First Door on the Left

I remember it was a cold and windy day… one of those days where the weather couldn’t decide if it wanted to snow or if it wanted to rain, so it did half of each. Lunch time came and the principal and teachers decided it was too cold and messy to let us go outside so they arranged a last-minute sock hop in the gymnasium. It hadn’t been going on for long when the principal’s voice came over the loud speaker with the news of what had just happened in Dallas, Texas. Our President had been shot.

John F. Kennedy

Our family had a 19-inch black and white portable television. It was downstairs in the family room, next to the fireplace. I remember we were all pretty much glued to that television for the following few days. We could not believe, much less understand, what we were witnessing.

If you are over the age of 50 (or thereabouts) you probably remember where you were during those dark days in November of 1963, too.

John F. Kennedy funeral procession leaves White House

Tags: John F. Kennedy

The weekly radio (and YouTube) address from President-Elect Obama. The topic, of course, is the economy:

(watch in normal quality)

Remarks of Present-Elect Barack Obama

November 22, 2008

Good morning.

The news this week has only reinforced the fact that we are facing an economic crisis of historic proportions. Financial markets faced more turmoil. New home purchases in October were the lowest in half a century. 540,000 more jobless claims were filed last week, the highest in eighteen years. And we now risk falling into a deflationary spiral that could increase our massive debt even further.

While I’m pleased that Congress passed a long-overdue extension of unemployment benefits this week, we must do more to put people back to work and get our economy moving again. We have now lost 1.2 million jobs this year, and if we don’t act swiftly and boldly, most experts now believe that we could lose millions of jobs next year.

There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. But January 20th is our chance to begin anew – with a new direction, new ideas, and new reforms that will create jobs and fuel long-term economic growth.

I have already directed my economic team to come up with an Economic Recovery Plan that will mean 2.5 million more jobs by January of 2011 – a plan big enough to meet the challenges we face that I intend to sign soon after taking office. We’ll be working out the details in the weeks ahead, but it will be a two-year, nationwide effort to jumpstart job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy. We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels; fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead.

These aren’t just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis; these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long. And they represent an early down payment on the type of reform my Administration will bring to Washington – a government that spends wisely, focuses on what works, and puts the public interest ahead of the same special interests that have come to dominate our politics.

I know that passing this plan won’t be easy. I will need and seek support from Republicans and Democrats, and I’ll be welcome to ideas and suggestions from both sides of the aisle.

But what is not negotiable is the need for immediate action. Right now, there are millions of mothers and fathers who are lying awake at night wondering if next week’s paycheck will cover next month’s bills. There are Americans showing up to work in the morning only to have cleared out their desks by the afternoon. Retirees are watching their life savings disappear and students are seeing their college dreams deferred. These Americans need help, and they need it now.

The survival of the American Dream for over two centuries is not only a testament to its enduring power, but to the great effort, sacrifice, and courage of the American people. It has thrived because in our darkest hours, we have risen above the smallness of our divisions to forge a path towards a new and brighter day. We have acted boldly, bravely, and above all, together. That is the chance our new beginning now offers us, and that is the challenge we must rise to in the days to come. It is time to act. As the next President of the United States, I will. Thank you.

Tags: Barack Obama, economy, weekly radio address

President-Elect and Mrs. Barack Obama have decided on a school for daughters Malia and Sasha. They will be attending Sidwell Friends School.

The grandchildren of Vice President-Elect Joe Biden are also in attendance at Sidwell.

Tuition this year for the middle school, which Malia will be attending, is $29,442. Sasha will be attending the elementary school where tuition this year is only $28,442. (Not meaning to date myself here, but $57,884 is more than I paid for my entire undergraduate college education.)

This is the school that Chelsea Clinton attended (and from which she graduated) while her father was in the White House.

First Family

Tags: Barack Obama, Malia Obama, Michelle Obama, Sasha Obama

We welcome you to this week’s installment of Friday Night Cartoons. Click on a cartoon to make it bigger or to start a slide show. Enjoy!

As always, our thanks go to the talented and observant cartoonists who, each week, help us smile through the pain.
 

Tags: cartoons, Friday Night Cartoons

There seems to have been a dearth of blog posts around here lately and for that I do apologize. There just hasn’t much going on that I have cared enough about to write about. No, that’s probably not correct. I’ve cared about a few things. I just haven’t wanted to write about them.

First, there is all the speculation from the left and the complaining and whining from the right about President-Elect Obama’s Cabinet appointments. Folks, here are the Cabinet appointments that have been officially announced by the president-elect:

None.

That’s right. None. The media and a bunch of bloggers have been going to town with all their guesses and supposed leaks, but no official announcements have been made. When some are, I’ll probably talk about them.

Meanwhile, think about this: The man was elected President of the United States by a fairly large margin (latest popular vote count 67,066,015 to 58,421,377; electoral 365 to 173). He gets to pick whomever he wants to be in his Cabinet (subject to Senate confirmation). It comes with the territory.

Then there’s the economy. That’s been a lot fun, has it not? The stock market is bottoming out, folks are losing their jobs right and left, the CEOs of the big three auto makers flew to D.C. in their private luxury jets looking for bailout money (the Democrats told them to come back with some sort of restructuring plan in a couple of weeks) and so on and so forth. It ain’t over yet, my friends. Things are going to get a lot worse before they even begin to get better and you can take that to the bank. (It may be the only thing you can take to the bank… though why you would want to take anything to the bank these days is beyond me.)

Interior of Gulfstream IV luxury jet

Oh, and it’s kind of a toss up right now between California burning to a crisp or falling into the Pacific Ocean due to “The Big One.” I like California. I even lived there for a couple of years in my youth. Nice people. I wish them the best. (Even if they did pass Proposition Hate Eight, which their Supreme Court has agreed to take under review.)

I promise to try to pull myself out of this funk in which I am now mired and post here a bit more frequently. I may even get back into the three or four post a day habit for which I’m infamous (at least in my own mind). I’m looking for something positive and uplifting on which to expound. Any ideas? I’m kind of tired of all the gloom and doom.

Hey… we have Friday Night Cartoons to which to look forward on the morrow. That’s something!

P.S. I added a little countdown timer to the Inauguration to the top of the left column. I think it’s kind of cool. Closer by the second!
 

Tags: Barack Obama, economy

Schwarzenegger opens climate summit with Obama

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opened his international climate change summit on Tuesday by upstaging himself with an even bigger political star - President-elect Barack Obama.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican whose efforts to combat global warming in California have generated worldwide acclaim, wants to show that governments can balance environmental protection and economic growth. He hopes his summit will influence negotiations over a new climate treaty during a U.N. gathering in Poland next month.

In a taped message to attendees, Obama said his administration is committed to a cause that has all but languished at the federal level during the term of President George W. Bush.

“Once I take office, you can be sure that the United States will once again engage vigorously in these negotiations and help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change,” Obama said.

(watch in normal quality)

Change you can believe in!
 

Tags: Barack Obama, climate change

The Associated Press is reporting that Democrat Mark Begich has defeated Republican (and convicted felon) Ted Stevens for a seat representing Alaska in the United States Senate…

Stevens loses Alaska Senate race

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has lost his bid for a seventh term.

The longest-serving Republican in the history of the Senate trailed Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by 3,724 votes after Tuesday’s count.

That’s an insurmountable lead with only about 2,500 overseas ballots left to be counted.

Stevens, who turned 85 Tuesday, also revealed that he will not ask President George W. Bush to give him a pardon for his seven felony convictions.

Good news indeed. Congratulations, Senator-Elect Begich.

Mark Begich

The Democrats now hold a 58 to 40 majority (if you count Joe Lieberman, which most people seem to) in the U.S. Senate. Two additional races in Georgia and Minnesota are yet to be decided. (Another consideration may be that successors for Barack Obama, Joe Biden and any other Senators who may be tapped for service in the Obama/Biden administration have yet to be determined.)

In other good news, this is a blow to Sarah Barracuda Palin’s political future. She had visions of appointing herself to fulfill Sen. Stevens’ term when he either retired “for health reasons” or was kicked out of the Senate by his fellow Republicans “for ethical reasons.” (Sorry, Sarah. Not gonna happen.)
 

Tags: Alaska, Mark Begich, Senate, Ted Stevens

The gutless Democrats have given Joe Loserman Lieberman his knife back.

McCain backer Lieberman keeps committee chair

The Republicans have been licking their wounds and feeling pretty sorry for themselves since the election, but they can take heart today. Today’s action by the Senate Democrats is a pretty good sign that the Republicans are going to get pretty much whatever they want for the next two years or so… until the Democrats hand them the majority in 2010. (At which point Lieberman will undoubtedly be jumping over to the Republican caucus.)

Bunch of whiny bastards. (I’ll leave it for you to decide whether I am, with that statement, referring to the Democrats or the Republicans in Congress. Or both.)
 

Tags: Democrats, Joe Lieberman, Senate

I was scheduled to “do lunch” with a friend of mine this afternoon. I arrived at his downtown office a little early. CNN was on in the background as we passed time discussing the state of the world. During a lull in the conversation, we heard the anchors discussing the pending General Motors bankruptcy and a video that GM had posted to YouTube in defense of their case for a government bailout. We decided to have a look at the video in question.

As we were watching the GM video, one of his employees (a young fellow I would guess is probably in his mid twenties) walked by the open door. He stopped, looked into the office and asked “Are you guys watching porn in there?”

My friend, somewhat taken aback by this, inquired “Why would you ask such a thing?”

The young man replied “That sounds like porn music.”

I, of course, have no earthly clue what porn music sounds like (wipe that smirk off your face!) so I’ll ask you: Does the soundtrack to this General Motors video sound like porn music?

(watch in normal quality)

That was a sneaky, underhanded way to get you to watch the video, wasn’t it? But I’ll admit to being a bit perplexed by this question of whether or not the government should bail out the big three American auto manufacturers as they are the big banks and insurance companies. You see, I am a Democrat who believes in the free market. Businesses, like people, should stand or fall on their own merits. However, I think you have to concede that a bankruptcy on the part of any one (or more) of these three companies would be a big punch in the gut to an economy that probably cannot withstand many more punches.

I just don’t know which side of the fence to stand on here. Do you?
 

Tags: bankruptcy, economy, General Motors, porn music

Much like ABC’s Stu Schutzman from New York, I don’t get it.

Senator John McCain and President-Elect Barack Obama

Just a couple of weeks ago these two men were engaged in a very nasty and bitter campaign for the presidency of the United States of America. Though Republicans will argue, I believe most astute observers will agree that most of the nastiness and bitterness came from the McCain/Palin side.

If I were President-Elect Barack Obama, neither John McCain nor Sarah Palin would get within ten miles of me without first issuing a very public and very sincere apology. I mean, come on, they literally called our new president a traitor and a pedophile (among other things). They didn’t hint around at it, either. They came right out and said it.

Yet, there were Barack Obama and John McCain sitting there side by side today and smiling and talking as if nothing had happened.

I have mentioned more than once on this blog that I am capable of holding a grudge for a long, long time. I guess John McCain can be thankful that Barack Obama does not share that trait. He’s even talking about putting a Republican or two in his Cabinet, for heavens’ sake. Our new president is a bigger and better man than I. Perhaps that is one reason he is our new president and I am not.

You think?

Tags: 2008, Barack Obama, John McCain, presidential campaign