The High Road vs. The Low Road

Barack Obama was right to praise his campaign team last night. I'm not sure we will ever witness a presidential campaign run better than his. Obama continues to score high in many characteristics—his intelligence, his positions, his speechmaking, his composure—but at bottom it seems that it was his campaign—headed by David Plouffe and David Axelrod—that succeeded in framing and highlighting his "taking the high road" qualities while his opponents looked more and more like they were "taking the low road."

Obama benefited from what might best be described as the collapse of the Republican Party—at least for the time being. Along with a host of low points including 9/11, the invasion of Iraq, the poor response to Katrina, and the profound shaking up of the economy, the legacy of George Bush will now include the undermining of his own political party.

It wasn't as if people couldn't see this political turnaround coming. As with other debacles of the Bush presidency, there were the warning signs—most obviously in the preceding election results and the 2007-2008 popularity polls. Yet the Bush administration continued to pursue an agenda that seems to have been favorable chiefly not even to his party-at-large but to an increasingly small group of wealthy cronies.

Last night's election occasioned the historic ascent of Barack Obama as well as a historic rejection of Republican politicians, including a significant number in New York. I believe that Obama, with his team, has the abilities to take on the great challenges of this time and achieve the stature of an Abraham Lincoln or an FDR, but only time will tell if he will fulfill his potential. He can do it, but it will require sticking to the "high road" he has followed and persuading others to join him route despite the pressures from powerful "low road" influences.

Obama made history last night, but the real history is to be made in the times ahead. May his campaign continue for years to come.



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9/11 Commentary from Keith Olbermann

Here is yesterday's commentary from Keith Olbermann criticizing the Republican Party, including John McCain, for its exploitation of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It's followed by the 2008 Republican Convention's "9/11 Video Tribute" and Olbermann's immediate response to it. Please note that both the 9/11 footage and the strong commentary can be disturbing.



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Source (3:40)

ISSA PISSES OFF WEINER

"It's a violation of congressional protocol to punch a colleague in the nose, and never in my 10 years in Congress have I ever felt the desire to do it as much as I did today," said Brooklyn/Queens Representative Anthony Weiner after he heard California Representative Darrell Issa speak out against federal funding to help sick first responders from 9/11.

Issa suggested that aid for ailing first responders in New York City is a local problem, a matter for the city and state but not the federal government to handle. "It simply was an aircraft, residue of two aircraft, and residue from the materials used to build this building," he said.

So much for the out-of-state origins of the hijacked flights, the location of federal offices in the World Trade Center complex, the related attack on the Pentagon, and the linking of the hijackers to a globally recognized terrorist conspiracy against the United States of America—not the city or state of New York.

From The New York Post:

"I have to ask why . . . the firefighters who went there and everyone in the City of New York needs to come to the federal government," Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican, said during a House subcommittee hearing.

"How much money has the federal government put out post-9/11, including the buckets of $10 and $20 billion we just threw at the State and the City of New York versus how much has been paid out by the City and the State of New York?" Issa asked.

"It's very simple: I can't vote for additional money for New York if I can't see why it would be appropriate to do this every single time a similar situation happens, which quite frankly includes any urban terrorist. It doesn't have to be somebody from al Qaeda. It can be someone who decides that they don't like animal testing at one of our pharmaceutical facilities."

Issa represents one of the most Republican districts in California. It is an area that could elect just about anyone Republican—and Issa is a prime example. According to his current Wikipedia biography:

In 1971, Issa allegedly stole a Dodge sedan from an Army post near Pittsburgh. The allegation was made by a retired Army sergeant, and published in a 1998 newspaper article. Issa denied the allegation. No charges were filed.

In 1972, Issa and his brother allegedly stole a red Maserati sports car from a car dealership in Cleveland. He and his brother were indicted for car theft, but the case was dropped.

Also in 1972, Issa was convicted in Michigan for possession of an unregistered gun. He received three months probation and paid a $204 fine....

This is the best that SoCal can come up with?

Thanks to Gothamist for the lead. You can keep track of Issa via Wonkette.

GIULIANI FIRE TRUCK?

Hours ago I saw a strange site by the Time Warner Center: a kind of fire truck outfitted with video screens showing footage of Rudy and Judi, including what looked like images of 9/11.

Bad taste, whatever it was.

9/11 MEMORIAL: STATEN ISLAND (NORTH SHORE WATERFRONT)






































































Photos: David Marc Fischer

9/11 TRIBUTE: PLAINVIEW-OLD BETHPAGE PUBLIC LIBRARY

















































Photos: David Marc Fischer

9/11 MEMORIAL: JONES BEACH






































































Photos: David Marc Fischer