It's almost as if they were writing for Obama in a message to the Republicans:

"I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid... you're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you."   - Neo, The Matrix

What are they making a big deal of this for?  I mean, it's not like she'll be a 72 year old cancer survivor's heartbeat away from the presidency...

"...the questions swirling around Ms. Palin... brought anxiety to Republicans who worried that Democrats would use the selection of Ms. Palin to question Mr. McCains judgment and his ability to make crucial decisions."

Disclosures on Palin Raise Questions on Vetting Process - NYTimes.com

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

After Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate, the AP ran with this:

"Analysis: Biden pick shows lack of confidence"

"The picks say something profound about Obama: For all his self-confidence, the 47-year-old Illinois senator worried that he couldn't beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack."

I'm sorry, but that's idiotic, and it really captures what's idiotic about poltics.  People think that if you have 35 years political experience, you're an "insider" and somehow you can't work for the good of the people--that you're so wrapped up in insider politics and that you're also partly the cause of everything that has happened.

Yet, if you don't have this kind of experience, people will say you're not qualified.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't. 

To me, having a relative newcomer to Washington paired up with a veteran is what I call BALANCE.   Picking someone who chairs Senate Foreign Relations Committee is what I call COMPLEMENTARY.

When I came up with the idea for Path 101, the first thing I did was look for a tech partner who had a skills set that I didn't.  How silly would it be, after I found Alex to be the CTO, for people to say, "What's the matter Charlie?  Are you afraid your technology skills aren't up to par?  Shouldn't you understand the technology better if you're going to do a web startup?"

Afraid?  No.  Self aware?  Definitely.  I understand enough about technology to know that pairing up with a technologist to focus on it makes us a strong team.

And of course, McCain will attack.  McCain's definitely been the one to bring the campaign down in the dirt, and it's unfortunate, because elections are an opportunity to have a great dialogue on direction.  Instead, we'll have a dialogue about rhetoric. 

How long before McCain brings out the reels of Biden saying Obama didn't have enough experience?  Hi, that's called campaigning.  Biden was running for president and experience was his trump card.  Of course he's going to say that to get the edge.  At the same time, when McCain loses, is he going to continue to campaign against Obama or is he going to actually work with him as a senator, who, in the past, had always sought comprimise and worked with the other side.

I applaud Obama's choice, because it means he's going to surround himself with people who comlement him who have experience and ability to execute.  I'm glad there's someone on the team who has 35 years of Washington experience.  I just never wanted that to be the guy in charge.  I want a visionary leader who will push those who execute to make the right decisions--and someone whose decisions are informed by experience and wisdom.  Joe Biden is an excellent choice for Vice President.

"Because he’s on the wrong side of nearly every issue that has caused the majority of the problems we have today."

- from Marco

Over the weekend, 300 people showed up in Union Square for a "Pandamonium".  With some dressed as Pandas, there wasn't much point to the gathering "other than to wreak havoc," according to one of the participants.

After moving to Williamsburg, the group started getting rowdy.

"The participants were chanting, “Whose street? Our street!” and some began overturning newspaper boxes." - AMNY

Not surprisingly, my buddy "No Neck" Noel was in the middle of the action...

“Hundreds of people were out on the sidewalk, dancing, yelling, having a good time,” said Noel Hidalgo, a community activist who goes by the name No Neck and who witnessed the event. “Police were trying to control people and clear the streets and that’s when it got out of control.”

Noel, I hate to break it to you, but when 300 people go roaming the streets yelling and overturning newspaper boxes, that's about when I want the police to step in and "control people". 

What a lot of the people involved in these mass gatherings fail to realize is that they do infringe upon the rights of others.  You can't have hundreds of people randomly gathering in a single group like that without police presence...  because the chances of a riot are too great--unless you simply think all that mob mentality research is bunk.  This group didn't get out of control because of the cops--turning over newspaper boxes or anything that isn't yours, is out of control.  Chances are a wayward newsbox dented someone's car, or a sideview mirror or two got knocked off, too.  Stuff like that happens when 300 people roam the streets. 

Police presences cost money.  As a NYC taxpayer, I paid for this Panda caper.  Clogged streets cost money and they're dangerous, too.  What happens when ambulances get held up because of mass gatherings like this that clog streets with traffic?  I'd hate to have a heart attack on the Friday of the mass bike ride here in the city.

Do these folks think that EVERYONE in the surrounding neighborhoods thought the yelling Panda's were a good idea?  I'm sure a bunch of people didn't think it was so hot.  What about their rights?

How about a mass feeding of the homeless?  Or a mass graffiti cleanup?  For once, I'd like to see people do something more constructive with their energy than just prove they can "stand up" to authority.  Authority serves a purpose... it keeps your panda asses off my street and away from my car.  

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Headline from the NYT:

Poll Finds Obama Candidacy Isn’t Closing Divide on Race

Now, let's actually look at the numbers...

According to their polls, 31% of white people have a favorable opinion of Barack Obama.

...but only 35% of white people have a favorable opinion of John McCain.

Overall, 62% of whites either have a favorable impression of Barack Obama or don't know enough.

...and only 70% of white people feel that way about McCain.

I don't know about you, but these numbers don't really show me a big divide on race.  So, basically, 37% of white people don't like Obama, while 28% of white people don't like McCain.  Hmm... I wouldn't exactly call that a huge racial bias against Obama--9%  Really?  Big whoop.

There is a big racial divide in this election, though... but its not what you think.

57% of blacks don't have a favorable impression of John McCain.  In fact, only 5% do, and the rest are undecided.  So, blacks dislike John McCain by almost a 2:1 margin over whites not liking McCain.  Over six times as many, by percentage, whites like Obama as blacks like McCain.

So who's really the racially divisive one?  Seems to me it's John McCain.

22 years from now, I will be 50. There's a scary thought.

Anyway, I'll probably have teenage kids and, aside from that, I have no idea what my world will look like, mostly because I have no specific long term plans.

At least me and our government have that in common.

It seems all our government plans all run along election timelines--except for McCain, of course, who's got visionary plans to occupy Iraq for 100 years.

I think we should be thoughtful about some period in between that. Mike Bloomberg unveiled a plan for this city to cover what it would look like in 2030. It seemed like as good a an arbitrary point in the future as any.  The plan was just about sustainability, but it touched on many areas of life and our economy.

I'd like to see the US unveil a similar plan for our whole country--across all of the facets of our life: the environment, energy, education, business, culture and the arts, infrastructure. Let's kick it off with a big Davos-like conference of the leaders of today and tomorrow, as well as the people who clearly aren't on leadership paths. Mix in some soccer moms and trailer park kids and maybe even an ex convict or two (given the disproportionate number of our population in jail).

Let's set some stretch goals like, "In 2030, we will have the best and most accessible education on the planet."

Why not?

If we can't make that happen after 22 years of focusing on it, then at least we'll be trying. How about 22 years of work towards a zero carbon footprint economy?

Yeah...zero. Why not try?

I am a big believer in the idea that if you work you ass off towards a ridiculously big goal, even if you don't make it, you get a lot further than if you cut your potential short by thinking too small. Of course, that doesn't mean you just get up and swing for the fences every time. You can single an double a team to death and score 12 runs, but you still have to keep your eye on winning big.

However this process runs, it needs to be two things--apolitical and accessible.
If we just have politicians do this and it isn't a plan that administrations to come can't stick with, or if we just have two sides bickering on policy all the time, it will fail. This is no time for infighting.

It also needs to feel like something everyone ca get involved with. We need to organize both in person and online. Let's get back to town halls (Local USA 2030 Meetup Groups?). I liked Jeff Jarvis' idea for using Salesforce Ideas for the government.

No matter what tools we use, it needs to be talked about in barber shops, worked into school curriculums (aren't problem solving and goal setting skills that we should be teaching anyway?).

For once, I just want to feel like we know where we're going and that its a good place. That direction can't just come from Obama...we all need to be involved.