New Year.

posted by phil at 6:44 PM,

In one of his first decisions after the election, Barack made Hillary his Secretary.*

That sounds vaguely misogynistic.

* and her job description requires her to be out of the country. a lot.

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Labels: America, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton

posted by phil at 11:29 AM,

Barack Obama promised change. I trusted him (he looked very earnest). But after he was elected, I still have a legal thesis to write. That didn't change.

Why isn't Barack Obama writing my thesis??

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Labels: America, Barack Obama, law school

posted by phil at 10:00 AM,

Despite the fact that WE played host to the G20 Summit, none of the world leaders could bring themselves to shake our lame duck's hand. Too bad Bush was already "born again"; he sure could use a reputation makeover.



Maybe he should have used more hand sanitizer.


[NYT] A Visit Both Historic and Perhaps Awkward
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Labels: America, shunned

posted by phil at 10:29 AM,

In the Prop 8 aftermath, I can't think of a better time to release this film:




[IMDB] Milk
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Labels: America, civil rights, Harvey Milk, Proposition h8

posted by phil at 10:21 AM,

Whoopi, haven't you been listening??

Oh well, thanks for the support anyways. Even if your scissors don't stand for equal rights.

It looks like they boycotted the bottom of your poster.

[Flickr: David_Shankbone] Whoopi Goldberg in New York City Protesting California Proposition 8

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Labels: America, civil rights, gay marriage, Proposition h8, protests, whoopi goldberg

posted by phil at 12:44 PM,

2008 is a strange, strange time.

Record numbers of African American Californians lined up at the polls to support one of their greatest civil rights achievements -- an African American President -- and in the same booth, overwhelmingly voted to strip another group of their civil rights.

And on the same issue, the religious institution notorious for its unconventional approach to matrimony pushed hardest to limit marriage to its traditional definition.

wha?

The November 4 election showed how far we have come -- and how far we must still go -- in American civil rights history. In order for progress, significant inroads must be made in both minority communities and religious institutions.

We'll need both to overcome the set-backs in California, Arkansas, and Florida this year. And yes, both includes religious institutions like the Mormon and Catholic churches.

At the very least, the virulent (and sometimes vandalous) protests against these organizations are counterproductive. Yelling in front of a church -- which at least enjoys a veneer of morality -- strips us of our moral high ground and persuades no one. In fact, it will probably dissuade moderates, frighten the ignorant, and galvanize religious bigots.

Can you think of a more moving Sunday sermon than one behind broken windows and against the backdrop of adversity? Religions were the ones who came up with martyrdom.

So put down your signs. Instead, put up a resume. For the first time ever, the President of the United States is hiring on the basis of your merits, and not your "sexual orientation" or "gender identity". And this is only two years after an U.S. Attorney -- who receieved "outstanding," the highest possible mark on her performance evaluation -- was fired for being a lesbian, which administrative workers called "worse than being a Democrat".

Change is here.


[LATimes] Gays, Blacks Divide on Proposition 8
[NYT] Mormons Draw Protest Over Marriage Act
[AP] Gay Activists Rally Outside Mormon Temple in NYC
[Change.gov] Apply for a Job

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Labels: America, Barack Obama, civil rights, gay marriage, Proposition h8

posted by phil at 1:33 PM,

"They just keep telling me to check out some...Obama video...on some Obama blog...or something."



"So if someone were to come up with a catchphrase as simple as vague as 'Yes we can,'..."

"Oh, awful. They would have an entire army of extremely energetic, insufferably annoying, mindless pawns at their command."


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Labels: America, Barack Obama, history, the onion

posted by phil at 11:17 AM,

Enjoy a couple of historic memories, compressed in .avi format. A philfiles youtube debut!




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Labels: America, Barack Obama, chicago, grant park, history, youtube

posted by phil at 11:25 AM,

I'm still having chills. I'm pretty sure I should be diagnosed with a hope-induced fever.

There are so many indelible images from last night: the smiles, the tears, the crowds, the flags...

...oprah.

But my favorite symbol from last night was an unfinished building north of Grant Park. It stood tall in the skyline, but only partially constructed, with much work left to be done. As the sun set, its windows lit up "USA" across the edifice.

The building was unperfected, unfinished, with an uncertain future. But on Nov. 4, it shimmered with the jubilant reflections of the crowd and glowed with patriotic pride.

I can think of no better metaphor for our country.




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Labels: America, Barack Obama, chicago, grant park, history

posted by phil at 11:30 PM,

I've never seen a President before.

Not before three checkpoints, one metal detector, and eight hours of waiting (and eight years, for that matter).

We stood on sidewalks, endured a complicated ticketing process, sprinted towards the stage, and waited. Just as Americans had stood in lines, endured a complicated polling process, sprinted to their televisions, and waited. Waited for our future.

It was not a night for claustrophobia (or hunger or bad breath, which we learned the hard way). It was night of collective emotion: we shared our excitement, our worries ... and even our snack pretzels.

I shared my homemade electoral map and markers.


The impatience was tangible. So was the anxiety.

We were both at the cusp and epicenter of history. But all night we cheered, especially when Pennsylvania and Ohio turned a healthy blue hue. And when the CNN jumbotrons flashed its BREAKING NEWS around 10:00 PM, it was a roar.

A roar that shook the earth.

...which is fitting, since it reflected a seismic shift in our government, our politics, our race relations, and our future.

It was a moment of pure elation for the country we love. And a long overdue one, especially for a generation that had its Pearl Harbor on September 11th ... but never a V-Day.

This was ours...or at least one step closer. And for now, America is an example to the world again. That alone is worth celebrating.




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Labels: America, Barack Obama, chicago, grant park, history

posted by phil at 10:00 PM,

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Labels: America, Barack Obama, chicago, history

posted by phil at 11:00 PM,

Indiana has this pleasingly old-fashioned election law that prevents the bi(b?)le-spewing "robo-calls" from tainting the phone lines, so the Obama campaign deputized me to call them today!

Appx. 120 voters now know their polling location, whether they like it or not. and some of them didn't! One man grumbled that he already received calls from Texas, New York, and Washington, and might not vote for Obama if another state calls him. I almost told him I was with McCain.

Others weren't so hostile. One woman was excited to talk to another Obama supporter, and she wondered why "McCain isn't taking an interest in" her. While Obama called her eight times this week, McCain never called her. Not once.

She thought outloud: "I don't think he wants my vote."

...and with that, on this eve of history, Indiana turned one shade bluer.

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Labels: America, Barack Obama, chicago, indiana

posted by phil at 10:00 PM,

Now that everything -- especially the stock market -- reminds us of the 1920s, Barack Obama is going to have a very intimate fireside chat with you (and millions of others) in about an hour!

YES HE CAN buy out network television.

I hope he tells us he'll throw in a new economy if we call RIGHT NOW and give his campaign 10 "easy payments of $9.99". Watch at 8ET.

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Labels: America, Barack Obama, economy, infomercials

posted by phil at 3:56 PM,

"Just as their are no atheists in foxholes, there are no libertarians in a financial crisis." Nor partisans!

Two women walk out of John McCain’s Mid-West headquarters carrying a pile of voter canvassing sheets, one sports a baseball hat declaring her a “team leader” of the Republican campaign. And both are black — an unusual sight in an election where Barack Obama’s support among African Americans is almost monolithic.

Are they volunteers? They look at each other sheepishly. “Not exactly,” replies one. “We work for an employment agency,” says the other. Who are they voting for? “I don’t want to say,” says the first woman. “Obama — of course!” whispers the braver of the pair.

This is where the financial crisis meets the national election, and it's just sad. McCain can't find enough volunteers to skate across the Iowa tundra, so he's hiring Obama supporters from Chicago to persuade the undecideds for $10/hr. And these terrorist, socialist, joe plumber hating citizens who pall around with Barack Obama can't afford any other job, so they're turning their coats for a day.

Are politics a luxury now?

[UK: Times] Republicans Hire Mercenaries for Ground War Against Barack Obama

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Labels: America, Barack Obama, economy, mccain, poverty

posted by phil at 2:07 PM,

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