similar problems, will she promise to support stem cell research? When she speaks of replacing Hillary Clinton to break the glass ceiling for all women, will she promote any one of the causes that Senator Clinton so clearly believes in for women's rights?
Policy positions fall in this glazed over Alice in Wonderland universe. There is nothing attached to these people other than their superficiality. I sometimes feel like I am watching a fourth grade election. Whether the Democrats want to believe it or not, this is a popularity contest and the person with the most interesting story, not the most impressive credentials, is the one bound to emerge with hands aloft.
The Democrats must stop talking about their positions and must start talking about about anything but their positions.
2. Negative is positive- John McCain long ago promised that he would not turn this contest into a battle of negatives. Can he please tell his henchmen and Governor Palin of this promise? Can Senator McCain not tell us that the Democrats would increase taxes for everyone when 95% of us would receive a tax cut under Senator Obama's plan.
How is it that Governor Palin can somehow mock Senator Obama who chose not to cash in on his economic opportunities after Harvard Law School but decided to devote his time and energy to community service for the most unfortunate in Chicago? Governor Palin in equating her time as Mayor of Wasilla to Senator Obama's time as a community organizer, except with real responsibilities, minimalized and diminished his accomplishments.
3. There is no past- It was amazing to watch Senator McCain and Governor Palin warn Washington that they should watch out, because change is coming with the Republicans. I could have sworn that McCain has been a member in good standing of this party for 26 years, but I guess that was someone else (his evil twin). This 'maverick' who voted along with the Republican position in over 90% of the votes in the past year, must be different from the person espousing change as the centerpiece of his candidacy. When McCain spoke of understanding that so many of us were hurting and distressed, but that he would come to our rescue, he must have been speaking in tongues. He and Palin have managed to 'third party' the Republican party and separate themselves from the disasters the party has created.
4.We can amend our statement at any time- Can the Republicans do any better a job of 'recreationism' than what they have done with the war, as we followed a journey from attacking the ones who took down our buildings, to destroying those with weapons of mass destruction, to preserving democracy? They take the message of the moment and shape it and twist it and mold it and it becomes anything they want it to be.
Obama was not ready to lead, he was not a person with enough experience. When Palin surfaced, and when the experience issue did not create the momentum building that Republicans hoped for, they now shift the message to tell us that the maverick and the hockey mom are the only ones who will bring us change. Obama's change is an intellectual exercise. The change that McCain and Palin will bring is rooted in the 5 years of captivity of McCain and the hockey mom toughness of Palin. Forget that they are part of the establishment. Forget experience, remember change (and forget that the Democrats brought this concept to us , and believe this is a Republican idea).
5. Stupid is the new smart- While the Democrats are the party of Al Gore, the Clintons and Obama, their intellectual accomplishments only mean that they are elitist. It is much more comfortable for us to believe in people who are more like us, lousy students, with not a great deal of smarts (would we all agree that McCain graduating 5th from the bottom of his class,and Palin running through more colleges than anyone you or I know ever did, does not demonstrate a great deal of intellectual industriousness?) . Smart is bad, dumb is good. Smart is out of touch, dumb is being one of the people. It is a world turned upside down, and the Republicans stand on top of this universe.
6. Where's Waldo?- My family and I spent several nights looking at a sea of white and whiter faces. Could one imagine a party any more segregated? The good ol' boys and girls of the Republican convention barely try to hide their disregard for those who are not one of them. It is an us against you mentality and a call to gather together to protect us against those who are different. The Democrats, and their all inclusiveness, have an identity crisis.
7. Different playing fields- When Obama and Clinton squared off, the party was energized, the candidates were energized and there was a debate in which each person was addressing similar questions. The Republicans do not answer the questions the Democrats raise on policy issues. The Republicans set their own agenda on personality issues. If the Democrats insist on talking to the people about what they will do, instead of who they are, they may be talking right past those people who they must bring into the fold. Obama seems unsure of where his message should take him. The drive and enthusiasm seem strangely lacking. With Clinton, he could do battle . With McCain, he is likely to find someone who will not engage him, but will deflect and redirect. Unless Obama can chase McCain down, he may be in serious trouble.
It is time for the Democrats to take stock of what the Republicans are teaching. If, in all their intellectual capacity, they cannot learn these lessons quickly and well, they may find themselves on the outside looking in to Wonderland for another 4 years.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
top ten list
When John McCain looks back on his campaign for the Presidency and reviews his proudest moments, let's hope he doesn't count yesterday's performance among them.
Does he think that we have forgotten that, at the time he stood on the sideline several months ago and watched Hillary Clinton attacking Barack Obama, he promised that his would not be a campaign based on negative attacks? Did any of us really believe that this was a promise of substance? It is not even the end of July and we have already been subjected to a series of comments from him and those in his camp that turn one's stomach.
The comparing of Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton is a new low that undoubtedly will be surpassed in the near future by yet an even more outrageous comment. Is anyone surprised that McCain is turning to the Republican machine and the veteran's of Bush's re-election bid to give guidance in formulating an image of Obama based not on anything but the worst in political bashing? It is McCain's version of the audacity of hope and it is his audacity of negative hyperbole.
McCain grows smaller every day, as he has already seemed to run out of energy to present his version of what he can bring to America. In a time where this country is struggling to find something positive in a very difficult environment, all McCain can offer is the same old Republican strategy of hit and run. This was an effective tool against Kerry in 2004 and it is clear that this is the centerpiece of what we can expect over the coming months.
McCain has attempted to portray himself as something better than the same old, same old. He was the maverick, unwilling to accept the Republican positions unless it comported with his sense of what was right. He would not take the party line and he would not follow the template for negative campaigning. As his positions of substance have regressed to be in line with party philosophy, so has the promise of a positive McCain disintegrated.
The fear for all of us is the psyche of those who are his audience. The 'when was the last time you beat your wife' statements, if repeated often enough, lead many to question whether an assault did occur. The linking of Obama to vacuous celebrities seems a petty and juvenile strategy aimed to catch the attention and the minds of those most susceptible. We all know that there is no way to stop this beast once it has been unleashed. The ads will increase in rhetoric and frequency as we grow nearer to the election.
We have not even officially chosen our candidates yet. The debates are months off. As we look back in November over the carnage that is sure to take place, I can only wonder where yesterday's comments, approved by McCain, will fall on his top 10 list. For all our sakes, let us have the audacity to hope that the negative hype is squashed and overwhelmed.
Does he think that we have forgotten that, at the time he stood on the sideline several months ago and watched Hillary Clinton attacking Barack Obama, he promised that his would not be a campaign based on negative attacks? Did any of us really believe that this was a promise of substance? It is not even the end of July and we have already been subjected to a series of comments from him and those in his camp that turn one's stomach.
The comparing of Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton is a new low that undoubtedly will be surpassed in the near future by yet an even more outrageous comment. Is anyone surprised that McCain is turning to the Republican machine and the veteran's of Bush's re-election bid to give guidance in formulating an image of Obama based not on anything but the worst in political bashing? It is McCain's version of the audacity of hope and it is his audacity of negative hyperbole.
McCain grows smaller every day, as he has already seemed to run out of energy to present his version of what he can bring to America. In a time where this country is struggling to find something positive in a very difficult environment, all McCain can offer is the same old Republican strategy of hit and run. This was an effective tool against Kerry in 2004 and it is clear that this is the centerpiece of what we can expect over the coming months.
McCain has attempted to portray himself as something better than the same old, same old. He was the maverick, unwilling to accept the Republican positions unless it comported with his sense of what was right. He would not take the party line and he would not follow the template for negative campaigning. As his positions of substance have regressed to be in line with party philosophy, so has the promise of a positive McCain disintegrated.
The fear for all of us is the psyche of those who are his audience. The 'when was the last time you beat your wife' statements, if repeated often enough, lead many to question whether an assault did occur. The linking of Obama to vacuous celebrities seems a petty and juvenile strategy aimed to catch the attention and the minds of those most susceptible. We all know that there is no way to stop this beast once it has been unleashed. The ads will increase in rhetoric and frequency as we grow nearer to the election.
We have not even officially chosen our candidates yet. The debates are months off. As we look back in November over the carnage that is sure to take place, I can only wonder where yesterday's comments, approved by McCain, will fall on his top 10 list. For all our sakes, let us have the audacity to hope that the negative hype is squashed and overwhelmed.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Hope
We are in the midst of a depression. I don't mean an economic hole, although there is daily evidence to suggest that this is where we are headed, if we are not already there. I mean we are mentally beaten and bruised. We know it, we feel it, we see it. Each day we struggle to put any kind of positive spin on what is spinning out of control. We have lost our way and lost our footing. Led by one who is without vision, without power, and without standing or respect in the worldwide community, we are in desperate need. We must present an image, to ourselves and to the world, of a nation ready to meet tomorrow head on.
We need a rock star. We need a face lift. We know it in our hearts and in our heads. Barack Obama's reception on his recent trip abroad created an absolute mandate, telling us what we must acknowledge. The message sent by the foreign leaders, and by the masses, was that it is not just America that needs hope in itself. It is the world that is demanding and begging to be excited by an America that presents an image of the possibility of greatness.
Can anyone remotely conjure up an image of McCain going on the same trip that Obama just completed and generating anything resembling the type of excitement that we just witnessed?McCain, watching Obama grab the headlines and the imagination of those he met with and spoke to, could do nothing but snipe and complain. If we think it is unimportant how those around the globe perceive us, we are gravely mistaken. We all know that what we are and what we will become is no longer solely a product of our own devices. If we are shunned and minimalized, we are going to have an even harder time digging ourselves out of the morass in which we presently are mired.
A young Andre Agassi led an ad campaign that said image is everything. While we scoff at the emptiness of that thought, in this context it has a resonance that is unmistakably critical. Our starting point as a nation is to project a greatness within us that is ready to come out. It is from this base that everything must flow. We are wounded and we need an infusion of new blood to get us out of our sick beds and back on to our feet. The thunderous applause that Obama received as he looked out on a crowd of 200,000 in Germany should serve as but yet another catalyst for us in our efforts to once again stand tall .
We need a rock star. We need a face lift. We know it in our hearts and in our heads. Barack Obama's reception on his recent trip abroad created an absolute mandate, telling us what we must acknowledge. The message sent by the foreign leaders, and by the masses, was that it is not just America that needs hope in itself. It is the world that is demanding and begging to be excited by an America that presents an image of the possibility of greatness.
Can anyone remotely conjure up an image of McCain going on the same trip that Obama just completed and generating anything resembling the type of excitement that we just witnessed?McCain, watching Obama grab the headlines and the imagination of those he met with and spoke to, could do nothing but snipe and complain. If we think it is unimportant how those around the globe perceive us, we are gravely mistaken. We all know that what we are and what we will become is no longer solely a product of our own devices. If we are shunned and minimalized, we are going to have an even harder time digging ourselves out of the morass in which we presently are mired.
A young Andre Agassi led an ad campaign that said image is everything. While we scoff at the emptiness of that thought, in this context it has a resonance that is unmistakably critical. Our starting point as a nation is to project a greatness within us that is ready to come out. It is from this base that everything must flow. We are wounded and we need an infusion of new blood to get us out of our sick beds and back on to our feet. The thunderous applause that Obama received as he looked out on a crowd of 200,000 in Germany should serve as but yet another catalyst for us in our efforts to once again stand tall .
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Golf
After 50 years playing at the game, my skills have seemed to abandon me. I took up golf at 6 years of age, and from that point on, it was a natural fit. While I took a few lessons when I was 8 or 9, I don't think that it was the professional advice that molded my game. I was an athlete, and the flow of the swing came to me as easily as walking.
However, at the age of 56, when I look in the mirror, I see little evidence of that young boy. While I play with a friend who, at my age, now regularly hits drives that travel well in excess of 300 yards, I find myself struggling to hit the ball 200 yards. The distance on my iron shots is equally pathetic. I often find myself lying to my fellow players when they ask what club I hit, so as not to be embarassed by my lack of strength. I never take a practice swing, often stating that if I haven't figured it out after all these years, 1 practice swing won't help. I now feel like 15 practice swings would make no difference. I actually shanked a 3 foot putt yesterday. I see chips heading in directions unknown. I find my trusty driver to be foreign object in my hands. I can take comfort in no part of my game. I am a stranger masquerading as me as I wander helplessly for 18 holes.
I have friends who have taken up the game late in life, who are now passing me on the golfing highway. My superiority over them is rapidly disappearing. I blame my lack of ability on anything but a lack of ability. I hurt my back, I am worried about elevated prostate readings, I have a persistent cough, Jupiter is not aligned with Mars, George Bush is still the President, there are only 30 days in September, April, June and November. What has happened?
My sister insists I should be taking lessons. For someone who is inherently lazy, absolutely cheap, and has been forever convinced that the corrections are ultimately within one's power to make, I have rejected the notion that I need outside guidance. A tweak here and there has always been enough to bring my game back. I was always able to pull out from my memory bank some forgotten secret that aligned me physically and mentally. I could handle whatever little missteps I made. I could bring my game back to the level I was comfortable with and have moments of pride in my accomplishments. Now, all I find when I look for these guides, is an empty box. Someone has hidden the answers from me. The cliff notes have been lost, and the company seems to have gone out of business. I am looking into the abyss and am having trouble maintaining my balance.
Is the answer to swallow my pride and admit that after half a century the golfing gods have been wooed away from me by others? Must I make that dreaded phone call that I need help? I still cling to the belief that the light will be turned back on with my next swing, that the high, short and ugly slices and complete mis-hits that now regularly inhabit my game will be replaced with beautiful low hooks that will travel forever, and that I will find birdies and pars to be a regular staple in my golfing diet once again. I refuse to give up on my abilities to find answers on my own. I have seen so many of my friends take lesson after lesson, and go to golf camp after golf camp, convinced that the mystical breakthrough has been achieved. I then watch their games quickly slide back to the same level as previously inhabited. However, with each horrible swing and offending result, I get closer and closer to the seemingly inescapable conclusion that I have to look outside my own devices for an answer.
I think I will give myself one or two more rounds like this before I cry uncle. I will get the names of golfing pros who I can call upon , and carry their phone numbers with me. If and when the weight of my disappointments becomes too much to bear, I will reluctantly start dialing the phone. Until that moment comes I find myself like an addict who believes that salvation can be attained by the sheer belief that you have the inherent power to achieve it. I like to think that I am still the 6 year old boy who found the innate skills to achieve success early and often. I hope that I am correct. However, until the magic reappears, I would strongly suggest that you stay behind me whenever I swing because I have no idea where the ball may be going.
However, at the age of 56, when I look in the mirror, I see little evidence of that young boy. While I play with a friend who, at my age, now regularly hits drives that travel well in excess of 300 yards, I find myself struggling to hit the ball 200 yards. The distance on my iron shots is equally pathetic. I often find myself lying to my fellow players when they ask what club I hit, so as not to be embarassed by my lack of strength. I never take a practice swing, often stating that if I haven't figured it out after all these years, 1 practice swing won't help. I now feel like 15 practice swings would make no difference. I actually shanked a 3 foot putt yesterday. I see chips heading in directions unknown. I find my trusty driver to be foreign object in my hands. I can take comfort in no part of my game. I am a stranger masquerading as me as I wander helplessly for 18 holes.
I have friends who have taken up the game late in life, who are now passing me on the golfing highway. My superiority over them is rapidly disappearing. I blame my lack of ability on anything but a lack of ability. I hurt my back, I am worried about elevated prostate readings, I have a persistent cough, Jupiter is not aligned with Mars, George Bush is still the President, there are only 30 days in September, April, June and November. What has happened?
My sister insists I should be taking lessons. For someone who is inherently lazy, absolutely cheap, and has been forever convinced that the corrections are ultimately within one's power to make, I have rejected the notion that I need outside guidance. A tweak here and there has always been enough to bring my game back. I was always able to pull out from my memory bank some forgotten secret that aligned me physically and mentally. I could handle whatever little missteps I made. I could bring my game back to the level I was comfortable with and have moments of pride in my accomplishments. Now, all I find when I look for these guides, is an empty box. Someone has hidden the answers from me. The cliff notes have been lost, and the company seems to have gone out of business. I am looking into the abyss and am having trouble maintaining my balance.
Is the answer to swallow my pride and admit that after half a century the golfing gods have been wooed away from me by others? Must I make that dreaded phone call that I need help? I still cling to the belief that the light will be turned back on with my next swing, that the high, short and ugly slices and complete mis-hits that now regularly inhabit my game will be replaced with beautiful low hooks that will travel forever, and that I will find birdies and pars to be a regular staple in my golfing diet once again. I refuse to give up on my abilities to find answers on my own. I have seen so many of my friends take lesson after lesson, and go to golf camp after golf camp, convinced that the mystical breakthrough has been achieved. I then watch their games quickly slide back to the same level as previously inhabited. However, with each horrible swing and offending result, I get closer and closer to the seemingly inescapable conclusion that I have to look outside my own devices for an answer.
I think I will give myself one or two more rounds like this before I cry uncle. I will get the names of golfing pros who I can call upon , and carry their phone numbers with me. If and when the weight of my disappointments becomes too much to bear, I will reluctantly start dialing the phone. Until that moment comes I find myself like an addict who believes that salvation can be attained by the sheer belief that you have the inherent power to achieve it. I like to think that I am still the 6 year old boy who found the innate skills to achieve success early and often. I hope that I am correct. However, until the magic reappears, I would strongly suggest that you stay behind me whenever I swing because I have no idea where the ball may be going.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Hello McCain, I'm Obama
Hello McCain, I'm Obama
And we all know, I'm a charma
Hope the campaign's entertaining
With Hillary my foe, I had good training
My close counsel speak of waiting
It is so hard, anticipating
Dearest Johnny, let's get rolling
My debating is much better than my bowling
I'll be home in 1600
I'll be home forget your pundits
I will see we all breathe cleaner air
We all want universal health care
Dearest Johnny, your stance on war's bad
And on immigration, real sad
Ignore enemies they won't go away
So let's talk and try to find us all a better way
I am young but you are real old
I have vision you have some mold
I see things just as they should be
You have trouble cause you really can't see
Protect the wealthy, cut their taxes
In the forest, cut with axes
We the people's not your strong suit
For the poorest ones of all you merely stand mute
Dearest Johnny forget the oil
We don't belong on foreign soil
Staying 100 would be a real sin
Getting loved ones home would be the real win
So dear Johnny, I'm not fodder
I am not like 'camp' Granada
Let's get started, have a real fight
And I know that in the end I will be upright
And we all know, I'm a charma
Hope the campaign's entertaining
With Hillary my foe, I had good training
My close counsel speak of waiting
It is so hard, anticipating
Dearest Johnny, let's get rolling
My debating is much better than my bowling
I'll be home in 1600
I'll be home forget your pundits
I will see we all breathe cleaner air
We all want universal health care
Dearest Johnny, your stance on war's bad
And on immigration, real sad
Ignore enemies they won't go away
So let's talk and try to find us all a better way
I am young but you are real old
I have vision you have some mold
I see things just as they should be
You have trouble cause you really can't see
Protect the wealthy, cut their taxes
In the forest, cut with axes
We the people's not your strong suit
For the poorest ones of all you merely stand mute
Dearest Johnny forget the oil
We don't belong on foreign soil
Staying 100 would be a real sin
Getting loved ones home would be the real win
So dear Johnny, I'm not fodder
I am not like 'camp' Granada
Let's get started, have a real fight
And I know that in the end I will be upright
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