In particular, I’m reminded of the leadership discussed in the book Team of Rivals. You’ll see why in second. The book explores Abraham Lincoln and the people who he chose to surround him in high-level policy-making positions. It’s been on my “To Read” list for quite sometime now, and I think this morning’s events just catapulted it to number one in the queue. What’s the relevance, you ask? Barack Obama chose Joe Biden to be his Vice Presidential running mate for the ‘08 Election, but Joe and Barry haven’t always been on the best of terms.
He made that comment about Obama being clean and articulate, and told (Jason Bateman look-alike) George Stephanolopous that he thought Barack Obama was not ready to be our next President. Of course, John “I’ll Get Back To You On That” McCain is all over this, spouting his usual negative rhetoric:
But I’m looking at if from a different perspective. Their storied past doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Abraham Lincoln surrounded himself with people who didn’t always agree with him, and through his leadership a nation ended a horribly unnecessary war and began to heal. Hillary (and Joe, for that matter) made Barack a better candidate because they didn’t always see eye to eye, and Joe will make him a much better President for the same reasons. Having a steady stream of rivals will only make Obama stronger. Plus, I read somewhere that “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Just thinking out loud…
I’m working on another installment of “Round Up From The Ground Up.” Worth the wait, I promise. In the meantime, enjoy this:
Oh, did you say you like Reggaeton?
Lyrics and more here. See you soon.
I’ll get right down to business. Liberia is a rough place to raise a family right about now. My friend Lindsay just got back from doing some medical work there. If you want to read a little bit about her story, she wrote a blog while she was there.
Anyway, a brutal fourteen (14) year civil war ended five (5) years ago in Liberia, and almost nothing in the country works anymore. No running water. No electricity. No postal system. No public transit. Widespread unemployment. And no sewage. Yep, no sewage.
President Bush spent last week on a little Legacy Building /Public Relations jaunt around Africa throwing imaginary money at problems he and his administration know nothing about. But back to task at hand. Remember? This country has no sewage system.
So you can imagine my utter amazement at the President’s announcement of one million (1,000,000) textbooks for the school children of Liberia. Half of which don’t even attend school because they live in such devastating poverty. But the fun doesn’t stop there. I mean, why would it? The President also promised desks and chairs for ten thousand (10,000) students. How generous.
I’m not just some wacko left-wing nut job with a chip on my shoulder. The following statements are based on my experience and education in the nonprofit field. And hopefully they will inspire a little thought. Here, watch me stretch this into something worth reading…
My good friends at New Global Citizens are fond of saying, “Local People Know Local Issues.” I tattooed it in reverse on my chest so I could see it every time I got out of the shower. So, at least twice a month. But seriously, this is a golden statement. Local people, do in fact have a better hold on what is happening in their communities. Like, whether or not they have running water. And whether or not there is a postal system. Or whether or not there are feces in the street.
Local people in Liberia know that the money our President wants to spend on textbooks, chairs, and desks could be much better spent on a sewage infrastructure. I mean, if the textbooks he’s buying cost half as much as what I spend on textbooks, that’s a lot of infrastructure potential. Maybe there might be some left over for building some freshwater wells for Liberia’s thirstiest children. I know, I know. Big dreamer.
There were also a few million (few,000,000) dollars promised to train a Security Force and some UN Peace Keepers. And here I go thinking that you need to make peace before you can keep it. But that’s just my bleeding heart talking again.
All this just reminds me that of why I am in school. If everything goes right, one day I’ll be the guy standing right next to the President having a conversation like this:
“Hey, Barack. This is a stupid idea. It’s even worse than a Band-Aid. This wound is on our chest, and we’re pouring Neosporin on our leg. We haven’t even approached the bandage stage. Let alone the right anatomical area.”“Nice analogy, Sam.”
“Thanks, man. You should really look into the fundamental issues these people are dealing with. They lack fresh drinking water. There is very little electricity. And no public waste program. Let’s hold off on textbooks and desks for now. In the long run, serving the root cause of this devastating poverty will look better for your legacy anyway. I promise. A little counterintuitive, but trust me. These people don’t need books. They need sanitation. They need hope.”
“Hey, that’s my line.”
But no. We are dealing with a man and an administration who thought the best way to prevent HIV/AIDS was to spend millions (80,000,000) of dollars on posters (pictured) and create useless acronyms. ABC everybody! A is for Abstinence. B is for Be Faithful. C is for Condom! No actual condoms. No medicine. And no education. Just millions (80,000,000) of dollars spent on pretty pictures, good headlines and great sound bytes. We are dealing with a man that values his legacy over the well-being of people is desperate need.
Reading about President Bush’s trip to Africa reminded me of a book. A book that might find itself on the list of books sent to Liberia. It’s a short little twenty-seven (27) page book that my mom reads to her kindergarten class sometimes. It’s called Everyone Poops. The title is true. Everyone does poop. But only some have to walk around in it.
At least now they can read about it.
If you haven’t seen the Will.I.Am video called “Yes We Can”. Here it is:
My friend Ron posted a parody:
Digging a little further I found another one:
Just a little fun for you guys today. It’s Wednesday, so I thought I’d help you get over the hump. Obama won all three states last night. Yes We Can!
The plea is simple:
Don’t know where your polling place is? Find it here. And then go!
Almost fourteen thousand (14,000) people came to hear Senator Obama cast vision. More accurately, more than five million (5,000,000) Phoenix residents who weren’t there, missed out. Seriously. Sharing hope, insight, and a slew of great ideas, Obama spoke with ease and confidence for just under an hour. Simply amazing.
I said I felt safe. And the reason why is pretty simple. Some of you might think I’m petty and shallow for thinking this way, but I believe that it is a good indicator and accurate social commentary. Frankly, I feel really good about the people who support Obama. When I am with people who support Obama, I am with like-minded people. I have never seen so many Priuses in one parking lot. The amount of intelligent bumper stickers and witty custom plates made me feel like I was among friends. And the overall attitude and excitement of the people in attendance amazed me. Such optimism, hope, friendliness.
Now, I understand that driving a hybrid vehicle doesn’t automatically make a person entirely devoted to making a more livable environment. And listening to U2 (Obama walked out on stage to “City of Blinding Lights”) doesn’t make a person aware of how policy affects a nation’s citizens. But when a speech has to stop because people are cheering at the thought of universally available health care, I feel a deep sense of solidarity. When his supporters got crazy because Obama declared that George W. Bush’s name wouldn’t be on the November ballot, I again felt solidarity. When noise subsided a little, the Senator proposed his plan to subsidize college education. But he wasn’t done there. Obama laid out the second part of his plan for students – mandated public service. “We will invest in you,” he said, “and you will invest in us!”Fourteen thousand (14,000) voices can create a lot of noise. And when they do, I feel safe.
Come January, if the Senator changes addresses, I am not worried about one side or the other of the proverbial teeter-totter to be too high up. I truly believe Obama and his supporters deeply desire reconciliation. Racially, economically, and politically.
Consider this my official endorsement of Barack Obama.
In any case, a few hours from now thousands of people will come and hang out with Barack Obama as he shares his vision for America’s Future at the Veterans Memorial Colosseum. Gates open up at 3:30PM. Obama is on stage at 5:30PM. See you there! Full report to follow.
Kim and I spent a nice, quiet evening watching two people be anything but quiet with each other. Frankly, it bothered me. All this talk about bringing the country together, and these two spend the whole night bickering about who has a better health care plan, and whose husband is saying mean things about their record. John Edwards just sat back and watched everything unfold. Don’t get me wrong, he was passionate. But only for the right reasons and at the right time, so it didn’t make good television.
If you didn’t catch the debate in its entirety, here are a few of my (for lack of a better word) favorite quips.
Obama: “While I was working on those streets watching those folks see their jobs shift overseas, you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart.”
Clinton: “It is very difficult having a straight-up debate with you because you never take responsibility for any vote and that has been a pattern.”
Edwards: [Sen. Edwards had no comment. He was busy solving the issue of poverty in America while providing hope and health care to everyone of her citizens]
On a side note, Hillary is in town tomorrow night.
But, anyway, back to the issue at hand. A couple of weeks ago, Hillary Clinton said this: “Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act… It took a President to get it done.” All sorts of reaction here and here. My good friend Niel Conan even did an in-depth story on the three Presidents that MLK worked with.
I want to take a second and peel through to the core of Ms. Clinton’s comments. In full disclosure, I am a debate away from throwing my lot in with Obama, so my defense of Clinton’s comments is pure in motive. Promise.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) are all the rage. Mainly, PPPs show up in the forms of toll roads, parkways, and mass transit. Traditionally, the term is used for these types of projects, including Central Park in New York City. However, the definition and practicality of these partnerships are much more wide ranging than highways and multi-use parks. Nonprofits, Universities, and other organizations partner with the government all the time. Any time an individual from the private sector (whether truly an individual, or an organization) joins forces with the State, it becomes a public-private partnership.
For instance, when someone has a ground-breaking idea that would push forward reconciliation and equality, it isn’t such a bad idea to have the President in your corner on the issue. It was Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream. Clinton didn’t dispute that fact. She was merely stating that he was also successful in communicating his dream to the men who held the pens necessary to make that dream a reality. And that is public-private partnership at its best.
It’s amazing how much people who are notorious for breaking (and changing) the rules actually followed them. Gandhi was a lawyer and spoke eloquently to and with world leaders. Momma T was part of the largest organization on earth and used it to touch the lives of children. And Martin Luther King, Jr. drank from water fountains “for coloreds only”.
So give Hillary a break. Because she was right. Without the sphere of influence that the Oval Office gave him, MLK’s dream would still be just that. A dream.
