In the strangest of places

http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/2209067.html

I think this is so awesome. I really do. Ever since Ben & Jerry's set an example by tying their highest-paid executives' salaries to their lowest-paid workers' pay, I've been wishing there was a way to do that for less socially conscious companies. I know, I know, socialism blah-de-blah. Does anyone really think that "the economy" (meaning, the common American's fortune) is helped by paying CEOs multi-million-dollar salaries? The trickle-down effect? Really?

I love this, and I know at least one other person on my FL will too! ;)

Lately I've been seeing so much (and collecting so much) video of the Republicans, and none of the Democrats. I started to think about why that is. Well, the Rs are sensationalistic these days. There are temper tantrums, folksy winks, train-wreck interviews, incoherence, seething refusals to shake hands with one's debate opponent or even to look at him, reptilian tongue thrusts, cheesy repetition of catch-phrases and talking points, and false accusations being thrown around. And let's not forget SNL parodies. Which all add up to some pretty fascinating video.

But then I thought, why am I not seeing as much video of Obama? This video shows a little bit of why I think that is. It also shows why I like him. He's calm, measured, engaged, intelligent, confident, and coherent. He talks about the issues rather than spending all his time attacking his opponents. He has plans that I largely agree with and he believes in those plans and in his team's ability to carry them out. He understands that a large part of the presidency is being a tone-setter, like the CEO of a major corporation--you have to communicate, give people a sense that someone is minding the store, let them know we're on the right track and call on them to participate. It may sound silly, but seriously guys, the figurehead aspect of presidency is SO important. Our mood and image as a nation depends on it. (Remember Ronald Reagan? Why do you think so many people loved him? Was it because of his policies? Or was it because he could convince them that we were A-OK?) Watch this video and imagine having this guy address the nation as we stumble through this crazy economic crisis, rather than our current 'president' who barely even bothers to show up on TV anymore.

EDIT: I am talking about the big video embedded in the story below, that says "Obama talks about the economy" or whatever.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5985237&page=1

Also, it kinda cracks me up how much he says "look."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122152292213639569.html

http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/778178.html

The funny thing about that second link is that it is closely related to something I posted in 2004:

http://spread-word.livejournal.com/1752.html

Already I am SICK TO DEATH of the constant fear-mongering and racist attacks on Obama. It's just so infuriating and so incredibly sad. One day it's "Oh he bumped fists with Michelle on his way to the podium" and the next day it's Curious George Obama t-shirts or Michelle being called his "baby mama" or some dumb YouTube video link being passed around that intones "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" about 50 times. The constant subtle message is "You can't trust this guy. He has a funny name. He's black. He might even be Muslim. He's a terrorist who will give everything to the BLACK PEOPLE! RUN!!!!!!"

I. AM. SO. SICK. OF. THIS. I am sick of racism. I am weary. I knew it would be bad, I knew there would be so much of this, and actually this is one of the best things about him being the Democratic candidate; there will be a whole lot of misunderstanding a whole lot of BS, but hopefully his candidacy will continue to stir up opportunities to discuss matters of race in this country. It's just... I don't know how much of it I am up for. Racism is a subject I have very passionate opinions about. But it's HARD to talk about, for a million reasons. For one, I feel so strongly that it's hard to form coherent sentences sometimes. Also, it's something people feel really defensive about. And the more I put into understanding POC points of view, the farther I get from the mainstream white point of view, and the harder it is to remember how to get from there to here. (Not that I have some exalted understanding, but I have put some time in.) And of course there's the fact that I am white and I really don't know much compared to your average American person of color, so I can't speak from any sort of authority and it's hard to try to educate someone else when you feel unsure of yourself. I feel the way I did for a long time about environmental issues. Since I am not a scientist and I did not have all the scientific facts at my disposal when challenged by a skeptic, plus I am not perfect on all environmental fronts (obviously!) I felt that I could not try to educate anyone else about maybe going a little greener. I'm over that one, but I feel the same way about issues of race. Plus, environmentalism can be spread by leading by example, my preferred method of any sort of change. Racism is not so easy--it must be challenged, discussed, examined; one can't just "lead by example" and hope to effect change.

Anyway. It's sad sad sad that it's come to this. But Obama has put together a page to debunk some of the more vicious myths that are circulating about him. Next time you get an email forward with some ridiculous rumor about him in it, you might want to reply with this website. It won't necessarily change anyone's mind ("Oh, but that's HIS website, he could be lying!") but at least you don't have to let the lie go unchallenged.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/

And there's always www.snopes.com.

That won't stop the monkey comparisons, either, but it's something.