Where’s the Outrage?

Barack Obama speaks. Less than 200 delegates away from the nomination.

What Barack said (I added emphasis):

You know, some were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election. But today, what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, DC.

I want to start by congratulating Senator Clinton on her victory in the state of Indiana. And I want to thank the people of North Carolina for giving us a victory in a big state, a swing state, and a state where we will compete to win if I am the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

When this campaign began, Washington didn’t give us much of a chance. But because you came out in the bitter cold, and knocked on doors, and enlisted your friends and neighbors in this cause; because you stood up to the cynics, and the doubters, and the nay-sayers when we were up and when we were down; because you still believe that this is our moment, and our time, for change – tonight we stand less than two hundred delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

More importantly, because of you, we have seen that it’s possible to overcome the politics of division and distraction; that it’s possible to overcome the same old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems. We’ve seen that the American people aren’t looking for more spin or more gimmicks, but honest answers about the challenges we face. That’s what you’ve accomplished in this campaign, and that’s how we’ll change this country together.

This has been one of the longest, most closely fought contests in history. And that’s partly because we have such a formidable opponent in Senator Hillary Clinton. Tonight, many of the pundits have suggested that this party is inalterably divided – that Senator Clinton’s supporters will not support me, and that my supporters will not support her.

Well I’m here tonight to tell you that I don’t believe it. Yes, there have been bruised feelings on both sides. Yes, each side desperately wants their candidate to win. But ultimately, this race is not about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or John McCain. This election is about you – the American people – and whether we will have a president and a party that can lead us toward a brighter future.

This primary season may not be over, but when it is, we will have to remember who we are as Democrats – that we are the party of Jefferson and Jackson; of Roosevelt and Kennedy; and that we are at our best when we lead with principle; when we lead with conviction; when we summon an entire nation around a common purpose – a higher purpose. This fall, we intend to march forward as one Democratic Party, united by a common vision for this country. Because we all agree that at this defining moment in history – a moment when we’re facing two wars, an economy in turmoil, a planet in peril – we can’t afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush’s third term. We need change in America.

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Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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Wow, I thought that North Carolina was going to be a win for Obama. I was thinking by 8 points. While the votes are still being counted, it appears that Barack Obama will beat Hillary Clinton by more than 15 points.

As I said before, this doesn’t change anything. Hillary Clinton was behind without a realistic means of catching up before North Carolina. Now, she is slightly farther behind without a realistic means of catching up.

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
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Cyclone Nargis killed at least 22 thousand people in Burma. There is fear the death toll will reach 50 thousand.

The country is also known as Myanmar.

(The photo is from the Agence French Presse).

A cyclone is the same as a hurricane. Here are many cyclone questions and answers.

The storm did the greatest damage in the Irrawaddy Delta area of Burma. Here is extensive information on that region. It is one of the most highly populated areas of Burma.

The capital, Rangoon, also received extensive damage.

Here is video of the destruction.

The Times of London writes about an added crisis from the storm—

The features that made the stricken area vulnerable to this disaster — its low-lying geography and proximity to water — also made it Burma’s rice bowl. The cyclone has undoubtedly wrought terrible damage on the country’s agriculture. World rice prices are at a record high already, provoking food riots in more than 30 countries. Burma is a net exporter of rice, and the destruction of crops in the Irrawaddy delta will only add to upward pressure on international prices. The country may be unable to keep its promise to sell rice to other needy countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. [Read more →]

Tags: Environment, Foreign Affairs by Texas Liberal
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Indiana and North Carolina, the largest cache of delegates before the convention in Denver, finished their voting process. What have we learned? Nothing. Nothing will be decided. Both candidates will have more votes and more delegates. Neither will drop out of the race. And so it goes.

I have been trying to look for a silver lining in all of this because every time a candidate blows their nose, it is reported as news. The real crime is that although we have had enough time for the news to completely cover each candidate’s position on real issues but they haven’t finished reporting. We should be able to recite Senator Barack Obama’s and Senator Hilary Clinton’s economic policies by heart by now.

Anyway, I think that I have found that silver lining. Obama is going to be a better candidate because of Clinton. There will be less gaffes. There will be more of the message and less of the garbage. This is really very important because Senator John McCain seems to get good coverage even when he is stumbling all over himself.

Also, this is energizing the Democratic party everywhere. States that had poor organizations will benefit from this tough primary season. The Democrats in each state will be ready to roll…after the healing. After the disappointment, most Democrats will shake off their candidate’s loss and embrace the nominee. It isn’t that we want to, we have to. If we want to take back our country, we have to forgive and embrace knowing that we have another fight that will be harder than the one before. The next fight is for the White House and we have win that fight.

So, we will continue to fight on. I hope that my “theory” is correct. If it isn’t correct, then what was the point of all this?

Tags: Election 2008 by ecthompson
1 Comment »

What identity could Senator Barack Obama choose that would be both sincere and successful?

Not long ago, people were asking if Obama was “black enough.” Somehow it seemed that even former President Bill Clinton was more black than Obama.

Once Obama established his color, he then had to figure out how to present himself as a candidate who is also a black man in a nation with a rough racial history.

He’s not a self-styled centrist like former U.S. Representative Harold Ford of Tennessee.

He’s not a careerist in a safe district like Representative Charles Rangel of New York.

He’s not an old-style activist like Reverend Jesse Jackson.

So, who and what will Obama be?

He is, like all of us, a work in progress.

My hope is that Obama continues up a curve of personal maturity as he comes to fully understand how important his campaign is to the nation, and to people who never thought they’d see someone like him running for president.

Some heat and gravity where Obama is currently cool and light might help.

Still, Obama is doing well so far. He is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination and he leads Senator  John McCain in polls.

At this point, Obama is  successfully navigating uncharted waters.

Tags: Election 2008 by Texas Liberal
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Barack Obama and Tim Russert discuss the gas tax holiday on Meet the Press.

Tags: Election 2008, Sunday Morning Shows by ecthompson
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