Barack Obama is naming Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his running mate. Frankly, I am delighted.
If you take a look at Joe’s web-page on issues, http://www.joebiden.com/issues/, both the substance and the order in which he lists them make him my kind of guy. He starts with the Bush Administration’s misuse of 9/11 and its destructive politics of fear and division. He understands America’s loss of respect in the world, and sees why we need to get it back. Even when he talks of crime, he doesn’t forget the white-collar crimes of Enron and its progeny.
Born to a working class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden will connect with some working people in ways that elude Obama.
He also brings vast experience to the team. He was one of the youngest Senators ever, elected at the age of 29 in 1972. He is now Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, former Chair of the Judiciary Committee. He has fought for the right causes for more than 30 years.
Religion? Catholic, of Irish descent. But he doesn’t wear it on his sleeve.
Family values: He commutes 1 ½ hours every day on the train from Wilmington to Washington, D.C., so he can be with his family in Delaware every day.
Age: At 65, he will add that touch of grey hair that reassures some people.
A thinker: Like Obama, he is a teacher of Constitutional Law. He understands the roots of our civil liberties in America.
Yes, this is good!
Well done, Barack!!
Bob
Friday, August 22, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Vote From Abroad!
We arrived in America yesterday. It’s great to be here – seeing friends, having fun, talking fast. The best.
But it’s disturbing, as well. Unlike in Europe, where it seems inevitable that Obama will win, here in the US that’s not true at all. It’s a very close race. A Reuters poll today gave McCain a big advantage. In the crucial swing states, it’s neck-on-neck.
If even a small part of what we see here on TV is true, then America is distracted by the issue-of-the-moment (offshore drilling, fears about Russian expansion) and lightening evaluations of Obama’s and McCain’s responses. Should Obama have taken a vacation last week? That was the burning blip. No attention to the things we see from abroad: America’s loss of respect, the decline of the dollar, burgeoning debt, uncontrollable and expensive war, and so forth. The Bush damage that we must repair. And no sense that McCain is Bush redux.
This makes our get-out-the-vote work URGENTLY important. With some 6 million Americans abroad, who vote in every state, we really can make an important difference. Our perspective is valuable.
If you are an American who lives outside the US and have not yet arranged to vote, please do it NOW. Time is running short. If you don’t know how, go to www.votefromabroad.org
This is important.
Thanks,
Bob
But it’s disturbing, as well. Unlike in Europe, where it seems inevitable that Obama will win, here in the US that’s not true at all. It’s a very close race. A Reuters poll today gave McCain a big advantage. In the crucial swing states, it’s neck-on-neck.
If even a small part of what we see here on TV is true, then America is distracted by the issue-of-the-moment (offshore drilling, fears about Russian expansion) and lightening evaluations of Obama’s and McCain’s responses. Should Obama have taken a vacation last week? That was the burning blip. No attention to the things we see from abroad: America’s loss of respect, the decline of the dollar, burgeoning debt, uncontrollable and expensive war, and so forth. The Bush damage that we must repair. And no sense that McCain is Bush redux.
This makes our get-out-the-vote work URGENTLY important. With some 6 million Americans abroad, who vote in every state, we really can make an important difference. Our perspective is valuable.
If you are an American who lives outside the US and have not yet arranged to vote, please do it NOW. Time is running short. If you don’t know how, go to www.votefromabroad.org
This is important.
Thanks,
Bob
Monday, August 18, 2008
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