Coming Out
Saturday, September 15th, 2007I’m coming out! I’m coming out for Barack Obama for President!
I actually got into quite a heated argument with the bro, sister-in-law, and carmen the other day about this very subject. They all lean towards a different candidate. A candidate who, to me, has exhibited nothing but the same, tired rhetoric of things past. A candidate who would polarize the american people. A candidate who the Republicans would love to see win the Democratic nomination because it would mean a much greater chance of the GOP winning the next election. Luckily, i found out that my brother doesn’t plan to change his party affiliation from I to D, so i don’t worry about him anymore.
So what do I like about Obama? First, go to http://debates.news.yahoo.com/ and listen to his view on education. Go ahead. I’ll wait . . .it gets good at around the 2:55 mark . . . . you back with me? Holy Shit, isn’t that awesome?!? I wasn’t alive when JFK gave his call to arms to beat the Russians to the moon, but I remember when I first heard it. I remember the chills I got. And for all the years since, I’ve been waiting to hear another President make a similar speech. A re-emphasis on science and engineering. Another cause to rally the the country in education. And this time, it’s not to beat the commies to space, but to save the f-ing planet! I would love to hear that speech in the new administration.
There are other things that i like about Obama which i’ll probably share at a later date, but i’ll end with just a little reminder that you have to be registered ‘D’ if you want to vote in the primaries.
September 15th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Obama: “We don’t need more lawyers, we need more engineers.”
Rose: “(laughter) As one who went to law school, I would agree with that.’
My eyes usually roll whenever a presidential candidate says anything about fixing education. Education is still squarely under the dominion of States and local govts. The only change a president could affect is through setting vision (a la JFK lez go to da moon) or pushing cumbersome legislation (a la NCLB).
You’re better off petitioning the State of California to double the pace of its primary school education, cutting junior high, and adding a yearlong comprehensive civics course, and watch out in 10 years.
September 15th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
oh, crab, am i the only optimist left around here? Y’know, my brother has been trying to convince me that, no matter who the next president is, he or she can not do as much good as george w has done bad. I reject that hypothesis. I reject it because i never thought anyone could do as much bad as george w has done, and therefore it stands to reason that someone could blow my expectations on the other end of the spectrum.
Anyway, what i really meant to say in rebuttal is that vision and legislation at the federal level should not be trivialized. I have no doubt that NCLB has vastly changed the landscape of education (not in a good way), and I also have no doubt that JFK’s mission to the moon stirred the spirits, hearts, and minds of a vast number of the kids who, instead of becoming art history majors, decided to become engineers.