After a long absence for many reasons (self pity for my employment at the heart of it) I was inspired to share a brilliant bit of journalism.
Filling in for Keith Olberman on Countdown,,, Lawrence O'Donnell absolutely skewered and destroyed both former VP Dick Cheney and his recently very outspoken daughter who criticized President Obama for going to Dover Air Force Base to honor fallen troops who were returned home.
I'm hoping to get the itch to write again,, and could be contributing more on this blog or maybe a new creation sometime soon.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Horoscopes Are Accurate????
My horoscope for March 26, 2009 in the Chicago Tribune read.
Apply for that promotion or better job. Conditions are right to have more
money come in your direction. Can you put yourself in the right place to
make that happen.
Well I am now in that position as 4 co-workers and I were let go from our jobs yesterday.
It has not been a funny day since but that horoscope made me smile a bit. Maybe this is a moment to do better.
(Click on the picture above for a better view of an entertaining comic appropriate to my current plight)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A Thank You To CNBC
I owe the financial mega channel,,, CNBC a big thank you.
That thank you would be for reminding me to put The Daily Show back on my scheduled series recordings on my DVR.
See what happened is that the great Jon Stewart took some time off after the election and I was tiring of watching reruns of the show so I took The Daily Show, which recorded every time it was on off my 'Series Recordings'.
Then like many people a few weeks ago I saw CNBC's Rick Santelli now infamous rant against the Obama housing plan. The reaction of the news media,, even lefty MSNBC made Santelli into a hero of the 'everyman'.
I was beginning to wonder if anyone other than Press Secretart Robert Gibbs was going to take Santelli on for his rant.
Well last week, Jon Stewart came to the rescue with a brilliant montage of the bullshit spewed by CNBC over the period of the 'financial crisis'.
Then CNBC's, Jim Cramer (who I have to admit I have enjoyed watching) made a mistake that I can only describe as comparable to the 'heckler at the comedy club'. You know the guy who thinks he's quicker or more able than the comedian who only has the comedian on stage rip him to shreds.
Cramer, playing the role of the heckler,, decided to take on Stewart and for the past two nights has paid a merciless price. Stewart has absolutely filleted Cramer and done so in a way that has made Cramer,, and CNBC look like complete idiots.
To Cramer's credit,,, he is going on The Daily Show tonite to face Stewart in person.
And more importantly than that,, I owe Jim Cramer,, not for stock advice,, but for bringing my DVR back,,, to The Daily Show.
The clips are below for your viewing enjoyment.
That thank you would be for reminding me to put The Daily Show back on my scheduled series recordings on my DVR.
See what happened is that the great Jon Stewart took some time off after the election and I was tiring of watching reruns of the show so I took The Daily Show, which recorded every time it was on off my 'Series Recordings'.
Then like many people a few weeks ago I saw CNBC's Rick Santelli now infamous rant against the Obama housing plan. The reaction of the news media,, even lefty MSNBC made Santelli into a hero of the 'everyman'.
I was beginning to wonder if anyone other than Press Secretart Robert Gibbs was going to take Santelli on for his rant.
Well last week, Jon Stewart came to the rescue with a brilliant montage of the bullshit spewed by CNBC over the period of the 'financial crisis'.
Then CNBC's, Jim Cramer (who I have to admit I have enjoyed watching) made a mistake that I can only describe as comparable to the 'heckler at the comedy club'. You know the guy who thinks he's quicker or more able than the comedian who only has the comedian on stage rip him to shreds.
Cramer, playing the role of the heckler,, decided to take on Stewart and for the past two nights has paid a merciless price. Stewart has absolutely filleted Cramer and done so in a way that has made Cramer,, and CNBC look like complete idiots.
To Cramer's credit,,, he is going on The Daily Show tonite to face Stewart in person.
And more importantly than that,, I owe Jim Cramer,, not for stock advice,, but for bringing my DVR back,,, to The Daily Show.
The clips are below for your viewing enjoyment.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Thought On The Obama Budget
The $3.6 trillion budget sent to Congress by the Obama Administration has caused consternation in a lot of places. Republicans are railing against deficits as are moderate Dems highlighted by Indiana Senator Evan Bayh who wrote in the Wall Street Journal today that the spending bill should be voted down.
While an admitted liberal I am a big believer in fiscal discipline and a $1.75 trillion deficit makes me very uneasy.
That being said,, I think that the Obama team is handling the budget more strategically than they did the Stimulus Bill. This budget number is an effort on his teams part to strengthen their negotiating position.
In the case of the Stimulus Bill, some believe that Obama went in asking for what he wanted and then negotiated from there and ended up losing some of his priorities like state funding and education.
In this case I think he is following the rather successful method of the Bush 43 administration. Ask for way more than you want,, if you get it,, great. Yet, if you compromise you end up going down to the number you wanted anyway.
17people would not be surprised if this bill ended up being significantly smaller than the $3.6trillion number initially proposed. Obama knows that he can ill afford to end up negotiating to a number that isn't adequate enough to get money into the system. So he is asking for much more than he really wants, but is at the max at what he wants to spend.
Its a negotiating ploy and a smart one. In the end whether he comes down $250bln, $500bln or $750bln, he's going to get what he really wants in the bill.
The final number is and the subsequent effects are all people will remember.
And one more thing to note, being a popular President with a muscle-less opposition Obama has many plays that will work for him.
If Obama makes concessions, he wins by looking bi-partisan, if he passes it without any Republican votes, he wins because they look unwilling to work with him because they are listening to Rush Limbaugh.
The public won't remember or care what the original budget number was as long as people begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
The far more important fact is this... whether it be the budget battle, the stimulus fight, or the upcoming war for health care, the politics are secondary if these programs don't begin to turn around the economic situation that we are in.
While an admitted liberal I am a big believer in fiscal discipline and a $1.75 trillion deficit makes me very uneasy.
That being said,, I think that the Obama team is handling the budget more strategically than they did the Stimulus Bill. This budget number is an effort on his teams part to strengthen their negotiating position.
In the case of the Stimulus Bill, some believe that Obama went in asking for what he wanted and then negotiated from there and ended up losing some of his priorities like state funding and education.
In this case I think he is following the rather successful method of the Bush 43 administration. Ask for way more than you want,, if you get it,, great. Yet, if you compromise you end up going down to the number you wanted anyway.
17people would not be surprised if this bill ended up being significantly smaller than the $3.6trillion number initially proposed. Obama knows that he can ill afford to end up negotiating to a number that isn't adequate enough to get money into the system. So he is asking for much more than he really wants, but is at the max at what he wants to spend.
Its a negotiating ploy and a smart one. In the end whether he comes down $250bln, $500bln or $750bln, he's going to get what he really wants in the bill.
The final number is and the subsequent effects are all people will remember.
And one more thing to note, being a popular President with a muscle-less opposition Obama has many plays that will work for him.
If Obama makes concessions, he wins by looking bi-partisan, if he passes it without any Republican votes, he wins because they look unwilling to work with him because they are listening to Rush Limbaugh.
The public won't remember or care what the original budget number was as long as people begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
The far more important fact is this... whether it be the budget battle, the stimulus fight, or the upcoming war for health care, the politics are secondary if these programs don't begin to turn around the economic situation that we are in.
Monday, January 19, 2009
17People Returns,,, Cynically
Had two conversations this morning that surprised people.
Here they are...
1st:
"Did you watch the festivities yesterday?" a co-worker asked me this morning.
"Yeah, those were two good games and that Ravens-Steelers game was outstanding," I responded.
"Ugh,,,, I meant the Obama Inaugural deal they had yesterday on HBO," he responded.
2nd:
"I thought you'd be heading to DC for the inauguration this week. Are you taking tomorrow off to watch it right," a co-worker asked.
"Uhh, no. Not worth the day off to watch and not worth the money to go," I responded.
So by no means am I surprised by either of these questions or conversations, but my responses really seemed to surprise my co-workers.
While there are many metaphors made,,, politics is not sports. The big events are all we see in politics,, but the truth is the real moves are made behind closed doors. Where the money is spent or how the laws are written are never seen by the public.
As a country we get too lost in things like debates, speeches, or pep rallies.
This is the part of politics that really irritates me.
Worthless pageantry like concerts are all fluff.
While I'll sound like a total cynic,, I don't care what school Sasha and Malia are going to or what Church the Obama's are attending in DC or what celebrities are attending the inauguration or inauguration Balls.
I don't care about any of it. I don't care what Obama says tomorrow and I don't care about how 'historic' the moment is.
These are unprecedented times and the country action and results. We now need our government to get its act together and figure out a way to stabilize our economy.
And to be honest, I hope that President Obama doesn't care about it either.
Like many Americans I am more uneasy about my future than ever before. I worry about losing my job and then not being able to pay my rent. It could happen as easily as my company losing a major account, not because we lost the business, but because our customer is cutting back or declared bankruptcy.
On Friday I came across an article which to me encapsulated just how scary our current economic situation. It isn't written by an economist offering theories of a 'doomsday' or 'depression' scenario. Instead it just listed companies that were laying people off. It wasn't just the auto industry, or the banking industry as we have come to expect. It was over 20 companies,, some of which are the best known companies in the world.
Hell, if Google, GE, Pfizer, and Halliburton are laying people off,,, then any company could be in the same situation.
Here's the deal,, I am proud to have voted for, supported, and worked to get Barack Obama elected. I think he has handled the transition exceptionally well and has assembled a first rate team. I believe in him now as strong as I did when I voted for him.
Yet, believing in him or thinking he is brilliant is not enough for me.
I am not part of a cultish group who thinks that the mere presence of Barack Obama is going to fix the country. He isn't a messiah, he isn't a savior. He is a smart guy who is about four years removed from being a State Senator from the South Side of Chicago.
Now he is facing the hardest job in the world, in some of the most trying times in generations. It isn't enough to 'hope' he is the right guy for the job,, he damn well better be the right person for the job.
I'm ready for the 'pageantry' to be over and for our 'lame duck government' to do it's job and work for the American people.
Bottom line, it's time to put up or shut up.
Here they are...
1st:
"Did you watch the festivities yesterday?" a co-worker asked me this morning.
"Yeah, those were two good games and that Ravens-Steelers game was outstanding," I responded.
"Ugh,,,, I meant the Obama Inaugural deal they had yesterday on HBO," he responded.
2nd:
"I thought you'd be heading to DC for the inauguration this week. Are you taking tomorrow off to watch it right," a co-worker asked.
"Uhh, no. Not worth the day off to watch and not worth the money to go," I responded.
So by no means am I surprised by either of these questions or conversations, but my responses really seemed to surprise my co-workers.
While there are many metaphors made,,, politics is not sports. The big events are all we see in politics,, but the truth is the real moves are made behind closed doors. Where the money is spent or how the laws are written are never seen by the public.
As a country we get too lost in things like debates, speeches, or pep rallies.
This is the part of politics that really irritates me.
Worthless pageantry like concerts are all fluff.
While I'll sound like a total cynic,, I don't care what school Sasha and Malia are going to or what Church the Obama's are attending in DC or what celebrities are attending the inauguration or inauguration Balls.
I don't care about any of it. I don't care what Obama says tomorrow and I don't care about how 'historic' the moment is.
These are unprecedented times and the country action and results. We now need our government to get its act together and figure out a way to stabilize our economy.
And to be honest, I hope that President Obama doesn't care about it either.
Like many Americans I am more uneasy about my future than ever before. I worry about losing my job and then not being able to pay my rent. It could happen as easily as my company losing a major account, not because we lost the business, but because our customer is cutting back or declared bankruptcy.
On Friday I came across an article which to me encapsulated just how scary our current economic situation. It isn't written by an economist offering theories of a 'doomsday' or 'depression' scenario. Instead it just listed companies that were laying people off. It wasn't just the auto industry, or the banking industry as we have come to expect. It was over 20 companies,, some of which are the best known companies in the world.
Hell, if Google, GE, Pfizer, and Halliburton are laying people off,,, then any company could be in the same situation.
Here's the deal,, I am proud to have voted for, supported, and worked to get Barack Obama elected. I think he has handled the transition exceptionally well and has assembled a first rate team. I believe in him now as strong as I did when I voted for him.
Yet, believing in him or thinking he is brilliant is not enough for me.
I am not part of a cultish group who thinks that the mere presence of Barack Obama is going to fix the country. He isn't a messiah, he isn't a savior. He is a smart guy who is about four years removed from being a State Senator from the South Side of Chicago.
Now he is facing the hardest job in the world, in some of the most trying times in generations. It isn't enough to 'hope' he is the right guy for the job,, he damn well better be the right person for the job.
I'm ready for the 'pageantry' to be over and for our 'lame duck government' to do it's job and work for the American people.
Bottom line, it's time to put up or shut up.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Leo McGarry
I wrote over the past summer...
Four years ago today John Spencer passed away. Spencer played White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry in President Josiah Bartlett's White House on the TV show The West Wing.
This blog was named after an episode of The West Wing and many of the posts on this blog reference one of TV's greatest show. John Spencer's portrayal of Leo McGarry was a character to whom I related and tried to emulate when I worked on campaigns.
Some people ask me,, 'who was your favorite character on the show?' I always answer it like a parent talks about their kids. "I really love them all, and they could all be my favorite at any time."
The real answer above is true. I loved them all, but it was Leo who was consistently my favorite. He was the guy I wanted to be when I was tossing my lot into the political world. More pragmatist than idealogue, more team builder, than team agitator.
I'll never forget when I interviewed for a job with John Hancock after college to be a financial analyst. I was asked one of those ridiculous questions you get asked in interviews,,, "What is your dream job?"
My answer at the time was "White House Chief of Staff."
The main reason I even knew what this job was,,, was due to The West Wing and how I viewed Leo McGarry.
As those who watch the show are aware, Spencer passed away in the middle of the last season of The West Wing while his character was the Democratic Nominee for Vice President. The story is that if Spencer would have lived, that the Republican nominee Arnold Vinnick (played by Alan Alda) would have won the election.
But after Spencer's death the writers decided to write McGarry's death into the storyline and the Democrat Nominee Matt Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) ended up as the winner of the election.
Considering that I almost named this blog leomcgarry.blogspot.com, I feel that the 16th of December 16 will always be an appropriate day to pass along some of the wisdom of Leo .
While the YouTube video below is not of the best quality it is a great collection of clips and always love watching the reaction of fellow cast members (Bradley Whitford in particular) when he won his Emmy for one of the great episodes in West Wing history "Bartlet for America". Links to other Spencer tributes are listed below.
Think when any of us become a fan of a TV show, sports team, band, whatever, you feel a bond and connection with the people involved. Most of the time you never get a chance to meet or know them as people but you care about them.
Four years ago today John Spencer passed away. Spencer played White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry in President Josiah Bartlett's White House on the TV show The West Wing.
This blog was named after an episode of The West Wing and many of the posts on this blog reference one of TV's greatest show. John Spencer's portrayal of Leo McGarry was a character to whom I related and tried to emulate when I worked on campaigns.
Some people ask me,, 'who was your favorite character on the show?' I always answer it like a parent talks about their kids. "I really love them all, and they could all be my favorite at any time."
The real answer above is true. I loved them all, but it was Leo who was consistently my favorite. He was the guy I wanted to be when I was tossing my lot into the political world. More pragmatist than idealogue, more team builder, than team agitator.
I'll never forget when I interviewed for a job with John Hancock after college to be a financial analyst. I was asked one of those ridiculous questions you get asked in interviews,,, "What is your dream job?"
My answer at the time was "White House Chief of Staff."
The main reason I even knew what this job was,,, was due to The West Wing and how I viewed Leo McGarry.
As those who watch the show are aware, Spencer passed away in the middle of the last season of The West Wing while his character was the Democratic Nominee for Vice President. The story is that if Spencer would have lived, that the Republican nominee Arnold Vinnick (played by Alan Alda) would have won the election.
But after Spencer's death the writers decided to write McGarry's death into the storyline and the Democrat Nominee Matt Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) ended up as the winner of the election.
Considering that I almost named this blog leomcgarry.blogspot.com, I feel that the 16th of December 16 will always be an appropriate day to pass along some of the wisdom of Leo .
While the YouTube video below is not of the best quality it is a great collection of clips and always love watching the reaction of fellow cast members (Bradley Whitford in particular) when he won his Emmy for one of the great episodes in West Wing history "Bartlet for America". Links to other Spencer tributes are listed below.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
No (expletive) Surprise
Talked to some friends of mine from outside my home state of Illinois yesterday who all thought that they would find a reaction of shock, embarrassment, and surprise about the news of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich arrest.The truth is this,,,
17people and most everyone in the state of Illinois is not the least bit surprised. 'Blago' as he is referred to by many around here is a very unpopular figure in the state (13% in some approval polls) and was a major reason that Illinois considered a Constitutional Convention in the past year (it failed). The Chicago Tribune (a target of Blago) was pushing for a 'recall' mechanism for the citizens of Illinois.
So the black eye for Illinois in this whole deal is this... Why did this piece of shit get elected twice?
17people readily admits to have voted for Blago in two General Elections. In his 1st primary 17people supported former Chicago School Board President and fellow Greek American Paul Vallas. Blago had significant institutional support from his powerhouse Chicago Alderman father in law Richard 'Dick' Mell (who interestingly disowned Blago about 5 years ago).
Also of note in the 2002 primary,,, State Senator Barack Obama endorsed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris against Blago.
When Blago ran in that first General Election in 2002 he was the Democratic Nominee following the administration of a Republican Governor who as most people know,,, is also in jail. That guys name was George Ryan. The last name of the Republican that Blago ran against in 2002,,, also Ryan (Jim Ryan, no relation), but the stigma was there. Bottom line there was no chance the Democrats could have lost that election.
Four years later the Illinois Republican party, still scarred by George Ryan had a bloody primary where State Treasurer Judy Barr Topinka was elected the nominee. Blago had about $17million in his campaign war chest and blasted Topinka, who was not a very good candidate.
What I say about Blago's two elections is similar to what I say about President Bush. Voters, myself included, got what we deserved. Blago has done some good things, like increase education funding and fund children's health care.
However, people I know that know Blago have said his arrogance and borderline sociopathic tendencies make him a detestable person.
Which is why instead of shame and embarrassment, feel like many Illinoisan's like me are glad that the justice department did what they are supposed to do...
Find the bad guys and put them away.
Good riddance Blago.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Obama Economic Team=Stimulus,,, for a Week
Last week we saw a strong rally for the stock market.
There are a number of factors for this bump, but think that the biggest factor was President Elect Obama announcing a very impressive economic team.
Tim Geithner looks to be a respected and well thought of pick to be the Treasury Secretary. The pick also avoids a messy confirmation that would have taken place had Larry Summers been the choice. Summers considered to be one of the great economic minds in the world will be a part of the Obama Economic team as head of the National Economic Council.
What was most encouraging to me was that Obama's other appointments seemed to be applauded by people on both sides of the political spectrum and attacked by those on both ideological wings. Peter Orszag as Director of the Office of Management and Budget after running the Congressional Budget Office. While a lower level appointee than some it is nice to see someone with impeccable qualifications get an important job like this.
Former Federal Reserve Chair, the brilliant Paul Volcker will Chair the Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Volcker is a Hall of Famer when it comes to his track record and knowledge. He became a bit maligned during the Greenspan time at the Fed, but was one of the few people out there warning of the mess we are now in,,, before it happened.
The economic team is loaded with talent and experience.
Now they need to deliver stability to the economy.
Can't think of anyone else that should be on the team. It's an impressive gathering of intellect and well respected names in the fields they work.
Before getting too excited, I want to hear Geithner speak.
Why do I want to hear him speak you may ask?
The next Treasury Secretary needs to be more than a brilliant economist. He needs to be a sales person and a teacher as well.
This is something we have been sorely lacking during the Bush years. None of his Treasury Secretaries were particularly good salesmen or teachers of the economy during what turned out to be extraordinarily difficult times.
Paul O'Neill and John Snow were flops, and Hank Paulson has taken a beating for his handling of the bailout. 17people thinks we need to see how the TARP act works before burying Paulson as a disaster.
What we have all learned with terms like 'derivatives' and 'leverage' is that the economy is more complicated than we even imagined. Geithner and the new economic team is going to have to BOTH implement policy AND sell it to the public in a way that makes sense.
The public is not going to accept things getting forced on them as much as they have in the past.
It was nice to see that the markets last week responded to the decisions of our next President. He and his transition team deserve some kudos because the 'announcement stimulus' was perfectly timed leading into Black Friday and the biggest shopping weekend of the year.
17people fully expects that we will see many more dives in the markets in the weeks and months ahead. Yet, for the first time in a long time I have faith in the Economic Team leading our country.
There has never been more global economic pressure on an Administration.
One week of stimulus is nice but we could see an even worse economic landscape in 50days time and reputations will not be enough. Obama and his team will need to deliver.
There are a number of factors for this bump, but think that the biggest factor was President Elect Obama announcing a very impressive economic team.
Tim Geithner looks to be a respected and well thought of pick to be the Treasury Secretary. The pick also avoids a messy confirmation that would have taken place had Larry Summers been the choice. Summers considered to be one of the great economic minds in the world will be a part of the Obama Economic team as head of the National Economic Council.
What was most encouraging to me was that Obama's other appointments seemed to be applauded by people on both sides of the political spectrum and attacked by those on both ideological wings. Peter Orszag as Director of the Office of Management and Budget after running the Congressional Budget Office. While a lower level appointee than some it is nice to see someone with impeccable qualifications get an important job like this.
Former Federal Reserve Chair, the brilliant Paul Volcker will Chair the Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Volcker is a Hall of Famer when it comes to his track record and knowledge. He became a bit maligned during the Greenspan time at the Fed, but was one of the few people out there warning of the mess we are now in,,, before it happened.
The economic team is loaded with talent and experience.
Now they need to deliver stability to the economy.
Can't think of anyone else that should be on the team. It's an impressive gathering of intellect and well respected names in the fields they work.
Before getting too excited, I want to hear Geithner speak.
Why do I want to hear him speak you may ask?
The next Treasury Secretary needs to be more than a brilliant economist. He needs to be a sales person and a teacher as well.
This is something we have been sorely lacking during the Bush years. None of his Treasury Secretaries were particularly good salesmen or teachers of the economy during what turned out to be extraordinarily difficult times.
Paul O'Neill and John Snow were flops, and Hank Paulson has taken a beating for his handling of the bailout. 17people thinks we need to see how the TARP act works before burying Paulson as a disaster.
What we have all learned with terms like 'derivatives' and 'leverage' is that the economy is more complicated than we even imagined. Geithner and the new economic team is going to have to BOTH implement policy AND sell it to the public in a way that makes sense.
The public is not going to accept things getting forced on them as much as they have in the past.
It was nice to see that the markets last week responded to the decisions of our next President. He and his transition team deserve some kudos because the 'announcement stimulus' was perfectly timed leading into Black Friday and the biggest shopping weekend of the year.
17people fully expects that we will see many more dives in the markets in the weeks and months ahead. Yet, for the first time in a long time I have faith in the Economic Team leading our country.
There has never been more global economic pressure on an Administration.
One week of stimulus is nice but we could see an even worse economic landscape in 50days time and reputations will not be enough. Obama and his team will need to deliver.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving to All
In what has been a difficult and historic year I was given some great advice today on my Facebook page to take some time off of politics and enjoy some turkey.
So while I am recovering from a handful of boring football games, a couple pounds of turkey, and my mom's incredible stuffing, 17people wants to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving,, with what else?
A West Wing clip that will never grow old for me. Linked it in last year and will probably have it up next year too.
So while I am recovering from a handful of boring football games, a couple pounds of turkey, and my mom's incredible stuffing, 17people wants to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving,, with what else?
A West Wing clip that will never grow old for me. Linked it in last year and will probably have it up next year too.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Mortgage Story of the Year
Tom Friedman's article today tells a story from a brilliant and stunning article by Michael Lewis, author of one of my favorite books ever Moneyball.
We all have heard stories about how we got into this mess, the following story will do that rare thing of making you laugh and then get angry when you think about it.
We all have heard stories about how we got into this mess, the following story will do that rare thing of making you laugh and then get angry when you think about it.
Long Beach Financial (then part of now bankrupt WaMu) was moving money out the door as fast as it could, few questions asked, in loans built to self-destruct. It specialized in asking homeowners with bad credit and no proof of income to put no money down and defer interest payments for as long as possible.
In Bakersfield, Calif., a Mexican strawberry picker with an income of $14,000 and no English was lent every penny he needed to buy a house for $720,000.”
Monday, November 24, 2008
Hypocrisy?
There has been a lot in recent weeks that I have not written about but today there is something that really irked me.
Read this morning that the US Treasury is infusing $20billion to Citigroup. This is on top of $25billion that the government has already given to Citigroup. So Citigroup has received $45billion worth of welfare from the US taxpayer. Read the 1st line of the article above and you will see what is even worse is that we the people have insured $300billion worth of Citigroups assets.
What really, really makes me mad is that Citigroup got this additional money after they announced last week that they would cut 52,000 jobs.
Thats right, after Citigroup announced that they would fire 52,000 people, the Treasury Department decided to reward them with $20billion.
This disgusts me.
Where is the congressional hearing and oversight?
Where is the Citigroup CEO to rake over the coals the way Congress did to the Big 3 automakers last week?
I implore Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who told us that the 'Bailout' had 'oversight' in it, to do their job and excercise some damn oversight.
The double standard in our country right now really worries me. The Big 3 Automakers employ a lot more people directly and indirectly than Citigroup does.
But we have limited outrage that when looking at the number the Big 3 have asked for 55% of what Citigroup alone has received thus far in the last 8 weeks. They flew into Washington on Friday and left with $20billion.
Must be nice.
Read this morning that the US Treasury is infusing $20billion to Citigroup. This is on top of $25billion that the government has already given to Citigroup. So Citigroup has received $45billion worth of welfare from the US taxpayer. Read the 1st line of the article above and you will see what is even worse is that we the people have insured $300billion worth of Citigroups assets.
What really, really makes me mad is that Citigroup got this additional money after they announced last week that they would cut 52,000 jobs.
Thats right, after Citigroup announced that they would fire 52,000 people, the Treasury Department decided to reward them with $20billion.
This disgusts me.
Where is the congressional hearing and oversight?
Where is the Citigroup CEO to rake over the coals the way Congress did to the Big 3 automakers last week?
I implore Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who told us that the 'Bailout' had 'oversight' in it, to do their job and excercise some damn oversight.
The double standard in our country right now really worries me. The Big 3 Automakers employ a lot more people directly and indirectly than Citigroup does.
But we have limited outrage that when looking at the number the Big 3 have asked for 55% of what Citigroup alone has received thus far in the last 8 weeks. They flew into Washington on Friday and left with $20billion.
Must be nice.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Democrats Lose Their Way
For the past week I have taken a bit of a sabbatical from my writing to run a whip operation to push House Democrats to make a smart decision. My whip operation did not yield the result I worked for though.
Today is a low point for 17people and the US House of Representatives. The House Democrats replaced the Great John Dingell as the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee with Henry Waxman.
17People has been emailing and calling Congressional Democrats for the past week urging them to support Dingell. My efforts and that of many but it turned out this was not enough as Dingell lost 137-122 in the Democratic Caucus.
This is the kind of move that has to give pragmatic Democrats pause. The entire leadership of the House of Representatives has been taken over by the far left of the caucus. The entire leadership now owes their position to the Speaker of the House and it is worrisome that those who have questioned her have all been removed from power.
I am a liberal and actually to the left of Mr. Dingell on many issues. But that doesn't distort the fact that he is the best man for this job and has been for the past 28 years. No chairman of any committee has passed and written more meaningful legislation than John Dingell and his reward for that was being outflanked by the left wing.
There is no member of Congress I respect more or think would write and manage the best possible legislation that appeals to the widest range of Americans. The Energy and Commerce Committee will be working on with the Obama administration on Health Care, Energy Policy, the 'Green Economy'.
I have learned in my life to try and say as little as possible when I am mad. This will mean I won't have to apologize for more than I need to later. Once I calm down I will write more, but this is it for now,,, this is a bad day for Democrats.
Here's the story from Politico.
Today is a low point for 17people and the US House of Representatives. The House Democrats replaced the Great John Dingell as the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee with Henry Waxman.
17People has been emailing and calling Congressional Democrats for the past week urging them to support Dingell. My efforts and that of many but it turned out this was not enough as Dingell lost 137-122 in the Democratic Caucus.
This is the kind of move that has to give pragmatic Democrats pause. The entire leadership of the House of Representatives has been taken over by the far left of the caucus. The entire leadership now owes their position to the Speaker of the House and it is worrisome that those who have questioned her have all been removed from power.
I am a liberal and actually to the left of Mr. Dingell on many issues. But that doesn't distort the fact that he is the best man for this job and has been for the past 28 years. No chairman of any committee has passed and written more meaningful legislation than John Dingell and his reward for that was being outflanked by the left wing.
There is no member of Congress I respect more or think would write and manage the best possible legislation that appeals to the widest range of Americans. The Energy and Commerce Committee will be working on with the Obama administration on Health Care, Energy Policy, the 'Green Economy'.
I have learned in my life to try and say as little as possible when I am mad. This will mean I won't have to apologize for more than I need to later. Once I calm down I will write more, but this is it for now,,, this is a bad day for Democrats.
Here's the story from Politico.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Kudos to Goldman Sachs?
Every once in a while there is a story where a company or individual does something really good and they deserve credit for it.
Yes, you read the title correctly. Liberal 17People is giving Goldman Sachs some positive recognition.
Today on the front page of The Wall Street Journal is that rare story where 17People says something nice about Wall Street. That news is that Goldman Sachs, one of the largest investment banks in the world announced that it's top executive will be forgoing their bonuses for 2008.
Now these bonuses aren't like most of us who if we are lucky get an extra paycheck or a few hundred dollars. The CEO of Goldman Sachs got a $70million bonus last year! The next two guys around $68million each. While these numbers are huge you have to credit them for giving up real sacrifice here.
This news comes on the heals of the
The Journal said around $312billion was paid out in 2007 in Wall Street executive bonuses. So by taking a year to invest that money into their companies,,, would be a way to save jobs and show the public they are serious about change.
If the leadership of more companies take responsible steps like this I think we will be able to bounce out of this economic mess faster than by having executives continue to put their own self interests ahead of their employees.
Despite the fact that I view Goldman as one of the companies who had responsibility in getting us into this financial mess, 17People gives them our highest compliments for this decision.
Their decision does two important things, it shows the public that someone on Wall Street can do something to be responsible and more importantly puts the pressure on other banks to do the same.
How can other investment banks take huge bonuses upon the heals of this stunning example of corporate responsibility? Hopefully it means they can't.
17People One Year Anniversary
A year ago I started this blog after watching a Democratic Debate with 9 Presidential Candidates on stage. The direction of 17people has changed based on my moods, interests, and tolerance for the politics.
There have been a dorkish number of references to the West Wing, a handful of movie reviews, a small number of personal stories, a brief arc on my fitness/weight loss regimen, and about five episodes of writers bloc or as I like to refer to it 'writers self loathing' (the most recent bout which ended last week).
17people is no question a left leaning blog and will continue to push progressive ideas and battle conservative stances and candidates I disagree with. As a result of this we have lost some Republican readers over the year. 17People has tried its best to also call out the left and show respect to the right and will make this a big goal of our second year.
This first year was a learning year and hopefully as time goes on some of those Republican readers will come back and argue their points here.
It's ironic that some Republicans have stopped reading my blog considering that in my personal life, most of my friends are,,, strong Republicans. 17People has learned the hard way that it is harder to show understanding and respect for other viewpoints when I write about politics than when I discuss politics.
A smile, a wink, voice inflection are not as easy to decipher in a blog post than in a conversation.
As happy as I am that Democrats control the government this blog will give them no free pass in the year to come. 17People will be a watchdog and if President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, or Leader Reid fail to deliver for the American people, this blog will call them out.
Most importantly,,, 17People wants to thank the loyal readers of this blog for pushing, reminding, and inspire me to keep writing even when I don't want to. Without their support and encouragement 17People could have ended long ago.
Finally, a give away to the sometimes readers of 17People. There are two little known facts about this blog that I get asked all the time which I will attempt to answer here.
Because of a lack of personal confidence,, I have done almost nothing to promote 17People. Think I emailed it out to about 10 people when I started and have not let many more people know since then. So when people ask how many readers I have,,, the answer is I don't know, but maybe as I believe in my writing a bit more I will push 17People to more outlets.
The second and more often asked question is '17People'? What the heck does that mean?
As stated earlier this blog derives a lot of content from my all time favorite television show The West Wing. Went through a lot of ideas and possibilities and came across a clip on YouTube I thought dealt with telling the truth, and more appropriately,,, telling truth to power.
The West Wing was an amazing show which did more than entertain, it educated. It made complex issues a little easier to understand. While 17People the blog will never be as smart as the writing of Aaron Sorkin, that is what I strive to give to my readers.
17People will alert readers to stories and opinions that you may not hear everywhere and to try and explain some issues in terms that are a little easier to understand.
17People, The West Wing episode, was to me about accountability and the pains of telling the truth and why I chose it as the episode to base the title of my blog.
The clip is below, the words are Aaron Sorkins, and they are brilliantly performed by President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), and Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (the great John Spencer).
President Bartlet has just told Toby that he concealed the fact that he has Multiple Sclerosis from the country and his staff.
There have been a dorkish number of references to the West Wing, a handful of movie reviews, a small number of personal stories, a brief arc on my fitness/weight loss regimen, and about five episodes of writers bloc or as I like to refer to it 'writers self loathing' (the most recent bout which ended last week).
17people is no question a left leaning blog and will continue to push progressive ideas and battle conservative stances and candidates I disagree with. As a result of this we have lost some Republican readers over the year. 17People has tried its best to also call out the left and show respect to the right and will make this a big goal of our second year.
This first year was a learning year and hopefully as time goes on some of those Republican readers will come back and argue their points here.
It's ironic that some Republicans have stopped reading my blog considering that in my personal life, most of my friends are,,, strong Republicans. 17People has learned the hard way that it is harder to show understanding and respect for other viewpoints when I write about politics than when I discuss politics.
A smile, a wink, voice inflection are not as easy to decipher in a blog post than in a conversation.
As happy as I am that Democrats control the government this blog will give them no free pass in the year to come. 17People will be a watchdog and if President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, or Leader Reid fail to deliver for the American people, this blog will call them out.
Most importantly,,, 17People wants to thank the loyal readers of this blog for pushing, reminding, and inspire me to keep writing even when I don't want to. Without their support and encouragement 17People could have ended long ago.
Finally, a give away to the sometimes readers of 17People. There are two little known facts about this blog that I get asked all the time which I will attempt to answer here.
Because of a lack of personal confidence,, I have done almost nothing to promote 17People. Think I emailed it out to about 10 people when I started and have not let many more people know since then. So when people ask how many readers I have,,, the answer is I don't know, but maybe as I believe in my writing a bit more I will push 17People to more outlets.
The second and more often asked question is '17People'? What the heck does that mean?
As stated earlier this blog derives a lot of content from my all time favorite television show The West Wing. Went through a lot of ideas and possibilities and came across a clip on YouTube I thought dealt with telling the truth, and more appropriately,,, telling truth to power.
The West Wing was an amazing show which did more than entertain, it educated. It made complex issues a little easier to understand. While 17People the blog will never be as smart as the writing of Aaron Sorkin, that is what I strive to give to my readers.
17People will alert readers to stories and opinions that you may not hear everywhere and to try and explain some issues in terms that are a little easier to understand.
17People, The West Wing episode, was to me about accountability and the pains of telling the truth and why I chose it as the episode to base the title of my blog.
The clip is below, the words are Aaron Sorkins, and they are brilliantly performed by President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), and Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (the great John Spencer).
President Bartlet has just told Toby that he concealed the fact that he has Multiple Sclerosis from the country and his staff.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Stop Talking
Yesterday, 17people essentially pleaded with Sarah Palin to not overdo her interview schedule before she was able to have a clear and coherent message.
Then last night, Jon Stewart showed what I was trying to accomplish in the brilliant Daily Show clip above.
First of all, if she is trying to connect to 'regular Joe Six Pack Americans' how many of them where high heels and a suit coat while they are cooking chili dogs (check around the 2:36-3:48 mark).
Then at the 4:00 mark of the above piece, Stewart illustrated what I was warning about when it comes to a consistent message. These interviews have absolutely no consistency and when looking at them together, they just get even more ridiculous,, something that given the beating her reputation took, she can ill afford.
The worse part for Palin is that in the interviews thus far have been all about Palin.
I don't blame Palin for this, I blame the interviewers who are obsessed with the 'soap opera' that has become Palin's political existence. They only ask her about clothes, her daughters pregnancy, and moose chili dogs. All 'fluff' topics that do nothing to make people think she is a more serious person who has a political future.
17people hates to say 'I told you so' but this is exactly what I warned about yesterday. Many have to be like me who have been feeling bad for Palin about the awful leaks that have come out against her. She had an opportunity to hit back and make herself look good or even play the 'victim card'.
Instead she came out swinging wildly and today instead of Sarah Palin beginning a comeback in the eyes of the country she is making herself more of a national punchline, as opposed to establishing herself as a respected national figure.
The below clip is from an obvious liberal partisan, but it again illustrates the problems that Palin is creating for herself with this whirlwind of an undisciplined media tour. While often Olbermann stretches things to go after Republicans,, Palin made his job very easy as you can see.
3 Votes
Today the lead on the Alaska Senate race has spread to an 814 vote lead for Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich over incumbent Ted Stevens.
But maybe the coolest story of the election year was reported last night.
After 41,000 absentee and early votes were counted yesterday Begich took the lead over Stevens through the first 250,000 votes.
That lead,, was 3 votes!!
Not 300, 3000, but 3 votes.
We often think that our votes don't matter, but for one news cycle, until the 814 vote spread hit this morning,, we saw how much our votes really do count.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
17People Predictions Breakdown
After an awful year of misreading polls and making predictions that did not come true in primary after primary,,, 17people redeemed itself by nailing the Presidential election only missing two states and 6 electoral votes. 17people said Obama would get 370 electoral votes (he ended up with 364) and 53% of the vote (he ended up with 52.6%), and said he would win by 6 million votes (ok I underestimated, he won by 8.3million).
If not for overestimating the impact of the Obama ad buys in North Dakota and Montana,,, I'd be the blog being talked about instead of Nate Silvers awesome fivethirtyeight.com.
In 17people's Senate predictions it is too early to tell on my call of 60 which remains a possibility. I stupidly forgot to put the Mississippi Senate race on my battleground list, but would have given it to incumbent Republican Roger Wicker, though I would have said that it would be closer than it was.
17people correctly called easy races in Virginia, New Mexico, and Colorado. Called tougher races in North Carolina, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, and for a Republican in Kentucky. Also correctly called the runoff in Georgia which will get plenty of coverage over the next month.
As for the two other undecided races in Alaska and Minnesota.
Am genuinely surprised that Alaska is still leaning for convicted felon Ted Stevens. The polls at the end were between 10 and 22 points against Stevens, so something doesn't feel quite right in Alaska. But with 90,000 absentee and provisional ballots to be counted, maybe Alaska can redeem itself and fire Ted Stevens before the US Senate does.
As for Minnesota I wrote last Tuesday it was "the toughest race of the year in Minnesota" and the 200 vote spread with a recount coming,,, proved that out. Minnesota proved to be a state that baffles. Jesse Ventura was an eccentric, if not very bad Governor, Paul Wellstone was one of the most progressive Senators, and this year they reelected the crazy Michelle Bachman.
Perhaps only in Minnesota could Al Franken, unapologetic liberal with a career of politically damaging statements is still a possibility to become that states Senator.
Now I predicted a 33 seat gain for Democrats in the House and missed the boat on that as more endangered Republicans survived than I thought.
The Dems have picked up 20 seats in the House so far with a chance for maybe 4 more which is a big gain, just two years after winning 20+ seats. The Democrats have more than a 75 vote advantage meaning they have much more power than either party has had in some time.
After picking like Mush from "A Bronx Tale" for most of the year, 17people is relieved to have come back with a vengeance this General Election.
If not for overestimating the impact of the Obama ad buys in North Dakota and Montana,,, I'd be the blog being talked about instead of Nate Silvers awesome fivethirtyeight.com.
In 17people's Senate predictions it is too early to tell on my call of 60 which remains a possibility. I stupidly forgot to put the Mississippi Senate race on my battleground list, but would have given it to incumbent Republican Roger Wicker, though I would have said that it would be closer than it was.
17people correctly called easy races in Virginia, New Mexico, and Colorado. Called tougher races in North Carolina, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, and for a Republican in Kentucky. Also correctly called the runoff in Georgia which will get plenty of coverage over the next month.
As for the two other undecided races in Alaska and Minnesota.
Am genuinely surprised that Alaska is still leaning for convicted felon Ted Stevens. The polls at the end were between 10 and 22 points against Stevens, so something doesn't feel quite right in Alaska. But with 90,000 absentee and provisional ballots to be counted, maybe Alaska can redeem itself and fire Ted Stevens before the US Senate does.
As for Minnesota I wrote last Tuesday it was "the toughest race of the year in Minnesota" and the 200 vote spread with a recount coming,,, proved that out. Minnesota proved to be a state that baffles. Jesse Ventura was an eccentric, if not very bad Governor, Paul Wellstone was one of the most progressive Senators, and this year they reelected the crazy Michelle Bachman.
Perhaps only in Minnesota could Al Franken, unapologetic liberal with a career of politically damaging statements is still a possibility to become that states Senator.
Now I predicted a 33 seat gain for Democrats in the House and missed the boat on that as more endangered Republicans survived than I thought.
The Dems have picked up 20 seats in the House so far with a chance for maybe 4 more which is a big gain, just two years after winning 20+ seats. The Democrats have more than a 75 vote advantage meaning they have much more power than either party has had in some time.
After picking like Mush from "A Bronx Tale" for most of the year, 17people is relieved to have come back with a vengeance this General Election.
Sarah Palin?
I think that the leaks coming from the McCain campaign about Sarah Palin are disgraceful. The finger pointing and attempts by the 'senior aides' and 'unnamed sources' to tear down Sarah Palin has been baffling to me for the past three weeks, since before the election.
When I worked in politics I heard stories about many high profile people in the Democratic party,,, but to send an anonymous email to Drudge or go 'off the record' to a reporter was something you don't do. Even tell all books like All Too Human by George Stephanopoulos about the Clinton years are looks at as betrayals of your code.
This flood of attacks has to be behind the decision by Palin and her team to overdo the talk show circuit this week.
When Bill Clinton was on Larry King, Letterman, The Daily Show, etc, he was on to talk about his Global Initiative. If you turned on any of them you would have heard almost the same thing and he got his message across clearly. Palin in her first two interviews has been all over the place in her answers to questions, which leads me to believe she's winging it and that means she has no recipe for success.
Let's be honest if we saw one thing in the campaign,,, Sarah Palin is at her weakest when she is on the spot talking a wide arrange issues with a tough interviewer.
While Van Susteren is a friendly lead off, the follow up interviewers are not going to be cupcakes. Even Larry King has been hard on Palin. Watch her past interviews,,, she has a hard time delivering a consistent message, and the more she talks on issues that she doesn't know, the more trouble she gets herself into.
Her best impromptu performance was at the debate which was still tough to watch, but she didn't have follow up questions like she will this week.
Instead of taking some time to develop a clear message or game plan to roll herself out post campaign, Palin is heading out blind. Watch this clip and ignore the guy mocking Sarah Palin afterwards.
The one question that Palin will be asked in every interview is if she will run for President in 2012. The answer she gave in the answer above showed she wasn't even ready to answer that question which is unbelievable to me.
There are many mistakes that we make in our professional lives. Celebrities have a tendency to fall into the trap of overexposure, Politicians often suffer when they lack a consistent message, and in everyday jobs or in school we all know how awful it is to be unprepared is.
Sarah Palin can answer D to the mistakes above,, as in 'all of the above' in her post election roll out.
She may come out of this week with better numbers than she had before, but her early interviews are going to do what her Gibson and Couric interviews did during the campaign. Inspire the Right Wing to like her and the rest of the country to roll their eyes at her.
When I worked in politics I heard stories about many high profile people in the Democratic party,,, but to send an anonymous email to Drudge or go 'off the record' to a reporter was something you don't do. Even tell all books like All Too Human by George Stephanopoulos about the Clinton years are looks at as betrayals of your code.
This flood of attacks has to be behind the decision by Palin and her team to overdo the talk show circuit this week.
- Monday Night she had an interview with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News
- Tuesday Morning she was on the Today Show with Matt Lauer in Alaska
- Today she'll be in The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
- Tonight she will be on Larry King.
When Bill Clinton was on Larry King, Letterman, The Daily Show, etc, he was on to talk about his Global Initiative. If you turned on any of them you would have heard almost the same thing and he got his message across clearly. Palin in her first two interviews has been all over the place in her answers to questions, which leads me to believe she's winging it and that means she has no recipe for success.
Let's be honest if we saw one thing in the campaign,,, Sarah Palin is at her weakest when she is on the spot talking a wide arrange issues with a tough interviewer.
While Van Susteren is a friendly lead off, the follow up interviewers are not going to be cupcakes. Even Larry King has been hard on Palin. Watch her past interviews,,, she has a hard time delivering a consistent message, and the more she talks on issues that she doesn't know, the more trouble she gets herself into.
Her best impromptu performance was at the debate which was still tough to watch, but she didn't have follow up questions like she will this week.
Instead of taking some time to develop a clear message or game plan to roll herself out post campaign, Palin is heading out blind. Watch this clip and ignore the guy mocking Sarah Palin afterwards.
The one question that Palin will be asked in every interview is if she will run for President in 2012. The answer she gave in the answer above showed she wasn't even ready to answer that question which is unbelievable to me.
There are many mistakes that we make in our professional lives. Celebrities have a tendency to fall into the trap of overexposure, Politicians often suffer when they lack a consistent message, and in everyday jobs or in school we all know how awful it is to be unprepared is.
Sarah Palin can answer D to the mistakes above,, as in 'all of the above' in her post election roll out.
She may come out of this week with better numbers than she had before, but her early interviews are going to do what her Gibson and Couric interviews did during the campaign. Inspire the Right Wing to like her and the rest of the country to roll their eyes at her.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
One Week Later
So after attending the historic Obama Election Night Rally in Grant Park I went into a bit of a writing and personal funk. I started article after article and then one of two things happened. I read something that was exactly as I was writing, or more to the point I hated my writing.
I also asked that awful question.... what if I still worked in politics?
The three regular readers of this blog know these funks come upon me every eight weeks or so and this one could not have come at a worse time for a political blog. To hit a spell of writers depression right after an election that you have been obsessing about for over a year?
Awful timing.
That said 17people will be coming back with a new style of shorter and more frequent links and posts to follow the transition of power and the stories of the Congress.
Yet I can't go forward without writing about the experience and feelings at Grant Park and in Chicago last Tuesday night.
How many ways can you say something was amazing or historic? The rally on Tuesday was a high that is almost impossible to quantify in any appropriate way.
Grant Park and the streams of people flooding the streets of Chicago afterwards was like nothing I have ever seen or can imagine ever seeing again.
The moments and experiences were many for me:
- Taking pictures with strangers in the L station because of wearing a 'Yes We Can' shirt
- The explosion of cheering in Bar Louie when MSNBC projected Pennsylvania for Obama
- The buzz in line to get in the rally when news of Ohio hit
- The eruption of the crowd when Virginia was called for Obama once we were in the rally
- The boos when states were called for McCain (Like people expected Louisiana to go to Obama? lol)
- The sheer joy and jubilation of men and women of so many backgrounds with tears coming down their faces (myself included) upon hearing CNN project Barack Obama President
- The respect shown and continued tears during the incredibly gracious and 'Patriotic' speech of John McCain
- Then the image of our next President delivering yet another amazing piece of oratory.
- The incredible pride and feeling of walking down the middle of the Magnificent Mile in Chicago seeing the vast array of people celebrating a political victory.
There were two things that really hit me.
First, this wasn't a city celebrating a Super Bowl or an NBA Championship. This was people celebrating a political victory. What was more amazing was that it was not just Chicago,, it was many places all over the country. We looked like a country celebrating a revolution or freedom, more than a new President.
The second thing is more personal to me and I would guess many others who have been battled on the ground across the country for the past 8+ years.
A sense of vindication.
Not just because of Obama won, but because the country reaffirmed its vote in the midterm elections two years ago. The voters rather convincingly denounced the eight years of President Bush, neo-conservatism, and most importantly did it at the voting booth and not just in 'opinion polls'.
Too many forget that questioning President Bush wasn't always easy and certainly not as popular as it has been the past 3 years.
For many of us, for quite a few years, dissent from this President on things like tax cuts, the Patriot Act, out of control spending, the Iraq War, etc. was denounced as 'Anti-American' and in some circles labeled even worse.
It felt as though in 2000, 2002, and 2004 no matter how 'right' we may have been or thought we were on issues,,, the Bush-Rove operation kicked our ass in elections.
Having good candidates, or a vision for the country doesn't work if you don't control any aspects of the government. At some point,,, you have to win,, and as a Democrat and Cubs fan,, it was a nice feeling to finally win one.
It started in 2006 when the country saw through the myth that was 'Compassionate Conservatism' and the evidence we have today is a 57+ seats in the Senate, 258+ seats in the House of Representatives, and a progressive Northerner from Chicago in the White House.
Democracy in this country works and if the Democrats can't lead the country in the years to come,, then democracy will fire them in the near future.
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