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July 25, 2008
Kevin Werbach has posted a terrific open letter to John McCain – on the news that Colin [d’oh] Michael Powell is drafting a tech policy for him – saying that technology is not a bunch of bits and bytes that are beneath the attention of a president. Nicely done. [Obvious disclosure: Go Obama!]
July 24, 2008
I choked up merely reading a transcript of it on my cellphone on a bus.
Must-see photo, shared by Dave Winer. Click on the largest size your bandwidth allows…
July 18, 2008
I find I’m not watching The Daily Show nearly as much as I used to, I think because Bush has dropped out of the scene so much that I don’t need the emotional release Jon Stewart was providing for me.
I bet I wouldn’t be as fanatically devoted to The West Wing now if it were still on.
The Bush Departure: Taking the comedy, leaving the tragedy.
July 15, 2008
Not only that, I am famous for being unknown.
This video is just weird, and pretty funny, although being the butt of the joke undoubtedly affects my judgment. That is, being skewered skews…
Apparently, I’ve been punked ut good.. Good one!
July 13, 2008
July 10, 2008
I’d like to throw a hat into Obama’s VP ring: Elizabeth Edwards.
She is so right for an administration that is promising fundamental change in the politics of governing. Edwards hears past differences to what is shared. She hears past anger to what is worth defending. She hears past fear to what is worth cherishing. If — as a defining phrase of Obama’s puts it — we are the ones we are waiting for, Elizabeth Edwards models who we need to become if we are to enable change to happen.
And is there a better model of the hope Obama stands for? With Elizabeth Edwards, no one can confuse hope with mere wishful thinking or weakness. Edwards faces her mortality with clarity, and seems strengthened by it. I’m sure she hopes that she will survive for many, many years. But she seems to embody a larger type of hope as well: The notion that our future doesn’t have to be like our present. That every moment is an opportunity to move that future closer to us. That we bring that future closer by relentlessly finding what is best in those we encounter. That we can change our world by giving in to our urge to connect with others, our urge to be better people than we are.
There are obvious negatives to an Edwards vice-presidency. She is not ready to step into the presidency if, G-d forbid, something should happen to Obama. True. We would have to rely on the machinery of the administration to carry us forward. And, of course, she has untreatable, fatal cancer. John Edwards could be prevailed upon to be, in effect, her co-VP.
She has political strengths. She’s a woman, a southerner, a speaker who connects with her audience, a military brat. Those strengths could help.
But most of all, Elizabeth Edwards is hope walking on two legs.
I am not as unhappy with the FISA bill as many of my friends are. But this bill needs to be challenged in court. For one thing — as others have pointed out — that the president told you to do something illegal doesn’t excuse you from it, if only because presidents don’t have the power to order you to do anything.
EFF is asking for donations for a court challenge. EFF’s budget is a dry cough in a thin hanky compared to the economic forces it’s fighting. Is it worth a few dollars to you to get this bill tested?
July 9, 2008
Zogby is now publishing an interactive map of the US showing what its polling predicts as the electoral outcome in the fall election. Click on a state to get a brief, snappy explanation…except for Massachusetts, which isn’t clickable, possibly because what explanation do you need for it being a blue state beyond the fact that it’s Massachusetts?
July 8, 2008
Here’s McCain’s new ad:
I think this is a losing tactic for McCain. Of course, as an Obama supporter, I’m biased. But the do-er vs. hoper idea only works if the hopeful candidate has no actual policies to offer. Then the hoper looks like a vacuous dreamer. But, over the course of the campaign, we’re going to hear lots and lots about the specifics of Obama’s platform. In fact, we’ve been getting the details for months now. For example, because McCain focused on economics this week, we’ve gotten a spate of articles comparing the two candidates’ policies. You may agree or disagree with Obama on this topic, but you can’t say he’s less detailed than McCain is.
In short, you can’t do a “Where’s the beef?” campaign when your opponent is serving up as many patties as you are.
One further thought: Is the generational culture war really going to work here? Obama – born in 1961 -was 7 years old during the Summer of Love.
July 7, 2008
Personal Democracy Forum has put together an anthology of essays on “rebooting democracy” in the age of the Net. It’s available in full on the Web (in tiny, gray type, as if they don’t want you to read it), or as PDFs, or you can pay for a printed copy.
There’s lots of good stuff in there, including a heavy representation from Berkman fellows, alumni, and friends. (Then there’s also a piece by me, defending echo chambers.)
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