Hillary over Obama

I support Hillary over Obama. Why?

Both have a level of idealism, but Clinton mixes in a healthy dose of pragmatism. I watched Obama speak a couple times and was inspired. I saw him speak a couple more times and thought "enough with the pretty-talk." Although he follows Frank Luntz' rules of communication really well, the debates expose Hillary's dominance when it comes down to brass tacks in policy. I am longing for a president that educates the American people on the complexity of issues, rather than sticking to simplistic populist themes.
Hillary proved, in Congress, that she could reach across party lines and work professionally even with people who had worked to demonize her. That's really what we're looking for. Obama is not the first campaigner to say "I'm a uniter, not a divider." It's easy to say, but very hard to do.
Obama is putting himself farther to the left on Iraq than reality will allow if he becomes president. He's doing that for political gain, and I respect Hillary more for telling the truth even though it has a cost in delegates. Don't think for a minute that Obama or anyone else will continue pulling out troops when Iran cranks up their operations in Iraq, there is a humanitarian crisis, and oil suppies are threatened. We are not the only ones capable of a surge, given the right strategic opportunity. Obama's brand of idealism is nice--to a point--and that point is reached when he's the one making decisions. Over a long presidential campaign against a tough Republican candidate, people will start to realize that "let's get outta there" is not an overall security or foreign policy strategy. George W. Bush is another guy who believed he was "right on day one", and look where it got us.

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Real Estate in America

We sold our house this summer and bought a new home. The experience has led me to reflect on homes and home-buying in America. As in any industry, there are good and bad incentives at work in real estate. A home seller would like to get the highest price for their house and sell it in a reasonable period of time. The industry operates on a commission system so that the agent seeks to sell the house at a higher price. This incentive works, but only to a point. Consider the impact of $5000 on the seller vs. the agent. Six percent of $5000 is $300. After the realty company and purchasing agent take their cut, the agent isn't left with much. A $5000 difference in the price of the house means little to the agent, but a lot to the home owner. Does an agent become successful by getting the highest price or by turning over lots of houses? The answer is obvious. An agent's ideal world is not one where people get exactly the right price for their homes, it is a world where everyone is wi...

Bad Memes: This meme makes me sad.

This meme makes me sad. It takes a cheap shot at both climate scientists and meteorologists. I call it out here because of the mockery. It bypasses rational thought. It discounts science without having to engage in any reasoning. The laugh-till-you-cry faces emphasize the attitude you should have toward 'those people'. It’s important to note the impact these memes have on social interactions. They discourage actual discussion on these topics. Someone posts a meme that mocks a person, position, or party, and any friend who disagrees knows what topics to avoid. I'm offended by a cheap shot at meteorologists. Meteorologists have an immensely difficult job, and the predictions they make about events like hurricanes are amazing by any measure. Fifty years ago, people found out about hurricanes when the hurricane showed up. Now we have days to prepare, to board up windows, and to evacuate entire areas. Meteorologists save lives. Have you ever tracked a hurricane projection in the...

Solidarity with Ukraine

Number thirteen of Tim Snyder’s twenty lessons in his book On Tyranny is: Practice corporeal politics. Corporeal is a strange word to a lot of people–it just means physical. Practice politics with physical presence. Practice Corporeal Politics Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them. Milwaukee-area Ukrainians have had a number of events and fundraisers. They held a rally in downtown Milwaukee near Veteran’s Park. It was a small crowd. Many were ethnic Ukrainians. I might might have been the one non-Ukrainian there, aside from the news crews. They may have suspected that I was a spy. Here’s Zapruder-style evidence of my attendance at the rally. I’m in the back with the light cap. Here’s the local news coverage: TMJ4 Story I’m glad I went. I was there because, while there are important things going on in Wisconsin and American po...

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