Today We Are All Hobbits

God Bless America

For Frodo

Hope

Lord Of The Votes

Election Day

Barack Obama For President

Because the past eight years have been a disaster. A party that has become defensive, reactionary and far too instinctual has taken over the White House and imposed a combination of neo-con think-tank fundamentalist zealotry on our nation and world. The anti-intellectualism personified by George Bush and his beltway AM radio elite will be continued on in the policies of John McCain and especially Sarah Palin, whom I already predicted would be the downfall of the GOP. It’s surreal for me to watch her in action and think that McCain has a wise, calm judgement in picking this extremist ideologue who preaches a subtle bigotry and division, along with her spectacular lack of curiousity. Although McCain is indeed probably the most “liberal” Republican out there and I like him personally, his hothead rage, manifest in the first debate when he refused to look at Obama, is just what America does not need in this volatile world. And in the end, he’s content to let the “free market” work its magic even as Alan Greenspan Shrugged and Wall Street became Socialist Alley.

In the end, Barack Obama is just a politician. But he has a keen, empathetic mind, and a worldly point of view. With his diverse cultural background, he represents the ultimate distillation of the American experiment. Despite the silly claims that he represents some kind of radical background, what people have responded to in Obama is his calm optimism and genuine ability to reach across the aisle. There’s no doubt he would be a much cooler force in a crisis and he would also have the counsel of many wise folk, left, right or independent. Joe Biden proved to be a safe smart choice for VP, and despite his propensity for gaffes, he knows his stuff and he complements Obama well; they seem to have a genuine connection. Better still, Biden will not be Dick Cheney Redux. Biden’s line, “Dick Cheney is the most dangerous vice-president in history,” at his debate sealed the deal for me. We need politicians who understand the constitutional limitations of their office.

I’ve never in my lifetime seen such public support for a politician like Barack Obama. I am rarely swayed by the din of the madding crowd, but 100,000 people gathered hopefully to see one man must mean something. I do believe Obama is appealing to “our better angels” and the GOP Shit Machine has been so clogged up that even Joe Sixpack The Plumber can’t plunge its excess. This is what happens when politicians actually let Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Matt Drudge dictate policy; the endless chants of AyersACORNWrightSocialistMuslimAnti-American failed to penetrate despite the hysterical cries of the AM Radio Righties. That can only bode well for our collective intelligence.

Obama is offering a new direction, and though I’m skeptical of any political promises, the country desperately needs change, and a hard brake to the failed policies of the GOP. And yes, I think it’s important to show the world that America has transcended its slavery roots; a new generation of my nieces and nephews will help erase another swath of racism and bigotry from our consciousness.

As opposed to 2004, I feel cool and calm tonight, cautiously optimistic that by November 5, America will have elected Barack Obama as President of the United States in a historical landslide.

Or I’ll see you in Amsterdam.

If McCain Wins…Meet El Presidente

A cautionary from Duran Duran, who know.

A Final Message From Space

God Save America

A typical, well-constructed conservative prayer observation today from Townhall.com:

God Bless America… …The fervent prayer of the day is, God, please deliver us from the tyrannical lefties poised to take over this beautiful country. Their own minion, JamesB, above threatens us in his own words. Surely, we WILL PAY!

God, most of the people in this country do not know how totalitarian minded communists take over a country and convert it to their own ends. Their ways have faded in history, please don’t let it come to this great land!

NObama! No communism! Nohow!

NO ON 8

Because why should only straight people have to deal with marriage? I keed. But not about this. My friend Todd Shotz produced these ads to help the cause. Seriously, it’s time to evolve.

The Shape Of Things To Come

Homer Votes Obama

Adios King Of The Hill

My favorite TV series has been put out to the pasture. Mike Judge’s KING OF THE HILL, which premiered in 1997 when Bill Clinton was president and I was living large in Texas, had a terrific ten year run. The show had a resonance on me since I too was exploring the mindscape of the state that Judge would satirize with affection. I recall watching the episode, “Texas City Twister,” the night an actual tornado was threatening Austin and that stormy ominous night probably bonded me for life with the series. Plus, living so close to George W. Bush in Austin, I felt early on the ill-winds of political change; in 1998, I warned my friends that a simpleton faux-cowboy governor was going to be the next President. Nobody believed me. But that didn’t stop me from loving Texas or Hank Hill, I tell you what…

“Curiousity Did Not Kill This Cat.” – Studs Terkel

The single best interviewer in the history of the form is doing celestial research now. If you haven’t read Studs Terkel’s empathetic, fascinating books that cover the socio-cultural spectrum of America, do so now! He defined a gritty no-bullshit-old-school-walking-the-red-brick-streets-of-Chicago attitude and his interviews truly reflect a swath of the country, quiet, hopeful and heartbreaking.

From the AP: CHICAGO (AFP) – Studs Terkel, the Pulitzer-prize winning US author, activist and radio personality who created a vast oral history of 20th century American society, died Friday at his Chicago home, the radio station where he spent the bulk of his career said. He was 96.