A Moment to Remember

The significance of Tuesday's election is still sinking in for me. I have gone through waves of emotion as I hear and read various stories about the moment in history we just witnessed. Judith Warner says it well in her NY Times article below.

I would like to thank everyone who voted, called, knocked on doors and donated their time and money towards a new era in American politics. Most importantly, I thank everyone that paid attention to the issues and choices we had and educated themselves on the problems that face us in the future. Now the real work begins, and as Obama has said, this isn't about him, it is about us.

We as a country must work to overcome the challenges that will define our moment in history. We can not rely on our government to create the change we want, we must do it ourselves in our homes, offices and in our neighborhoods. We have just proven that we can come together to overcome incredible odds - yes we did. Now it's time to prove we can work together to make our country a better place for our future generations.

Judith Warner NYT Article

Universal Voter Registration

During the primaries, American's turned out in record numbers to vote, and the Democratic turn out doubled from the last election cycle. But unfortunately today, some 50 million eligible American citizens are not on the rolls. The US is one of the few industrialized democracies that erects barriers to registration, making individuals sign themselves up and bear the burden of keeping their registration up to date. Not surprisingly it also has one of the lowest voter turnout rates. A universal voter registration could make it easier for all citizens to vote and engage more people in the process. Michael Waldman explores this and other ideas for taking advantage of the recent surge in Americans participating in our democratic process.
Waldman Newsweek Article

Today's Story

I was sitting in my front yard this evening planting petunias. A group of african american kids were walking down the street and saw my Obama yard sign. A 4 or 5 year old started singing "Obama, O-B-A-M-A, you know who that is? That's our next President! Obama, O-B-A-M-A..." I smiled and waved. About 10 minutes later, an older guy with a wooden cane was walking down the street. We nodded at each other as he passed, and when he came to my yard sign he stopped, turned around and walked up to me. He said as he reached for my hand, "Hey, my name is Chris, and I just wanted to tell you that I stole a flower from your yard the other day. I picked it for my sick mother. And I also wanted to let you know that I voted for Obama yesterday too." And he shook my hand again.

These were small moments that symbolize something significant. America really is changing. People are coming together, and people have real hope for the first time in a long time. Stories like this are not unique to me, or North Carolina, or even Obama. But something important is happening right now in America. So please my friends, reach out to fellow man and woman, stop them on the street, and shake their hand. It made my day.

Race and America

Barack Obama gave a historic speech on race and America in Philadelphia today. He addressed the recent issue of some inflammatory remarks made in the past by his pastor Reverend Wright, and used the reverend's story as an example of what is good and bad about the reality of black and white America. Obama pulled several issues out of the shadows that we have been reluctant to ask ourselves regarding race. The speech is about 35 minutes long, and is worth watching regardless of the color of your skin or who you plan to vote for.

Obama Speech Video

PS - sorry for the long silence - the prog posse is in full affect once again.

Furnace Efficiency Gets Meager Increase

The Bush Administration released new efficiency standards for home furnaces and boilers. After 6 years of development on the new national standard, the Department of Energy will increase furnace efficiency from 78% to 80%. In addition, this modest increase will not take effect for another 8 years, in 2015.
CS Monitor Article

Obama in the International Context

Here's an Op-Ed piece from the New York Times that looks at Obama's presidency in the greater context of the international world and America's changing role in it. It also references The Atlantic article from the previous post. The author, Roger Cohen, has a long career in international journalism dating back to the 1970's and has also co-written a biography of General Norman Schwartzkopf.
New York Times Op-Ed

The Bridge

Tonight is the eve of many elections across America. It also signals that 1 year from right now, we will be electing our next president. America continues to be polarized and divided on many issues, and the issues at stake are coming to a critical mass of dangerous proportions. The specifics of these issues and nuances of the candidate's policies can really become irrelevant to the larger picture of what is going on. This article from The Atlantic provides a step back from the divisive politics of today and looks at America in the context of what has truly defined it for the past 40 years: the baby boomer generation. The divisions of today's America are rooted in the 1960's, and the events that divided that generation have defined modern culture and politics today. The need for a bridge over these divisions cries out for a voice that simply can not come from the entrenched values and symbols of the baby boomers. The voice needs to come from someone who transcends the two sides that have been created and does not represent a continuation of the internal struggle America has faced the past 40 years.
This voice could be Barack Obama.

This is a long article, but is an extremely compelling take on where our country is right now. I encourage you to read all of it. Maybe not today, but someday... soon...

The Atlantic Article

thanks to brandon "the screen" pass