"Why" Barack Obama -

A President Like My Father

By CAROLINE KENNEDY
(originally published for the Opinion Page of the New York Times Sunday, January 27, 2008)

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

(On behalf of the source of this article, the New York Times, here are some related topics):

Times Topics: John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Times Topics: Barack Obama

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Caroline Kennedy is the author of “A Patriot’s Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love.” As my colleague personally endorsed her for President in a previous post, I thought it would be nice for our readers to hear some of her thoughts and perspectives directly.

The Bag Man

found this photo on flickr.com, taken by a phtog named ubiquity_zh (basically my writing partner's namesake). got a lot of raves on flickr, and i think you'll be able to appreciate its film noir quality. as one commenter best put it, "it's the theif getting ready to pull the bank heist".

BREAKING NEWS: CIA SAYS TERRORISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR BHUTTO'S DEATH

WASHINGTON — The Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that the assassins of Benazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister, were directed by Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani militant leader in hiding, and that some of them had ties to Al Qaeda.

C'mon, even Thomas the Train sees through that smoke screen of bullshit. Good job CIA you iced the bitch. Damn you bastards! And now you're doing the good ol' Potomac 2-Step and trying to whitewash it with a coverup, a lie? You know you killed her. Bush put her back in there to create controversy and hope to have a reason to step into an invasion into Pakistan. How do they verify what allegedly no one else can verify? They will do anything to continue Bush's Game on Terror, anything to protect those precious petro assets with those new private little superarmies they recently bought...

Supporters of Ms. Bhutto questioned the C.I.A. conclusions, especially since the former leader was buried before a full forensic investigation had been conducted. “The C.I.A. appears too eager to bail out its liaison services in Pakistan, who are being blamed by most Pakistanis,” said Husain Haqqani, a former adviser to Ms. Bhutto and a professor at Boston University. “Given the division inside Pakistan on this issue, it might be better to have an international investigation under the aegis of the UN."

I agree. But the only problem is there is a better than 50% chance the UN will rubber-stamp the US. They know Blackwater killed (assassinated) her most likely. The UN may verify this, but whether they'll be able to take a strong stand against the United States for doing it is not as clear as in 2004. If they go against the US, be concerned how demagougish Bush and Co. will get and at what cost.

Government officials in Pakistan and analysts believe that Al-Qaeda's network here is made up of homegrown militants who have made destabilizing Pakistan’s government a top priority. Al Qaeda have safe haven in the mountainous tribal areas of western Pakistan, with compounds where fighters conduct training and planning for terror attacks. This has led to fear among intelligence and counterterrorism officials, who believe that the United States should take more aggressive unilateral steps to dismantle terror networks. The Bush administration is currently considering proposals.

And no surprise here. all they need is an excuse.....a pretext......to go in and finish them off with everything we got - watch for the coming mushroom cloud over the desert or in a mountain range somewhere near your flat screen TV. i think they're gonna use it this time.

Lovin' that Soul Food

For those of you who love the taste but hate the effect!

I don't care what century this is or will be, I can guarantee you that Kirk and Spock, if served, will love soul food. Well, maybe not Spock, as Vulcans don't eat animal flesh as he advises his 5,000 year-old love interest played by a young Mariette Hartley (from 'Taxi' with Danny DeVito) in a 1968 Star Trek episode. But he ate meat that show.

Well eat meat or not, he's gonna love the aroma of that food! Now where were we? Uh, Oh yeah..mmmmmmMMMM!!

Check out this website: http://food.aol.com/cuisines/soul-food-recipes

The best food in the house. That is, if you are wishing for heart ailments in your future. Otherwise, look for healthy alternatives that don't lose the flavor (or not much of it).

keep the faith baby. - adam clayton powell, jr.


and she loves soul food...

Just a reminder of what kind of weather we were having this time last year:

January 18, 2007

it's a very fashinista vue, lovin' the shingle-layers of the skirt, the very nice wool riding blazer, the scarf. she looks english, but for the english she looks good. i hope that didn't come out wrong, i mean hope it came out right - oh well. still lovn'ya babycakes!

Miss Me?

i've been chillin', thinking of new strategies to live my life by. right now, i'm trying to figure out how to make more money to pay these higher prices everything costs, trying to figure out how to pay my bills and debts, trying to figure out how I got into this mess to begin with.

well, i got here the same way all the rest of you suckers got here - overspent! gittin' high on bling just ain't where it's at, jack! bill o'reilly sez there's no homeless vets out there, find them if you can under some bridge, near you.

yeah, sistah - pretend winter in america is not here.


live on Gil-Scott. live on brotha live on, your words are coming true...

the latest news since my last article that has come to full circle (or closing in on it) is the bad in the economy that's being felt out there. oh, and that strong wind cuttin' thru your clothes isn't the weather, or the recession, but the real feel of a devastating winter coming to the land. an american winter of poverty like not seen since the Great Depression. i can feel it like a sharp pain in my ass, just like how my credit card interest rate feels these days. hard dayz a'coming my friendz . . .

bernake wants the government to set up a stimulus package and increase spending but not raise inflation. bush wants to offer a stimulus package tied to more tax cuts (like the ones that got us in the current situation). obama wants to give you a $250 instant government rebate check so you can spend now and improve the economy his administration hopes to inherit. republicans want to flip-flop group style and say they want to stimulate the economy.

citibank is on its knees ready to suckit to get the big dough out of a Saudi prince's pants and the Bank of Signapore's cash (where our government and rich have been funneling our tax dollars for years in secret accounts) so that we can use the ATMs next week and not go into a money crisis next. jobs keep going overseas to others, while others keep coming into our country and taking the jobs that are left. employers are more evil than ever, firing people at will more and more, or letting them go with no benefits, no health care, no pensions - while their CEOs who took all this from you get fired and kicked out with $100 million bonuses! and health care? you better off dead - and you'll still owe the bill.

it's all about the time zone.

the american empire, like its soviet counterpart, got too big too fast and eventually has to collaspe on itself. expect a glasnost of our own in the coming decades, as the U.S. also falls as a superpower. expect the total collapse of society, as Britney has another baby, fucks another man, then goes out with her friends Paris and Lindsay and in the Porshe spreads her thighs open and shows us her sweet afterbirth oozin' out of 'em. . .

that, my friends, would signal the end of another Terran empire ...... amazing ...... wow. like matthew mcconaughey 'wow'. which we're still trying to understand what that means....

so like yeah, brotha barack . . . yeah, sistah hill, it's the economy again, stupid. your move.

Iowa Sparks Change In America

yes, change begins on Day 1: Obama and Hukabee are winners, Clinton and Romney (thank god) are losers. It's about time:


without a doubt, Barack Obama is the symbol of change in our country, whether he wins or not. He is the head of a movement, a revolution that will be televised, that if sustained will shake up the status quo like nothing before. Independents, who have been growing in number nationally as people are more disillusioned with the parties, Washington insiders and corporate interests, are pushing the form and scope of the agenda this time. The power that has held this country through most of its modern history is losing strength to another modern system - the Internet. This powerful tool raises funds, reaches people at a cheaper cost than conventional media, and spreads the message (and receives the opinions) to and of the masses like nothing before. It is the propeller of this new power generation revolution.


and Mike Hukabee represents change. Change from how the Republicans vote, no longer limited to the ideologies of Reagan, Bush, or the Party's culture war. Yes, you can indeed vote for a social conservative that won't protect the rich, that will keep taxes and spending low without you suffering for it, who can protect social rights issues without being a demagogue (well we hope). Who can be a Republican without being a racist (he was one of very few Republicans who participated in the CBC/Fox Debate at predominantly-black Morgan State University in September, and the only one who is a current front-runner) and in fact advocate inclusion of all, while still standing up against illegal immigration. Hukabee has proven that voter integrity trumps buying votes after all.

on the other hand, Hillary is a symbol of the past - the Clinton/Bush dynasties. Their time is past, their message is behind us. The time to move forward is truly here, with new faces and new messages. It would be nice to have the first woman president, but if you want one that is an actual change candidate, I recommend Carolyn Kennedy (JFK's daughter). She's Obama in a skirt. Here she is below:

and Romney, well, the New Hampshire press got it right: he's a goddamn phony! He doesn't deserve to be a dogcatcher with my tax dollars; I don't even trust him to pick up the poop. A Republican using the John Kerry flip-flop playbook is bad enough, but as his own party opponents have repeatedely said, he has yet to tell you what he will actually do. I don't give a fuck if he's run the largest corporation in America, I don't care if he was governor of every state, he's not morally or otherwise qualified to be my leader. If I have anything to say about it, he won't be President. I'm using my vote to say to Romney - FUCK YOU MUTHAFUCKA, GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY FACE!

We need a better America. We needed better candidates. Obama, Hukabee and Carolyn Kennedy might get us there. Hillary is yesterday's news. And Romney is simply bullshit.

What Goes Up Still Goes Up

Philly just announced that its homicide rate, which exceeded 400 in 2006 and put the City of Brotherly Love at the top of the "Kill Baby Kill" list among the nation's 10 largest cities, just cleared the bar with only 392 killings in 2007. That's success??

Now that Nutter has won, appointed the former DC police chief as its new commish, we can say adios to the corrupt Street and impotent police commish Sylvester Johnson, who frankly didn't do shit about the carnage. Hopefully Nutter will fulfill his promise of bringing crime down. The question remains - how is he gonna do it?

The core issues remain - a lack of jobs (most of the killings are economically-related: robberies, drug dealing, and other related disputes), a lack of trust in the community between the police and citizens, black-on-black crime, and the creation on two Philadelphias - the properous white one and the economically-disadvantaged remainder of the city. With these issues still in play, and what appears to be an emerging recession on the horizon, the likelihood of more crime seems a real possibility.


So will stop-and-frisk (Nutter's solution) work? Can the new administration bring jobs to the inner-city community, and will those jobs sustain a livable wage that keeps pace with the cost of living? Can the drug trade be controlled (forget the fantasy of eliminating drug use, our resources need to focus on containment, not wasted on the impossible task of elimination) to reduce the violence associated with it? Can Philly create a culture, along the Rendell model, of economic opportunity for the whole city? Can the greater good be achieved over the interests of politicians and interest groups (i.e. the self-interest unions, lobbyists, and law firms interested in tapping the lucrative city bond business)?

Without positive answers to these questions, what goes up (the murder rate) will keep going up. Oh, by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR.