Obama-McCain Face Off No. 1

Yes, first debate down! I must say it was a bore. They didn't pounce at each other like the format of this debate was set up for. But I suppose that is a good thing for them to show their statesmanship! I won't bore you with details of the debate, and I will not go into the analysis either. I'll just point out a few things that seem obvious to me.

Generation Gaps:

We all know what their stands on issues, so put that aside, let's take a look at their appearances. What I see immediately is a "generation gap".  I will admit that McCain looks really good for his age, but he IS 72 years old, even with makeup plastered on him, he still looks 72. No matter how much he tries to claim that he is a "Change Agent", that just doesn't cut it. He's recitation of the names of past Secretary of States, leaders of the Soviet Union, does show his experience, but also shows he's ancient. Unfortunately, his ideology doesn't change that fact either. He is the past.

Obama looked fresh and exuberant. (I do wish they would go easy on the make-up on him). Being a quarter of a century younger than McCain, he was well versed with the history of our politics and had no problem naming the names of our current and past world leaders. At 47, he does represent the younger and the future generation. 

Body Language and Attitude:

McCain was fidgeting frequently and throughout the entire debate, he did not look at or make any eye contact with Obama. He looked crotchety as if standing in the same stage with Obama was degrading to him. The tone of his answers whether to the questions asked or directly to Obama was more than condescending.  He looked un-sportsman like. 

From my perspective, Obama was engaging, many times speaking to McCain with direct eye contact, but was ignored. His posture (you know how we yoga practitioners value postures!) was confident, firm, yet approachable. He was able to smile or laugh off when McCain cut him off or carried over time on the answers.

Catch Phrase:

McCain started most of his answers with "Senator Obama just doesn't understand...". We all know that he's trying to show that Obama is inexperienced and not ready to lead. My take is that he wants to show distinction between his policy and ideas from Obama. And that to me is divisive. On top of that it sounded patronizing.

Obama had repeated many time "Senator McCain is right..." or "I agree with Senator McCain...". I've heard that this drew some criticism from the democrats and I believed the McCain Camp has made an ad using these phrases already. Well, I think I understand why Obama is doing this. I think he is trying to show that there are common grounds that they can all work with, negotiate with, and maybe that's a way to find unity.

Yesterday I took a yoga workshop with my teacher and 2 other guest teachers. Rodney Yee was one of the guest teacher. He quoted Krishnamacharya saying that when we divide something into 2, there will be conflicts. He was using it as a reference for our body: that most people think of their body as the "right side" and the "left side". No matter how much we try to find balance to both side, the concept of this separateness makes us tug and pull our body that creates less integration between the 2. That sounds to me like our politics!

I've heard so much analysis about Obama from my favorite presidential historian: Doris Kearns Goodwin. She talked about one of Obama's true desires is to work across the party line and how he wants to unite the country. He is willing to reach out to those who opposes him to bring unity, for example: how he reached out to the Clintons by giving them 2 prime time slots in the 2008 Denver Democratic Convention. Yet unfortunately, the nature of our election campaign is making it real hard for him to get that across. But we've all heard the speech he gave at Kerry's 2004 Convention. It still sends chills to my spine when I listen to it. (a clip of the 2nd half:)

Put aside all the differences or the commonalities between these 2 candidates, I know I definitely do not want a grumpy president who thinks the way to make America strong globally again is to make other countries fear us. We know how that turned out! We need a leader who is going to restore American's standing in the world by showing the good judgement, diplomacy, and integrity. 

The choice is clear!

Get up Stand up

I thought I'll take a few days to cool my head as the presidential campaign got a bit heated and crazy. I don't want to come off as some deranged liberal that went on a rant on the McCain-Palin ticket. But can you blame me??? The drama queen crown officially goes to John McCain for the charade he pulled the past 2 days. And Sarah Palin's submissive persona while visiting United Nations and world leaders, and her inept performance being interviewed by Katie Couric on CBS are beyond believable. In the unfortunate event of their being elected into the White House, we should be afraid! Be really afraid!

I heard a piece from Fresh Air yesterday - an interview of author Hooman Majd and his new book "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran". Near the end, Terry asked the author, who used to be a record producer, which artist/album he helped produced has the biggest popularity among the younger generation in Iran. Of course, Bob Marley! So the song "Get up Stand up" plays as the conversation fades out.

Ever since, the song has stucked in my head. I went to bed last night thinking and thinking about the song. Well, here is my solution to my problem. Act NOW!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights! Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight! 

Right to Choose 

Right to Gay Marriage

Right to Separation of Church and State

Right to Universal Health Care

Right to Education

Right to Tax Cuts for Middle Class

Right to Protect the Environment

Right to Defend for Animal Rights

Fight to Stop Lobbyists and Cronies in the McCain Camp.

Vote Smart!

What are they hiding from?

Update: Apparently McCain camp's letting some reporters in on this, but .... see for yourselves:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/23/networks-revolt-against-r_n_128608.html

Big news today. Sarah Palin is visiting United Nation in New York to meet with world leaders. This'll beef up her foreign policy credentials.

Funny, that McCain camps is not allowing any reporters for any editorial coverages except, photographs only. Finally, the medias are showing some backbones by voting to BAN any use of the photographs and video in protest!

Well, if she is so qualified, what are they afraid of? What are they shielding her from? 

How transparent does this have to be for the undecided and the independent voter to see? 

That's just the way it is

Having read and watched all the media coverages on this presidential election, YES, the media is playing an unfair game of not covering the issues and played right into the hands of the GOP by focusing on personality and characters of the candidates. I wound not have objected to that if the real FACTS were presented. 

I am rather frustrated with the majorities of the journalists. What did CNN called themselves, "the best political team"? Yeah, without balls! Ever since McCain camp scolded them for asking too many questions about Sarah Palin's qualifications, and throwing at them the "sexist" card, all of them seems to be covering the election with their tails between their legs when it comes to covering the truth about McCain and Lady MacBeth. Don't get me started on that one.

Be intelligent! Really! The facts are on your fingertips.  But again, the majority of this country had disappointed me for the past 8 years! 

READ THIS (A friend of a friend who works in PR for UCLA forwarded this to me):

• If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different".
  
• Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers -- a quintessential American story.
  
• If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
  
• Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track -- you're a maverick.
• Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
• Attend five different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
• If you spend three years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a constitutional law professor, spend eight years as a state senator representing a district with more than 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
• If your total resume is: local weather girl, four years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with fewer than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
• If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
• If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
• If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
• If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
• If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner-city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
• If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude," with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

Clear now? 

It's about time!

For a longest time, I've tried hard not to get involved in blogging. In my mind: who gives a crap about what I have to say?! I've also avoided reading any blogs, for the same reason, that there are way too many junks out there. But in this election time, I just can not help myself but reading blogs after blogs from the liberals to the conservatives. And here I am, sucked into this blogging jungle. I must admit, there are a lot of good writings out there! And all that reading has improved my reading skill and increased my vocabulary. I am hoping that writing blogs would enhanced my writing skill as well. But perhaps according to Sarah Palin, that one day, those newly acquired skills might make me an "elitist"! Then so be it!

As a yoga and buddhist practitioner, I am probably too passionate about politics. A friend once asked me why am I so opinionated about current events and issues and shouldn't I be meditating, keeping my mind calm, and seeing the sunshine all the time and be happy? Sure, if I smoke dope!

I am a yoga practitioner, not a mute! I care deeply the well being of EVERYTHING in this world, not just human beings. In the Heart Sutra translated by Thich Nhat Hanh, that we are all interconnected in some form or another. So it is very hard to watch what's going on in this country right now, and pretend it is somehow going to be alright. Half of this country is willing to vote for an old-man-gone-senile and Lady MacBeth as our president and vice president, I can feel the sufferings daunting upon us in all forms. Could I have kept my mind calm and my mouth shut? I don't think so.

So here I am in the blogging abyss, I should ponder on things high and low, sane and crazy, good and evil. If you find it in any way offensive to your liking, please don't take it personal. It's just a tigress's roar. That's all.