What this election should be about

There is a Sufi proverb that says, “In the desert, there is no sign that says, ‘Thou shalt not eat stones'” It always struck me as the middle eastern version of “I never promised you a rose garden” or “You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need”.

I freely acknowledge that I am not an Obamaphile. Whatever he does to unhinge his fan base goes right over my head. So, perhaps my attempts at objectivity are futile. Here is what I observed:

His body language to her is like that of an elementary school boy to his teacher. He looks down at his paper, his head cocked, he doodles, he is disinterested and finds her tedious. As for his debate performances, I don’t think he has improved at all. Others will disagree but that is where the beauty of youtube and archives will prove me right and the others wrong. She is rock steady and confident and rarely falters. And the debate format is where his immaturity is most obvious: his answers ramble. He does not come from a “center point”. It’s like having to write an essay on a book you didn’t finish.
She, on the other hand, read the book, discussed it with her colleagues and thought about it until she understood what the author was saying and could point out where the author could have improved.
It’s not experience exactly. It is mindfulness. No, that’s not the right word. It is like being “centered”, knowing what the boundaries and parameters are and how they relate to each other. She has it, he doesn’t.
There is no comparison.
If he weren’t the token male, it’s hard to imagine how they would have ended up on the same stage.

But the Obamaphiles must have their way. They will not be denied, leaving the rest of us to eat stones.

But oh, how lovely the feast she has prepared…

Live Blogging the Debate

To be honest, guys, I’m not a very good debate watcher. It makes me too nervous. I usually schedule the DVR to record it and then I watch it very slowly, reading the live blogging and when I hear something good, I fast forward to it. Yes, I know this makes me a chicken.

This is an open thread for live blogging (if you can bear to watch).

Hey, Hillary! This one’s for you

“People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity” – John Adams

When the world hands you lemons, make lemonade.

Don’t get mad, Get even.

And remember, Ginger did everything Fred did backwards and in heels.

With that in mind:

Add you own good thoughts in the comments.

Morning thots

This is going to be a light posting day for me as I have to entertain a vendor who is trying to sell me a big honkin’ server. So, I will be brief and try to catch up later:

• There is no question that Obama has been outspending Hillary lately. Their warchests have to be pretty close to even now. But the next two states of Ohio and Texas are going to require amounts that we haven’t seen before in modern political history. If Hillary ever has a chance ot beating Obama in those two states, she is going to have to pull out all of the stops and then some. If you haven’t made a contribution, consider making one now. All it will take is one Abe Lincoln. Yes, for the price of two Starbucks tall vanilla lattes, you can send a woman to the White House. Each week, you will get a personal email telling you how your money will be used to fund education, treat the sick and end the war. But seriously folks, it’s a small thing to ask and like little raindrops, our money will create a mighty flood if we all deluge at once. Make History!
• Tonight is the CNN debate at 8pm EST. This is her best campaign event format. She kicks ass in debate. But it is very likely that Obama will be lying in wait to finish her off. Will he suddenly start to sound coherent? Will he keep his rambling answers down to 44 minutes? Will Hillary step up for Michelle and tell the media to frickin’ back off because its time to put them in their place? Who will pre-empt whom? Will people watch American Idol instead? Questions, questions. Put your predictions in the comments.
• I hope I haven’t detracted from RonK’s excellent piece below on Obama’s healthcare advisor. Check it out in the Audiology of Hope series.
• Addtitional thought: It’s sometimes hard to believe that the biotech and pharmaceutical industry could be good at anything but they *do* deserve credit for being on the cutting edge of Green building design.  The office I work in is in a new building that is flooded with a lot of natural light.  90% of the time, I don’t have to turn on the lights in my office.  There is plenty of natural light in the interaction areas as well.  It’s just a great place to work because full spectrum year round is not only good for the environment, it’s good for your mental state as well.  But Genzyme in Cambridge has the features I’m talking about and it goes way beyond that.  A colleague recently visited the Genzyme Center in Cambridge recently and couldn’t stop raving about it.  Take a look.