DISQUS

Hey, am I the last dude in the country to realize MLK day is on Jan 19th, the day b/f Obama is inaugurated? Should I start taking MLK's lines, like when he says he's seen the promised land, literally. Because its really beginning to feel like he's up there pulling stings like a puppet master or something.

You can't make this stuff up.

Does anyone happen to know if Obama ever met Mandela? Is Mandela going to be at the inauguration?

they said this day would never come

r we there yet?

For me it was Iowa and the opening line of his victory speech: "You know, they said this day would never come." Classic Obama. Talking about race without uttering a word about it. Of course literally the speech was about change, about this election and this moment in history. But the subtext was unmistakable. Who was "they"? And what exactly did "they" think would never occur? It was at this moment the reality of the First Black President appeared to dawn on everyone, especially African-American’s who were, at least from my vantage point, the most gobsmacked of them all.

Prior to Iowa, Obama was a respectable candidate to be sure, and while some political junkies were reading the tea leaves and predicting a seismic shift in the electorate, the conventional wisdom was still that of Clinton inevitability, that America wasn't ready for this, and (hilariously in retrospect) that Obama was a vaguely Uncle Tommish character who won’t be able to rally his own natural base. Then BOOM---seemingly out of nowhere---the breakthrough occurred. National polls shifted dramatically and Obama was suddenly the favorite, a position he never really gave up for any extended period of time.

But back to the speech. It was here I noticed for the first time the subtle MLK cadence in his voice; an affectation to be sure, of a man who chose his own culture, who chose to bear the weight of history as much as it was imposed on him. I noticed his habit of harking back, decontextualizing then reapplying, the language, spirit, and principles of the civil rights movement to our current crises, as if to bring all Americans into the movement. It was the perfect touch for the great unifier, the so-called post-racial candidate. He transcended race without ignoring it.

I knew then I was looking at the next POTUS. I think I heard Cory Booker later say something to the effect that its not so much that he's out leader, but that he's taught us how to lead. That sounds about right. He didn't end racism; he just showed us how to defeat it. The first step to winning is believing you can win. And it appears a whole swath of people, and not just Americans mind you, now believe they can. That's a fundamental change, probably even bigger than any changes in policy Obama will make. We are the ones we have been waiting for...indeed.

I don't know anythng about Arne, but if he's as prividged as Rikyrah says, perhaps there's some poetic justice here.

First of all, what the hell does the sec of education do? education is a power of the states, not the federal govt. So for many years, up until the Bush administration, POC have been relaged to these lesser positions: education, health and human services, etc...while whites control state, defense, treasury, justice, NSA, and of course POTUS.

So obama's tossing a privileged white person into the education dept. I think he has a sense of humor.

are you calling me an elitist? But I give you props for commenting on J&J, Sarah.

it just appears that way because of the element of risk, and that the house (casino/ exchanges) always make money.

but investing in a biotech company, while it has a degree of speculation (even a lot of speculaton in comparison to other industries) is not pure chance...we're creating a tangible product.

thus the longer you invest in the stock market the lower your risk. just look at the DJIA average over a 10-50 year span, its always gone up...everyone who bought and held over that span has mde $$$.

but the longer you gamble in a casino, the odds you lose $$ increases.

its not there. its yet to be created. thus the market is considered a leading economic indicator, it predicts the future. its speculation.

so, for example, i'm raising $$$ for a stem cell company looking to become the first company to commercialize a stem cell transplant treatment for severe cardiac disease. we need $20million to finance the clinical trials necessary for regulatory approval.

the wealth is speculative. we make no money right now and in fact plan on burniing millions for the next 3 yrs, paying our staff, office space, scientists, etc. if our treatment fails our investors lose all their money, but if the treatment works, they stand to make fortunes, because at that moment wealth is created...from an application of a theory proven to be true.

white rose: its not just like a casino b/c it creates weatlh, it doesn't just redistribute it (though that happens too). the market also reflects a loss of weath, as in a recession. all that money lost in 401Ks didn't just go into someone elses pocket. there was negative gdp growth, ie it is not a zero sum game.

gambling is a zero sum game. the market is not. for every dollar won, there isn't a dollar lost.

This doesn't appear to be a hedge fund failure, though some papers are reporting it as such. apparently these were brokerage accounts, like many people have at schwab or Merrill, except the broker--in this case madoff--has discretionary power (manges the money) as one could have in any brokerage account held at any broker/dealer.

So they act as hedge funds but hey are not. this is important b/c hedge funds are lightly regulated (since they are only open to accredited invesors) but brokerage accounts are under the regulation of the nasd. also, they are insured in case the broker/dealer fails. so all those people who had accounts held at bear sterns for example didn't lose a dime due to the collapse. i don't know if brokerage accounts are insured for fraud though.

Are we there yet?

At this point Obama's looking pretty good, having refused to play ball, thus earning him the wrath of Blag's foul mouth. At least this is the MSM' first take. But therein lies the problem. If Obama didn't play ball it implies he, or his camp at least, knew ball was being played. Did they report this to Fitz?

Maybe they did, in which case Obama emerges even more powerful. But if they didn't they're linked to a "culture of corruption," to use a phrase deployed by dems against repubs recently.

Dick Durbin was on TV saying this is about an individual. Well, that doesn't cut it. Corruption is systemc, institutionalized in Illinois. Obama might still get singed here.

42 days?! Isn't there any way to speed this thing up?

At first I thought this was another brilliant move by Obama, both tactically and on principle, since it brings a political enemy under his control and furthers precisely the type of post-partisan politics he's been promising; one that, frankly, I thought may have just been rhetoric but am now impressed that he really means it and, more importantly, just may pull it off.

That Clinton played a southern strategy on Obama makes his move even more impressive. The inability to get past even legitimate grudges has held many a society back, and Obama is showing real leadership to the world by doing this. Obama has an almost perfect mix of realism and idealism, and he knows politics is about compromise.

But Clinton's reaction is making me queasy, and more importantly, reveals landmines in Obama's strategy. The leaks, the utter disrespect in making him wait for an answer, leads me to believe Clinton has no desire to play ball on Obama terms. The Clintons simply cannot bring themselves to see Obama as their leader. Their not so veiled claims that America was not ready to elect a Black President is looking more and more like projection.

Its almost certain the Obama camp is aware of this possibility, and their countering the Clinton's leaks already, making sure Obama will not be blamed if this thing doesn't go thru. It would be nice to have the Clinton's aboard. The President faces the most challenging time in American history since the great depression and WWII. We can use as much consensus as possible. But Obama has already reached out to the likes of Lieberman, and more importantly, SecDef Gates...so he can pull of his brand of post-partisan politics w/o the Clinton's.

He may just have to.

Here's another video. Now he looks ashamed and nervous, like he just got caught masturbating or something... whereas before he was practically shoving the monkey in the camera and waiving it like a trophy. What accounts for the sudden progress? (I mean, I guess its progress no?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXOLCR9FHvs&feat...

Heh. This kid seems wise beyond his years. Like he's saying, "you got this bro; now close the deal."

The kids are always the first to know.

Ha, look at these kids! Their hysterical. Laughing. Celebrating. Its like they know what the adults are afraid to say: The first bl...

For those who haven't seen this. The UK ambassadors brief to his PM on Barack Obama:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/...

An intersting peek inside what international players really think of him. My favorite:

"Obama is cool. He looks cool, tall, slim. He is temperamentally cool (by any standards, not just in comparison with the more impetuous McCain). And maybe aloof, insensitive – see above. Friends like Tom Daschle told me that he demands calm and “no dramas” from those around him."

I can't get enough of these pics of people, especially children, encountering Obama. I don't what it is.

Its like people are just gobsmacked, but more than just starstruck. There's so much wonder, so much hope. Maybe even too much for a politician; that amount of power can be a dangerous thing and expectations for him could easily get out of control.

But that aside, its like they can't believe this is happening. This meaning not just him appearing, but what he represents, and what his rise says about us.

So, the text message announcing his VP choice went out at 3am.

Heh, Heh, Heh.

Obama's getting his mojo back after a greuling primary that probably winded him. This should be fun going forward.

At a dinner party in Georgetown, she once accidentally referred to W as "my husband." Jaws dropped.

Wow. Thanks for the spotlight, rikyrah. I'm honered.

I am not a crook!