Wake me up on November 5th...
Oct 16, 2008 at 9:11 AM It is official. I have election media fatigue. No actually, I have media and "doom and gloom" fatigue.
I was out last night, but did DVR the debates. I gotta' say, McCain threw some stingers. But it was no KO. Barack was presidential, and smooth. He countered nicely, but didn't show me the teeth I would have like to have seen. I do beleive Barack won it, but by the hair of his chinny-chin-chin.
You could see it all by the body language when they got up at the end. Someone slipped McCain a Viagra or something, 'cause he popped up all spritey with an ear to ear grin. Barack, on the other hand looked worn. He stood a little hunched over...as if he just did Bikram yoga for the first time in a 105 degree room. You had to know that McCain was bringing the heat-- homeboy had nothing to lose.
I would have liked to see some jedi-mind shit from Barack, making McCain fold over on the force of his haymakers and negativity. I didn't see that. I didn't need to. I voted absentee already---and I am a Barack guy. But I know many indies who NEEDED to see that...MORE TEETH. Less sound bitey referencing to the "greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression"-- which after a while, becomes a self fulfilling prophecy; and more "I am gonna' clean this mess up, and it will be a messy kitchen, we will all have to pitch in-- but we will get it done, and put this chapter behind us."
I was hyped to hear the last question about education. Both candidates sounded a little lawyerly for my taste-- but at least they are getting their heads around the language, the hurdles and the potential solutions. Let's face it-- the issue isn't rating or mainstreaming with people. It's not "Oprah Big" yet. I feel Barack will be the more meaningful player in busting up the Unions, and managing the expectations of OVERLY privatizing schools--- the pendulum must sway gently on this issue.
I was with NYC School Chancellor Joel Klein last night-- and he nailed it. He characterizes our failing school system as the single greatest issue in America. I agree. If you thought the fall of Lehman's shook shit up-- how will we deal with a system that pukes out 1/3rd of our kids. The dropout crisis is major---and the icecaps of jobs, problem solving, and industry are melting if we can't create a competitive and capable work force. Klein nailed it...people always say to him-- "You wanna' fix education, well your gonna' have to fix poverty first." His retort is , "no, it is the opposite-- if you want to fix poverty, you are gonna' have to fix education". Can I get an Amen?!?!?!
No more horse manure please.
Reader Comments (1)
I think it is so simple. To try or help ending poverty we need make people aware of certain problems and share knowlegde. Together you'll come to a solution, because you take time to listen to eachother. To keep knowledge to yourself means gaining power. And so it is, the rich keep rich and the poor stay poor. So Amen to fixing education.