What a difference a president makes

One believes public transit is only for people who wish they could afford to drive, and its funds are low-hanging fruit to be plucked to build more highways.

And one that recognizes that transit is a sustainable transportation mode worthy of public investment and that there is no better option for a long-term transportation infrastructure...

Millions of mind guerrillas

At my local hardware store, presidential candidate puzzles appeared for sale in October. (To add some flavor to the display there was puzzle glue and darts positioned nearby to enable puzzle purchasers to make their own dartboards.) Every time I was in the store, I noted the number of puzzles on display and wondered which was the better seller. Although the store is in the Socialist Republic of Mpls, I thought the free market might have something different to say about the relative popularity of the candidates.

Yesterday I received my answer. The store initially ordered 10 Obama puzzles and (just to have some balance I was told) 3 McCain puzzles. Final score: 10 Obama sold and 0 McCain sold.

But I think McCain's puzzle had a distinct disadvantage. With a background of skeletal post-nuclear holocaust trees, it looked more like an advertisement for Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. (Added bonus irony: he's leaning against Greek columns, an architectural element subject to right-wing derision when they were part of Obama's DNC stagecraft.)

In the end, McCain suffers too because his name, which doesn't alternate vowels and consonants like Obama's, is not crossword puzzle-friendly.

'Cross that Minnesota border keep 'em scrambling

For the first time in my life, save for a quick stint to satisfy a high school civics class requirement, I campaigned for a political campaign last weekend. The cause of my sudden politicking activity was my fervent desire to see Al Franken unseat Norm Coleman in the US Senate.

Due to the closeness of the race neither candidate immediately made it into the winner's circle. Coleman, continueing his campaign against decency and common sense, called for Franken to call off the state-mandated recount since he says "I just think the need for the healing process is so important."

Heal yourself, Norm, before you worry about us. How's preparation for your latest lawsuit coming? Oh, which lawsuit? Not that one, but this one.

Around the world in a day

On the Google Maps website there were two maps created by a user that show the geographic lifejourneys of each of this year's presidential candidates. Each geographic place is accompanied by a description of people and dates. One thing that is cool was how each candidate has been around the world in their individual life journeys. (Quite different from the Republican's vice presidential candidate who only received her passport a couple years ago, and then just for the purpose of photo ops in Iraq for political gain.)

But the narratives created for Obama and McCain are quite different. Obama's is rather matter of fact while McCain's had this sense of breathless drama. "On the USS Forestall McCain nearly lost his life when a missile accidently exploded" and describes in graphic detail what the VC had done to his body during his 5+ years of captivity.

The narratives starkly reveal how biography is often conflated with character, and how biography substituted for character development in the packaging of John McCain. Yes, McCain's journey included Panama, the waters off Cuba, and Vietnam. But the true consideration is: how did each place impact him, to shape him as THE one to address the serious issues that the country is facing?

His years of captivity are supposed to imply that he is a tough son-of-a-gun who will sacrifice everything for his country. That no doubt could be true, but it also had the impact that decades later he still harbored anger against his captors and felt entitled to label them as "gooks."

On the whole, I see that Obama's world journey had the effect of making him more inclusive and compassionate for others who didn't share the same viewpoints, abilities, social and economic standing as he, while McCain's worldview narrowed and became a reflexively bellicose.

Black President

Drove to work today listening to Fela's incendiary indictment of corrupt power at high volume. He sings, "No more sorrow, tears, and blood- their regular trademark." I concur.

Congrats, O.