Politics

New Year’s Eve feast at Simpatica’s communal dining tables. Suzame and I sit across from each other. A couple takes the seats next to us. Strangers, but not for long. He’s a musician, she’s a pediatric nurse practitioner. Outgoing and warm, they’re scheduled to wed in June. Talk turns to politics, and they describe an […]

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Inquiring Minds

December 19, 2008

A Slate magazine column, The Explainer, is a must read for me. It typically explains issues in the news or suggested by the news, such as these recent entries: What do Iraqis find so insulting about shoes and feet? Can you be a gay Mormon? Reading through the archive of questions answered this year is […]

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More Shoes in Bush’s Future

December 15, 2008

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush in Baghdad was hailed as a hero today across the Middle East. In Baghdad, where the incident happened, protesters filled the streets and demanded his release from custody. When I first watched the video, I marveled at Bush’s sharp reflexes and calm under […]

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GOP Brain Scan

December 13, 2008

U.S. Senate Republicans made quite a spectacle in 2005, trying unsuccessfully to prevent comatose Terri Shiavo from getting unplugged from life support. Their rallying cry: celebrate the culture of life. Now they’ve blocked efforts to help automakers stave off financial collapse, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of people their jobs. In other words, the GOP […]

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Obama Owns My Hood

December 5, 2008

The final official numbers are in: Barack Obama defeated John McCain in my Northeast Portland precinct, 3,771 to 379, or 89.96 to 8.94 percent of the vote. Across Multnomah County, the tally was 76.69 to 20.61 percent. The precinct turnout was a 88.47 percent, slightly better than the 86.16 percent countywide. I expected a blowout […]

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Campaign Poster Wannabes

December 3, 2008

I want to be like Barack Obama. So does my wife, Suzame. Using a nifty new plugin, we photographed ourselves tonight on her Mac in a vain attempt to emulate the iconic “Hope” portrait poster. The now-ubiquitous image of our soon-to-be president is the work of Los Angeles street artist Shepard Fairey. The best evidence […]

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Hope and Haircuts

November 20, 2008

Two barbershops, fifty years and three thousand miles apart. At one I had my first haircut without a parent in tow. It was in Florida, and I was a young boy new to the South. The father and son proprietors were Alabama crackers. The only time they spoke more than a few words was when […]

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Signs of the Times

November 14, 2008

I’m waiting for numbers. As in how my Portland precinct voted in the presidential election. Only county-by-county totals are available, though I know Barack Obama’s tally will be staggering. During the campaign, I saw only one John McCain sign in the neighborhood, and it was homemade. Obama signs, including this one in my yard, spread […]

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Health Insurance Horrors

November 13, 2008

Not posting to my blog for two days feels a bit like neglecting my toddler. Say, not giving him breakfast or lunch. Resuming with a chorus-of-snores subject — health insurance — is almost as neglectful. But health insurance came to mind today when I read that President-elect Barack Obama is resigning his U.S. Senate seat, […]

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Election Bonds and Divides

November 5, 2008

Post-election observations keep washing over me, none more powerful than this: democracy worked when I had lost faith in it. The doubt was well-founded, I continue to believe, but today I’ve never felt better about the country. I’ll feel even better when the sins of the last eight years are reversed and daunting problems confronted. […]

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Yes We Can

November 5, 2008

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsV2O4fCgjk[/youtube]

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Iraq, Lest We Forget

November 4, 2008

Slipping from top of mind amid economic and election anxiety is the tragedy we call Iraq. But a soldier, a tiny plastic one in an unlikely place, reminded me today why Barack Obama appears on the verge of winning won the presidency. Only Obama among Democratic contenders voted against the war. Without that opposition, he […]

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Backstage with Obama Omen

November 3, 2008

I made my last donation to Barack Obama last night. Not that he needs the cash at this stage of his campaign, a fund-raising juggernaut that politicians and political scientists will study for years to come. My wife and I have made modest donations six or seven times. With victory appearing all but certain, this […]

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