I Give Obama a 100% Approval Rating*

*Some terms and conditions apply, limited-time offer, read blog for details.

I remember when Julia Roberts, the Dixie Chicks, and other celebrity figures said of George W. Bush, "He's not my president." It's easy to feel that way when the candidate you supported was not elected, and when you dislike or disagree with the candidate who won.

Recently on Glenn Beck's conservative talk show, a Georgia man called in to say that he refused to accept Barack Obama as president. I really thought Glenn's response was insightful. He said, "How very un-American of you. He is the American president. ... this is the way our system works."

Speaking along a similar vein, Rush Limbaugh said, "Barack Obama is my president of the United States. I couldn't care less where he was born, what his name is, how old he is, or the color of his skin. He's not black. He's not white. He's not Asian-American or Mexican. He's not Chavez's brother or Islamic. I don't see Americans as members of groups. I see individual human beings. It is his ideas I am terrifically, tremendously worried about."

Stu Burguiere is the exec.-producer for the Glenn Beck Program. On Stu's blog, he wrote that he thinks the incoming president ought to be given a chance (a courtesy that wasn't extended eight years ago.)

I agree with Stu's way of thinking, "...Today, I give Barack Obama a 100% approval rating. If and when he screws up, I’ll deduct points. Let’s make it a maximum of 10 points for each individual annoying event. If he does something great—I’ll add points. I’m that kind of guy. Let’s see how long he stays above 50%.

I don’t think Obama will be a good president. But I HOPE for a CHANGE in that opinion. I hope he’s the greatest president in history. I hope the pre-election promises of perfection are realized. [Boy, I'm not sure I'd want the fulfillment of all of his pre-election promises, but that's just me.] I doubt they will be, but I want to at least give him a chance to screw it up before I say he screwed it up.

Regardless, he’ll be my president until he leaves office---even if his nationwide approval rating is zero (which will be impossible unless the on air staff of MSNBC is left out of the sample.)"

Like Stu, I've got my score-card ready, but it's a clean slate.

Now that the election is over...

I just can't help myself, this is too funny not to post. With profound apologies to my friends who think Obama is the cat's meow...

World's Worst Teacher

This would be an instance where a teacher's personal bias went WAY out of control in the classroom. This clip comes from a Finnish made documentary about the American Presidential election. No matter who you voted for, this is an outrage.

What the fruit?

Now that it's early voting season, I realize that I know next to nothing about the candidates who are running closer to home. Trying to figure out who I do and don't want to vote for is a little frustrating, and leads me to express (as my British high school teacher would say,) "What the fruit?!"
Happily, there is VoteSmart.org again. Enter your zip code and see who's running. On the right side of each candidate's profile are helpful links including the"Issue Positions" link. Some candidates have provided information about what they would support if elected. Other candidates, such as those running for re-election, have not provided information, but may have voting records for you to view. If a candidate has not provided issue information and doesn't have a voting record to see, there is usually at least a campaign web-site for you to peruse. It's still not as easy as it ought to be to find out about the candidates, but it's a start.
Other good sources of information are county web-sites, and Voter Information booklets, with overviews of the candidates and the proposals-- these can usually be viewed PDF, or are available at county libraries.
Go forth, informed citizens, and cast your ballot!

Happy Novemeber 4th-- Vote!

Most of us have probably already decided who will win our presidential vote, but I just found two web-sites that are great tools for verifying you're selecting the candidate who best represents your views. Both sites are politically neutral. GlassBooth features a quiz where you are asked your opinions, and then you are "matched" with the best running-mate. You can easily see how you agree and disagree with the candidates. VoteSmart allows easy access to the candidates past voting records, and other helpful/interesting information.

GlassBooth.org

VoteSmart.org