Jason Brzoska

New Rules -- Not the '90s

Labels: 2008 Election, Humor, Politics

Core Reading (or, The Wheat)

Now that the election is more or less over (save for a couple of House and Senate seats), I'm going to slow down a bit on my normal online reading habits. For the next few months, I'm going to stick with the following really great blogs:

Daily Kos

Digby's Hullabaloo

D-Day

Silicon Investor

Talking Points Memo

The Phil Nugent Experience

Down With Tyranny!

All supremely informative and entertaining. I'll miss some of the rest, but a guy's gotta sorta kinda have a life, or at least work more :)

I'm also going to take January off from everything political, as I do after each election. Looking forward to that.

Labels: 2008 Election, Personal, Politics

The Next Generation -- More Tolerant?

From Ari at The Edge of the West:

As you might imagine, I'm deliriously happy today. As I was putting my older son to sleep last night, I had just heard about Ohio. I explained to the boy that Obama was going to win the election and become the first African-American President of the United States. The boy looked up at me, eyes filled with wonder, as one's kids will on occasion, and said, "Really? The first? How can that be?" My son will grow up in a different country than I did, a country where more things seem possible, where more things are possible.

The boy woke up today, left his bed, and stepped into his world of new possibilities. He marched into my bedroom and inquired about the election. I told him that Obama had won. He then asked about Proposition 8. I told him that it passed, that a majority of Californians chose to annul the marriages of several of his cousins and the parents of two of his good friends. He didn't say, "Really? How can that be?" But he was upset - even after I explained that the arc of the moral universe is long, but that it bends toward justice.

He's off to school now, and I'm left feeling like I should have worked harder against Proposition 8, like I should have spent more time phonebanking, should have raised more money. I'm ashamed that I was so overconfident, so sure that the day of justice was finally at hand. My son takes immeasurable comfort in his parents' marriage. His little cousins, his friends from school, the people he knows who will be most directly affected by Prop 8, awoke today into a world without that comfort. The arc of the moral universe feels unbearably long right now, even as a I celebrate President-elect Obama.

I can't believe I'm talking about a next generation...

Labels: 2008 Election, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Politics

The Upshot

Well, I'm a little disappointed, actually. Just like me to be a downer, right?

After the election was called last night, I spent time talking to the crowd at the bar at the hotel where I'm staying in suburban Boston. About half were sorta rednecky Republicans and half were Dems. All said they supported Obama, though all of the Republicans repeatedly stated that McCain was a "true American" and a "true patriot" because he was a POW. When I asked them why they'd support Obama over McCain, the Republicans, to a man, replied, "because we need change." At the same time, they challenged me on my support for Obama and wouldn't listen to any reasoning that had anything to do with any issues. Change is all well and good, but I'd love to see some sort of acknowledgment from Obama voters, other than staunch, involved Democrats, that there's at least one not-so-abstract reason for it. Maybe I'm asking too much.

But one of the narratives I heard last night at the bar as well as in the newspapers and on the interweb today was that African-Americans "have no excuse anymore" when it comes to their success, and some have gone as far as to say that it proves that racism is dead and buried. Now, while I've been one of the first to say that racism has diminished enough that Obama's campaign could overcome it, it's far from gone.

It took an incredible, unbelievable black man running the best campaign in anyone's memory versus an underwhelming, doddering old man in the shadow of the worst President in the history of this country to put a black man in office. The Onion put it best in two headlines today:

Nation Finally Shitty Enough To Make Social Progress

Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job

Bernard Avishai thinks there's more to it:

I confess a certain impatience, on this poignant day, with all the earnest talk about how America achieved something remarkable yesterday by electing our first African-American president, as if the choice has been about race all along. I do not mean to diminish an historic first, like electing a Catholic in 1960; I, too, choked-up when John Lewis spoke. But relief today is not about Americans choosing an obviously black man over a white man, which proves we can come to terms with our past. It is about our choosing an obviously brilliant, reciprocal man over a thick, cynical one--a man who articulates a coherent vision of global commonwealth over someone advancing vague, military patriotism--which proves we can come to terms with our future.

Racism, it is true, did not confound the choice, as some predicted it would. But racism has not confounded mainstream admiration for The Cosby Show or Orprah or Tiger Woods--and hasn't for some time. Most of the 46% who voted for John McCain feel deeply anxious about a world in transition, where erudition, open-mindedness and intellectual discipline matter more and more, and their own sheer willingness to labor hard matters less and less. I bet they are more skittish about Obama's supremely elegant mind, his worldliness, than his dark skin; more drawn to the repudiation of "elitism" than to the rejection of "welfare."

So our choices are: 1. A significant portion of the country is still racist, 2. A significant portion of the country deliberately doesn't want to see an intelligent person in office, or 3. A bit of both.

Doesn't reflect terribly well, but I guess #3 isn't all that surprising to too many of us.

A nice segue from Digby into something else that doesn't reflect all that well on us, Yes on California's Proposition 8, which takes the right to marry away from gays in California:

It's terrific that we are seeing a decline in racism to the extent that we are able to elect a black president. We've come a long way and there's no taking anything away from those who waged the struggle over all these centuries. But our society is not truly changed if it's still writing discrimination into law.

It's as if we just can't be America unless we are taking active steps to marginalize somebody.

So true. We always need at least one enemy and at least like half a dozen underclasses.

We just didn't get as many House or Senate seats as I'd hoped, though 60 Senate seats is still a vague possibility.

It looks like Alaska managed to reelect a convicted felon, Senator Ted Stevens, and his supercorrupt sidekick, Don Young. I think that Stevens' conviction may have in fact helped the two of them, because Alaskan voters often see issues as the "Lower 48" against them and they may have felt that the "Washington elite," as their Governor likes to say, railroaded him.

Also, the abhorrent McCarthyite Michele Bachmann was reelected to her seat in Minnesota. What are they thinking in that state, particularly if Coleman pulls out reelection in his still-undecided Senate race.

I am happy, however, that Sasha and Malia Obama are getting a puppy!

Also, the elections of Walt Minnick in Idaho, Alan Grayson in Florida, Jeff Merkley in Oregon, Dan Maffei in New York, and Larry Kissell in North Carolina, among others, are welcome news.

And of course, YES WE DID! YES WE DID!

And make sure you catch the replay of tonight's South Park, which apparently was partially recorded after the election last night. Those guys are still in form after 12 years on the air.

UPDATE: A great post from Phil Nugent on "know-nothingness."

Labels: 2008 Election, Democratic Party, Politics, Republican Party

The End of An Historic Night

So, it's over and Barack Obama is President-Elect.

Well, it's not quite over. Still some important Senate and House seats left, like in Minnesota and Alaska.

So how did I do? Not that well. I predicted Obama would get 330 electoral votes, that the Dems would get 8 net seats in Senate, and 39 net in the House. Looks like 370, 6, and 20ish.

But, a good night overall and we should enjoy this for a few days.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

New Rules -- Not the '90s

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Core Reading (or, The Wheat)

The Next Generation -- More Tolerant?

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The Upshot

The End of An Historic Night

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Let Me Eat Cake!

Last Man Standing Goes Down

Mississippi Goes to Obama

Texas for McCain

Jersey Not Looking Good

More CNN Projections

Maryland

Louisiana to McCain

John King...

CBS CALLS OHIO FOR OBAMA!

Mitchie Hangs On

Georgia... Oof.

A Few More for McCain

Electoral Food!

More Calls from CNN

Lunsford with a Chance?

Alabama goes McCain

Virginia Getting Closer

I'm Back

Break

Three New Blue Senators

More Florida

MSNBC Calls PA for Obama

Results Roll In

South Carolina

Indiana at 25%

Florida?

More Kentucky

West Virginia Called for McCain

More Indiana

Virginia Coming Soon

First EVs

With .00000000000000001% of the Vote In...

Polls Close Soon

My Predictions for Tomorrow

Vote or Die!

Saturday, November 01, 2008

From the Mouths of Conservatives -- California Proposition 8

Friday, October 31, 2008

From the Mouths of Conservatives: Equality is Not An American Value

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Al the Shoe Salesman

Saturday, October 25, 2008

From the Mouths of Conservatives -- COMMUNIST! COMMUNIST! COMMUNIST!

True.

Pilin' on Palin

What's a Terrorist?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Ron Howard Reaches Back for Obama

The Story Behind the Crazy Lady

RUDY FAIL

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Six Reasons the Race is Over

David Sedaris on Undecided Voters

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

What Makes a Real American?

You Don't Have To Vote to Be Cool

Palin on the Role of the VP

Monday, October 20, 2008

From the Mouths of Conservatives -- "The Simpson Effect"

The Great Schlep In Action

Sunday, October 19, 2008

What's the Best We Can Do in the House? (October 19th Edition)

Roll With It, Johnny...

Some Recommended Reading Material

Friday, October 17, 2008

Races, Races, Races...

From the Mouths of Conservatives -- Obama = Lenin

Thursday, October 16, 2008

A Reverse Bradley Effect?

Blood for Oil?