Called By God

The concept of "call" is central to the ministry. You don't simply "decide" to become a minister...but rather you hear a call. The implication being that somehow the role is set apart for those who truly have a vocation to serve God in the ordained ministry.

The theme of God's call is quite prevalent in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. We read of familiar prophets being called by God from Samuel to Jonah. Even more prevalent, though is the notion that the average, everyday person of faith is called by God to fulfill God's will on earth.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

This is also true for many "average Christians". Daily life is seen in terms of God's call or God's purpose for their lives. It is an entire world view around which all else revolves.

When we take that sense of call and carry it into public life it can have great impact. Many public servants, Obama included, have understood their careers in politics to be motivated by their faith principles.

As contradictory as this may sound, it is the very same reason why Sarah Palin continues to worry me.

The only reason I can imagine that this woman said "yes" to John McCain was because the idea so came out of left field...she felt it must have been God's will for her life. She has said herself that her political career in Alaska was clearly God's will for her and the people of Alaska.

This kind of thinking also lends itself to her personal vision. She sees herself as a maverick because she is just an average working stiff who has made it thus far.

Below is just a quick snippet from today's radio interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt:

HH: Governor, your candidacy has ignited extreme hostility, even some hatred on the left and in some parts of the media. Are you surprised? And what do you attribute this reaction to?

SP: Oh, I think they’re just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying you know what? It’s time that normal Joe six-pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency, and I think that that’s kind of taken some people off guard, and they’re out of sorts, and they’re ticked off about it, but it’s motivation for John McCain and I to work that much harder to make sure that our ticket is victorious, and we put government back on the side of the people of Joe six-pack like me, and we start doing those things that are expected of our government, and we get rid of corruption, and we commit to the reform that is not only desired, but is deserved by Americans.

So it doesn't matter that she knows nothing, lies about a lot of things and generally fudges through the rest of it...she is just an average Joe finally being represented in the position of v.p.

The audacity of the comment would infuriate me except I know that would sound elitist.

Suffice it to say that I hope the majority of Americans at this point in our nation's history don't also feel that Joe Six Pack is (finally) being called by God for this role.

Somehow I will find comfort in Matthew's Gospel:

So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. (20:16)

Desperate WhiteHousewives

Tonight was the season premiere of the only show I follow on t.v. It was great to reunite with the gals from Wysteria Lane, and to see Gabby dig deep to find her inner beauty. In one quick hour, we jumped ahead five years, and during the commercial break I learned that it is "National Stay At Home Week". Who knew?

The thought occurred to me, however, that The Housewives and all their shenanigans pale in comparison to what is going on in real life.

You've got to sit for this one because you'll think I'm making it up.

The TimesOnLine is reporting that the McCain Campaign is praying that the Palin family plans Bristol's wedding before the November election...so it could boost the polls...no, really...

McCain is expected to have a front-row seat at Bristol’s wedding and to benefit from the outpouring of goodwill that it could bring. “What’s the downside?” a source inside the McCain campaign said. “It would be wonderful. I don’t know that there has ever been a pre-election wedding before.”

Desperate Housewives be damned, you got nothin.

Thought For The Week

However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names.
It is not bad... it looks poorest when you are richest.
The fault-finder will find faults, even in paradise.
Love your life, poor as it is.
You may have perhaps some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poor house.

-Henry David Thoreau

Sarah Palin on Charlie Rose

I discovered this video by accident from nearly one year ago. She was interviewed in a segment on women in politics. I've always enjoyed Charlie Rose and his conversational style.

My first impression: Palin is a one hit wonder...15 minutes into the 20 minute conversation she has only talked about energy, oil, pipelines and her son getting ready for Iraq. And she mentions her "first dude" Todd.

Is telling that when asked to give broad strokes about what is crucial to her in her role she never once mentions education, health care, the drug problem or anything having to do with people. She only echoed Janet Napolitano on education after Janet mentioned it 5 times.

My second impression: she is being dismissed by both Charlie and Janet. 18 minutes into it, they seem to listen to her, and then change the subject. She clearly seems out of her element.

When asked about health care her answer "It is such a big issue, Charlie, it isn't one we can even take up on a show like this". At least it was an eloquent dodge. She comes across much younger than her years. Its the accent and her use of idiom. Ya know?!

I found it also odd to note that by my calculations, she was nearly 4 months pregnant at the time of this interview...but shhhh, it was, at the time, still a secret.

It only runs 20 minutes...see what you think.

www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/10/12/2/a-conversation-with-governors-janet-napolitano-sarah-palin

Albatross-Neck-UH OH

Another impression I was left with after the debate last night is how difficult the medium really is. It is an art form, a skill, a craft...and there is so much room for really getting it wrong. I came to appreciate the art of Forensics when I realized that the best preachers at Divinity School had also excelled in the art often in high school and college.

So, I wondered, how on earth is Sarah Palin going to manage this next week?

I didn't wonder too long -- word has come from the McCain camp:

Capitol Hill sources are saying that senior McCain people are more than concerned about Palin.

The campaign has held a mock debate and a mock press conference; both are being described as “disastrous.” One senior McCain aide was quoted as saying, “What are we going to do?” The McCain people want to move this first debate to some later, undetermined date, possibly never. People on the inside are saying the Alaska Governor is “clueless.”

Uh-Oh.

Does anyone have any idea how they are going to get out of this mess?

My wise woman source thinks Sarah will drop out using her sudden need to deal with "unexpected problems" with baby Trig. OR an "emergency" with daughter Bristol.

At this point, who would blame her? But she'd better hurry...Thursday's debate is just around the corner.

Show Some Emotion

As I continue to wade through the polling and reactions from last night's viewers, it is clear that many folks could not relate to Woody McCain. Fox Viewers in Las Vegas said loud and clear:

Show us who you are and that you care, stop talking about your past.

On the other hand, those same voters want Obama to "get more specific". This is a constant criticism that Obama can't seem to shake and yet I still don't get what exactly it means.

In the end, it seems, this election will come down to the gut reaction of the so-called undecided voter.

Reax Update

With this morning's headlines and further conservative reading...nobody won the debate last night. I take back what I said last night about the conservatives liking Obama. If you don't like the guy, you were not won over by last night's event.

It was ultimately a draw.

The tendency being for winner status being assigned to the guy you already liked.

All that can be safely said is that if public perception matters, McCain didn't knock it out of the park which he needed to do being behind in the polls.

Personally, I doubt that a true undecided voter would make a decision based on the content of last night. This is going to be one close race!

My big question: what happened to Sarah Palin? She has no public schedule today. Hmmmm

More Reax

Okay, with the exception of Hugh Hewitt (God bless his heart) most think Obama took the night. Yes, even the conservatives.

The polls seem to indicate that undecided voters also thought Obama won overall. Even the Fox News Twitter seems to say it was at least a draw. This will make the next debates even more crucial.

Something else of note: I hear Joe Biden has been all over the airwaves pumping up his running mate's success. No Sarah sightings whatsoever...was she home putting the kids to bed?

Ouch, okay, uncalled for. I think I better go to bed.

Debate Reax

Before I go read what every one else said I must weigh in on a lesser issue, which in my opinion may not be so minor.

How do these men react to their wives? I'm sorry, but the image that is searing in my mind right now has nothing to do with anything these men just said.

Michelle is clearly Barack's helpmate in the truest sense of the word. After it was all over, he immediately went to her gave her a real hug, an honest kiss and I think I saw him say "how'd it go?" They shared a few words and nods. She supports him, comforts, honors, protects.

John gave Cindy and for that matter Cindy gave John a perfunctory pat on the back and then he turned to the audience and smiled his lovely, wooden smile and gave two thumbs up. The man is so spiritless. Commentators seemed worried that he didn't make eye contact with Obama all night: so what, he doesn't even look at his own wife.

Relating is important. Connecting with other human beings is important. Strong leadership goes hand in hand with an individuals ability to understand and associate with people.

As the ancient aphorism goes: Charity begins at home.
(Terence, 185 BC - 159 BC)

I'm just saying...

"My Cringe Reflex Is Exhausted"

Well, the Conservative Blog world has been jumping the S.S. Sarah Palin faster than rats.

After watching now three interviews, many have said they just can't take it any more.

My fave line of the day is from Kathleen Parker at the National Review Online. I absolutely directly took the headline from Andrew...but I had to; I laughed so hard, it made my rainy Friday kinda sunny.

My Cringe Reflex Is Exhausted ...there, I said it again.

At this point I just feel sorry for her. No really, I do. Any semblance of an intelligent answer that she might have produced has clearly be squashed by all of her cramming. And, in a proven example of why secrets are so deadly, it often seems that when she wants to answer a question she must stop and think if it is something she is has been authorized to say.

I do believe this whole debacle has been a set back to the woman's movement. That so many capable, well-spoken, INTELLIGENT women were passed up for this beauty queen/mean girl breaks my heart.

I will hold out hope the we are making some progress. And, I will look to my 8 year old daughter's stubborn tenacity and first-rate debating skills to calm my nagging doubt.

An Interesting Tid Bit...

Nate Silver from the web site FiveThirtyEight.com (a polling web site) has an interesting theory about McCain's actions this past week.

He believes that it was all a grand scheme to enhance the importance of the debate WHICH WILL, IN FACT, BE HELD TONIGHT. Hedging all bets, and McCain has said he is a gambling man, McCain is gambling that he will kick some debate butt tonight, come across as mega-hyper presidential and gain at least 4 points on his now trailing polls.

It is a rather mind-boggling thought and it caught my attention. Fact is, his stunt did put the debate in the news on a much larger scale than it might have been.

The whole idea is so seemingly slimy that, of course, Americans will not dare miss said match up. Rain is predicted for the East Coast; so pop that corn, and put on your jammies, you're staying home tonight to watch.

I'm not sure about you, but I will be on the edge of my couch chewing my nails.

Melt Down: Case In Point

So the country is heading south, financially speaking and we're told that McCain rose to the occasion by putting country first...high tailed it to D.C. (without Sarah) to help fix what is broken.

Sarah Palin's interview with Katie went ahead anyway and I found it hard to watch. The woman sounds kinda like me and my neighbor's when we talk about the financial mess on our walk home from dropping the children at school. We three moms: one democrat, one independent and one republican are about as well versed as um...v.p. candidates. We are a minister, a small business owner and an accountant in addition to being wives and mothers. I'm not knocking our smarts, but we certainly don't have the answers.

Neither did Sarah, but I digress...

My point is that everybody has lost their sense of reason - and nobody seems to be making any sense.

Conservatives like Hugh Hewitt said of the campaign halt announcement:

"Today was Obama's Katrina moment and an example of great leadership by John McCain. This contrast was telling and will matter."

Clive Crook, Editor of the Atlantic Monthly on the other hand said:

"I do think Obama is handling the crisis much better than McCain--not because he is suggesting better remedies (he continues to say little), but because his instinct to reflect before opening his mouth and his impeccable taste in advisers are both working to his advantage."

I think this may qualify as a time of national schizophrenia.

As I edit this on Friday before posting, it has become clear that McCain went to D.C. and did nothing. Obama stayed cool but didn't do much either. I think they just should have stuck to their task at hand, and clearly I think they need to debate.

Americans are beginning to lose their patience for the whole mess and my fear is that this will backfire, I hope, on McCain. As I ran errands around town yesterday sporting my Obama fleece jacket, a couple of people told me they were so fed up that they were not even going to vote on election day.

This cannot have been what our "forefathers" intended.

MELT DOWN

Where are your beloved mentors when you need them most? Our nation's major anxiety attack has had me wishing to speak with my rabbi, Ed Friedman. What would his take be?

But he is no longer with us so all I can do is remember back to those classes in Bethesda, M.D. where he explained the various ways that anxiety prevents individuals and groups from thinking rationally. He explained how the media reflects the nation's nerves and weak spots back to itself. I remember the diagram he drew to explain this vicious cycle.

This week has been quite a case study...how would Ed decode it? I can only survey my class notes and re-read his texts for a possible answer. OR...I can remember how he warned against relying on the unreasonable power of reason especially when the nerves are so raw.

At this point nothing makes much sense: not the campaign, nor the media's response, not the economic 9/11 or the nation's response or the media's response to the nation's response.

I get why the debates might, probably, maybe will be cancelled. And I get that they might have to be rescheduled to replace the VP debate (oops, sorry Sarah and Joe). I get that Obama acted like a president and McCain is wimping out. Or wait, was it McCain that acted like a president and Obama who wimped out...shoot, I can't remember.

At this point I'm waiting for them to postpone the election because we haven't had enough just yet.

But then again, I'm not thinking rationally...maybe we all need to take a national yoga class and just...exhale. Phew.

The Merging Of Minds

I must say today was a first...I posted something last night regarding my thoughts on Palin and Huckabee. Today...Andrew Sullivan also posted on the same topic. We both quoted the same blogger Ross Douthat but I beat Andrew to the punch!

For what its worth...

On Palin and Huckabee

Conservative journalist, Ross Douthat has been doing some inner soul-searching about the fact that he has bailed on his initial love of Sarah Palin. In so doing, he comes up with a very interesting point.

Sarah Palin was as fringe as Mike Huckabee was when he first appeared on the national scene. Huckabee rose to the occasion, Palin does not seem to be. As Douthat notes:

But the fact remains that she has given one fine speech, and two lackluster interviews, and has otherwise dodged the sort of rough-and-tumble venues and conversations that Huckabee welcomed, and which he used to make his candidacy for president seem more plausible than it initially appeared.

Amidst all the insanity and frighteningly un-democratic effort to protect Palin from the press, this bit of a reality check struck me as quite on the mark. So on the mark that I'd had the thought myself!

It occurred to me early on that had McCain picked Huckabee there would be a lot less polarizing, sickness swirling around -- and a lot more worried Dems. Quite simply, I always thought Huckabee would have been a better pick. But then I don't get a vote on that one.

In the end, it remains true that regardless of what the guys at the water cooler are saying, there are plenty of Republicans and not a few Independents who are worried about her; and worried about the reasons why McCain picked her. And well they should be.

But hey, works for me...

Ripping Off The Band-Aid

I was surprised to read in yesterday's NY Times Op Ed piece by Nicholas Kristof entitled: "The Push to Otherise Obama". Only now, nearly two years after this journey began does Kristof realize that: religious prejudice is becoming a proxy for racial prejudice.

He is shocked, that some people still believe that Obama is a Muslim...and he is stuck with the realization that the label is a conundrum of mind-boggling proportions. Discuss it, you lose. Defend it, you lose.

It is a truly sad reality but reality all the same. I took pity on Kristof given that he seems to be a victim of the whole mess himself, having had his own words used for ill purpose. He too has been caught in the mess.

The fact is, the mess is much larger than he can imagine. It is larger than race, religion or any one person who personifies certain qualities we desire or despise.

I don't even pretend to imagine that any candidate can get us unstuck from the place we are right now. But I do believe that by making the daring choice, the different choice, the seemingly exotic choice we could jar things just a bit.

A large measure of our country will NEVER be ready for a Black President, much less one whose very name and background personifies difference. And since we'll never be ready, maybe it is just time to rip off the band-aid.

Just rip it off...it may hurt a bit at first...maybe it will actually hurt ALOT...OUCH.

But then it will be done, and real healing has a chance to begin.

Thought For The Week - Understanding Religion in Society

Our failure as progressives to tap into the moral underpinnings of the nation is not just rhetorical, though. Our fear of getting "preachy" may also lead us to discount the role that values and culture play in some of our most urgent social problems.

After all, the problems of poverty and racism, the uninsured and the unemployed, are not simply technical problems in search of the perfect ten point plan. They are rooted in both societal indifference and individual callousness - in the imperfections of man.

Solving these problems will require changes in government policy, but it will also require changes in hearts and a change in minds. I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manufacturers' lobby - but I also believe that when a gang-banger shoots indiscriminately into a crowd because he feels somebody disrespected him, we've got a moral problem. There's a hole in that young man's heart - a hole that the government alone cannot fix.

Barack Obama - June, 2007

Friday Bonus News

The Universe knew we needed extra good news at the end of a grim week...

The most recent Gallup Poll shows Obama up 5 points...that is a record since this whole thing began. He is up to 49% on the national poll! Gallup has been known to be wrong, and we know polling does not include cell phones.

But I'm still taking this as a good sign.

Also: My school yard/PTO conversations regarding the current state of the GOP have been quiet. The word about town is: Don't mention Palin, she is an embarrassment no matter how you slice her. The seems to be a BI-PARTISAN opinion. Yes, I live in a Red County in a Blue State...but basically she has become a topic of ridicule on both sides (among the mommies...have not spoken to any dads yet...)

More details to follow...

Thank You, GOP

Well, I think we owe a debt of gratitude to the GOP. They've been so helpful since August 29th in solidifying the Democratic, Progressive Cause (DPC?!?)

There is nothing like a common foe to mobilize the troops and bring people together for a common cause. We see this in friendships, families, institutions, communities, nations and political parties.

The newest results from Pollster show Obama winning the electoral college 61.2 % of the time up from 45%...the day before.

Basically, any surge McCain showed since the GOP Convention has been lost.

Just a little happy news to add to your already happy Friday!

As We Suspected...

CBS/NY Times: McCain Still Tied To Bush, Palin Slips, Obama Leads By 5

As I suspected and have now confirmed...the McCain bounce is over. I read this on Daily Kos

McCain had a two percentage point lead among registered voters in a CBS News poll released on September 8th, just after the Republican National Convention. Prior to the party conventions, Obama led McCain by 3 points.

In the new poll, the gap among likely voters is the same as it is among registered voters: Obama leads among those seen as likely to go to the polls in November 49 percent to 44 percent.

While Palin remains popular among McCain voters, the poll suggests that the McCain campaign may have cause for concern. More than half of registered voters do not think Palin is prepared for the job of Vice President, and even McCain supporters cite "inexperience" as what they like least about her.

Just 17 percent of registered voters say McCain chose Palin because she is well qualified for the job of Vice President. Seventy-five percent say McCain made the choice to help win the election. (Even voters backing the Republican ticket share this view: 53 percent say the Palin choice was to help McCain win in November.)

Interesting about the favorable and unfavorable ratings

Palin’s favorable rating stands at 40 percent, down 4 points from last week. Her unfavorable rating, which stands at 30 percent, has risen eight points in the same time period. Her favorable rating among women has fallen 11 points in the past week.

Palin is popular amongst Republicans but she is divisive amongst everyone else. From the NY Times, to hammer this home:

But the Times/CBS News poll suggested that Ms. Palin’s selection has, to date, helped Mr. McCain only among Republican base voters; there was no evidence of significantly increased support for him among female voters in general. White women are evenly divided between Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama; before the conventions, Mr. McCain led Mr. Obama among white women by a margin of 44 percent to 37 percent.

By contrast, at this point in the 2004 campaign, President Bush was leading Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic challenger, by 56 percent to 37 percent among white women.

****

That was good news to read, and really not surprising...so let's all take a deeeeep breath. Now, exhale.

DON'T BLINK...

Hey, it's Wednesday and we all need a good laugh...

Courtesy of John Stewart. Enjoy

Obama's Economic Press Conference

My mom called me this morning after seeing this press conference on t.v. (see links below)

I answered the phone and without even saying hello she just said, "If we don't elect this man, this true leader to be our next President, then I don't know what is wrong with this country. He is just brilliant."

I tried all day to find the speech, and finally here it is. He is cogent and clear and specific, and yes his youth and vibrancy speaks volumes more about where we want to go which is FORWARD...to the FUTURE.

I realize this comes at a time when a new book is out calling Obama a true liberal and not much of a reformer. Okay, but after the past 8 years, can't we just give the liberal dude a try? When did liberal become such a bad word? Jeeze.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGxx0VGLg90

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdKmpQJ3CBE

Bloom Is Off The Rose: Update

Well, what I suspected yesterday is already coming to fruition. Woke this morning to David Brooks' op ed piece in the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/opinion/16brooks.html?ref=opinion

Then I went to a PTO meeting and a woman told me she had just signed up on a web site called Women Against Palin. She asked if I would do the same. I promised not to think or talk about her this week, but I'm passing it along to you. She said they are trying to build a coalition of One Million Women Against Palin.

I must say I'm feeling proud that I may have hit the nail on the head with this one. The Bloom is Off the Rose. Well...we can hope, can't we?!?

Getting Back On Track

Great news in the Obama Camp regarding women. The campaign has coalesced a group of prominent women nationwide to get out and speak about the issues that concern women the most. The list includes Stacey Snider, Chairman of DreamWorks, Linda Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice President Emerita, AFL-CIO, and Olympic gold-medalist Dominique Dawes.

Foremost, they will focus on McCain's opposition to equal pay legislation.

This is crucial for one very important reason: the women were told to go out and speak ON THE ISSUES (how novel!) They were coached to contrast the candidates on the issue of choice, the economy and equal pay...the topic of S.P. was NOT on the list.

This feels to me like a sign that things are getting back on track...the right track. When Obama wins in November it will be a double victory. Not only will he have won the Presidency but he will have won the population over without the use of Rove-Morris ick.

The Facts, Please

The DNC has set up a nifty little web site and it keeping check on all of John McCain's lies.

http://www.mccainpedia.org/index.php/Count_the_Lies

This is important because the strongest case for Obama has nothing to do with Sarah Palin and everything to do with John McCain.

It is about the issues, regardless of what the McCain camp says. The only way to get at the real issues, and the facts is to wade through the junk. That is getting pretty difficult. This makes it a bit easier because all the work has been done for you. From the look of it, we're talking A LOT of work.

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free John 8:32

What Are Those Fundamentals?

John McCain continues to insist that the fundamentals of our economy are good. He claimed this as recently as this morning. I'm just wondering what those fundamentals are...because everything else I read and hear says otherwise.

Does McCain think he will make it right by saying so...or, is it the case that he knows things are broken, and that Republicans have been at the helm during the breaking, but that he still wants the chance to fix them?

As I read this morning, perhaps he should make his new slogan:

"The Economy: We Broke It... And We'll Fix It"

Maybe that is it.

The Bloom Is Off The Rose

In the past two years that I have been surfing the blog-o-sphere I have noticed a pattern.

Bloggers both liberal and conservative (I read both for balance) often grab onto a theme that takes anywhere from a few days to about two weeks to come to fruition in the minds of the general public.

So, it is interesting to note two specific themes amongst Conservative Bloggers that is coming to the fore.

1) John McCain has lied and flip-flopped and generally discredited himself on many issues and is no longer the maverick they once adored.

2) Sarah Palin, while still lovely and spunky, is not someone THEY feel comfortable with in the position of vice-president. Of note, is Ross Douthat and others in his camp who had high hopes for her future on the national stage, but now feel that the Gibson-Palin interview gave them all "a splash of cold water."

My test area is usually the playground and the school yard in my rather GOP neighborhood.

We'll see what happens...

In Case You Had Any Doubt

Former Bush adviser Karl Rove said Sunday that Sen. John McCain had gone "one step too far" in some of his recent ads attacking Sen. Barack Obama.

So, in case you doubted for even a moment, the king of disgust himself thinks that McCain has been a bit too dishonest in his campaign ads.

Okay, could this get any more weird?

The Truth: More Potent Than Lies

Since we've been reading a lot of nasty lies lately...here is some reality for balance:

The Obama Campaign raised 66 million dollars in August alone. Even more meaningful is the fact that in that same month, they added 500,000 new donors to their rolls.

500,000 or 1/2 a million in case you're counting...

Thought For The Week

A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.

---Ralph Waldo Emerson

She Knows It Is All About HER

If you doubted for even a nanosecond whether Sarah Pallin understands why SHE was chosen...

In her interview Charlie Gibson asked her if Obama should have picked Hillary, "I think Obama is regretting not picking her now."

Yes, Sarah understands that she was picked for her beauty, her sexuality, her internal organs. And she did not even blink. She said yes. This is a person who didn't have to blink. She has spent her whole life being picked for that very reason, it was a no-brainer (which, in her case, is a good thing).

I imagine it has worked for her up till now. It is up to US to decide: will it work again?

Les Misbarack

I am new at trying to connect links and this first attempt does not work. But, if you click on here and then type in Les Misbarack, you will have a quite enjoyable video produced by the Obama camp with the help of a local improv group. Enjoy and pass it on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ijYVyhnn0

It Is Not My Fault

As a parent, it is common to hear this defense from children standing in front of a puddle of juice on the floor. "The cup slipped, it wasn't my fault." "He pushed me and made me spill".

Sometimes we hang onto those defenses as adults just in case they should come in handy.

And so it was when Joy Behar of "The View" asked John McCain yesterday why he was satisfied to endorse self-evident lies on his campaign ads his reply was, in effect..."Its Obama's fault".

He actually said that because Obama did not agree to the town hall meeting style debates that McCain had proposed, Obama forced the McCain camp to change the tenor of the debate. He actually said on national television that if Obama had agreed to the town hall meetings, we would have seen a different kind of campaign. Really? Really!

Or perhaps what McCain meant to say was: "Since I didn't have to show up for town hall meeting style debates, I just check out and left it all to Karl to manage. I actually have no bloody idea what is being said on my behalf. In fact, did you know that the voice you hear saying I approve those things is actually a recording I did in 2000. Neato, don't ya think?!"

I Feel Giddy

I have an odd sense of calm today. The feeling you have when you know all is well. I even took my children and a couple of their friends to the local game arcade for some rainy day fun. I felt like celebrating!

After watching the first "interview" with Saint Sarah, and reading through many of the incredulous lies being perpetuated by the McCain Campaign, I feel confident that it is all going to cave in on itself. They will be victims of their own muck. Their chickens are going to come home to roost and their pigs will be wearing lipstick.

I took it as a sign from a place of Higher Intelligence that moments after I turned off the computer, no longer able to watch (on line) the Gibson-Palin-McCain train wreck, I randomly turned on CNN to find Obama live at Columbia University in what was billed as a service forum. If you missed it, I'm certain you can check it out on CNN's web site. It was a breath of fresh air to listen to an intelligent voice speak honestly about his plans to move this country forward.

I was so busy focused on the nasty stuff, I nearly missed what turned out to be the clearest thinking I've heard in two weeks.

I encourage ALL OF YOU, dear readers to stop for a moment and really consider what you may be missing out on by listening to the insanity that is being tossed in our faces.

Instead, for the next week ask everyone you encounter during the day if they are registered to vote...in the gas station, the grocery store, the dry cleaners...anywhere.

If you think it can't make a difference consider this little tid-bit as reported by the Orlando, Florida Obama Headquarters: Since August 1st they have registered 80,000 new voters. In case you're wondering that is roughly 2000 people each day. In Florida, no less.

Know hope, indeed.

Pounding the Pavement

So I took my turn to help register voters today. Signed on through the Obama campaign and was assigned to a local post office. There were 18 of us there at one point, the event was also billed as a rally for clean energy through Moveon.org.

Just a few observations: most people were kind and interested and already registered. Many folks waved and gave us thumbs up signs, honked horns, stopped to chat. The women who gathered to help today all said they had done so because they were tired of sitting home, watching t.v. and worrying. Indeed, they wanted to do something.

Another observation...those who said they were voting for McCain were by and large very rude. We were screamed at and even called "Commie Pigs" (which I thought was out but I guess its better than pigs in lipstick) One elderly man actually stopped his car to shout "McCain all the way...you're just a bunch of babies!" Okay then.

I came home to read a telling quote from my favorite blogger, Andrew Sullivan who wrote:

If you aren't creeped out by what has been going on these past two weeks in America, you are not paying attention.

I'm still maintaining hope...but he just may have a point.

Peace Will Prevail

Today, on this memorial day, 7 years beyond a tragedy we will never forget, I have hope.

I am reminded why our country has been so passionate (to say the least) about this election and about the future of our country. We are living in anxious times, and it is easy to become overwhelmed by the national mood. But beneath the anxiety of the uncertain future is a belief that PEACE will prevail. Peace in our individual lives and peace in our collective lives.

I received countless emails and phone calls this week from people who are tired of the the negative, mocking, nasty, even silly nature of the political news cycle. It has sprung many to action volunteering locally, and even beyond. The spark that was lit seems to be leading to a great fire of enthusiasm to make a difference, to do something, ANYTHING.

Today, I am simply going to try and focus on a an attitude that says yes to the good that is possible. How can it be that in the end fear has the last word? My faith just won't let me go there.

Relationship Capital

Developing relationships with other human beings is something women do well. We begin as little girls. We argue, we tease, sometimes get down right mean and we talk and talk and talk about everything and nothing. We relate. That is what girls do.

It is all in the name of building relationships with the people around us, especially with other women. As author/educator Carol Gilligan noted long ago, we see our lives in terms of the web of our relationships.

This fact is one of the things that often makes women very good ministers. We understand that ministry is a people profession, we "get" people, we relate well and in most cases most of us are not afraid to connect with those people. Through those connections we build what I call relationship capital. This asset helps us when dealing with people in anxious or difficult situations because we've been there all along listening, understanding simply engaging others.

I have no doubt that my theory becomes an asset to female politicians as well. It is what worries me about the fact of Sarah Palin.

Sarah, as her "gal pals" across the nation now call her, has been relating to, connecting with and supporting others her whole life. It was no surprise when I read one of her colleagues say that she has an impeccable knack for figuring out what people want and designating herself as the solution their problems. She is a woman. And, she is a politician.

I do not like her nasty side, and I do not share her polarizing good versus evil/black and white way of looking at the world but I know that she knows others, many others do. She is becoming the angry "we feel dissed" voice for women across the country. Women are lapping her up because she feels their pain, she's angry too!

There is more than one side to this whole relating thing. As mean girls all over the world teach us, relationship capital can be used and it can be abused.

A very wise woman in my life says we have to stop energizing Governor Palin with our own anger toward her. I'm going to take that into serious consideration, and do my best. But I tell you, it would be easier if I were not a woman, because I understand of what she is potentially made and it ain't pretty.

All of a sudden, I'm wistfully wishing for Hillary.

Going Glamish

So it is Monday morning and I am feeling a little post-convention stress syndrome. I think I ate too many speeches.

Luckily everyone knows that when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. A little fall pick me up could do the trick. As luck would have it, its FASHION WEEK in New York. And as luck would also have it, NPR had a fashion maven on the radio this morning to discuss the new fall looks. I'm going to be okay...

Or so I thought until I heard that this year's styles are mirroring our depressed economy. They are drab, lacking on color and ease and flow. Instead, its all about WOOL, and high neck collars, and buttoning up for the long hard winter ahead. The look is called...

GLAMISH. Which rhymes with Amish. Simplicity meets drab with just a pinch of glam.

Apparently I should have done more shopping when I visited my cousin in Lancaster County this summer. Who knew?

In casual ready-to-wear, the season's color will be dark purple and dark washed jeans. Both, according to fashion historians, are signs that the economy is glum. Throughout time, when the going gets tough, the depressed wear purple. I'm not making this up. How could I?

All of this gives me some solace. I will likely save money by NOT shopping this season, and my sense of sadness has a source: it's cultural. Its in the air, the ether, the very fabric of society.

Drinking Kool-Aid

More than once over the past two years or so I have been accused of "drinking the Obama Kool-Aid". The implication being that I was partaking of a substance that looked good, but that contained absolutely no real nutritional value. And/or that I was becoming part of a cult and couldn't help myself.

Well aside from the fact that my mother never let us drink Kool-Aid, I wasn't offended...I knew better.

And now a little news flash that may fall under the category of pot calling kettle black: The McCain Campaign has announced that Sarah Palin will be unavailable for news conferences or interviews for what they estimate to be about two weeks.

It seems that she will be held up in Alaska saying good-bye to her son who deploys for Iraq (fair enough) whilst being briefed on Papa John's political record. They would like to prevent, if possible, any needless gaffes that may come from her being uninformed. And uninformed she is.

That means that voters will be making their decision on the McCain-Palin ticket having only known her for about a month. Still many don't seem to care...they just love her!!!!!!

Now who's drinking?

Identity Politics

It was 1982 when Anthony S. became the president of my high school's student body. I don't remember his platform but he was the star quarterback on our football team, and he was pretty cute too. He went off to study law at an Ivy League school. A very smart, athletic guy who had great luck with the ladies. What's not to love?

But we're not in high school any more, are we?

Like it or not, though we do find ourselves in the midst of a non-partisan identity party! Obama! Hillary! Sarah! This is certainly not new. In part, it is human nature to be attracted to the candidate we're um, attracted to.

When George W. "won" in 2000 he had the rare distinction of also being voted the president with whom we most wanted to hang out and have a beer.

So what we're seeing today is not really all that different.

I read an interesting tid-bit from Michael Moore yesterday which is bothering me the more I think about it. He writes in his blog:

But before everyone gets all smug and self-righteous about the Palin selection, remember where you live. You live in a nation of gun owners and hunters. You live in a country where one out of three girls get pregnant before they are 20. You live in a nation of C students. Knocking Bush for being a C student only endeared him to the nation of C students. Knock Palin for having kids, for having a kid who's having a baby, for anything that is part of her normalness -- a normalness that looks very familiar to so many millions of Americans -- well, you do this at your own peril. Assuming she's still on the ticket two weeks from now, she will be a much tougher opponent than anyone expects.

What this does is remind me of the truth of what's going on just beneath the surface for ALL of us. Remembering this keeps me honest and more importantly keeps me from being complacent.

We can't afford to do smug and self-righteous. Not this time.

I think I'll go Google Anthony and see how that story turned out...

Onward Christian Soldiers

Since the music duo Heart is apparently objecting to (yea, even condemning and denouncing) the GOP's constant use of their song Barracuda when intro-ing Palin...this old war horse (pardon the pun) might be a better choice.

It seems the GOP has a corner on the patriotism market. Since love of country equals service to our country which equals service in the military, I think my song choice would be a better one.

The only way to love country is to put it first. The only way to put it first is to serve the military in a war. Oh, and the best way to express these passions is by mocking virtually anybody else who thinks differently than you do. Got it.

"Oh but that is a Christian Hymn", you say. That's okay, being a true Republican now means you're an evangelical Christian on a mission from God to reform Washington, D.C. and the entire world for that matter.

As I watched the first few moments of John McCain's speech I actually had some pity for the guy. He appeared to be a shell of the human being he once was. If he is so perfect for the job, why didn't the Republicans push for him in 2000? Perhaps it was because he still had too much fight left in him, the Maverick Horse still needed to be broken.

And so this soldier, who has worshiped no god other than his country, has been set right on the good path of a Christian Soldier marching off to war...against all foes local, regional, and international.

The problem is that this time around there are too many who will not just stand and wave as the parade goes by. Before Sarah Palin even finished speaking on Wednesday night over 130,000 people donated over 8 million dollars...to Barack Obama. By the time McCain had finished on Thursday night, the number was nearly 10 million.

As always, there are two sides of the story: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they (too) shall be called the children of God".

Unpacking Denver

As I continue to unpack Denver, I am naturally answering questions from friends and school yard moms...'HOW WAS IT?!?!?"

It is a bi-partisan query from genuinely interested people.

Consistently, I find myself talking about how proud I was to be a part of a process that really seems to work. When I boil it all down to a couple of coffee talk sentences I cannot help but say that I felt and continually to feel that democracy works. Regardless of all the hub-bub, the process is exciting, complex and truly representative of the freedom we Americans hold so dear.

So why do I have a pit in my stomach?

I looked forward to having time to actually sit and watch the GOP convention last night. I sincerely hoped I could hear more of what is exciting them in this election. I get that the speeches are sermons being preached to the choir...and I expected that within the sermons I would hear their "platform" (now that I am so versed in such things).

What I heard was mockery. Top on the list was Rudy Guiliani making fun of Obama's candidacy underneath which was a complete and utter ridicule of the American Political Process. No wait, it was actually mockery of more than half of the American population. No wait, it was actually a statement of utter contempt for AMERICA.

I know toxic when I see it and this was TOXIC. And so, I was not only disappointed, but worried. Worried because if I am honest about the grander scale of my "house divided" theory, then I know it applies to our country as a whole.

Is it any wonder then that so MANY are attracted to a candidacy that speaks of hope and the possibility of something more? The cynics cannot have the last word.

We've now heard how powerful and effective the local PTA/soccer mom can be...so watch out: I'm marching forward and I'm armed.

Know Hope.

THE Speech

So, I just watched Sarah Palin's speech and I must say it worked. You know me and my words thing. Words matter and them words were fightin' words.

More on those thoughts later.

My question is this: either the family is off limits or it is not. I get that we needed to meet the family, but that baby was up rather late, wasn't he? To parade him and the entire crowd in front of the t.v. and watch the camera keep checking on him makes them all seem open to all the tabloid scrutiny you might imagine is coming their way.

They could have come out at the end, that was nice...we liked seeing them all. But to watch Cindy, then Piper then Bristol then I forgot the other one's name pass him around while the camera kept checking. It was distracting and odd.

We'll see what comes of it all. Sarah seems feisty enough to handle it, but what about the rest of them?

Is this what they call wedge politics or is it something much, much worse?

Learning the Language

I was very interested to watch The Republican Convention last night. Here is what stood out for me.

"The American Government is not a philanthropic organization"
"We have got to get government OFF OUR BACKS"
"We put service to our country first"
"The McCain-Palin ticket is a ticket of MAVERICKS who will lead us into a new era."
"John McCain endured beatings and isolation" (the t word was never used)

What I don't understand is this: why do we want government off our backs, except in private matters concerning a woman, her partner and her doctor.

I'm still not clear -- and really, I just do not get how government is OUT except when we want to legislate certain aspects of so called morality.

Enlighten me.

Fear-Based Living, con't or A House Divided

If what I am reading about how John McCain selected Sarah Palin is true, the Republicans are in for some serious trouble. And, no, I'm not snickering...really, I'm not.

As reported in the NY Times today, John McCain up until a few days ago was "hoping to select his good friend Joseph Lieberman". Why he did not: "he was bombarded by outrage from influential conservatives who predicted an explosive floor fight at the convention and vowed rejection of Mr. Ridge or Mr. Lieberman by the delegates."

What we know is that the selection of a running mate is considered to be the first decision a potential POTUS makes. What we are reading is that John McCain's decision seems to have been heavily influenced by one group of people who threatened him with destruction. If I were a Republican, I would be shaking in my boots right now.

Since Biblical times, we have known that "a house divided against itself cannot stand." (Matthew 12:25)

That is why THIS time around the Dems vowed UNITY. It was the theme of our convention and our goal from the start.

If the Republicans meet defeat this November, it will be for this reason alone (again, see Matthew 12:25).

Funny, I thought those guys read the Bible too...hmmm....

Fear-Based Living

I just spent a lively evening with some neighbors and other guests. After living for nearly a week in a democratic bubble of light, it was a sobering experience to be the only Democrat in the room amidst some very well-spoken folks.

Sobering not because I was swayed by their arguments which I appreciate but do not abide. Neither side was actually looking to sway the other. That was fine.

The conversation was sobering because these folks already knew where they stood at the start of the primary, and as a result they were willing to purchase the entire bag of tricks offered by MSM (read: Fox News).

What shocked me was that the same people who could talk health care, economics, and foreign policy with great aplomb and intelligence, were the same people who also believe the Obama is an angry Black man whose candidacy is, in part, based on his desire to finally stick it to the White man. And Michelle, oooh, they really don't like her.

The conversation was as stimulating and eye-opening as my five days at the convention.

I take heart that Denver introduced me to tens of thousands of people who think otherwise. I take heart in the fact that not everybody lives their lives out of a fear of what might be. But I must say: reality never ceases to amaze me.

Phew.