Reinventing the Rules

"Those who keep talking as if there are two sides to this, when there are not, are as much a part of the vandalism as Ted Cruz. Obama has played punctiliously by the constitutional rules – two elections, one court case – while the GOP has decided that the rules are for dummies and suckers, and throws over the board game as soon as it looks as if it is going to lose by the rules as they have always applied." - Andrew Sullivan

I wish I had better thoughts about the GOP than Sullivan's, but I don't. What can you say about the House Republicans who have committed to shutting down the whole game because they don't approve of a new rule? It's embarrassing for them and the shutdown as a whole is embarrassing for the entire US government. 

Like every law, the ACA can be debated, tweaked, assessed, and changed as truths come to light during the rollout and impact of the law. So why doesn't the Republican party make this their focus? Instead they claim democrats are not willing to negotiate on the issue. But this assumes negotiation should take place on this issue at this point in time. On his show last night, Jon Stewart rightly pointed out that the debate over this was already held. There is no gap to bridge. Stewart further mocked the ridiculous talking point on the right that Obama should be as flexible with the opposition party as he is with the Russians and Iranians. If Obama can make a deal with the Russians and be heading toward something/anything resembling a peaceful resolution/way forward with Iran, but can't seem to move forward with House Republicans, then it does not reflect poorly on him, but on the GOP. 

I would love for the GOP to develop some sort of constructive criticism of the ACA, which they find so abhorrent, but that criticism does not exist. There is only vague reference to a law and how it spells doom for the economy, the US government, and the American way of life, but without providing any proof of the latter even happening or the two being connected. 

Some Syria Links

I just posted at IR From Afar about the Syrian situation. I share several helpful links about the most recent developments and I conclude with some thoughts of my own about Obama's desire to strike Syria, a move I strongly disagree with. 

Check it out. 

Movie Review - Game Change

Regardless of one’s political orientation, I think it wise to cautiously approach movies that explicitly focus on a political figure. To treat with a grain of salt the things you hear and see in these movies, even if they are supposedly based on actual events, is a good start. There, that was my preface for the review of Game Change (2012) based on the nonfiction book of the same name written by Heilemann and Halperin.

Game Change was produced by and aired on HBO. Although the book spends more time on the other players in the 2008 campaign, the movie primarily focuses on the decision by the McCain campaign to select Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate.

What struck me first, considering that Hollywood is solidly on the left of the political spectrum, is that the movie gives McCain and those in his inner circle a very fair shake considering the recklessness of their decision. McCain is portrayed as a very amicable man, one who early on recognizes that Palin wasn’t the best choice and a man who does his best to make her feel comfortable in the national media spotlight and on the campaign trail. From what I read in 2008 and since then, this portrayal of McCain and his team seems accurate. There were clearly some people who were skeptical of the Palin pick for several reasons. One, she was essentially a small-town politician, drastically unprepared for the demands of a national campaign. Two, the typical vetting process for a VP pick is 4-8 weeks. In order to pick Palin, she had to be vetted in 4-5 days, increasing the chances that after the selection something harmful about Palin would be unearthed and irreparably damage McCain’s chances. And three, when compared to other VP choices (Pawlenty and Lieberman) Palin did not have the national recognition that could instantly garner new support and subsequent donations.

When Palin was brought on board things soured very quickly. (Also accurate to what I have read.) The movie portrayed this very well, showing concern on the faces of aides one moment and then showing them high-fiving each other in the aftermath of Palin’s RNC speech and her debate against Joe Biden. Despite the fact that Palin memorized her debate answers, line by line, McCain’s campaign rejoiced because the debate was not the disaster of epic proportions that they fully and rightly expected. However, other than these two highlights, Palin proved to be power-hungry, ignorant, narcissistic, and amazingly childish at every opportunity. I had read that at one point Palin listed Africa as a country. This particular hiccup wasn’t in the movie, but other infamous ones were, like her inability to distinguish the reasons behind the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan or her foreign policy advisors having to explain to her who the Axis powers were in WWII. Needless to say, the McCain staff quickly realized the gravity of the situation and either gave up completely or pushed on, leading to the ridiculous step taken to prevent a disaster in the VP debate, have Palin memorize 25 responses.

What I didn’t expect to feel during the movie was sorry for Palin, but I did. She was so obviously out of her league, despite her amazing acting ability and last minute heroics on a few occasions. At one point, Steve Schmidt, McCain’s top advisor (played by Woody Harrelson) turns to Palin and says, “You seem completely un-phased by all of this.” Palin (played flawlessly by Julianne Moore) turns to Schmidt, pauses, and says, “It’s God’s plan.” I do not know the accuracy of this specific conversation, but it perfectly sums up Palin’s attitude, as if she deserved the nomination, as if she was expecting it. It is deeply disturbing. So, on one hand, I feel sorry for Palin that she was way out of her element, but on the other hand, she did this to herself by embracing radical delusions of grandeur.

The movie very accurately portrays Palin as the element behind the radicalization of McCain’s campaign and of his supporters. It was Palin’s idea to bring up William Ayers and casually suggest that Obama liked to pal around with terrorists. McCain, having went through one of the low-points in American politics during the 2000 Republican primary contest against Bush, in which McCain was accused of fathering a black child out of wedlock when in actuality the McCains adopted their daughter from Bangladesh, strongly resisted dirty attacks from the campaign on Obama’s connection with Ayers and Rev. Wright. Eventually, McCain conceded, letting Palin loose on Ayers and from that point on in the campaign we really did see the nutters come out of the woodwork. They were drawn to Palin because she showed them that someone with her viewpoint could once again make it in America. She made the far, far right feel like they had a chance.

The video below is from a McCain rally. During this rally, McCain had to confront some of these nutters who were clearly energized by Palin’s ridiculous accusations and racist undertones. It was certainly a low point in the 2008 campaign and McCain had to address childish statements from adults. It was embarrassing for his campaign at the time, but he handled the situation gracefully.

Although Palin has largely disappeared from daily headlines, I think the radicalization of the right is still partially fueled by her brief time in the national spotlight. I think Game Change subtly suggests that Palin is one of a few select people responsible for this. I will get a bit repetitive here, but I did think that the movie was very fair to McCain and his campaign. Choosing Palin was a huge unforced error of the 2008 campaign, one that scared me and angered me, but now, in hindsight, one that I can sit back and laugh about. 

Election Eve 2012

I have really missed being able to blog about this election season. The other day I looked back at how many blogs I was writing in 2008. It was a lot. On average 28-33 blogs per month leading up to and during the month of the election. 

I just went back and looked at my election live-blogging from 2008. I don't think I will be doing the same tomorrow, as I don't have the kind of audience that I did four years ago. Nor do I think I'll have much to say, but we'll see about that. 

I haven't read the live-blog from 2008 since, well, November of 2008, so there were definitely things I forgot about. Like this:

7:15pm - A CNN correspondent at the McCain celebration in Arizona says, "It is a much different mood here." Yeah, like a funeral. 

8:23pm - MSNBC calling Ohio for Obama. Self-protective denial is wearing very, very thin. And with that, Josh Marshall isn't live blogging anymore. He is "F--k Ya Blogging". Priceless. 

8:59pm - Via TPM, the Rocky Mountain News calling Colorado for Obama. [Remember the Rocky Mountain News?] 

9:23pm - The shots of Grant Park are extraordinary. I'm a little nervous about such a huge celebration. I hope people are smart and safe. I hope Obama is safe. Meanwhile in Arizona, it looks like a singalong for McCain fans. 

9:50pm - Fox calls Virginia for Obama. 10 minutes out from calling the whole race? Possibly. Tap the keg. Sullivan writes, "You drinking yet? Stupid question." 

10:00pm - Called it for OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA! I can't believe Americans just did that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11:19pm - I've said all I can say at this point. What a night. What a night. All is not wasted. Goodnight.

I think what's clear about the election this year, is that we probably won't have the race called by 9pm Mountain Time, like it was in 2008. I have a busy day on Wednesday so I am not prepared to stay up very late tomorrow. I might have to call it quits at midnight if nothing has been called by then. But, if Obama would somehow manage to win Florida and Virginia or Florida and N.C., the race could easily be called by 9pm. However, that's extremely unlikely to happen. Even if Obama manages a victory in Florida, it'll be too close to call tomorrow. At least that's my view. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful for a called race sometime tomorrow evening. I still think this is a possibility because of Obama's appearing to hold on to Ohio, PA, N.H., Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and maybe Virginia. If his margin of victory is great enough in those states for them to be called blue tomorrow night, then Obama will get his four more years. 

To me, the choice couldn't be clearer tomorrow. If you paid attention from 2001-2008, what makes you think returning to those policies is a good idea? That's what a Romney presidency is, a return to the past. The economy was in free fall when Obama took over. We were losing approximately 750,000 jobs a month at the time Obama moved into the White House. It took him some time, but he started to reverse that trend and he still is. It's a slow recovery and I understand some of the frustration out there. But I don't understand American impatience with the recovery. This impatience signals to me that these people never grasped the severity of the economic crisis. I generally don't understand American impatience with nearly everything anyways, but when it comes to the idea of just returning to the same old policies because four years of different policies haven't dug the country out of the deepest economic abyss it has seen since the 1930s is preposterous. This is to say nothing of Obama's other accomplishments like the Affordable Care Act (which actually does insure 30 million people who otherwise wouldn't have health insurance and who won't if Romney is elected and successfully repeals ACA, don't believe me? look it up), ending our atrocious, misguided war in Iraq, and concentrating on the only one that mattered and putting it to an end in Afghanistan, and killing Osama Bin Laden (something Bush had lost sight of ever since his obsession with Iraq truly took ahold of him in the wake of 9/11). 

I have never believed in a President who is going to solve all of your problems. No such President exists. And I think too much of America doesn't know that, which is certainly a contributing factor to the impatience I referenced above. However, I truly believe that there is an honest, caring man in Obama who cares for the greatest number of Americans, far more than Romney does. And because of this I am not choosing the lesser of two evils. 

I voted early last Friday for the man who has expressed deep and passionate concern for working-class Americans and their plight, who actually has the guts to ask for a tax increase for the very wealthiest in the country. If I was in that "wealthiest" category I would gladly accept the tax increase, but I'm not, and I don't feel bad for anyone in that tax bracket who would be asked to pay 3-4% more. 

I still believe in Obama. I don't believe a vote for Obama means a vote against America, but that's exactly the meme that the Right has pushed over the last two years of campaigning. This idea that America is becoming un-American, that our opportunities are slipping through our fingers, and that Romney represents the "true" American spirit is simply vacuous. 

I am hopeful for tomorrow and I believe there is clearly a right and a wrong choice on the ballot. I hope America makes the right one.

Midterms

This is my push, my one political blog before the midterm vote next week. This is where I stand. I voted for Obama, a human, not the second-coming of Jesus, so getting crap done takes a long time and given the problems the country faces now his presidency is one of the hardest in decades. He is doing his best and I believe it is much too early to see if his best is good enough for what America needs. I believe the rising tide of fear in this country is a cyclical event pushed on us by the party not in power and by the media. But I also believe the opposition has gone over the edge with claims of socialism and comparisons of Obama to Hitler. I think if Obama’s 2008 supporters go out there next Tuesday and vote for a Republican, they are voting in fear and they will be fueling a machine which runs on myth and superstition, a machine which is led by Glenn Beck, who hasn’t completed one college-level course in anything, and Sarah Palin. To so soon hand the reins of power back to the Republicans would be a huge mistake. Think about it. Agree or Disagree. Just be patient and sane and go vote in one week.

Like I said, I voted for Barack Obama in 2008. I was part of that liberal tide that swept across America in the wake of eight Bush years. But I was not under a magical spell when I worked for the campaign, nor was I when I voted for the man in November. I voted for a young, relatively inexperienced politician, but I also voted for a Constitutional Law professor, a man with a top-notch education, which a disturbing portion of America believes makes a man disconnected and out of touch with the “real” America. I thought then—and I still do—that a president with an Ivy League education isn’t a bad idea, but a good one. Some say his education classifies him as an elitist. Good.

I was wary of lavishing too much praise on candidate Obama when I was working for him. And now I am wary of agreeing with every one of his policies just because I voted for him. I don’t agree with some things he has done. Frankly, he hasn’t been as liberal as candidate Obama, almost kowtowing to the Republicans at times. I want him to be tougher and show off the intelligence I know he has. It reminds me of the debates with Hillary and the other Democratic candidates running in the primaries. Obama’s levelheadedness was agonizing at times in the face of ridiculous criticisms he faced about his friendship with Reverend Wright and his connection with William Ayers. I wanted Obama just to lash out once and put these absurd people in their place, both in the media and in the party. But it never happened.

I eventually really appreciated that about candidate Obama, but I am having a hard time appreciating that about President Obama. By voting for Obama I gave him a personal mandate to run the country the way candidate Obama wanted to run the country. Really close Gitmo, don’t just try once, hit a roadblock and give up. Really end the wars in the Middle East…don’t get bogged down in Afghanistan, much more of an endless war than Iraq ever was. Really end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, not just keep promising it will end on your watch. Really restore sanity and an America I can be openly proud of when I am not in America. Don’t let the people across the aisle get you down, not tiptoe around an issue until it is too late for it to be resolved the way candidate Obama promised it would be.

But do not mistake me for someone who regrets voting for Obama. Not. Even. Close. At times, as explained above, I am impatient with the progress, but then I see someone from the Tea Party on TV or I read the signs pictured at right-wing rallies and I realize I am very, very patient and comfortingly sane. For now, the Democrats deserve to keep their hold on the House and the Senate. Obama hasn’t been in power for two years yet. How would he have solved the greatest recession since the Great Depression in 22 months? Americans need a heavy dose of patience and sanity. Give the man two more years and see what happens. Hell, we gave Bush eight years, we can afford to give Obama and his squad half that much.

The Mystery that is...

I can't mention her name on this blog, but this Vanity Fair profile of a famous, Alaskan woman, is a good read. Money quote:

What does it say about the nature of modern American politics that a public official who often seems proud of what she does not know is not only accepted but applauded? What does her prominence say about the importance of having (or lacking) a record of achievement in public life? Why did so many skilled veterans of the Republican Party—long regarded as the more adroit team in presidential politics—keep loyally working for her election even after they privately realized she was casual about the truth and totally unfit for the vice-presidency? Perhaps most painful, how could John McCain, one of the cagiest survivors in contemporary politics—with a fine appreciation of life’s injustices and absurdities, a love for the sweep of history, and an overdeveloped sense of his own integrity and honor—ever have picked a person whose utter shortage of qualification for her proposed job all but disqualified him for his?

Cheney Schmeney

Why should we care what Cheney thinks about the way the president is running the country? The media are sort of drooling over this guy right now like he was some sort of success over the last eight years. Correct me if I am wrong, honestly, but I’m pretty sure most everything about the United States has gone to hell in the last eight years. Cheney manipulated Bush like a puppet and, in turn, the American people.

I’m pretty sure a majority of Americans feel the same way. Oh wait, yep. I am sure about that one. See November 4^th.  Enough with Cheney. How can anyone determine the efficacy of an administration’s policies in roughly 100 days? And if one were so bold, what honorable decision by the previous administration qualifies them for a commentary at this point?

And Sullivan always has the coolest videos. This one of some bike stunts around Edinburgh. Amazing!

The Moron Effect

"She was our best fundraiser and organizer in the fall," - David Plouffe on the farce of Sarah Palin.

Amen.

Hat tip: Sullivan.

Holding History

Woke up at 5:45 this morning and headed out to get one of these. There were three left. I took two. It was a beautiful morning.

The 44th

11:39am - There are millions on the National Mall today cheering for change, cheering for history, and cheering for hope. Pretty sweet to see.

11:40am – First shot of Obama walking toward the door. I have never seen him look so serious. He looks solemn, but I guess he is just trying to change his countenance, trying to take in this moment, which is huge for many people, but impossible for us to imagine what it is like for him.

11:44am – Barack H. Obama introduced as the President-Elect. Start the crazy cheers and flag-waving.

11:51am – Rick Warren is rocking this prayer.

11:57am – 3 minutes away from the Oath of Office. On schedule.

11:58am – We have a new veep. The handicapped Wyoming Cowboy is out. Peace, Dick.

12:00pm – Does Star Wars really have to intrude on every moment in history? Of course it does, music composed by yours truly, John Williams. Sweet piece of music.

12:05pm – Here comes a black President of the United States of America. Wow, a little nervous. Jumping all over the place. Good Lord. Can’t blame the man. Update: Apparently the Chief Justice John Roberts made more errors in the oath than the President. Roberts chose to do the oath from memory and upon watching the moment a few more times it is evident that he forgot several words and his timing did seem off.

12:09pm - A 27 year-old crafted much of this speech, he is President Obama's main speechwriter. I'm glad to see Obama is getting these words out better than he did the oath. I cringed a couple of times during that.

12:38pm - That benediction was hilarious at the end, but appropriate. Lots of the blogs are saying Lowery stole the show with that prayer. Well, most of the pomp and circumstance is over, but something else has just begun. I am hopeful.

As Seen on TV

Over lunch--some leftovers from P.F. Chang’s--I turned to MSNBC, knowing that they would be following Obama around, even if he were going to the bathroom. Sure enough, there was Obama greeting volunteers at a D.C. school, shaking hands and chatting for a couple of seconds with everyone in the room. Out of nowhere, comes this staffer that I met in Wisconsin. He was based in Chicago during the campaign and is close with the Obamas. He shakes Obama’s hand, talks for a little bit, hugs Michelle, and talks with her some, and then the Obamas move on. Clearly visible under his sport coat was a Wisconsin for Obama t-shirt. It was a little moment of pride for me and it was weird to actually recognize someone on TV greeting the future president.

Terribly excited for tomorrow.

2008 in Covers

I was a little bored this afternoon so I took a years worth of Newsweek and Time magazines and covered the living room floor with them. It was carpeted history, and it wouldn't make for a bad bar top. The magazines took up so much room that without a wide angle it was impossible to get all of them in one shot, but my Olympus seemed up to the task and these are some of my favorites.

Our current president was on one cover. Our president-elect was on at least ten covers. McCain was also on many covers.

During a six week period, Palin was on four of the covers. Thanks for the nightmares, Newsweek.

Time's person of the year cover is iconic, but I still prefer the original of that image, copied onto campaign chum for all to gobble up. I was able to come away with a 4x6 sticker that will never be used.

Amazing Photos

...at the Boston Globe. This one: US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama is welcomed by his wife Michelle and daughters Malia, 11 and Sasha, 7, upon landing in Pueblo, Colorado, on November 01, 2008. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Thanks, TPM.

Pictures from the 4th of November

Weekend Illustration

Mull that one over.

Illustration by Patrick Moberg

Two Links

First: Joe Klein's latest over at Time. Summarizing his view of this revolution. 

Second: Africa is a continent. NAFTA = Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. Here is the link. 

Okay, I guess four. Here, a collection of front page newspapers from the country. From the world.

A Great Night In America

Just basking in history today. That feels nice, doesn't it? 

Election Night Blogging

7pm - Pretty shocked that two networks have already called Pennsylvania for Obama. That is not a good sign for McCain and a very good sign for Obama. If Virginia goes to Obama, it is all over! Goodnight. The fat lady has sung. 

7:15pm - A CNN correspondent at the McCain celebration in Arizona says, "It is a much different mood here." Yeah, like a funeral.

7:25pm - It is going to be a long night. I'll be up. Feel free to call me. I've cracked open a Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. 

7:33pm - Breaking News, and only breaking here on this blog. McCain wins Wyoming. And things don't look good for an Obama victory in Virginia. Darn.

7:38pm - Voting is so incredibly easy in 48 states. What is with the people in Florida and Ohio?

7:48pm - I have TPM, Sullivan, The Guardian, and CNN up on the Internets and I am watching MSNBC. I am the best political team in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Sullivan says his "self-protective denial" might be breaking down. Mine isn't...yet. You will know when it does. I just shivered. I've got goosebumps. And Kate, poor Kate, she can't wait until this is all over. Although, she is much closer to being a political junky than she was 20 months ago when all this madness started.

8:05pm - Wisconsin for Obama. I'll toast to that. It is a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale right now.

8:18pm - Fox News calling Ohio for Obama. Big.

8:23pm - MSNBC calling Ohio for Obama. Self-protective denial is wearing very, very thin. And with that, Josh Marshall isn't live blogging anymore. He is "F--k Ya Blogging". Priceless.

8:31pm - New Mexico gets flipped, MSNBC calling it for Obama. Some spontaneous combustion going on on TV right now. The pundits are giddy at the possibility of a landslide. Huge crowds at Grant Park. Haven't had a shot of McCain's party for a while. 

8:43pm - Making me proud. From the NY Times front page map, Boulder County, Colorado. 21% in and 75% for Obama. Booyah. Milwaukee County with 1% in is 64% for Obama. The map at the NY Times is good and fast. Check it out.

8:50pm - Is the anticipation gone? Has Obama won already? If the calls are correct so far, how could McCain win?

8:59pm - Via TPM, the Rocky Mountain News calling Colorado for Obama. Well done, brethren. MSNBC just called Iowa for Obama. Zing. TOO CLOSE TO CALL IN MONTANA? Ultimately, I think it will go for McCain, but dang ole' shoot.

9:16pm - Imagine what it is like to lose an election. I don't know how people get over it. I don't know if I would. Uff da. 

9:23pm - The shots of Grant Park are extraordinary. I'm a little nervous about such a huge celebration. I hope people are smart and safe. I hope Obama is safe. Meanwhile in Arizona, it looks like a singalong for McCain fans.

9:39pm - Obama wins Albany County. Folks, Albany County is in Wyoming, home to the University of Wyoming. I don't see why the networks won't call the entire race for Obama once Florida, N.C., and Virginia have clear winners.

9:50pm - Fox calls Virginia for Obama. 10 minutes out from calling the whole race? Possibly. Tap the keg. Sullivan writes, "You drinking yet? Stupid question."

10:00pm - Called it for OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA! I can't believe Americans just did that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10:18pm - Never a Jesse Jackson fan, but even on television his tears look legit. Oh, here comes McCain's concession. And seconds into his speech his supporters boo Obama. Seriously? Get out.

10:22pm - McCain getting very choked up during this good speech. Seriously, he sounded like he was on the verge of busting into a sob.

10:25pm - I know losing is tough. I can only imagine what McCain must feel. I feel sort of bad for him, but I need to emphasize, I don't feel bad for Palin. More boos, really? Who are these people?

10:52pm - I've had a long day. I want to go to bed, but will not budge from this machine and the television until I see the 44th!

10:57pm - The next first family. I see Obama, and I hear Schwarzenegger from Terminator 2, "I need a vacation."

11:12pm - No surprise here. Beautiful words from Obama, but what a night in Chicago. The crowd. The weather (not any different than Milwaukee today). It is still 59 degrees outside at this hour. 

11:19pm - I've said all I can say at this point. What a night. What a night. All is not wasted. Goodnight.

All in for Obama

I am a very competitive person. I want to win at everything I do. I want to be great at everything I do. When I find out I haven’t won and when I find out I am not good at something I usually don’t take it lightly. It not only affects my mood, but my being. I am molded by successes and failures as we all are on some level.

On this day, I want to be right. I want Obama to win today. I want Obama to be a great president. I want peoples’ worries to be quelled. I want to prove people wrong and show them that Obama does have the judgment necessary to lead this country. At a very primal level, I want Obama to affirm my pride. I am prideful in a lot of what I do, only natural for many of us. Today, filling in that arrow that points to Barack Obama/Joe Biden, I wanted to be right.

I think we all want to be right today, but there is no telling the right pick. It is impossible to say this person is going to be the best president for the future of this country. No one knows what the next leader of this country will face. But I know today, he is the best pick. He is the best pick for today, and I feel I am winning by voting for him. I feel America is winning by voting for him.

I want to feel the same way tonight, tomorrow and two years from now. No one knows if I will, but that’s the gamble. We are all betting today. 

Donald Miller's Endorsement

I just voted at 9:30am (CST) and there was one person ahead of me, but a constant stream of voters in a very suburban community. Most people in Oak Creek are definitely at work during this hour, so the rush will start at 4pm and probably go up to poll closing time at 8pm.

The district I am in is traditionally right leaning. Obama didn’t win the Democratic primary here. Hillary was the victor, but I think there might be a chance of an Obama victory in this, one of the southern most districts in Milwaukee County. Without a doubt though, Milwaukee will go overwhelmingly for Obama.

I link to another endorsement of Barack Obama. This one comes to us from the Northwest, from Donald Miller. I have copied a couple of standout paragraphs below. Read the whole thing here if you haven’t done so already.

“Last year I vowed I wouldn’t make decisions out of fear. And because of that I’ve had one of the greatest years of my life. I went to Uganda and got to meet with the man who helped write their constitution. I wrapped up an evangelism project I believe will introduce more than a million people to the gospel. I rode my bike across America. All of this stuff took some degree of risk. But when calculating those risks, I realized the only reason not to try was fear. What if I was wrong, what if I couldn’t make it, what if the project didn’t work? But none of my heroes are controlled by fear. The commandment most often repeated in scripture, in fact, is “do not fear.” Fear is often something unrighteous trying to keep you from doing something good.

…

I voted for Barack Obama (we vote early in Oregon) because I think he is right on healthcare (his plan will allow 27 million more Americans, including young, pregnant mothers to be cared for) and he is right on responsible fatherhood. I voted for Barack Obama because he will keep George W. Bush’ Faith-based Partnerships Program in play, only increasing it’s funding. I voted for Barack Obama because he has the respect of world leaders, which will be necessary to deliberate an American agenda around the world, and I voted for Barack Obama because he had the judgment to oppose the war in Iraq. I’ve taken some blows from the conservative right on my stance, but, even in public debate against McCain representatives, have not been deterred. I will not be guilted, shamed or controlled. I am not going to vote for one candidate because I have been made to fear the other. I support Barack Obama because he has beat back the dark hour of cynicism and irrational fear, and provided hope to a country closing in on itself. I believe there are great days ahead.”