It's been almost 4 years since I wrote and recorded this song. Prior to writing it I had donated money to Senator Obama's campaign, I had driven to Cleveland the weekend prior to the election and went door to door in some rough "urban" neighborhoods canvassing for Obama and after writing and recording it, I would drive to DC, sit on the steps of the Lincoln memorial and watch (albeit from farrrrr away) Senator Obama become President Obama. -fucking cool.
This time I haven't donated any money, I haven't knocked on any doors and it's less likely (though not unlikely) that I'll make the drive to DC should he get elected. BUT I am most certainly going to vote for him.
At first I thought of this as the "lesser of two evils". After all, he hasn't been the great bastion of transparency, civil liberties and human rights we had hoped for. But I no longer see it as such. The Right has been so uncompromising and ridiculous that they've left me comfortable in my decision.
It was a new day for all. It happened, and it was a great moment. I loved sitting where Doctor King gave his famous speech while watching President Obama be sworn in. -a Kick ass moment that I'll take with me always.
That said, I hope the guy grows a pair in his second shot at it and lives up to the rhetoric of his first campaign. Transparency, human rights and a voice for the disenfranchised. Use that Bully Pulpit!!
You've got my vote sir. Don't fuck it up.
If Mitt Romney were Rick Snyder (the GOP Gov. of MI), this would be a more difficult decision for me. However, Romney made it much easier by pandering to the right and the middle at the same time. I don't respect the way Romney ran his campaign. As little as I agreed with him, Bush was a much more honest candidate. Also, I hate voting for a President as a check on Congress, but this Congress is absurd.
At the same time, I look at the other candidates that the GOP had as front runners; Rick Perry, -insane; Frothy substance, I mean Santorum; Michelle Bachmann -even more insane than Perry; and Newt Gingrich. -riddled with a curious past full of ethics violations and tawdry affairs. Romney was the clear choice imo. You're right, Bush was a more honest candidate.
Well put, but I think a lot of the tea party folk are wondering why Santorum and Bachmann couldn't swim..? GOP is pretty divided right now, I wonder how that will play out at the polls? Though nothing can unite them like their hatred of "Barry" as they call him.
Would have been nicer in retrospect if he wasn't going the be the guy who replaces Jimmy Carter in the pantheon of modern presidential failures. Maybe our first Mormon and then first female (Nikkey Haley?) presidents will do better at breaking some firsts that don't turn out to be winces. I'd once thought Joe LIeberman was gonna be our first Jewish president - any up and coming guys who might take his place? -XC PS - I think, in many ways, McCain would have been a worse president, just in different ways.
In no way is this relevant to your comment... but I thought you'd get a kick out of it.
I stayed up till all the polls were in and Obama was "officially" called by all the networks as the victor. Then I went down to my basement studio and without thinking (hence the simplicity) recorded this. It's funny, because if you hear the snippets of Obama speeches that I used, you hear how much it felt like he was going to bring the country together. It certainly feels more divided than ever, doesn't it? Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or de we participate in a politics of hope? -Did he heed his own advice?
The bar I was at bought everyone in the joint a shot when the results were announced, and it was packed. Then I went home with some not so attractive older woman. What a night that was. The next morning everyone in the ghetto was so happy, too. I don't think I'll ever see that many smiling bums again.
My wife and I walked in to a bar the other night and every person in there, except for her and I was a black woman. Turns out it was a "women for Obama" function. We were invited in with open arms, they were so nice to us and were having a blast. When I told the head of the function my story about canvasing in Cleveland in '08 and then going to inauguration, she gave me a big hug and tried to get me to sign up to volunteer. I politely declined, but it was a really nice atmosphere. They were representing the President well.
Yeah, it's me. Thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it. I have a number of other ditties I've posted to Hubski under that #tng tag. Also, I recorded the intro song for my #tngpodcast that I post here.
Ah, then DO NOT listen to any of my songs ;-) That said, David Byrne once said, "the better the singers voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying" Stole that from this post. If you're a David Byrne fan, you ought to check it out. Been quoting that a lot lately and should give credit to hamburger for pointing out that line. You ever record music? If so, drop some on Hubski, I'd like to check it out.
Well, record, I am so rusty, I did blow my kids away a couple of years ago. Rock Band was a deal with them and none of them would sing, Mr. Mike was laying there all lonely and shit as they played along and I go, hey may I sing? there was a lot of eye-rolling. I did "Hard to Handle" by the Black Crows and "Fortunate Son" by Creedence, jaws were dropped, both songs are a reach for me as I am in the Jackson Browne / James Taylor register and on a good day I can pace David Crosby as a backup singer, always reaching. I grew up singing to the AM radio, had no shame.
I'm not sure who the other kind are, but I'm the kind that loves Neil, though I hear a southern man don't need him around anyhow.... but I grew up in Michigan. So screw that.
From HHGG : "His job is not to wield power but to draw attention away from it. "
Captain Dunsel -a term for a captain whose services are not needed in any way. -I had never heard that term, thanks for that. I do wonder if it really is as futile as that though. The money CERTAINLY has a lot of power and sway in our political process. shrug.
I first heard the term on Star Trek, the episode with Dr. Daystrom and the M5 computer, that blew up half of star fleet in a mock battle gone awry. The steady erosion of our freedom is the most disturbing thing to me, the evangelic need to be correct in all ways at the expense of, well, let's use seat belt laws as an example. Dude, I used to lay up on the back shelf behind the back seat under the window and watch the stars glide and swirl by at night. They put you in jail for that shit now. There are so many people in prison in this country. If it was fucking China or Russia we would be all pissed off as a government. "Let those motherfuckers go", but since it's here and it is status quo. Fuck it.