Hillary's health care plan in a nutshell is this. The health insurance industry is working just fine. It covers those who can afford to pay. It leaves out those who can't afford to pay. So if you want everyone to have insurance, you mandate it for those who can afford it but choose to stay out, and you have the government pay for all those who can't afford to pay, which is the vast majority of the uninsured.
Don't tell me Hillary does not respond to lobbyists' money. What better deal could the health insurance industry ask for? Hillary is so totally taking care of them.
Hillary's plan will lead to further skyrocketing costs in the health care industry. You are going to see food fights, there will be so much food, err, cash.
Universal health insurance is a goal that has to be coupled with the goal of bringing the costs down across the board. Health care reform is about asking why America pays more for health than any other country, more than most other countries put together, but why it does not have the number one health care in the world.
Hillary refuses to tackle the many dysfunctional aspects of the health care industry. I guess she feels like she burnt her fingers back in 1993. When you can't beat them, join them. She has learned the lessons the hard way, but I get the impression she has learned the wrong lessons.
Take a more functional industry like the computer industry. The price of computers has fallen consistently over the years, decades. It is because the market forces are at work in the computer industry.
In the health care industry, the market forces are not at work. Instead there is this evil collusion of vested interests. The biggest proof is the poor adoption in the health care industry of information technology. If the health care companies felt like they were competing with each other to provide the best possible service at the lowest possible price, they would be trying to outdo each other in terms who will best adopt information technology in all aspects of their operations. But they are not. They have not been. That is one example to show there is a big need to inject market forces into the health care industry.
But Hillary's plan makes it sound like the health insurance companies have too little money and that is the number one health care problem in the country.
She mandates health insurance. It sounds like it will become illegal to not have health insurance. But no. There will be no punitive measures. So it will be a voluntary mandate. You will be required to have health insurance, but if you don't get it, that's okay too. She should switch words. Instead of calling it a mandate, she should call it a suggestion. As in, Hillary wants you to have health insurance. She also wants you to eat your vegetables.
In a nutshell, when she says mandating, she does not mean that.
And her plan to help people out who can't afford it is tricky too. There is an emphasis on tax credits.
She has been dancing around the possibility that the government will actually have to step in and pay wholesale for those who just can't pay for it now.
Barack's plan is clearer and simpler. Bring the costs down across the board, and pay for those who can't pay. So if you currently do have insurance, your premium goes down. If you don't, you get it.
Of course John Edwards has a point. Hillary is wedded to Washington's corrupt ways. She is by now chummy with the forces she tried to fight in 1993. She has become one with them. That does not count for strength and experience. That, in my book, is capitulation. She has accepted defeat.
There is a reason why Barack's bill for universal health insurance in only half of Senator Clinton's. You are looking at $50 billion in one plan, and $100 billion in another. Because Barack intends to show some tough love to the insurance companies. Yes, there will be universal health insurance. So, yes, you will make more money. You will have more customers. But first cut out the fat. Under Barack's plan, the premiums go down for everyone involved.
Hillary is in disbelief. No wonder she accused Barack of not being for universal health insurance during the Las Vegas debate. She just can't see how you can provide universal insurance for only $50 billion.
That smaller dollar figure means Barack's plan is more likely to get Republican support than Clinton's. And the end result will have to be bipartisan. We all know that. It can't be just a Dem plan.
That plays to Barack's number one strength. He can bring people together. Hillary can't.
So not only is Barack's plan superior, more market friendly, more gutsy in terms taking on the insurance companies, but it also has a much better chance of getting enacted.
And it is curious that Hillary wants eight years to implement her plan. What is more presumptuos, that she thinks she will be a two term president, or that she thinks she is already the nominee, already the president?
Barack's plan is more challenging to implement. He wants four years to do it. So when he seeks reelection, you will actually be able to hold him accountable. Hillary's plan is to just give more money to the insurance companies. For that she wants eight years.
What if she does not deliver even in eight years? She goes writes a memoir. You are stuck with no health insurance. After all, Harry Truman also tried, and he was no pushover.
And her newest ad actually tries to say her 13,000 page 1993 plan was actually a good one. She thinks of the issue as a position paper to be written, instead of a political process to be navigated. That might be her number one flaw on the issue.
Hillary's 35 - 8 = 27 Years Of "Strength And Experience," 7 Years As Elected Official
Hillary is smart. She got better grades at Yale than Bill Clinton. She has had a lifelong commitment to public service. Bill Clinton as Governor was making 30,000 a year. Makes you want to think in terms of a minimum wage idea not just for teachers, but also Governors.
But she has never held any local or state level office. Years as First Lady don't really count, and if they do, release your records.
The only elected public office she has ever held has been that of US Senator. She has been an excellent Senator.
Barack is smart. He has had a lifelong commitment to public service. But he has had more experience than Hillary as an elected official. He has held a state level office.
If the spouse's experience can count for yours, I'd like to claim Barack could manage a hospital. But in all honesty, I don't think he could. I mean, he could after a learning period, but not as in, let me just step in. It is a different skill set.
Obama's Got the Youth Vote, And They Can In Fact Vote Washington Post, United States out of the estimated 9,000 who showed up at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, at least a third were Obama supporters. To which Mandy Grunwald, a longtime adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton, said, according to the Politico: "Our people look like caucus-goers, and [Obama's] people look like they are 18. [Mark] Penn said they look like Facebook." ...... "Good strategy: A week after finally setting up your campaign's organization to attract young people, tell them they won't vote anyway so their presence is irrelevant," wrote Erickson. ...... "I don't know what it gets Hillary for her team to criticize young people -- and to brand themselves the candidate of the status-quo. What is more, taunting Obama about it could backfire by providing what they call in football 'bulletin board material.' I can hear Obama now: 'Hillary thinks you won't show up! Hillary thinks you're to be ignored! Hillary thinks..." ......... "If Clinton's aides are right in their from-the-hip demographic analysis, they better hope that those young faces aren't carrying their Facebook social network with them." ....... Facebook is the unofficial capital of anti-Clinton country, with young voters -- male and female, mostly Republicans but with some Democrats -- forming numerous groups attacking the former first lady. .... "They look like Facebook" insult. Two days ago, the petition had 570 names. As of Friday morning, it's up to 2,985. ..... One of the newest members, Sean Taylor of Kentucky, wrote on the wall of the Facebook petition: "Barack Obama all the way! And I (and my friends) do vote, Hillary." Letters: Is (His) Biography (Our) Destiny?New York Times Those who feel safer with Hillary Clinton’s old-school “big stick” diplomacy than with the kind of intelligent use of “soft power” that Barack Obama endorses are living in the past. Our experiences in Vietnam and Iraq have established that use of force does not necessarily lead to beneficial results. What a President Obama would offer is a new avenue to power and respect, not through military might, but through cooperation and understanding. There is no strength more powerful than countries and peoples working together for the common good; and in the face of the dire threats we all share — from global warming to desperate acts born of social inequity — such cooperation can occur none too soon. ...... Barack Obama is one of the contenders who has captured my interest. He has surrounded himself with bright, seasoned advisers. I’m not worried about his inexperience. I hear his intelligent, tempered responses to issues. The United States has an enormous amount of international repair work to do. Rove says Obama is missing chances to knock Clinton off stride.CNN Political Ticker Rove as Edwards, Obama strategist? MSNBC considers her to be a “fatally flawed” candidate. But he’s upping the ante on the criticism. ...... “I’ve been surprised at how weak Edwards and Obama have been,” Rove told C-SPAN’s Steve Scully today during a live question-and-answer session with students at three different universities across the country. As if to poke at the fire that in the pending Democratic nomination process, he continued, saying, “They’re both going to give her some scares; she’s going to lose some thing along the way, possibly starting with Iowa.” ....... the Illinois senator has faltered in creating a strong moment of contrast between himself and his opponents during debates. Citing Clinton’s vague answer regarding the release of White House papers during her tenure as first lady, Rove said Obama has had “a number of occasions like that, where a sharp and clear and respectful contrast really could’ve created a moment.” ........ a full third of the population in 2007 saying they would not vote for a Mormon. Rovian ruminations: Karl Rove scans the presidential races Los Angeles Times, CA archived here. ..... reducing crime, welfare and the general coarseness of urban life there. ..... the strength he has in the early states is authentic .... the surprise to me is how they haven't been able to take advantage of the openings they've been given and exploit them." ....... Rove said Obama, who spoke next, could have drawn a dramatically stark contrast, creating a memorable moment by turning to her and saying of course it was her decision. All she had to do was order the papers released, which are the basis of her claims to be sufficiently experienced to become president. But the Illinois senator did not. Instead he compared the sealed papers to the secretiveness of the Bush administration. ......... Rove added, "Someone characterized Obama to me as another Adlai Stevenson, and I think that's probably accurate." ..... Rove, a self-taught student of history who never graduated from college .... a natural maturation process on the conservative side of the GOP that allows larger issues such as terrorism and national security to take a higher priority now than the onetime all-importance of social issues such as abortion. .... "When my book comes out in 2009." The Case for Obama Atlantic Online In 2008, Obama is more likely than Clinton to win an impressive electoral vote total that will look like a mandate. Will Obama Turn Out Young Voters In Iowa? Atlantic Online The Obama's campaign turnout model incorporates large numbers of Democratic leaning independents who have never caucused and young voters who have never voted in a presidential race. ...... College kids will be back home and will be distributed throughout the state, thereby magnifying their effect on other precincts. ......... Obama has more money than any other credible challenger in history; his campaign is not making the same mistakes that Howard Dean's made; Obama is a much better presence on the campaign trail than Bill Bradley and Gary Hart ever were ........ Caucus turnout could reach 160,000. ..... No one but the Obama team believes that -- other campaigns estimate a turnout of about 135,000 Dems. ..... Two thirds of Iowa college students come from Iowa, and the Obama campaign has undertaken a fairly massive effort to make sure they are registered to vote. Potential college-aged supporters are tracked as regularly as veteran caucus goers. Youth Vote May Bring Iowa SurpriseYahoo! News "While student outreach is a piece of the puzzle, it's not the keystone," said Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki. The campaign won't fall into the same trap candidates like Dean did, by depending on voters who don't traditionally show up. ........ "It seems like every cycle there is a candidate who says, 'This is the year we get out the youth vote,'" said former Iowa Democratic Party chairman Gordon Fischer, who is backing Obama. "In the past, there have been attempts to organize the youth vote. I don't think there has been as large an attempt as there is now." ....... 18-29 year olds have begun turning out in higher numbers. In the general election in 2004, 49% of the demographic turned out to vote ...... Even with record caucus attendance in 2004, when more than 124,000 Democrats showed up to participate in the crowded and contentious Democratic nominating contest, people between the ages of 18-34 made up just 10% of the crowd, according to Iowa Democratic Party statistics. By contrast, 32% were over 65. ....... the weather is likely to be miserably cold, and that attendees must spend hours in a room with people they barely know and proudly voice their opinions on politics. "That's not normal college student behavior" ....... process itself is another barrier, one that requires a time-intensive investment to overcome. Trading votes, compromising and convincing neighbors are all skills required to win delegates for one's chosen candidate. "Half the battle is getting [young voters] to show up," independent pollster Ann Selzer said. "And another quarter of the battle is teaching them what to do." ...... Experienced caucus-goers, many of whom have participated in the process for decades, can operate more effectively than a passionate younger voter with little knowledge of the process. ....... Obama boasts 31 satellite campaign offices in the state, more than any other candidate. He's spent more than $4 million on television ads ..... Several second-tier candidates have packed up an moved all but a few staffers - and even family members -- to Iowa for the critical final stretch. ....... If the race is as close as polls suggest - Clinton, Obama and Edwards all hover in the low to mid-20% range - strong youth turnout could be key to anyone's hopes of winning. Pollster Selzer says it is no longer implausible to bank on new faces showing up on caucus night. In 2004, 45% of attendees were first-time caucus-goers. ....... traditional campaigning comes first. "We're looking at young voters as icing on the cake," he said, "but we're still baking the cake." Obama supporters frustrated by long wait to see their man San Francisco Chronicle, USA stood in line for more than two hours outside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Wednesday night and still didn't get in to the Illinois senator's raucous campaign rally. ........ The crush of people trying to get into the rally overwhelmed the security efforts ...... At 6:30 p.m., when the doors opened for the event, the queue outside looked like a summertime line at Disneyland. ...... "I stood in this line for over two hours and advanced about 100 feet" ..... "I was surprised at how patient everyone was," Davis said. "It wasn't an angry or an ugly crowd, although the wait did start to get old." ..... by about 8:45 p.m., the Secret Service took down the metal detectors and let the crowd stream in unchecked. ..... crowd that roared its approval throughout the candidate's half-hour speech. SF: OBAMA WOWS CROWD OF 6000 AT CIVIC AUDITORIUMCBS 5 Bush criticizes Democrats over Iraq war funds Reuters UPDATE 1-US envoy seen trying to revive Musharraf-Bhutto deal Reuters Democratic hopefuls play difference cards in Vegas Los Angeles Times Clinton stepped down from her front-runner's pedestal and hit back at her Democratic rivals Thursday night in a feisty debate that drew out differences over immigration, foreign policy and the proper tone of an increasingly harsh campaign. ..... suggesting that Obama had failed to take a strong stand in favor of universal healthcare. ....... Oct. 30 .... Her nonspecific answers to several questions fueled rivals' assertions that she was shifty and over-calculating. ........ "When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that illegal aliens get trained, get a license, get insurance to protect public safety," Obama said. " . . . But I have to make sure that people understand. The problem we have here is not driver's licenses. Undocumented workers do not come here to drive." ....... Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson joined Obama on the pro-license side........ Obama doubled back on another issue from the previous debate, Social Security, and delivered one of the sharpest jabs of the evening ....... "Understand that only 6% of Americans make more than $97,000 a year," Obama said. "So 6% is not the middle class. It is the upper class. You know, this is the kind of thing that I would expect from [Republicans] Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani, where we start playing with numbers. We start playing with numbers in order to try to make a point." ...... In contrast with earlier debates, the discussion was not dominated by the war in Iraq. ..... would appoint only judges who accepted Roe vs. Wade as "settled law." ...... proposal to store nuclear waste beneath Yucca Mountain, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. ...... Los Angeles -- where the candidates are scheduled to debate on Dec. 10. Musharraf stands up to pressure from USSan Jose Mercury News US seeks to end Pakistan crisisBBC News Obama hits Clinton with early debate punches Tehran Times Clinton engaged in an angry back-and-forth with Obama on healthcare, as tensions flared in the opening moments of the debate. ...... several recent polls suggest the race may be narrowing. ..... She saw that lead slip to 19 percent, in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national survey from a previous 30-point advantage. .... Two polls in the key state of New Hampshire, which traditionally holds the first presidential primary contest, showed Clinton still leading, but edging back towards the field. .... In Iowa, the race is a statistical dead heat, recent polls show. Obama on the Clinton 'secret pact of ambition'Baltimore Sun “I’m not in this race to fulfill some long-held plan or because it was owed to me” ..... the number of people who say Senator Obama talked about running for president as a youngster seems to grow daily Clinton shows she can push backToronto Star Clinton Tags Romney As a Flip-Flopper The Associated Press Romney is touting a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage after saying during a 1994 U.S. Senate campaign that he'd be a better advocate of gay rights than his opponent, Democrat Edward M. Kennedy. Romney says he also opposed gay marriage in 1994, and is as committed to opposing discrimination based on sexual orientation today as he was 13 years ago. .... "A lot of people laughed at George Bush flubbing sentences in 2000, but a lot of people took that to be a sign he was like the rest of us" ...... Romney, the son of a three-term governor Obama Campaign On "Clinton Mandate?"Atlantic Online Clinton said about the mandate in her health care plan, “At this point, we don't have anything punitive that we have proposed. We're providing incentives and tax credits which we think will be very attractive to the vast majority of Americans.” ....... The ad reminds viewers of her failed effort to pass universal health care in the early 1990s, trying to portray a thwarted enterprise as one of vision. .... require every American to buy health insurance, offering tax credits and subsidies to help those who can't afford it. Clinton Advances Renewable Energy Ideas The Associated Press Clinton highlights renewable energy ideas in Nevada speechSan Jose Mercury News "We have all this empty federal land in Nevada, it should be packed with wind turbines and solar panels." ...... Nevada, a state rich in geothermal, solar and wind power UN peace mission in Nepal set to be extended AFP Giuliani Assures Group on ConservatismThe Associated Press Anti-hate-crime rally at Justice Department Los Angeles Times incidents of noose hangings and other displays of racial antagonism. ..... "In recent months, there have been reports of nooses and other symbols of racial and religious hate appearing in schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods across the country. ........ Sharpton said: "We are not fighting conservatives. We're fighting Confederates. ..... In fiscal year 2007, the Justice Department convicted 189 defendants of civil rights violations, according to a department fact sheet released Thursday. The department said this was the largest number of such convictions in its history. ....... During Friday's protest, demonstrators circled the Justice Department building seven times, echoing the biblical account of the ancient city of Jericho, the walls of which were said to have crumbled after Joshua and his followers circled the city seven times. ..... Sharpton, who referred to Joshua in his speech, was joined at the rally by the fiancee of Sean Bell, a black New York man who was killed by police on his wedding day last year, and the father of Mychal Bell, one of the "Jena Six." China deals blow to Western efforts to punish IranStuff.co.nz Iran: China Pulls Out of Sanctions MeetingNew York Times “I think it’s partly related to genuine travel difficulties, but also linked to resistance on the broader question of sanctions from that quarter.” 'China's exports may decline sharply' Times of India China warns of weak int'l demand as global economy slowsXinhua China powers ahead on renewable energyChina Daily China is well on its way to acquiring fully 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2020, while the United States is dragging its feet on transitioning away from fossil fuels ... Nations across the globe invested over $50 billion collectively into renewable energy conversion last year, and in 2007 China alone is expected to account for some $10 billion of investment .... Worldwatch Institute, an independent Washington, DC research group. .... China will draw 30 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2050. ..... China's ability to lead the world into the age of renewable energy, much as the United States led the world into the age of oil roughly a century ago ...... renewable energy sources -- unlike traditional fossil fuels -- will never run out. ...... with hybrid technology the United States is easily capable of reaching 55 mpg, and with fuel cell technology could possibly go as high as 80 mpg in the future. ..... The goal of a 15 percent renewable energy share by 2020 pales in comparison to Germany's plan to source 45 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030. China smokes the US in renewables, and who's got the most ... Seattle Post Intelligencer Court rejects challenge to wiretap program Los Angeles Times Wireless Links Give Businesses an Option The Associated Press Scientists Clone First MonkeyVoice of America Monkey Embryos Cloned for Stem CellsWashington Post You, again: Are we getting closer to cloning humans? CNN Poll: Electability drives Giuliani lead in Nevada CNN Thousands March in Washington to Call for Prosecution of Hate Crimes Voice of America Behind Clinton’s Diamonds and Pearls New York Times “Do you prefer diamonds or pearls?” Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval, one of several audience members who posed questions, asked her. “I want both,” Mrs. Clinton replied to laughter. Last week, CNN had contacted Ms. Parra-Sandoval, a political science student at University of Las Vegas-Nevada, through a professor, and asked her to submit a question. She wrote one about health care for children. CNN rejected it, calling it too similar to another question that would be asked. So she sent another, about Iraq. That was rejected too. On Wednesday, a CNN producer asked her for two final questions, one substantive and one light. Ms. Parra-Sandoval sent one about Yucca Mountain, the Nevada site under consideration as a storage facility for radioactive waste. With the deadline approaching, she stared at her computer screen. Noticing the pearl-pattern background on her MySpace page, she dashed off the jewelry one. CNN asked her to come to the debate with both questions memorized. Two hours in, a producer whispered that she should ask the second one. “Because I was on national TV, I felt hesitant, but then I felt like, ‘Oh my God, I’m on national TV, I’ll just ask it,’” Ms. Parra-Sandoval said. Now Ms. Parra-Sandoval is being accused, by everyone from bloggers to fellow students, of asking an airheaded, sexist question. On her MySpace page and in a phone interview, she protested that she tried to ask several substantive questions but that CNN would only let her participate through a silly one. “The media should be more democratic and be better able to reflect our democratic process,” she said. ........ the odd thing about this particular incident is that Ms. Parra-Sandoval does not seem the least bit frivolous or bling-minded. A former illegal immigrant whose parents clean and do laundry for Las Vegas hotels, she attends a UNLV honors program on scholarship and work-study programs. Two summers ago, she interned for Senator Harry Reid; last summer, she won a fellowship in public policy at Princeton. She wants to be an immigration lawyer when she’s older. Clinton Rallies, Counterattacks At Debate U.S. News & World Report Clinton changed her strategy, focusing more on attacking and counter-attacking her opponents than at previous events ....... Clinton "accused" Obama "of wimping out on health care ...... Clinton "was much more aggressive, repeatedly challenging her rivals by name, as she had not done in past debates. ...... If Clinton was "significantly more critical of her rivals, Obama was more direct than he has been in previous debates. ..... framing the Democratic contest as it now stands as a series of attacks that risked damaging the ultimate party nominee, even as she went on the attack for the first time herself ...... After two bad weeks in the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, she recovered her footing and pushed back sharply at her opponents in a debate Thursday night." Obama "had only an average night, and on a couple of questions he seemed flummoxed. ....... And Edwards "should have stayed home." ..... Clinton said she was wearing her 'asbestos pants suit' in Las Vegas, but, more important, she was wearing a smile and carrying a fistful of ammo and sound bytes. ...... that Clinton "gave as good as she got. And those who tried to kick her, stubbed their toes. John Edwards got booed when he attacked her for taking money from Washington lobbyists...and seemed both surprised and irritated ....... poised and pugnacious ...... describes Obama as "focused, energized, tough, charismatic-pretty much everything the press had accused him of not being in previous debates. And yet the candidate who probably helped herself the most was Hillary Clinton." ....... for the second month in row McCain performs better against leading Democrat Hillary Clinton in hypothetical matchups than any other top-tier Republican ..... In the Democratic primary, 44% would vote for Clinton; 23% would vote for Obama ...... Clinton tops Giuliani 47%-43% and Thompson 49%-40%, but is in a tighter race with McCain, whom she leads 46%-45%. Clinton trounces Romney, 50%-37% ....... Giuliani leads the GOP field with 25%, followed by Romney, 21%; Thompson, 17%; McCain ....... ..... 27% of Iowa Democratic caucus-goers would vote for Hillary Clinton; 25% would vote for Barack Obama11% were undecided. ...... 27% of caucus-goers would vote for Mitt Romney; 18% would vote for Mike Huckabee; 16% would vote for Rudy Giuliani; 10% would vote for Fred Thompson; 6% would vote for John McCain; 5% would vote for Ron Paul ...... Clinton leads with 29%, followed by Obama, 27% ..... a prod toward greater transparency and disclosure on Capitol Hill. ...... Bush "accused the Democratic-controlled Senate of waging a 'search and destroy' mission against his judicial nominees that ruins reputations." ..... Bush's announcement was "applauded by Senator Charles E. Schumer," who "had called for opening up the military airspace." Schumer "said the change should be made permanent." ...... the root of the problem of airline delays: the nation's outdated air traffic control system." ...... Newsweek .. Karl Rove, who was announced Thursday as the magazine's newest contributor ... On Aug. 13, the same day Rove stood alongside President Bush on the South Lawn, Meacham said he e-mailed the strategist about getting his byline in print." China pulls out of Iran sanctions meeting Tehran Times Bush presses hard to ensure Japan remains a close ally International Herald Tribune Germany could consider separate EU steps on Iran Reuters Merrill to Pay Chief $50 Million, More if Stock Rises New York Times UN Global Warming Report Sternly Warns Against Inaction Washington Post Is Google Planning An Android Platform For Wireless Spectrum? InformationWeek
Yesterday towards the conclusion of the debate watch party at the John Street bar Rudy, who runs the Obama 2008 office in downtown Manhattan, casually mentioned Barack's half-sister Maya would be in the office "between three and four." That was manna from heaven. I could not believe. It would be a small crowd. It would really feel like meeting her in person.
So I showed up. At three. She was not there yet. So I walked over to the space in the back. Then Rudy, then Molly asked us to step out into the main space. A small crowd had gathered. There were two sets of camera crews, one group was two students at Columbia Journalism, another was a group making a documentary on the Obama campaign for "theatrical release." But I had seen them coming in.
I did not realize Maya was already in the room. I sauntered along from one part of the room to another. The thought of googling up her image the night before had crossed my mind, but I had decided to surprise myself and see her in person, unlike with her brother and sister-in-law.
She must have noticed that I was the one person who did not seem to know, because after Rudy introduced him, the first thing she said was, she pointed at me and said, "I don't believe I have seen you before, what is your name?" She made me say my name twice.
And then she proceeded to talk sweet and eloquent for over half an hour about Barack, his appeal, and so forth, all of which I readily captured on video. She mentioned "the Washington Square Park rally, I wish I could be there."
Since you could not be there, your next best bet, Maya, is to watch this hour long video.
Then the floor was opened for questions. I went first.
I don't have a question as much a comment, I said. I said I came here to thank you. I have liked Barack Obama at a very fundamental level for a few years now. But then last month some news magazine quoted you as saying, "He walks between worlds." And those four words finally crystallized it for me as to why I like him so much. I came here to thank you for those four words.
A few other gentle questions followed from a few others.
Then she proceeded to spend some one on one time with whoever. When she was done with that with a few people and she was about to walk out, I approached her and asked her if her name was Hindu. It was. Her previous names were Rani and Kamala. Her father's side comes from the Hindu tradition.
I am no longer Hindu. My family is and I grew up Hindu. I am Buddhist. One year into America and I became a Buddhist.
But somebody go do the research on this one. Barack might be my cousin too. I definitely have a bigger claim than Dick Cheney.
Kamala is the biggest river near my hometown Janakpur in Nepal.
कमल (Kamal) = Lotus (in Nepali, Hindi, Sanskrit)
I have a high school friend who lives in Baltimore who is getting married on the 15th next month. His name is Kamal.
I gave her my card on which I had written Barackface. "I have a blog dedicated to Barack. I hope you google it up," I said.
Then she walked out. She was out in the corridor for a few minutes before she was gone.
"Rudy, man, you look like you live in this office," I teased Rudy about his beard stubs.
I lingered. I made small talk with some of the people in the room. Some new faces, some guest faces, several old faces. Jordan Thomas was one of them. When I interviewed him on camera, he did not realize the only editing that happens with me is while filming. I don't have video editing software or hardware. So he gave a few different takes on a few things he said. He thought I would edit. I put it out raw. He complains about that every time he sees me.
This video is meant for your grandkids, not you, dude. Get back with me on this one after Barack has had his two terms in the White House.
Faina and I had talked at the headquarters after I had dropped by last night after the debate watch party. She had been putting in some major time into phone banking and stuff. Today I asked her to teach me how to do it. And I did it for half an hour. It was so much fun.
I met a guy, Steve. He is a Labor Party leader in London. He has been volunteering for Barack in the city. "If I were British, that would be my party," I said.
I must say I was surprised to meet him. He is an elected official in London. He is not even American. And he is out here volunteering for Barack.
"We are sick and tired of Bush," he explained.
Some of my Obama 2008 local comrades struggle with trying to figure me out just like the people running some of the political organizations in Manhattan before them whose events I used to attend.
Obama Rolls Out "New Campaign Weapon": Half-Sister Maya Soetoro-Ng ...The 37-year-old Soetoro-Ng, a high-school teacher in Honolulu whose red hatchback is plastered with her brother's bumper stickers, says she always knew Barack was destined for great things. "My mom and I had a joke that he would become the first black president," she told NEWSWEEK. "He was so smart, but also wise beyond his years. He had so commanding a presence. He was like a little big man. We called him 'the little big man,' because in many ways he was an old man when he was a kid." Obama's half-sister jumps into flurry of campaigning - The ... never mean to her, but sometimes "bossy" as they grew up in Honolulu. ...... their mother, Ann Dunham, had such a large impact on Obama, especially with her community organizing in Africa and Asia and her large spirit. .... "She was an immense woman," Soetoro-Ng, 36, said of Dunham, who died in 1995. "She embraced everybody. There was so much good in her that there wasn't any room for smallness or meanness or violence." ..... her husband Konrad Ng and their 2-year-old daughter, Suhaila, said they planned to be active in the Islands and would campaign on the Mainland if needed. She said Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, 84, who also lives in Honolulu ...... lived here for the better part of 18 years. ..... she married Lolo Soetoro and had Maya in Indonesia .... Although they're nine years apart in age, Soetoro-Ng said they share the same taste in music, literature and philosophy. ..... teaches history at the private La Pietra Hawai'i School for Girls and instructs night classes at the University of Hawai'i. ..... The two would share picnics or at times go on long walks to talk about their lives. She said Obama helped her recover after her father died in 1987. ...... Since moving away, Obama generally has been visiting Hawai'i in the winter to relax, play basketball and golf with old friends and to spend time with his family. Obama's Ascent - TIMEEven then, though, "he had powers," remembers his half sister Maya Soetoro-Ng. "He was charismatic. He had lots of friends." In high school, he used to stroll over to the Manoa campus of the University of Hawaii to "meet university ladies," says Soetoro-Ng, who still lives in Honolulu. Maya Soetoro-Ng - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaSoetoro-Ng received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Fall 2006. Maya Soetoro-Ng Las Vegas - a photoset on Flickr MAYA SOETORO-NG :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Obama Family Tree Obama's Sister Debuts as Campaigner - washingtonpost.com"He's always wrestled with difficult questions," Soetoro-Ng said. "Part of his gift is he will grapple with these childhood questions until he finds answers that will work for him. It's important that he's not afraid of these more difficult questions."
