Jackson Miller

Brad Feld has a post with some suggestions for the Obama Administration (man, I love saying that).

It is a good idea. It would be cool if we all put forth some suggestions, but in the mean time I like one of Brad’s suggestions so much that I want to repost it here:

“2. Veto The First Pork Laden Bill. I continue to be baffled by the dynamics around Pork in Congress. I want my politicians to become vegetarians and reject Pork. TARP is such a disgusting example of this – as far as I can tell, the only major difference between the TARP bill that failed the House and the one that came back from the Senate and passed was the addition of a bunch of Pork. Disgusting. When the first bill hits Obama’s desk that has one key issue in it that is covered with Pork, he should Veto it. He should then get on TV and explain the bill in clear English to the American population. He should describe the single issue in the bill, and then list the Pork – state by state, Congressman by Congressman. He should then insist that Congress revisit the bill, take all the Pork out, and send it back to him for approval.”

Can you imagine the look on the faces of the Congress?!? That would be great. It would destroy allegiances and force changes to the way things are done.

It won’t happen, but I am holding out hope that Obama will have a tactful way to accomplish the same end.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Our Great Nation was founded on principles of equality, but the model of our actions has not lived up to those ideals. Granted, it is an immense goal, but the founding principles are what make this a Great Nation.

When my mom was a child the Declaration of Independence had an invisible asterisk with a footnote that it did not apply to people of color. When my great-grandmother was a child there was another asterisk that women were also excluded. Slowly, over the course of many decades we have eliminated the legal barriers, but the cultural barriers have been slower and more difficult to correct. We have taught our children one thing and modeled something less perfect.

For the past week my son has been telling me that with Obama we will be electing the first “dark skinned” president. Well, yes we did! With the election of Barack Hussein Obama the chasm between the ideals our Nation was founded upon and the model of our actions that inform the perception of future generations got a little smaller.

Don’t get me wrong; I in no way believe we have actually reached “equal opportunity” yet. Racism will continue to exist. The thing is, when my sons learn about the Declaration of Independence, there will be a little less disconnect between what he is taught and what he sees.

Now, I did not vote for Obama because of the pigment of his skin, and I did not vote for Obama in spite of the pigment of his skin. I voted for Barack Obama because I did not like the direction our country was headed. I felt that we had developed a pattern and system for power to be abused; I wanted a new direction for the longevity of our Nation.

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Last night, the American people performed their duty. In a beautiful display of a country founded on Democratic principles we were able to “throw off” an abusive Government peacefully. The checks and balances of our Democracy worked last night. We did not need to have an armed revolution, we did not need to assassinate or persecute our governing authorities. We were able to participate in the system as it was designed and overthrow a governing party that a majority of Americans no longer wanted in power. With participation at it’s highest level in recent history I am proud of the structure of our Nation and I am proud of “We the People”.

We have a long hard road ahead of us as we have to tackle some massive challenges. We are going to have to conclude two wars in a way that will be in the long-term interest of our Country first and foremost while also considering the interest of the rest of the world. We are going to make a cultural shift away from a Nation of debtors to a Nation that creates value other than consumption and builds wealth instead of amenities. We are going to have to restore the precedence of individual liberty over national security. We are going to have to deal with the largest exit of the workforce ever in our history and the care of an aging population.

This is not going to be easy. But after re-reading The Declaration of Independence this morning I am keenly aware that these are not the greatest challenges we have ever faced. We can do this. President Barack Obama has the opportunity and the talents to help us help ourselves. He cannot fix this for us, but he has the talents and respect needed to help us facilitate the tough situations and navigate the obstacles in our path.

As much as I am tempted to draw parallels between the condemnations of King George in the Declaration and the actions of President Bush, that has no place in today’s world. The American People’s vote was a condemnation of the Neo-Conservative way of doing things. That chapter of our Nation’s history is coming to a close. I cannot predict the future to know that this next chapter will be better than the last, but it sure seems like it to me. I have immense gratitude for the record numbers of voters who came out and voiced their preference. I am glad people voted for John McCain; I am glad that a majority (no matter how you slice it) voted for Barack Obama.

I am incredibly proud to be an American today. That is something I have not felt in a long time.

There is a new video from Obama that I hope everyone gets to see

This morning I stopped by the neighborhood coffee joint to get a couple of iced coffees for Sabrina and myself. While I was there I ran into a friend who has been a Hillary supporter. He and I have talked many times about this election and I know his fears have been that Obama would come under heavy attack in the general election.

So today we had a brief conversation about the election. “Obama had a good night last night…” yada yada. At the end of the conversation I said something to the effect of “I am confident the Dems will come together and give this all we’ve got. I think we can do it.”

As he replied “Yes we will” a look of recognition came over his face. A smile came across his face as he repeated the now iconic refrain “yes we will”. It appeared to me as if at that very moment he became an Obama supporter.

The battle cry has changed. We are now not only assured and convinced that we “can”; we know that we “will”.

Let’s do this!

Let me share a little about my political background. During the 2000 presidential primaries I had a front row seat for the action. I was living in New Hampshire working on youth voting issues and saw every major candidate (and some minor ones too). I was surrounded by optimistic and idealistic young people. We wanted to make the world a better place. I went to the Republican National Convention and to the Democratic National Convention. I went to Arianna Huffington’s Shadow Conventions. I participated in peaceful demonstrations outside the RNC and DNC as well.

During that time I was listening to what all of the candidates had to say. I saw John McCain speak a few times and I liked what I saw. He seemed like a real stand up guy who was ready to work across party lines to do what was right for America. I liked Bill Bradley who was trying to change the way politics was played. If it was McCain vs Bradley in the 2000 election I would have felt comfortable that the country was going to move in the right direction. At the end of the day my primary ballot was cast for Bill Bradley.

The primary season was capped off by the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. I was there. At the Staples Center. My credentials included a club level suite. There was fancy catered food (free) and lots and lots of maxed out donors walking around. There was a balcony on the club level that looked out over LA. I went out there and watched the Rage Against the Machine concert as the protesters yelled at me for being part of the problem. I watched as the police got ready to fire bean bag bullets into the crowd and tear gas started to fly. I went inside to watch Al Gore’s speech. He had won the nomination on a promise to capture the moderate vote and his speech and campaigning was rife with mediocrity. It was all very surreal.

As I watched what had to be thousands of dollars worth of balloons and confetti fall from the ceiling of the Staples Center I thought back to earlier in the morning. I had marched through the streets of LA with a group trying to raise awareness about sweatshops in the US. We marched through the garment district where there were quite a few sweatshops. Sweatshop labor isn’t the terminology that is being used, but it is a core element to the current immigration debate. So there I was watching this incredible waste of money in the name of mediocrity with an acute understanding of how many of my fellow Americans needed help meeting their basic needs. My optimism and idealism was falling faster than the balloons. Was there a candidate in 2000 who was going to address the needs of all Americans? Not if the donors standing next to me had anything to say about it.

In a years time I went from being optimistic, idealist, and ready to do the hard work needed to being disenchanted and bordering on apathetic. The system was failing, but I had no idea how bad it was about to get.

So what does this have to do with Barack Obama?

I don’t know if he can mend the wounds of the past 16 years of contentious partisan politics, but I do have hope. He is selling a dream that I want to believe. I have no choice but to take a chance and see. I don’t want the present course to keep spiraling down until my kids are old enough to vote. I want something different.

If Hillary gets the nomination then we are all but ensured another 4 years of politics as a game and a sport. I believe that Obama will approach the position of President of the United States as a job of service to the American people, every single one of the American people. There is no other candidate on the Democratic or Republican ballot that has convinced me they will serve the people.

So why did I vote for Barack Obama today? Because I want a better United States of America. For the first time since the balloons dropped in 2000 I feel that is possible.

Go vote.

Barak Obama has announced that he inhaled when he smoked marijuana (note: I did too).

When I heard that news I exhaled a huge sigh of relief.

The thing I like about Obama is that he at least drops some of the bullshit. The point is not whether or not a Presidential candidate has smoked pot or not; I couldn’t care less. The point is whether or not a Presidential candidate will lie about who they are and what they have done. We have had enough lies. It is time for truth in the White House, even if that truth involves smoking a little reefer.