Next Gen Politics

Around the world, there are many fingers pointing at the U.S. as the sole culprit for the world economic woes. The problem is that, anyone that knows anything about this crisis knows that the rest of the world is just as guilty, if not more.

In 2000 Alan Greenspan kept the Federal Funds Rate at 1% for so long that the international investing community started to look for alternative, “safe”, investments. Cue Mortgage Backed Securities. The demand was so high for these “safe” investments that there was pressure to find more. That’s right, pressure from the INTERNATIONAL investors and investment houses to find more Mortgage Backed Securities. This snowballed until they were investing their money into bad home loans. They new they were bad, but the thinking was that the good mortgages would balance the bad ones. They knew what they were investing in, they knew the risk, but they were greedy. For a full description of this crisis follow this link.

It is disingenuous at best to blame the U.S. solely for this financial crisis. As interconnected as the financial markets are, there is no way it could have merely been the U.S. at fault. I’ll be the first to admit that it was a series of stupid, greedy mistakes by investment houses and banks that led us into this quagmire, but to blame only the U.S. for this crisis is to ignore the culpability of the rest of the world and does a disservice to all the people in the U.S. that did nothing wrong.

So I say to the people of the world, I know you love to hate the U.S. for it’s economic, military, and cultural dominance, but for once, could you please stop pointing your fingers at us. There are a lot of things to be frustrated with the U.S. over, but in this case, when you are pointing your finger at us, remember that there are 3 more fingers pointing back at you.

On Tuesday, November 4th,  one minority group was achieving a new level of equality in the U.S. with President-Elect Obama’s victory, while another was seeing their rights taken away with the passage of proposition 8 in California.

For too long those that sit in ivory towers and who have claimed to know God’s mind, (as if that were possible), have tried to hold a monopoly on what is within God’s grace and what is not. For too long these “elders” have decided that the Old Testament is much more important then the New Testament, even though Christ said that it wasn’t.

Who ever you are tonight, if you feel like your God is calling you to pick a side, just remember that God let a prostitute wash his feet and honored her above all of his disciples, and remember that Christ once said, “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” What do you think that means, exactly? Does that only apply if the person is a Christian?

I shouldn’t have to remind anyone that the reason to protect the separation between church and state isn’t to preserve the government, but actually to preserve religion. Remember when you start pushing your brand of Christianity on those that don’t believe the same way you do, that someone could just as easily do the same to you if their religion was the stronger religion in the U.S. Don’t think that could happen? Just ask the major financial supporter behind prop. 8, the Mormon church. I’m sure they’ve never had a problem with government and religious fanatics persecuting them. The hypocrisy is astounding. A religion that advocated polygamy and child brides, is now up in arms about two committed U.S. citizens that want to share in the same promises of life long love, that the rest of us take for granted.

At its heart, and to be brutally honest, this isn’t about heaven or hell, it never has been. It’s about love or hate. Everyone should be allowed to share in the same opportunities in this country. We are the U.S. for heavens sake. You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to condone it, and you don’t have to be friends with them, just don’t stand in the way of their happiness, just because you can’t get past your distrust of something you or I may not understand.

Next Gen Politics would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all that have served and to the families of those that have given that most sacred of all gifts to the people of the U.S. Thank you for your, and your families service. Through your service, you have ensured that the promise of our founding fathers of liberty, is given once more to the next generation.

For your sacrifice we honor you, for your bravery we admire you, for your patriotism we strive to emulate you. Happy Veterans day.

I found these videos on www.thedailyduke.com. I thought they were amazing and I hope you do too. Enjoy.

This week we ramble through Obama’s win and our rush as a nation to show President Bush the door, Zimbabwe, Sarah Palin’s inability to stop talking, or make any sense for that matter,  while camera’s are rolling, California’s Proposition 8, Russia’s Sub mishap, a dust up at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (and coincidentally at our favorite watering hole in Akashi as well), and a lot more. Plus we’ll give you comedy relief at no extra charge.

 

 November 10, 2008 [56:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A short but sweet reaction podcast to the 2008 Presidential/Congressional elections. We talk about why McCain lost, what this means for minority youth in America, and we take a look at a few states’ congressional vote tally’s. All this and some bad humor for free. Enjoy!

 

 November 05, 2008 [27:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” - The Declaration of Independence

Somehow, on this momentous occasion, I find myself drawn to the first line of that quote. For the first time in our nations history, these words have a power and a truth that can not be disputed nor easily brushed aside. On Tuesday, our nation stood up in record numbers and said with a resounding voice that the burdens of our ancestors, was not our burden. We as a people stood to say that we as a people wish to move past the sins of our fathers, into a new day of hope and optimism. We said with one voice that, “We the people”, is not just eloquent prose, but a truth that gives us strength to move forward together to solve the problems we face as a people united.

No matter which party you align yourself with, let’s all take a moment to remember the things that make us a people, rather than those few things that may make us enemies. There has never been a more important time for us to stand united against the darkness that is looming around us. Together we can reclaim the greatness that America stands for.

(The full text of President-Elect Barack Obama’s November 4th, 2008 acceptance speech)

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics — you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to — it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington — it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers — in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House — a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn — I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world — our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down — we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security — we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright –tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America — that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing — Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth — that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.