My intense bias aside, it’s hard to imagine John McCain providing the depth and quality of leadership that our soon-to-be new president has demonstrated. Clearly Barack Obama’s first priority is leadership, not ideology. That means elevating pragmatism over politics and candidly communicating often with the American people:
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On yet another snowy Portland night come this news in a flier left on our front porch: neighbors up the street are holding an Inauguration Night Party and Parade. Besides dinner, patriotic songs, and apple pie for dessert, we’re invited to carry President Obama signs and American flags, and bang on pots and pans in […]
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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My artist friend Benjamin Alexander Clark churned out twenty paintings of Barack Obama in three days this week. An amazing feat by any standard, though I’m not surprised given Benjamin’s talents and energy. As of this afternoon, four had sold — the fourth to me. The Obama paintings are prominently displayed at Cannibals on NW […]
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