Sarah Palin and Country Man

To whom exactly did Sarah Palin appeal, we sometimes wondered?

Check out the lyrics to this popular country-and-western song, "Country Man".

http://www.cmt.com/lyrics/luke-bryan/country-man/14697796/lyrics.jhtml

They pretty much tell the story of the city/country split that exists in America. Of course, it's about as real as the myth of the American cowboy, but then lots of kids still dress up as cowboys (and cowgirls) on Halloween.

Surely, We Already Have Enough

Near the end of the presidential campaign, Obama made a statement about "spreading the wealth around". McCain hopped on this right away, and accused Obama of being a socialist.

This seems to be an old battleground in American politics: Democrats favoring equality, and Republicans favoring opportunity. A Republican argument might be that we should do everything to favor entrepreneurship among our people, so that we can make the whole pie bigger; lower taxes will incentivize risk-taking; higher taxes discourage it. Democrats perhaps somewhat more concerned with how the pie gets divided up; take from the rich; give to the poor.

It occurs to me that we, at least in America, already have enough, as a nation. Do we need to make the pie bigger? For what purpose? It seems to me that our pie is big enough by now...we don't need more "stuff". What we need is to do is to work towards:

• Ensuring that it is divided more equally, so that everyone has their basic needs met (food, shelter, clothing, jobs, education, medical care).
• Changing our consumption and savings patterns so that:
• .....We spend what is needed on stuff that is essential (all of the above listed items)
• .....And spend less on stuff that is not needed (oversized cars, oversized houses, etc)
• .....And invest more on moving towards a life-style that is sustainable for us and for our planet for the long-term.

Note from the Obama phonebank

Today, a fellow volunteer on the Obama phonebank told me of this call.

She talked to a 93-year-old man, a Republican, who voted for Alf Landon in 1936 at the age of 21. He has voted for all 18 Republican presidential candidates since then...until now. He plans to vote for Obama this time!!

Disappointed Democrat

I am disappointed about the response of the Democratic congress to the current "crisis" in the financial system.

First, there have been warning signs for over a year. There has been lots of time to analyze the problem, and come up with policy recommendations in a thoughtful manner. As far as I can see, this time has been totally wasted, so that now the administration and the congress are in a panic, reactive mode. I am pessimistic about the legislation passed today. I predict that within a year, there will be a lot of these congressmen saying that they were forced to vote for it, that "if they knew then what they know now", they would have voted differently.

Second, the approach is primarily top-down. It does little to address a major underlying problem, which is the many families who are upside-down on their home mortgages, and over their heads in payments they can not meet. Why has the Democratic congress not acted to allow home mortgages to be the subject of bankruptcy court proceedings? This would force the home owners and the lenders to negotiate new terms (lower principal, lower interest rates) that would save many of these situations from foreclosure, and bolster the fabric of many neighborhoods. Why has a Democratic congress not addressed this fundamental public policy issue?

Is America Changing

A week ago, I did a couple of hours of phone bank work for Obama, calling voters in North Carolina. At the end of the shift, I was talking to another volunteer, and this is what he told me.


He was talking to a 60-year-old woman with a Greek name; thus, he can fairly assume she is white. He asked if she had decided yet. She responded enthusiatically that "she could hardly wait to vote for Obama."

The volunteer then said: "I grew up in New Orleans. When I hear an older, white, Southern woman say that she can hardly wait to vote for a black man, I know that things are changing in America."

Our Reaction to First Debate

We felt that Obama did well, held up well on all the questions and the exchanges with McCain.

However, we also felt that Obama must be more aggressive in repeating what we consider to be some of McCain's big mistakes (poor judgements): early and continuing support for an evil war in Iraq; excessive deregulation, a major contributor to the current financial situations; continuing support for tax cuts for the rich.

Did you watch? McCain did not look at Obama more than one or two times, despite repeated requests from the moderator for the two to address each other.

One of our friends thinks it is a conscious strategy by McCain's advisors to belittle Obama in the viewers' eyes.

But here is my pop-psychology diagnosis: McCain is angry that this black guy...who is taller, younger, better looking, smarter, more articulate, never served in the US armed forces, and has a lot less seniority in the Senate...is running rings around him. Thus, the scornful attitude.

Only about 5 more weeks to go, but it is an interesting race, and an interesting time.

Done

Obama as Premature President??

There has been criticism about Obama's recent trip overseas that he was being presumptuous by acting as if he was already the American president. My response: the strong, positive reception that Obama has received from many of the officials and citizens in the countries that he has recently visited is due in part to their complete disgust with the current President Bush and their longing for that day in late January when Bush will be gone. I completely agree…it can't come too soon.

Foreign Policy Experience

There has been a lot of commentary recently about Obama's perceived lack of experience in the area of foreign policy, as compared to McCain. My reactions:

• Obama has lived for a significant time in a foreign country. This gives him unique foreign policy experience that perhaps no former US president or presidential candidate has ever had before.
• Experience is just one factor, out of many, that need to be considered; some others are: courage, judgement, knowledge, humility.
• In the US Senate, approx 80% of the senators, all of whom had more conventional "foreign policy experience" than Obama, voted for the resolution that gave Bush the cover to start our war against Iraq. So much for experience. Many people have experienced a lot in their lives, and yet learned little from it.

Obama Too Honest To Win??

The following is part of a summary by NPR of a news piece they broadcast this morning:

"...........As the Pennsylvania primary approaches, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) appears to be cutting into Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) once imposing lead in the state. Polls show Obama gaining ground — even with one of Clinton's strongest groups of supporters: younger, middle-class women who are rising through the professional ranks much the way that Clinton did. ........Carolyn Coleman, a hospital administrator, says it confirmed her view that Clinton would be a better general election candidate. "I read the quote in the newspaper. My first reaction was, 'Wow.' I can't believe that he actually said it. It's so insightful, and it's accurate," she says. Then, she realized that his opponents might take Obama's comment and spin it. And that, she says, is what concerns her about Obama: his honesty in a national campaign, where the Republicans are waiting to pounce." (end of summary)

My comments:
There's not a lot left to say about the future of America when intelligent, well-educated and successful citizens decide to NOT support a candidate because he is insightful, accurate and honest. We complain that our candidates pander to us, tell us what they think we want to hear. And, then, when they ARE honest (and in this case "accurate and insightful" also), we somehow decide that makes them unelectable. Keep this up, and we'll keep getting presidents like the one we have now, who few would describe as being either accurate or insightful.

Religion and Politics

Until recently, I have been afraid of the increasing mix of religion and politics in America. Religious activism has often not been kind to Jews. And the discussion of the past decades has been dominated by religious conservatives, to the point where "values voters" were defined as being those on the right.

But now, I sense that this is changing. There is much discussion in the media of religion and politics, and I am hopeful that it will be positive and foster progressive goals. For many persons, their ideas and values that they hold, around subjects like compassion, justice and equality of all humankind, are based to a large part, in their religious faith or tradition.

And, now, we are hearing more and more from religious voices who are other than evangelical and right-wing. Obama's speech after the Rev Wright hubbub addressed his religious connections in an intelligent and honest depth, not hiding the complexity, but opening it for consideration, and treating his listeners as an intelligent audience. I am hopeful.

The Decline of America

It is becoming clearer and clearer to me that our country, the USA, is in a decline that will be major. I also suspect that this is beginning to enter the awareness of more and more Americans. Our war against Iraq goes on and on, with no end in sight. Home prices decline, and many home owners are facing foreclosure. Despite the reported growth of our economy, as measured by economists, middle class incomes are stagnant, and the poor increase. Millions lack health care, our schools lag many other industrial nations, we fail to take a leadership position on global warming and environmental protection.

Many politicians, especially Republicans, will treat this as a temporary situation, that can be reversed with some relatively minor adjustments on our part. Obama may be criticized for saying that persons are "bitter", but at least he has focused on the truth. Jobs in many areas and industries are gone, and the hope of their return is just that..only a hope, a dream. But our political system and political class are conservative to a large degree, and real change is hard to come by.

The truth of this decline will be a bitter pill for most of us to swallow. At first, most of those who suffer the least, those at the top, will be most in denial, unwilling to sacrifice their material styles of living, as they do not share the suffering of those below. Most of the pain for a while will be felt in the middle and at the bottom, just as the pain of the war is felt by only a small portion of Americans. But as the decline continues, the awareness will spread, from the bottom up. Sounds like the basis for a revolution.

Jacob's Dream of the Ladder

Thoughts from Rabbi Wolpe's Torah study class today. Genesis 28:10: Jacob's dream and the ladder. Whatever is creative and original in what I have to say please attribute to Rabbi Wolpe. I take responsibility for whatever is confusing or incorrect in what follows.

In the ancient world, people perhaps believed in angels much more than today. There may have also been a belief that angels could operate in only certain geographical areas...perhaps an angel could operate in Canaan, but not cross the border to Haran. Why are angels going up and going down the ladder? If Jacob had guardian angels, then perhaps those who had come this far with him on his journey were done, and a new shift is coming to work, to go on with him as he journeys on to Haran.

Another interpretation is that Jacob was already known as a celebrity; he had indeed inherited the blessing originally given to Abraham. His person may have already been known about in heaven. When the angels in heaven heard that he had been "sighted" at Bethel, where the dream occurs, they came down to get a look at him in person...a "celebrity sighting".

Another interpretation: the ladder, with angels going up and down, is a foretelling of Jacob's life, and indeed all our lives, which will have periods where things are going "up" for us, and periods which are "downers" for us. Sort of an ancient version of a roller coaster.

( For more on angels, see Psalms 91:11 and John 1:51 )

Too Powerful a War Machine

Senator Rockefeller was quoted recently as saying that John McCain was not in touch with the concerns of average people, and used as an example the fact that as a Navy pilot, McCain had dropped missiles without knowing who or what they hit. It is reported that Rockefeller later called McCain personally and apologized for these remarks.

It seems unfair to single out McCain or any other American service person for these events, which have happened in many wars fought by Americans. If McCain is guilty of something here, then there are thousands of others who are guilty as well, including those at the top who have authorized such tactics and paid for them with public funds.

But, this somewhat indiscriminate bombing troubles me greatly. The position that we are in, and have been in since at least WWII, is that we have the capability to bomb others and cause great death and destruction from a distance, with relatively little loss of life on our side.

This situation has been greatly heightened recently, starting at least with Vietnam, where our technological superiority, compared to the groups we are fighting, is vast. So that now, we can "call in" air strikes against real or supposed centers of enemy concentration, with very little risk to the American pilots who are flying the missions. The risk ratio is greatly in our favor; the usual result is significant loss of life to our enemies, and little or no loss of life to Americans. This kind of power is morally risky. The ultimate single example is Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Similarly, our invasion of Iraq, publicized as "shock and awe", was extremely lop-sided with respect to the power and capability of our forces versus the Iraq forces.

I wish no disrespect for Senator McCain and all the others who have fought America's wars, and the real risks and losses that they underwent, for causes which I think they generally believed in. But with a military budget which exceeds all the rest of the world's nations put together, I believe America has too much military power, and has succumbed to often to the temptations to use it, when other less violent avenues would have led to better outcomes, for all concerned.

Who Was Wrong: Senate Vote on Iraq War

Republicans constantly remind Democrats that the Senate voted to approve HR 114, which authorized the war on Iraq. This will continue thru the current election year. So far, it's all true.

But there is a difference. The vote was:

• 77 affirmative votes: 48 Republican senators, 29 Democrats
• 23 negative votes: 1 Republican, 1 independent, 21 Democrats

By my accounting:

• Republicans got it 98% wrong...almost a perfect score.
• Democrats were only 58% wrong.

Obama Speech

On Tuesday, March 18, Senator Obama gave his anticipated speech on race and religion. I heard most of it in a replay on NPR the next day.

It's hard for me to describe my reactions, but here are some:

• Finally, someone in America talks honestly and candidly about race, and his personal feelings about it. The obvious now occurs to me: at some level, white persons, and I include myself, simply can not know what it means to be black in America.
  
• I am delighted that Obama did not "disown" his pastor. What I am delighted about is that he is unwilling to sacrifice a close friend for his own political gain. He is unwilling to sacrifice someone whose overall life has had a major positive impact because of some mistakes.
  
• Obama is running at a level which is simply higher than any politician Americans have seen since (probably) Bobby Kennedy. I don't know if he will get the Democratic nomination. I don't know if he will win vs McCain in the general election. But I do know that I now have someone to support.

A Snippet of Another's Life

Last Saturday morning, I was talking my usual morning walk, when I passed a teenage girl talking on a cell phone. Her tone was irritated. I only caught one sentence, and I'm not sure which it was, if either, but it sounded like:

"Just for once, can we talk about something other than Shabbas?"

OR

"Just for once, can we talk about something other than shopping?"

Whom to Trust? Who to be in Charge?

Wednesday night, March 19, 2007, on the PBS News Hour; Judy Woodruff interviewed a cross-section of 10 Americans on their views on the Iraq War. The group seemed to be about equally divided: Republicans, independents and Democrats.

One of the group was Henry Lujan, a Nevada Republican, and a disabled vet from Iraq. I have tried to capture his first participation in the discussion, as follows. My apologies to Mr Lujan in advance if I did not transcribe his remarks fully or correctly:

"It's easy for people who have never been over there to criticize what goes on over there. The people who want us there.....my unit is right there now, boots on the ground. My 72nd, the unit that opened Abu Ghraib in 2003, they're back over there again and they're saying the people are shopping, they're out in the parks, they want us there. The thing is that, like I said before, it's easy for everyone back here to criticize what goes on over there when they actually have no clue because they're getting all their feedback from the TV or papers. The feedback I am getting from my guys over there is that the infrastructure it being built, they working on getting the military situated so that we can pull out, but I think we'll pull out when the military leaders state, not because of politicians are being pressured by the citizens because of a vote or an election or something like that."

(Mr Luhan also made more extensive remarks later in the broadcast piece.)

My reactions to this:

• I sense a distrust in the media....TV and newspapers. This alone I could sympathize if not agree with, but it goes on to express trust in the very U.S. persons who are executing the issue in question...some troops, and friends of his. I have some distrust of the media, but my distrust of our administration, from the President on down to the field commanders, is much greater. As we learned in Vietnam, when we are loosing a war, the last persons to trust to give us the full story are those in the chain of command, from bottom to top.
  
• Who should make the decisions? According to Mr Luhan, it should not be political leaders, especially those influenced by votes or an election. No, it should be the military leaders...the ones whose reputation depends on the outcome. This is "democracy" turned up side down. But George Bush would probably agree...he seems to have surrendered the decisions to General Petraeus.
  
• Thus, the war becomes self-perpetuating. Once we have gone to war, regardless how foolish or duplicitous the reasons given, we must stay in until the military decides we, the nation, have either won or had enough.
  
• In the upcoming election, the Republicans will want to focus on "going forward from here". They will avoid looking back or reviewing the run-up to the war, or the poor planning and execution since before the shooting began. We must insist that we revisit the who and the what that got us here in the first place, and who wil be in power to make the decisions going forward.
  
• My final thought for now: I am afraid that Mr Luhan's thinking about this war is representative of a large portion of the American populace. These persons will probably vote overwhelmingly for John McCain.

Cognitive Dissonance

Two things happened this week, that are causing me confusion and doubt.

1. Ralph Nader announced that he is running again for President. When asked if this might not harm the chances of the Democratic candidate (as it is widely believed it did in the close election of 2000), Nader's response was something like: if the Democrats can't win in 2008, they should fold up their tents and disband. Part of me agrees with this.

2. An LATimes poll came out showing McCain leading both Obama and Clinton in head-to-head matchups. Part of me agrees with this.

I find these both hard to believe...and yet believable...both at the same time.

When I think about it further, these are the things that lead me to believe that McCain could win:

• Americans want a reasurring father figure, especially in a time of uncertainty.
• The war continues, and McCain will emphasize his undoubted and personal experience with war.
• The war becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy...we got into a war we don't need, and now we need a war hero to make sure it goes our way (continues with no end in sight).

Concerns about Arab Leaders??

Writing in the NYTime OpEd page today, David Brooks claims that if we pull out of Iraq under a Democratic president, "There would be private but powerful opposition from Arab leaders, who would fear a return to 2006 chaos". I suspect he is correct in this.

However, this predicted opposition from Arab leaders carries little weight with this American. In my opinion, many Arab leaders have been sheltered and funded for too long, under the presence of American forces and arms supplies and oil revenue. The United States is doing too much of the heavy lifting in the Middle East. It's time for the locals, who have lots of our cash from their oil, to step up to the realities and needs of their region. If they do, it will be good for them and good for America. If they don't, then we will both suffer the consequences. But I doubt these consequences could be as bad (or worse) for us than the current situation we are in.

The Republican Strategy: Eternal War

It's now clear what the Republican campaign theme will be this year.

A couple of weeks ago, when asked what was the major issue facing America, John McCain said it was "Islamo-fascism", and that it would be the dominant issue for the whole 21st century. Thus, at least 92 more years of war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and god-only-knows where else.

On February 7, as reported in the NYTimes, Mitt Romney addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference, and told them he was suspending his campaign. "Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror..." and "And because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I have to now stand aside, for our party and for our country".

This is the Republican mind-set. War is the answer. And if you have not won yet, then keep on trying. And, in the process, enrich the military-industrial complex that is a major funder the party.

I hope that the Democratic candidate will address this issue directly in the debates to come this year, and present the electorate with a clear choice of alternatives.

Moral Leadership

There is a lot of talk about the United States somehow regaining its moral stature in the world. This is the wrong emphasis. We should not change our ways in order to regain or gain the moral approval of the rest of the world. We should change our ways in order to do the right thing. If we do the right things, we may regain the respect of other nations and peoples. If we are generous with our wealth, if we support democracy and freedom and justice, we may regain the admiration of the world. If we attempt to understand others, and hear their voices, and act in ways that promote peace, we may regain what was lost.

The World's Policeman

Last night, I heard a quote by Senator McCain to the effect that Americans had to realize that the price of being the sole superpower was that America had to be the policeman for the world.

This quote succinctly captures a key issue which has received little attention in the presidential campaign so far, but is very important for Americans to understand and consider. This seems to be a central point of the Republican world-view, and has resulted in the invasion of Iraq and all its negative consequences. It is behind the current talk of war with Iran. The assumption that it is up to America, alone if necessary, to enforce something on a world-wide basis. Exactly what law or principle is to be enforced is not clear.

But what is clear is that America has great military power, and should feel positively inclined to use it to "enforce" its beliefs on others. In effect, America becomes the sole and ultimate judge, jury and executioner….of something.

Let's consider the case of Iran, and its reported nuclear ambitions. Certainly, for Iran to have nuclear weapons is not a positive thing for most of the rest of the world. But, the same could be said about almost any other country, including America. Is it the sole responsibility of America to prevent this from happening? To listen to much of the rhetoric, this is the assumption. But, there are several large, powerful nations that are much closer to Iran than is the US…China, India, and Russia come to mind. Each of these nations probably have more influence over Iran than the US at this time. And each of these nations has reason to be concerned about a nuclear Iran.

Is it up to us to "stop Iran"? I for one don't think that it is. It's time for the US to stop thinking that it should and can do all the heavy lifting. I am not interested in Americans dying in Iran, while the rest of the world stands by and watches. It's not the end of the world if one more country gets nuclear weapons. The need for nuclear disarmament is real, but it has to be done in a comprehensive way.

We Americans need to take a long, hard look at ourselves.

• Why do we have such a large military?
• Why do we spend more than all the rest of the world on our military?
• What are we doing to the rest of the world when we use our military, or its threat, to attain goals we often cloak with "altruistic" motives?

I hope the Democratic nominee will have the guts to take McCain on about this issue, and to educate Americans on it.

The Dominant Issue of the 21st Century?

Interviewed on CNN tonight, John McCain was asked what would be the most important issue facing America for the next president. He responded that "Islamo-fascist terrorism" would be the most severe issue facing America for the "rest of the 21st Century".

Though I would never vote for him, I kind of like McCain. I respect his sacrifice as a war prisoner. He seems a maverick in a party of button-downs. He says he's a straight shooter.

Are some radical Islamists a terror threat, for us and many others? Yes, indeed they are. But, the dominant issue facing America for the next 92 years?

The Republicans created the war in Iraq out of thin air, and now want it has become the self-perpetuating cause for them to rally around. Fear is a powerful motivator, especially to get votes. I suspect, that on this one, McCain believes his own rhetoric. Or, maybe, it's just his campaign strategy. Either way, to continue down the present path of using unilateral military options as our primary strategy will dig us further into the hole, that started with Vietnam.

And, I fault most of the leading Democrats for not pointing this out more clearly to the American people. Obama's opposition from the start is a strong point in his favor.

If we can not produce more effective strategies for dealing with the threats of Islamist terrorists in the next administration, then perhaps McCain will be correct, after all.

Will our children live better than we do??

This week the NYTimes published an article about a "darker mood" in America. Americans are less optimistic about the future than at recent times (say 2000). Several times the article referenced that the hope/wish/dream was that our children could/would have a better life than their parents. To me, this discussion relates usually to the material aspects of our/their lives: money, food, shelter, clothes, jobs, health care, leisure, pleasures, vacations, travel, entertainment, etc.

While it is true that there are many Americans who are still struggling to get by, the majority of Americans have as much or more material success than I think is probably good for them, and I include myself in that category. Go shopping in most parts of the world outside of America, and you will see store shelves that are sparse compared to what I see at KMart, Target, Whole Foods, CVS....let alone Nordstroms, Gap, Home Depot, etc. America as a whole is, by any historical or relative standards, a rich country, with rich residents.

The time has come for Americans to envision the future in a different way; to expand our concerns as a whole beyond our immediate loyalty groups: children, family, city, state, country, race, religion, ethnic group, etc. We need to be willing to share our wealth and power with those less fortunate; to be concerned not only about our children's futures, but about the future for all children. And, indeed, for the future of our home, planet earth, and all its creatures, on whom I suspect our future depends, though we often act as though we are not dependent on them.

It's not that there are no Americans thinking like this. I feel there are many. But a dominant theme of America remains one of individual greed and acquisitiveness...primary concerns about what I need, what I want...rather than what I have that I can share with others. I see this reflected in an unwillingness to pay taxes to adequately support our common needs, especially quality education for all, universal health care, housing assistance, food stamps, etc. Opposed to these needs are farm subsidy supports for corporations, tax breaks for large corporations, and a military establishment that far exceeds our needs for self-defense.

The shift can focus first here in America, with our brothers and sisters who do not have adequate food, shelter, clothing, health care, education, and opportunities for work to sustain themselves. But it must also move beyond our borders, to the billions of other human beings with whom we share this one home....our planet.