Obama: Starting quietly in Iowa

It started pretty quietly.

There were hundreds of early, up-close-and-personal chances to meet Barack Obama including

• a house party in Ida Grove
• a meet-the-candidate session at the VFW Post 5240 in Dakota City
• a visit with diners at the Maid-Rite restaurant in Newton
• a box lunch for about 100 at the Des Moines Public Library

You can see a list of most of the events, but it doesn’t include the box lunch at the Library - Friday, May 11, 2007. Organizers had trouble getting enough people to fill the room. But there were many more events in Des Moines. In July Obama and his family were back in Des Moines for a 4th of July picnic at Beaverdale Park. More people were there, maybe 400, but Iowans were still able to shake hands and speak to Barack and Michelle Obama face to face. At the end of July he was in Union Park and numbers were greater, perhaps 500. In early October at the Convention Center there were over 1,000, and the chances of speaking personally were less. By November at the Jefferson Jackson banquet, his team of organizers stuffed plenty of vocal, passionate people into Vets Auditorium; by that time I felt that Obama would win the Democratic caucuses. By December when Oprah came, 18,000 came to Hy-Vee Hall even without a free lunch. The rallies were getting big and loud. Leading up to the caucuses there were many more Iowa events including some in Des Moines: Scottish Rite Temple; Roosevelt High School. Iowans did their homework; we knew him well. Then came the Iowa caucuses, he won, and it got quiet in Iowa again.

In the two years that Barack Obama visited and campaigned here, he took us seriously; we took him seriously. He left a lot of himself in Iowa; he took some of Iowa with him. He got a fair hearing and a favorable reception among Iowa Democrats, and the door to the nomination was a little more open.

And when it was clear that he was going to secure the nomination, on May 20, 2008 he came back to say thanks.

Couldn’t we claim that he is just a little bit Iowan? I know he was born in Hawaii, but I’d like to think of him as a Hawaii-owan. How about you?

A breath-taking moment in American history

I have witnessed a transforming moment in American history. I am proud to have been there.

Did you read the post Are we too divided? It was written 10 months ago, early in the campaign, before the Iowa primaries, before either Obama or McCain was the front runner. At the time I felt that the division and rancor prevalent in the politics of the 1990s (and beyond) was the greatest threat to the nation. For whatever reason, as a nation we had lost civility, a common purpose, and dedication to the common good. I thought that Barack Obama had the best chance to bring about some semblance of civil discourse and healing. At the same time I was happy that John McCain was the Republican nominee. He had looked like a good choice in 2000 too when he seemed direct and sincere. It was disappointing in 2008 when his campaign became more negative. Tonight I was glad to see the old John McCain return.

If you did not hear John McCain’s concession speech, you must listen to him and read the comments of Joe Candelman. This was one of John McCain’s finest political moments. He rose again to stature worthy of the American hero that he is. Around the world he is being recognized for the class and grace he showed tonight. (Recognize too that throughout the campaign John McCain never used race in any way to divide the nation. It was clear in his concession speech that racial sensitivity is a core value for McCain.)

Barack Obama too, spoke of the remarkable transformation that has taken place in America.

During the long campaigns 100 million American voters listened to two voices and judged the speakers primarily by their messages. While many of the network news stars seemed quite fascinated by race, America never took the bait. Instead we listened, we watched, we considered, and we judged - but not on the basis of race. Listening, watching, considering, and judging without making race a critical component of the process has never happened before to this extent. That is the transforming moment: setting aside race. (As Americans we are such a mixture anyway that it’s just too much bother.)

In my experience the vast majority of people under 25 have lost track of the concept of race (and lots of those young people voted); but when the election statistics are revealed, we will also discover that Barack Obama ran well with men over 65.

That’s good. It’s time. Now let’s get down to business. We have some Republican-Democrat reconciliation to do too, and as a nation we have some problems to fix.

photos by Lindberg and photo flickr by VictoryNH: Protect Our Primary

Where to vote in Iowa

Want to find your polling place in Iowa? Ask the Iowa Secretary of State. The website will help you locate your polling place.

See also Voting early in Around Des Moines.

Just vote!

The voting booths are ready, the poll workers in place.

The ballots are printed.

You have heard and studied the positions on each issue.

Now the nation and the world are waiting for your best judgment.

-

OK, then.

Just vote.

photo by flicker by momboleum

If character counts, who should be President?

Have you ever thought about how the Presidential candidates would get along in Iowa schools today? I sure have. Character Counts! in Iowa is part of a national program and it’s very important in schools statewide. The six pillars of character are

• trustworthiness (honest, reliable, loyal)
• respect (treat others well, tolerant, good manners, considerate, deal peacefully with anger and disagreements)
• responsibility (good self-control, self-disciplined, accountable)
• fairness (play by the rules, share, be open-minded, not blame carelessly)
• caring (kind, compassionate, grateful)
• citizenship (cooperative, involved, informed)

Each has its own set of descriptors. Read them on-line.

Do you have a sense of which of our Presidential candidates was more likely a bully as a schoolboy? Read the characteristics of a serial bully and see if any apply to either of our candidates. Think about that when you vote.

Do you think that bullying is only for boys? Current literature defines the phenomena of female bullying and relationship aggression (Odd Girl Out [sneak peak video], Girl Wars, Reviving Ophelia). What are the tools of the female bully? Gossip, character asassination, group control, exclusion of others, cliques, incitement, intimidation.

Will John McCain and Sarah Palin please report to the Principal’s Office?

photo by flickr by Eddie~S

Voting early

Want to vote early? You can still do it.

In Polk County

• In tiny little letters at the bottom of the auditors web page, Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald points out that voting early is still possible at the Polk County Election Office. The Polk County Election Office is 120 2nd Avenue (south of Court Avenue and west of the Des Moines River). Just walk in from 8 am -5 pm, Monday through Saturday through Monday November 3. The folks in the auditor’s office are very helpful and will tell you how to get it done.
• If you don’t know for sure, you can check to see if you are registered to vote on the web site of the Iowa Secretary of State. The site even tells you where to vote! If you are not yet registered, you can register on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4 at your correct polling place but you have to bring along proof of residence (many things as simple as a utility bill or bank statement will do) and a photo ID (like a driver’s licence or Iowa student ID). For a second way to find your correct polling place, follow the link called find your polling place on the Polk County Auditor’s website. You can also see the ballot through links at the same site.

In Dallas County

• It is not quite as easy, but according to The Des Moines Register, you can do it. The only remaining early voting day is Saturday November 1, from 8 am to 5 pm at the Dallas County Auditor’s Elections Office at 910 Court in Adel, Iowa.
• Just as in Polk County if you don’t know for sure, you can check if you are registered to vote on the web site of the Iowa Secretary of State. And again the site even tells you where to vote! If you are not yet registered, you can register on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4 at your correct polling place but you have to bring along proof of residence (many things as simple as a utility bill or bank statement will do) and a photo ID (like a driver’s licence or Iowa student ID).

This is an historic election. If the primaries were any indication, there will be a record turnout. It may be a good idea to vote early.

photos by James Lindberg

Acceptance comes with age

I’ve been traveling a bit lately, and I was talking by phone to a North Dakota boy Tuesday. Here are the three sentences that this good Republican named Stan had to say about the prospect of the election of Barack Obama:

First,

• “It looks like the young guy is going to win.”

He followed that with,

• “Well, that’s all right.”

And ended by saying,

• “We’ll just give him a chance and see what he can do.”

Acceptance comes with age.

Stan is in his late 80s and he has lived a lot of American history, gained a lot from living in America, and given a lot back. He has known

• hard work on a Great Plains farm
• the Great Depression
• service in WWII as a technical trainer at Chanute Air Base
• marriage
• a long career as a government accountant and his wife as a teacher
• a modest income and sound judgment in how it was spent
• homes (one at a time, not multiple homes)
• retirement in Arizona and
• declining health

Now in his sunset years he and his wife were having difficulty keeping up with the physical demands of their home, so they moved into an assisted living facility, and they put their house in Arizona on the market. You guessed it. A full year later their house is still on the market with little hope for a sale. There is no bailout in sight for these loyal Americans - veterans of the Great Depression and World War II. Why haven’t we heard these Americans mentioned by John McCain in the same sentence as Joe the Plumber? Why we haven’t heard them mentioned by Sarah Palin in the same sentence as the parts of the country she calls pro-America? Couldn’t those “maverick” Republicans at least refer in passing to the aging Americans who have started with nothing and are seeing 60 years of hard work and careful living disappear either slowly or quickly? To add insult to neglect, if McCain were elected these uncomplaining, aging, loyal Americans would be saddled with McCain’s proposed cuts to Medicare.

Celebrate, Stan. It looks like the young guy is going to win.

photo by flickr by rileyroxx

McCain to announce new Presidential retreat?

Will Presidential hopeful John McCain announce plans for a new Presidential retreat? Camp David located in Maryland has been used as a Presidential retreat for decades. Its history is rich.

Even though Camp David is a Naval facility, I am going out on a limb and suggest that if old Navy man John McCain is elected President, he will reject Camp David and opt for new location for his Presidential retreat: Golden Pond (Just kidding.)

What? Did you think his multimillionaire wife Cindy McCain might hold out for Busch Gardens?

photos by flickr by CaptPiper

What kind of conservative?

Are you conservative? If so, what kind? Take the test.

The late William F. Buckley, considered the father of modern conservatism, was never satisfied with a simple definition of conservative,  but he knew when someone wasn’t one. Buckley, a brilliant debater, defined conservatism by his writings, debates (1969 from YouTube), and speeches. He was

• an unflinching basher of liberalism
• author of God and Man at Yale, Ronald Reagan: An American Hero, and Up from Liberalism,
• founder of the National Review,
• host of Firing Line, and
• a harsh critic of George W. Bush.

Are you a Buckley conservative?

If William F. Buckley was the father of modern conservatism, Barry M. Goldwater is considered the Godfather. As a politician, he defined conservatism in the mid to late 20th century. He was

• the force that launched the conservative revolution within the Republican Party
• author of Conscience of a Conservative
• firm believer in civil rights, choice, and equality for women and gays
• possessor of a quick, pithy wit and a sharp tongue
• an advocate of fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility, and civil liberties and considered by many to be a Republican libertarian.

Are you a Goldwater conservative?

John W. Dean, former White House Counsel, sometimes columnist, and author of several books including Conservatives without Conscience (New York Times review), writes about authoritarian conservatives, a concept advanced by social psychologist Bob Altmeyer in his book The Authoritarians. Authoritarian conservatives are in sharp contrast with Goldwater or libertarian conservatives.

Dean, Dunn and Woodward, Altmeyer and others characterize authoritarian conservatives (sometimes called right-wing authoritarians) as

• believing in traditional social and religious values
• distrustful of change
• concerned with order
• desirous of having government protect and enforce those beliefs

Are you more of an authoritarian conservative?

Those are three sharply contrasting conservative positions. Are you close to one of the three? There are other definitions and camps. Maybe you would like to think of yourself as something else.

I had some fun with an on-line test  called IDEAlog about a year ago, and I was surprised by where I fit into the political spectrum. It will force you to examine values and terminology. Try it. I’ll bet you learn something about yourself. (Click on Run the IDEAlog.)

photos by flickr by And all that Malarkey and edwardleger

An American hero?

I was home for lunch and caught the biggest news of the day.

Here’s the lead-up to the story in a nutshell.

• Chicago banks made loans to owners of apartments buildings
• owners rented the apartments
• the renters did not get behind on payments
• but the owners did get behind
• banks foreclosed (and maybe they weren’t interested in following the letter of the law but)
• the banks ordered the sheriff to evict the renters

And what I saw on the news at noon was an angry young man saying,

” I will no longer be party to something that is so unjust.”

Who was the angry young man? It was the Sheriff. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart found his ethics in conflict with the law. And he has ordered his deputies to stop evicting the tenants. The AP reported the story earlier today. Check the details; the details are ugly as in go to work in the morning, come home to what’s left of your belongings on the curb. The Illinois Mortgage Bankers Association was not pleased with the Sheriff. In a twit, they announced they just wouldn’t give loans in Cook County. You can read about this in the Chicago Tribune. It’s breaking news in Chicago. Will there be copycats? Could it happen in Des Moines?

You are going to have to judge this one for yourself. Was the Sheriff right? If you think there is an easy answer, guess again. It is a wonderful conflict of law, ethics, and morality. Take your stand. There is no in between.

photo by flickr by DrCee

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