What Obama Must Do to Save Universal Health Care: Robert Reich on The Arena
From the Arena:
Robert B. Reich, Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley:
Memo to the President: What You Must Do To Save Universal Health Care
Mr. President:
Momentum for universal health care is slowing dramatically on Capitol Hill. Moderates are worried, Republicans are digging in, and the medical-industrial complex is firing up its lobbying and propaganda machine.
But, as you know, the worst news came days ago when the Congressional Budget Office weighed in with awful projections about how much the leading healthcare plans would cost and how many Americans would still be left out in the cold. Yet these projections didn’t include the savings that a public option would generate by negotiating lower drug prices, doctor fees, and hospital costs, and forcing private insurers to be more competitive. Projecting the future costs of universal health care without including the public option is like predicting the number of people who will get sunburns this summer if nobody is allowed to buy sun lotion. Of course the costs of universal health care will be huge if the most important way of controlling them is left out of the calculation.
If you want to save universal health care, you must do several things, and soon:
1. Go to the nation. You must build public support by forcefully making the case for universal health care everywhere around the country. The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows that three out of four Americans want universal health care. But the vast majority don’t know what’s happening on the Hill, don’t know how much money the medical-industrial lobbies are spending to defeat it, and have no idea how much demagoguery they’re about to be exposed to. You must tell them. And don’t be reluctant to take on those vested interests directly. Name names. They’ve decided to fight you. You must fight them.
2. Be LBJ. So far, Lyndon Johnson has been the only president to defeat American Medical Association and the rest of the medical-industrial complex. He got Medicare and Medicaid enacted despite their cries of “socialized medicine” because he knocked heads on the Hill. He told Congress exactly what he wanted, cajoled and threatened those who resisted, and counted noses every hour until he had the votes he needed. When you’re not on the road, you need to be twisting congressional arms and drawing a line in the sand. Be tough.
3. Forget the Republicans. Forget bipartisanship. Universal health care can pass with 51 votes. You can get 51 votes if you give up on trying to persuade a handful of Republicans to cross over. Eight year ago George W. Bush passed his huge tax cut, mostly for the wealthy, by wrapping it in an all-or-nothing reconciliation measure and daring Democrats to vote against it. You should do the same with health care.
4. Insist on a real public option. It’s the lynchpin of universal health care. Don’t accept Kent Conrad’s ersatz public option masquerading as a “healthcare cooperative.” Cooperatives won’t have the authority, scale, or leverage to negotiate low prices and keep private insurers honest.
5. Demand that taxes be raised on the wealthy to ensure that all Americans get affordable health care. At the rate healthcare costs are rising, not even a real public option will hold down costs enough to make health care affordable to most American families in years to come. So you’ll need to tax the wealthy. Don’t back down on your original proposal to limit their deductions. And support a cap on how much employee-provided health care can be provided tax free. (Yes, you opposed this during your campaign. But you have no choice but to reverse yourself on this.) These are the only two big pots of money.
6. Put everything else on hold. As important as they are, your other agenda items — financial reform, home mortgage mitigation, cap-and-trade legislation — pale in significance relative to universal health care. By pushing everything at once, you take the public’s mind off the biggest goal, diffuse your energies, blur your public message, and fuel the demagogues who say you’re trying to take over the private sector.
You have to win this.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from NONE SO BLIND - BLOG: http://www.nonesoblind.org/blog
Friday, July 3, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Inauguration Experience of Guillermo & Jo Maciel
It's funny how sometimes you can get so locked into thinking you know what will be the climax, the crescendo, of an adventure. For example our trip to DC… no brainer right… "Witnessing firsthand, Barack H. Obama, being sworn in as the first African American US President."
Pre-Inauguration
Guillermo had to head out early due to ticketing and Jo met up with him the Monday prior to inauguration day. G made the most of his time at a Latino organizers conference that led to networking with some dedicated folks. Some good leads on meaningful work, of which we have decided to focus his search in the Pacific NW. He got a taste of DC and would love to work for the administration or with people on the Hill, if it would afford him the flexibility of being present in the Pacific NW the majority of his time (i.e. cross your fingers, or better yet if you know someone, who knows someone, send a shout out). He got to party with his fellow organizers and was reunited with some hardcore volunteers from the campaign. Good reunion.
After a few meetings on Sunday, Guillermo happened to stumble into a crowd of thousands at the Lincoln Memorial, where the energy for Tuesday's event was well and strong. An eclectic mix of Bono, Shakira, Ethridge, Common, Garth Brooks, and many others, serenaded the crowd. It was, cheesy, heartfelt, joyful and very emotional. Every time I have ever stepped foot onto those winter grounds, I have always been angry, bitter disappointed and in fervent protest. (e.g. supreme court decisions, Bush administration the war in Iraq.) For once I was in a crowd of diversity, all ages, all walks of life, and we were filled to the brim with joy. I felt proud in the possibility of progress. We knew why we where there, the message was one of service and the American spirit, but all of us in that crowd were proud of what was accomplished. For once in a long time, the masses gathered in front of Lincoln were celebrating victory, change and progress. Strangers would smile and unabashedly their eyes would well up with tears. They would pat you on the back or hug each other. And they all sang with Mr. Seager, "This land is my land, this land is your land…" and we all meant it.
That spirit of service continued on Monday. G got a chance to volunteer at RFK Stadium where, for the MLK National Service Day, many of the ex Field Organizers of the campaign, helped funnel in a day long steady stream of 9,000 people, who assembled 100,000 care packages for soldiers over seas.
Inauguration Day
As for the crescendo… So last Tuesday, Inauguration day, we got out of bed at 6:15 am and were out the door by 6:45 am. We were staying only three blocks from the National Mall (sweet!!) and didn't need to face the bus or Metro traffic, so we thought we were right on time. We walked out the front door of our building just before 7 and already there were streams of people... but we were the lucky ones with tickets! Right!? It was like a sunny (but freezing) Carnival, Easter Sunday and a rock concert all rolled into one. The streets were packed but excited with this quiet anticipatory energy. We were going to witness history. In fact many of the vendors knew it and were ready to sell you the mug, t-shirt, calendar, sponge glove or pin that said so.
We asked for some direction and got pointed down one street. "Go to the end of that block" and it was blocked… ok, asked someone else, walk for 45 minutes, barricaded, ask someone else... this went on for about 2.5 hours. The whole area was getting more and more crowded and we could not get where we needed to go... see we were on the South side of the Mall and the security checkpoint for the infamous purple color tickets we had... were on the north side. And EVERY street was closed due to the Pennsylvania Ave parade route being shut down for over twenty blocks. No one knew what was going on, and the most common answer was "I don't care which way you go, but you can't stay here." It took police offers from three different counties, soldiers from at least 2 branches of the armed forces and countless Presidential Inaugural Committee Volunteers from every state in the union to successfully misdirect us and bring our morale down.
Finally after 3 hours, we found where we were supposed to be thanks to US Army Private Jones (its funny how someone can seem to know what they are talking about when they say it with confidence and in uniform)... So off we went , "To the 3rd St. interstate tunnel, that will deviate onto the ramp turnoff to avenue D," huh? Due to sheer accident, we took the wrong side of the tunnel and had to double back, inadvertently cutting a few thousand people (Karmic back cuts… so we thought). People next to us had been standing in this very spot since 6 am. Great, we thought. We didn't lose any time! There were thousands of people behind us! Phew! So we waited, as other cutters where heckled by hundreds in the mob, and around 11 am the line started to move, we got out of the tunnel and toward the gate. The tunnel refugees were ecstatic... oh wait, the gate is closed. What!?
People were angry there was nowhere to go, "Excuse me officer can you give us some direction?" we pleaded through some gates as the two lone guards stared at us blankly. So we backed out and went around, found the place were they were letting one person at a time through security. Rumor had it some non-ticket holders had tried to push through security earlier that day, and they had but one officer at the time to control, one of the three main entrances to the event area. They were not organized to handle it properly. But it was moving, we were inching closer and closer... we heard a couple of our friends had made it in (No doubt we'll get in, we've come so far)... our spirits lifted with cries of humor, "All we are saying is give Purple a chance" or "no Purple no peace". At one point people were starting to gripe and Guillermo yelled out "Our glass is half full only 10 minutes left of the Bush administration!", cheers went out… almost 12, "isn't there like a Constitutional law that says he has to be sworn in by 12:01pm?"… we can make it... a radio gave a newsy report. "Purple gate has appeared to be delayed to potential security breach, talk of terrorist threat" (yeah right! Right?)…. 20 ft to go, "This gate is permanently closed"…
BOOOM!!! We almost hit the deck… the crowd flinched and hushed, and for a second we all followed the trail of smoke, some of us thinking the worst, and it went off again for 20 more times. "Oh… we have a new President…" a bitter sweet, "Thank God." "Damn it! I mean…" It was almost appropriate during confusing times come confusing feelings. But it really sucks being a metaphor sometimes. To quote a fellow purple ticket holder it was a "colossal disappointment", but it was wonderful all at the same time. We have heard different numbers, but about 4,000 of us were stuck outside the gate (not to mention all those still stuck in the tunnel)... waiving our purple tickets. History made, Bush gone! Obama... President... us stuck outside the purple gate. Most people left, but we were there... gratefully, someone had a hand held radio nearby and we leaned in to hear bits and pieces of the speech... Guillermo looked up and saw other little huddles of folks gathered around transistor and WiFi radios. People crying, smiling… a man introduced himself, wanted to know who he was with when history was made… and then we took our frozen, needing to pee, starving selves to get some Chinese food. At least we got a table. Guillermo drank something off the menu with lots of different alcohols called a "Bitter Bastard"… "Papa where were you when President Obama took his first oath as President…", "I was with your Mom, your uncle Eric from New Mexico and 4,000 of our closest friends."
That night, G & I went to the "youth" ball... meaning anyone under the age of 38... an hour outside in a ball gown and heels made us fancy popsicles... we got in, checked our coats, got a drink and oops... the main ballroom was filled to capacity. "No one else will be let in.". So, we watched the kid rock/kanye west show... and the visit from Barack and Michelle from the "lounge." We looked good, so we stayed for a while - swapping stories with other staffers who had the fated purple tickets.... and decided to call it a day.
Post Inauguration
The next day we walked the streets of DC. Talked about the fate of race in America, and the reality of ethnicity in our lives. We paid a familiar visit to Mr. Lincoln and filled our lingering void with Abe's inaugural address to a divided nation. It gets better every time I read it.
That night we attended the Obama Staff Ball... Jo came prepared, wore a warm pair of shoes, carried her heels in a bag and made sure we weren't hungry... BUT THIS WAS A PARTY! Clearly organized by Obama people and not the DC usual, we were inside fast, service excellent, good food, open bar... FINALLY! It was a fabulous night. Arcade Fire, and JayZ both played, Joe and Jill Biden spoke, David Plouffe (Obama's campaign manager) rallied and a very relaxed President Barack and First Lady Michelle chatted with the crowd. No speeches just talking about our common journey. It made up for the purple haze of inauguration day... we could see their faces, hear what they were saying… a recognition of this crowd's role in pushing history along for the past year and half. We were seeking closure and we were complete.
I don't know if you've had the experience of being in a crowd of two million people before... but it is a humbling experience. The sheer mass of humanity. The small children and old ladies standing outside for 7 hours in the freezing cold - it was inspiring. To know that Guillermo (and vicariously, Jo) played some role in making this happen was truly an honor. I don't know that the Virgin of Guadalupe herself could draw a crowd that large and that happy to be alive and witnessing this turn of events.
A new friend from Jo's school that entered Guillermo's life asked him for one thing from DC, "let me know what part of the speech impacted you most", in all honesty the transistor radio, crackled so much and the site and emotion of the circumstances of the moment overwhelmed the disjointed narrative of our new President. In fact Guillermo watched the entire event but only a few days ago. Yet the spirit that crept through the static of the handheld radio that day, permeated the crowds in front of the Lincoln memorial, was seen in the faces of countless volunteers on Dr. Kings Day, shone through words on etched marble and of course dressed the banners of our final celebration - "Renewing America's Promise". It feels like the obstacles are beginning to clear. We can pursue life, liberty and happiness within the American context with out feeling like its propaganda or myth. It's ok to believe that the promise is possible for everyone, that there is still work to be done, and that it has nothing to do with pulling yourself from your own boot straps. What will we make of this promise… what history will we make next? How will we gather our communities in mutual service? The feeling of possibility is palpable, the energy electric. Our new president said it like so when speaking about the project of "remaking America",
"Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage… And yet at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do, and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies."
The future is ours again, as it always was, just not so hazy. Doesn't it feel good again to know that we can continue the work of making progress, instead of standing in the headwinds of abused power? What a week.
Pre-Inauguration
Guillermo had to head out early due to ticketing and Jo met up with him the Monday prior to inauguration day. G made the most of his time at a Latino organizers conference that led to networking with some dedicated folks. Some good leads on meaningful work, of which we have decided to focus his search in the Pacific NW. He got a taste of DC and would love to work for the administration or with people on the Hill, if it would afford him the flexibility of being present in the Pacific NW the majority of his time (i.e. cross your fingers, or better yet if you know someone, who knows someone, send a shout out). He got to party with his fellow organizers and was reunited with some hardcore volunteers from the campaign. Good reunion.
After a few meetings on Sunday, Guillermo happened to stumble into a crowd of thousands at the Lincoln Memorial, where the energy for Tuesday's event was well and strong. An eclectic mix of Bono, Shakira, Ethridge, Common, Garth Brooks, and many others, serenaded the crowd. It was, cheesy, heartfelt, joyful and very emotional. Every time I have ever stepped foot onto those winter grounds, I have always been angry, bitter disappointed and in fervent protest. (e.g. supreme court decisions, Bush administration the war in Iraq.) For once I was in a crowd of diversity, all ages, all walks of life, and we were filled to the brim with joy. I felt proud in the possibility of progress. We knew why we where there, the message was one of service and the American spirit, but all of us in that crowd were proud of what was accomplished. For once in a long time, the masses gathered in front of Lincoln were celebrating victory, change and progress. Strangers would smile and unabashedly their eyes would well up with tears. They would pat you on the back or hug each other. And they all sang with Mr. Seager, "This land is my land, this land is your land…" and we all meant it.
That spirit of service continued on Monday. G got a chance to volunteer at RFK Stadium where, for the MLK National Service Day, many of the ex Field Organizers of the campaign, helped funnel in a day long steady stream of 9,000 people, who assembled 100,000 care packages for soldiers over seas.
Inauguration Day
As for the crescendo… So last Tuesday, Inauguration day, we got out of bed at 6:15 am and were out the door by 6:45 am. We were staying only three blocks from the National Mall (sweet!!) and didn't need to face the bus or Metro traffic, so we thought we were right on time. We walked out the front door of our building just before 7 and already there were streams of people... but we were the lucky ones with tickets! Right!? It was like a sunny (but freezing) Carnival, Easter Sunday and a rock concert all rolled into one. The streets were packed but excited with this quiet anticipatory energy. We were going to witness history. In fact many of the vendors knew it and were ready to sell you the mug, t-shirt, calendar, sponge glove or pin that said so.
We asked for some direction and got pointed down one street. "Go to the end of that block" and it was blocked… ok, asked someone else, walk for 45 minutes, barricaded, ask someone else... this went on for about 2.5 hours. The whole area was getting more and more crowded and we could not get where we needed to go... see we were on the South side of the Mall and the security checkpoint for the infamous purple color tickets we had... were on the north side. And EVERY street was closed due to the Pennsylvania Ave parade route being shut down for over twenty blocks. No one knew what was going on, and the most common answer was "I don't care which way you go, but you can't stay here." It took police offers from three different counties, soldiers from at least 2 branches of the armed forces and countless Presidential Inaugural Committee Volunteers from every state in the union to successfully misdirect us and bring our morale down.
Finally after 3 hours, we found where we were supposed to be thanks to US Army Private Jones (its funny how someone can seem to know what they are talking about when they say it with confidence and in uniform)... So off we went , "To the 3rd St. interstate tunnel, that will deviate onto the ramp turnoff to avenue D," huh? Due to sheer accident, we took the wrong side of the tunnel and had to double back, inadvertently cutting a few thousand people (Karmic back cuts… so we thought). People next to us had been standing in this very spot since 6 am. Great, we thought. We didn't lose any time! There were thousands of people behind us! Phew! So we waited, as other cutters where heckled by hundreds in the mob, and around 11 am the line started to move, we got out of the tunnel and toward the gate. The tunnel refugees were ecstatic... oh wait, the gate is closed. What!?
People were angry there was nowhere to go, "Excuse me officer can you give us some direction?" we pleaded through some gates as the two lone guards stared at us blankly. So we backed out and went around, found the place were they were letting one person at a time through security. Rumor had it some non-ticket holders had tried to push through security earlier that day, and they had but one officer at the time to control, one of the three main entrances to the event area. They were not organized to handle it properly. But it was moving, we were inching closer and closer... we heard a couple of our friends had made it in (No doubt we'll get in, we've come so far)... our spirits lifted with cries of humor, "All we are saying is give Purple a chance" or "no Purple no peace". At one point people were starting to gripe and Guillermo yelled out "Our glass is half full only 10 minutes left of the Bush administration!", cheers went out… almost 12, "isn't there like a Constitutional law that says he has to be sworn in by 12:01pm?"… we can make it... a radio gave a newsy report. "Purple gate has appeared to be delayed to potential security breach, talk of terrorist threat" (yeah right! Right?)…. 20 ft to go, "This gate is permanently closed"…
BOOOM!!! We almost hit the deck… the crowd flinched and hushed, and for a second we all followed the trail of smoke, some of us thinking the worst, and it went off again for 20 more times. "Oh… we have a new President…" a bitter sweet, "Thank God." "Damn it! I mean…" It was almost appropriate during confusing times come confusing feelings. But it really sucks being a metaphor sometimes. To quote a fellow purple ticket holder it was a "colossal disappointment", but it was wonderful all at the same time. We have heard different numbers, but about 4,000 of us were stuck outside the gate (not to mention all those still stuck in the tunnel)... waiving our purple tickets. History made, Bush gone! Obama... President... us stuck outside the purple gate. Most people left, but we were there... gratefully, someone had a hand held radio nearby and we leaned in to hear bits and pieces of the speech... Guillermo looked up and saw other little huddles of folks gathered around transistor and WiFi radios. People crying, smiling… a man introduced himself, wanted to know who he was with when history was made… and then we took our frozen, needing to pee, starving selves to get some Chinese food. At least we got a table. Guillermo drank something off the menu with lots of different alcohols called a "Bitter Bastard"… "Papa where were you when President Obama took his first oath as President…", "I was with your Mom, your uncle Eric from New Mexico and 4,000 of our closest friends."
That night, G & I went to the "youth" ball... meaning anyone under the age of 38... an hour outside in a ball gown and heels made us fancy popsicles... we got in, checked our coats, got a drink and oops... the main ballroom was filled to capacity. "No one else will be let in.". So, we watched the kid rock/kanye west show... and the visit from Barack and Michelle from the "lounge." We looked good, so we stayed for a while - swapping stories with other staffers who had the fated purple tickets.... and decided to call it a day.
Post Inauguration
The next day we walked the streets of DC. Talked about the fate of race in America, and the reality of ethnicity in our lives. We paid a familiar visit to Mr. Lincoln and filled our lingering void with Abe's inaugural address to a divided nation. It gets better every time I read it.
That night we attended the Obama Staff Ball... Jo came prepared, wore a warm pair of shoes, carried her heels in a bag and made sure we weren't hungry... BUT THIS WAS A PARTY! Clearly organized by Obama people and not the DC usual, we were inside fast, service excellent, good food, open bar... FINALLY! It was a fabulous night. Arcade Fire, and JayZ both played, Joe and Jill Biden spoke, David Plouffe (Obama's campaign manager) rallied and a very relaxed President Barack and First Lady Michelle chatted with the crowd. No speeches just talking about our common journey. It made up for the purple haze of inauguration day... we could see their faces, hear what they were saying… a recognition of this crowd's role in pushing history along for the past year and half. We were seeking closure and we were complete.
I don't know if you've had the experience of being in a crowd of two million people before... but it is a humbling experience. The sheer mass of humanity. The small children and old ladies standing outside for 7 hours in the freezing cold - it was inspiring. To know that Guillermo (and vicariously, Jo) played some role in making this happen was truly an honor. I don't know that the Virgin of Guadalupe herself could draw a crowd that large and that happy to be alive and witnessing this turn of events.
A new friend from Jo's school that entered Guillermo's life asked him for one thing from DC, "let me know what part of the speech impacted you most", in all honesty the transistor radio, crackled so much and the site and emotion of the circumstances of the moment overwhelmed the disjointed narrative of our new President. In fact Guillermo watched the entire event but only a few days ago. Yet the spirit that crept through the static of the handheld radio that day, permeated the crowds in front of the Lincoln memorial, was seen in the faces of countless volunteers on Dr. Kings Day, shone through words on etched marble and of course dressed the banners of our final celebration - "Renewing America's Promise". It feels like the obstacles are beginning to clear. We can pursue life, liberty and happiness within the American context with out feeling like its propaganda or myth. It's ok to believe that the promise is possible for everyone, that there is still work to be done, and that it has nothing to do with pulling yourself from your own boot straps. What will we make of this promise… what history will we make next? How will we gather our communities in mutual service? The feeling of possibility is palpable, the energy electric. Our new president said it like so when speaking about the project of "remaking America",
"Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage… And yet at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do, and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies."
The future is ours again, as it always was, just not so hazy. Doesn't it feel good again to know that we can continue the work of making progress, instead of standing in the headwinds of abused power? What a week.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
ONE WEEK AND COUNTING!
This entry is by Rich. It has now been one week since WE inaugurated President Obama! Reflecting back it is obvious that it was the most profound political event of my life, including President Kennedy's assassination. It was not because he is the first African-American president, or because he was going to be so profoundly different than George Bush, or even because of the overwhelming size of the crowd.
What was truly mind-boggling was to be in what would normally be uncomfortably close proximity with a huge crowd of people of every race, creed, age, whatever and yet not feel the slightest fear or threat. In fact, the overwhelming, dominate emotion was a sense of oneness with everyone around me. Just after the oath of office was administered, I hugged an elderly Oriental woman behind me who I had never seen before and I am sure will never see again. I witnessed the same thing going on around me everywhere.
Which brings me to the real point of this entry. It is abundantly clear that while President Obama is a remarkable politician, it is also clear that for him that is merely a means to an entirely new end-or beginning. I am sure that most traditional Democrats and many of us who are just plain sick and tired of Republican ideology, might be scratching our collective heads at what President Obama has been doing "courting Republican support" over the last few days. After observing Obama over these last months and years, one thing I think I know about him is that he NEVER wastes his time or intellect on pointless endeavors. The Congressional Republicans don't realize that they have already been had by Obama!
My final comment is addressed to any Republicans who may be reading this. If you are a member of the "hard right" most likely you will spend the next 4 or hopefully 8 years being as frustrated as I was at Bush. The good news is that you will have a restored Constitution and nation of laws at the end of that time. If you are any other kind of Republican, I think President Obama will surprise you as much as he will surprise (maybe disappoint) traditional Democrats. At least nine Democrats and one Republican underestimated Obama over the past two years. This will be quite a ride!
What was truly mind-boggling was to be in what would normally be uncomfortably close proximity with a huge crowd of people of every race, creed, age, whatever and yet not feel the slightest fear or threat. In fact, the overwhelming, dominate emotion was a sense of oneness with everyone around me. Just after the oath of office was administered, I hugged an elderly Oriental woman behind me who I had never seen before and I am sure will never see again. I witnessed the same thing going on around me everywhere.
Which brings me to the real point of this entry. It is abundantly clear that while President Obama is a remarkable politician, it is also clear that for him that is merely a means to an entirely new end-or beginning. I am sure that most traditional Democrats and many of us who are just plain sick and tired of Republican ideology, might be scratching our collective heads at what President Obama has been doing "courting Republican support" over the last few days. After observing Obama over these last months and years, one thing I think I know about him is that he NEVER wastes his time or intellect on pointless endeavors. The Congressional Republicans don't realize that they have already been had by Obama!
My final comment is addressed to any Republicans who may be reading this. If you are a member of the "hard right" most likely you will spend the next 4 or hopefully 8 years being as frustrated as I was at Bush. The good news is that you will have a restored Constitution and nation of laws at the end of that time. If you are any other kind of Republican, I think President Obama will surprise you as much as he will surprise (maybe disappoint) traditional Democrats. At least nine Democrats and one Republican underestimated Obama over the past two years. This will be quite a ride!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sightseeing in Virginia and North Carolina
Sorry we have been out of pocket these last few days. Shortly after the Inauguration we left DC and made our way to the Chesapeake Bay area for a little sightseeing. The area is beautiful despite the cold and we could just imagine what it must be like in the summer with all the water activities that must go on. We went out by Chincoteague on Assateague Island National Seashore, but didn't expect to see the wild ponies as they do when they have them swim to the mainland for the auction fundraiser that helps care for the herd. As we headed south on Highway 13, we went across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel which is one of the "Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World." The toll is $12! After crossing the parallel bridge we came into Virginia Beach area where we had a delighful lunch with a good friend and NMSU graduate, Kelly Freeburn, who interned with Action for Youth and worked with us and the youth members on events, fundraisers and the best project of all, the Whole Enchilada Parade float!
We made our way down to Cary/Raleigh, NC to visit Rich's Aunt Julia and his cousin Patti and her family. We had a brisk afternoon walk along a beautiful walking path that went for miles around the nearby lake and a great discussion with Pati's neighbor about the future of the Country and our health care programs. We didn't see eye-to eye, but any misconceptions that supporters of the past administration might have about our new President and his plans for the future, we have to win over with successful actions that include imput from all sides. That's exactly what Obama wants to do!
We hope you enjoy all the photos. We couldn't beat the cameras up on the big booms that got such exciting live shots of the crowds on the Mall, Congressional Representatives, past Presidents and the Biden and Obama families. It was great to see and hear another inspiring speech by President Obama, that called all of us not only in the United States, but for those all over the world, to work together for a higher standard of living, peace and prosperity now and for future generations.
We made our way down to Cary/Raleigh, NC to visit Rich's Aunt Julia and his cousin Patti and her family. We had a brisk afternoon walk along a beautiful walking path that went for miles around the nearby lake and a great discussion with Pati's neighbor about the future of the Country and our health care programs. We didn't see eye-to eye, but any misconceptions that supporters of the past administration might have about our new President and his plans for the future, we have to win over with successful actions that include imput from all sides. That's exactly what Obama wants to do!
We hope you enjoy all the photos. We couldn't beat the cameras up on the big booms that got such exciting live shots of the crowds on the Mall, Congressional Representatives, past Presidents and the Biden and Obama families. It was great to see and hear another inspiring speech by President Obama, that called all of us not only in the United States, but for those all over the world, to work together for a higher standard of living, peace and prosperity now and for future generations.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day! Has finally arrived!!!
We got up early this morning to beat the crowds and I think the crowds beat us! We hear that people were in line at 4am EST to get standing room only on the Mall. We were lucky to have tickets for standing in the Orange area that were stage left to the podium. None of that mattered after we spent an hour serpentining through the area that kept us cuing and happy to be there. As we were getting to the security checkpoint we were right in front of retired General Wesley Clark, who came to Las Cruces in October to help campaign for President Obama! I didn't get to shake his hand then, so this was my chance. As I was starting to take a picture of him, his wife offered to take a picture of us together. He was very kind and remembered his stop in Las Cruces and the Obama supporters.
The hour and a half wait for the ceremonies to begin were filled with singing by a wonderfully talented youth choir, the Marine Band playing, and other musical selections. Scans of the immense crowd was showing just a fraction of the national supporters for the Obama/Biden Team. You all probably saw this historical event as well as we did. It was the feeling of the cold wind on your face, being in the shadows of the Capital Building and knowing that we were only hundreds of feet from these prestigous people that made it all so special and memorable.
The day so many of us have looked forward to for so many days, months and for some years!
Happy Inauguration Day!
The hour and a half wait for the ceremonies to begin were filled with singing by a wonderfully talented youth choir, the Marine Band playing, and other musical selections. Scans of the immense crowd was showing just a fraction of the national supporters for the Obama/Biden Team. You all probably saw this historical event as well as we did. It was the feeling of the cold wind on your face, being in the shadows of the Capital Building and knowing that we were only hundreds of feet from these prestigous people that made it all so special and memorable.
The day so many of us have looked forward to for so many days, months and for some years!
Happy Inauguration Day!
National Day of Service - Martin Luther King Day
Yesterday was truly a great tribute to Dr. Mrtin Luther King. People all over the Country were helping their communities with service projects that each deemed worthwhile. In Washington, DC area there must have been at least 20 different organized events. We decided to go to the RFK Stadium to help put gift packages together to send to the soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. LC Obama staff were helping there too! Guillermo and Jodi were there, as well as Ashley, Hannah, Gus and Erik. We were signed in, given a quick briefing on how things would work and we even did the Obama dance to fire us up! It was very well organized as was every aspect of the weekend. By group we would enter a line to receive a zip lock bag and then proceed through the line until our bag was full of handy comfort items, donated from many generous companies of which Target was a major contributor. Music kept the huge and nicely heated tent warm as close to 10,000 of our closest friends were busy at work. We wrote notes on thank you cards that would be included with the packages, just to personalize them a little bit. Several dignitaries stopped by to do their share of helping such as Vice-President Elect Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Mayor of Washington, DC. It was a great day!
Monday, January 19, 2009
"We Are One" Concert
It was a wonderful time to be with so many thousands of people to celebrate the new Presidency! We didn't arrive hours early like the smart people who wanted to get up close, but more like the arriving right on time people who got directed past the closed gates and onto the Washington Memorial Park lawn with the jumbo-trons group. It was still an exciting event as people filled the entire acreage and even a few climbed the trees for a better look at the screens. The sound system was great too as we listened to Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and Beyonce among the great line-up of entertainers. The multi-generational crowd together rocked and sang the words to most of the songs, especially those of Garth Brooks songs "American Pie", "We Shall Be Free"and my favorite was when everyone pointed high for "Shout!" Every time the camera took a shot of Barack and Michelle Obama, screams were heard in appreciation for our new President. He gave a closing message that as always is inspiring, and we look forward to an even greater Inaugural Speech.
Afterwards we walked many blocks to downtown DC to the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley and Bar to wait for the "Las Cruces Connection" group to gather. It was quite busy and most restaurnts had 1-2 hour waits. The group decided to go to Las Tampas that worked out well as we overtook a corner of the restaurant and enjoyed catching up with job hunting and career endeavors of the former Las Cruces Obama Headquarter's staff. They are all doing well and really miss LC and the many great volunteers that entered their doors as well as their lives!
Today we are rushing off to the RFK Stadium for National Day of Service and Martin Luther King Day to help with assembling packages to send to soldiers serving in the Middle East.
Afterwards we walked many blocks to downtown DC to the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley and Bar to wait for the "Las Cruces Connection" group to gather. It was quite busy and most restaurnts had 1-2 hour waits. The group decided to go to Las Tampas that worked out well as we overtook a corner of the restaurant and enjoyed catching up with job hunting and career endeavors of the former Las Cruces Obama Headquarter's staff. They are all doing well and really miss LC and the many great volunteers that entered their doors as well as their lives!
Today we are rushing off to the RFK Stadium for National Day of Service and Martin Luther King Day to help with assembling packages to send to soldiers serving in the Middle East.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Trial run on the metro and visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum
Today was a great day to find out how smart you have to be to get a Metro Smart Ride card to work. We tried to insert our newly purchased Obama Commemorative cards into the machines that will add more dollars of credit to our cards. Once we realized that wasn't going to happen, we tried pushing the large card sized button that said Smart Ride and then add the credit. This didn't work either! So we finally went over to the station house and asked for assistance. Fortunately there weren't any crowds yet and the friendly Metro assistants were very helpful! Boy, did we feel like tourists when he showed us how to wave the card in front of the card sized button that said Smart Ride. You have to be smart to use the Smart Ride! It was a test!
We walked to the Holocaust Memorial Museum and were in line with a nice group of young people from Indiana, who were going to sing for one of the events. They were freezing in line too! Reading about how Hitler advanced himself as a Chancellor and took advantage of the chaos caused by a fire and then declaring himself as the leader, was just astonishing how easily one can manipulate his way to a position of power and abuse. The Danes were the only people who successfully protected their Jewish neighbors and friends from the German annihilation. It was encouraging to see so many young people interested in learning about this horrific period in history. Hopefully there will be enough people of every generation that will be able to recognise patterns or courses of action that might lead to such atrocities and stop the insanity.
We made plans earlier in the day to meet our niece Leslie, who graduated from John Hopkins Masters program in education and she now teachers in the Baltimore inner-city schools, for dinner. Since she and her wonderful boyfriend Jordan were going to a Capitals hockey game afterward we agreed to meet at Clydes that was next door to the Verizon Center where they were going for the game. That meant we needed to walk 14 blocks across DC, in the cold, to meet them by 5pm. We went past the Washington Monument and saw crews setting up the jumbo-tron screens for the Ingaugural Concert on Sunday that promised a great line-up of entertainers. They will be performing from the Lincoln Memorial that was waaaay down the Mall. We also walked along the parade route and imagined what it was going to be like with the huge crowds expected and lining the streets on Tuesday afternoon. It is going to be awesome! Just like the Whistle-Stop Train ride the Obamas and Bidens took today with stops in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
We walked to the Holocaust Memorial Museum and were in line with a nice group of young people from Indiana, who were going to sing for one of the events. They were freezing in line too! Reading about how Hitler advanced himself as a Chancellor and took advantage of the chaos caused by a fire and then declaring himself as the leader, was just astonishing how easily one can manipulate his way to a position of power and abuse. The Danes were the only people who successfully protected their Jewish neighbors and friends from the German annihilation. It was encouraging to see so many young people interested in learning about this horrific period in history. Hopefully there will be enough people of every generation that will be able to recognise patterns or courses of action that might lead to such atrocities and stop the insanity.
We made plans earlier in the day to meet our niece Leslie, who graduated from John Hopkins Masters program in education and she now teachers in the Baltimore inner-city schools, for dinner. Since she and her wonderful boyfriend Jordan were going to a Capitals hockey game afterward we agreed to meet at Clydes that was next door to the Verizon Center where they were going for the game. That meant we needed to walk 14 blocks across DC, in the cold, to meet them by 5pm. We went past the Washington Monument and saw crews setting up the jumbo-tron screens for the Ingaugural Concert on Sunday that promised a great line-up of entertainers. They will be performing from the Lincoln Memorial that was waaaay down the Mall. We also walked along the parade route and imagined what it was going to be like with the huge crowds expected and lining the streets on Tuesday afternoon. It is going to be awesome! Just like the Whistle-Stop Train ride the Obamas and Bidens took today with stops in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Friday, January 16, 2009
We made it to DC
This morning we caught an 8:10am flight from El Paso to Baltimore, which sounds really easy until you realize that we were up until 2am getting to finally pack our bags and we had to get up at 5:30am to get on the road for the 40 mile trek to El Paso airport. American Airline was prompt, courteous and a really good deal since we used our credit card miles to purchase. We arrived on time and without delays, got a beautiful black Nissan SUV at Alamo and were on our way to DC via the Baltimore/Washington Parkway.
We wound our way to the capital trying to read the smallest type a map could ever have (they seem to shrink every year) and we had to stop and ask directions from only one Capital officer that knew we were lost tourists since we tried to drive down a restricted entrance. He was ever so helpful and we wished him good luck this weekend which he appreciated with a smile. We arrived at the Longworth House office building, where newly elected Congressman Harry Teague's office had Inauguration tickets waiting for us. Rich had to drop me off as we weren't sure where to park and our 6pm deadline was drawing near. I met down the hall fellow New Mexicans Representative Joni Gutierrez and Mary Gail Gwaltney as they were leaving the Congressman's office. So after saying a quick hello and good-bye, Art Terrazas continued his escort service from the stairway and back to the office with me in tow. It was great to see Congressman Teague's office running so smoothly and his staff working as if they had been there for years, protecting our welfare and interests. Too bad he wasn't elected sooner! After a short wait, I was overwhelmed when Mr. Terrazas presented the tickets, a commemorative program, and official pictures of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden. I once again realized the awesomeness of having such an outstanding new President! I could hardly say goodbye or show my deep appreciation for the help in securing these highly demanded tickets for this historical event.
We had a wonderful dinner with my cousin's son Elliott, who just moved to Maryland to work as a Naval Architect for the Naval Service Warfare Center and was gracious enough to let us crash his guest room for the long weekend. His great roommates, Adam and Danielle, add to the household of smart, hardworking young people that are the core of re-building our Country. This leads me back to the very talented and hard working staff that gave their heart and souls for months on end to organize the Get Out the Vote (GOTV) for Barack Obama. We were so privileged to work with such dedicated and smart young people, that created with their regional and national counterparts, a networking system so very impressive and obviously successful, that it made those of us who volunteered, feel that it was a very productive and valuable use of our time. We all bonded in a way that we really hadn't expected and the memories of which we will never forget. We look forward to seeing many of them Sunday night at a gathering just for the "Obama Inauguration Reunion Celebration" organized by and for the Las Cruces staff and volunteers, many of which came from other parts of the Country.
We wound our way to the capital trying to read the smallest type a map could ever have (they seem to shrink every year) and we had to stop and ask directions from only one Capital officer that knew we were lost tourists since we tried to drive down a restricted entrance. He was ever so helpful and we wished him good luck this weekend which he appreciated with a smile. We arrived at the Longworth House office building, where newly elected Congressman Harry Teague's office had Inauguration tickets waiting for us. Rich had to drop me off as we weren't sure where to park and our 6pm deadline was drawing near. I met down the hall fellow New Mexicans Representative Joni Gutierrez and Mary Gail Gwaltney as they were leaving the Congressman's office. So after saying a quick hello and good-bye, Art Terrazas continued his escort service from the stairway and back to the office with me in tow. It was great to see Congressman Teague's office running so smoothly and his staff working as if they had been there for years, protecting our welfare and interests. Too bad he wasn't elected sooner! After a short wait, I was overwhelmed when Mr. Terrazas presented the tickets, a commemorative program, and official pictures of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden. I once again realized the awesomeness of having such an outstanding new President! I could hardly say goodbye or show my deep appreciation for the help in securing these highly demanded tickets for this historical event.
We had a wonderful dinner with my cousin's son Elliott, who just moved to Maryland to work as a Naval Architect for the Naval Service Warfare Center and was gracious enough to let us crash his guest room for the long weekend. His great roommates, Adam and Danielle, add to the household of smart, hardworking young people that are the core of re-building our Country. This leads me back to the very talented and hard working staff that gave their heart and souls for months on end to organize the Get Out the Vote (GOTV) for Barack Obama. We were so privileged to work with such dedicated and smart young people, that created with their regional and national counterparts, a networking system so very impressive and obviously successful, that it made those of us who volunteered, feel that it was a very productive and valuable use of our time. We all bonded in a way that we really hadn't expected and the memories of which we will never forget. We look forward to seeing many of them Sunday night at a gathering just for the "Obama Inauguration Reunion Celebration" organized by and for the Las Cruces staff and volunteers, many of which came from other parts of the Country.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Our Journey to DC for the Inauguration
We wanted to share with everyone, that might be as excited as we are about the Inuguration of our 44th President Barack Obama, our adventure to Washington, DC for this historical event. Our journey really began this last summer when Barack Obama was selected as the Democratic nominee for President at the Denver Convention. Our Republican brother Kevin, living in Littleton, CO, hosted my Mom and sister Jan, who was a sponsor for the Convention representatives from New Mexico, to stay with him while they attended different events. Well that started the sisterly competition as we encouraged greater support for Barack Obama from friends, relatives and even die hard Republicans. Our Mom was the worst or best of all! She spoke to perfect strangers, wherever she was, about how desperately we needed change for our Country. She listens to Air America even more than we do and as Rachel Maddow needs to be "talked down", so did my Mom and at the request of my other siblings. She waited for hours with my other brother John and his wife Susan to see Barack Obama in Espanola and they all had sun burns to prove it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
