Ah, we were kids. We watched the Cosby show. We saw little Rudy the daughter of the Huxtables. Here she was:



Uh, I'll give a slight gap for the picture.

Here ya go:

I'm driving down 41 in Ft Myers Florida two days ago. Soon to be boarded up small businesses dot the landscape. Dying outdoor shopping centers look like a bad dream unfolding. Most of the parking lots are 75% to 90% empty. Even the customers that are there seem either sad or angry.

Despondent.

I'm 33 years old. So much for the unlimited potential of America. The great multiplying force of success has grinded down around me.

The condo someone purchased in 2006 for $205,000? It's worth $125,00 today. Maybe. Call me back in February, maybe it goes lower.

The city governments that depended on the sales and the real estate taxes? Poof. It's all over but the crying. It will take three to five years until anything resembling "good times" returns. It smells like burnt bacon out here. At least the sun is out.

Today I'm driving down the streets of my hometown, Akron Ohio. All those old factories are gone. The roads are falling apart. It's just cold enough to numb out the pain of what I'm seeing. So much angst and fear.

At least there are good hospitals. Too bad no one can afford them.

Almost all of the people I know or have ever known are struggling in a sea of bad economic news. Their savings are busted, their homes are undervalued, their rentals are in forclosure, their cars are too expensive, their healthcare is horrible, and their children's schools aren't teaching them any differently than they taught us.

It's fucking bleak out there.



Yet we complain about some guy who is going to say a prayer before a historic event.

We complain about not enough women.

Not enough latinos.

Not enough gays.

What if so and so got picked.

Ignore the longterm problems.

Focus on yesterday.

How to fix this mess?

I don't personally know.



What I do know is that I voted for Obama because I believe he thinks longterm. He thinks about what he wants to see next month. Next Year. At the end. For his children. For me. For you.



I will let him be President for at least a year before I say one single bad thing about his Presidency. Heck, I'll at least give him ONE DAY.

Here is what I know.

Half a million people went on the unemployment rolls last month. That's 500,000 people who lost their jobs and applied for unemployment.

That figure does not include the people who worked as independent contractors and had no recourse when they lost their jobs. So lets average it out at 700,000 jobs. That figure is low still, because in this economy the loss of even a portion of income could lead to bankruptcy

Every day hundreds of families lose their jobs, their health insurance, their cars, and their homes.

And DU whines about some cabinet decision.

Every day some soldier who is on their 2nd, 3rd, or fourth deployment signs a paper completing his divorce. And we complain about some cabinet decision.

Less than 35% of Americans can afford to pay their lifetime credit obligations and we start threads rehashing the primaries that started nearly a year ago. We bash, and bash, and bash some more.


Every day another small business goes under. No one showed up. It was like a deadzone. His family is at a minimum, partially ruined. He contemplates suicide.

Every day.

Every day someone with no health insurance gets hurt. They go to the hospital to get treatment and end up bankrupt because of it.

Every day.

Every day someone thinks about how they are making equal or less what they were making eight years ago.

Every day.

They feel hopeless.

Every day someone wonders why their blue collar job is less important than some broker trader on Wall Street.

And some on DU say let them eat DIRT.

They're lost in a big sea of really bad news.

And some continue to Attack Obama.

Why?

He's not even President yet.

Some idiots are already forming a circular firing squad.

I hate extremes.

First off, Daschle is no stranger to Obama. Many of his former staffers have been working with Obama for years now and Daschle was a CHAIRMAN for Obama's campaign:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2006...

(snip from December of 2006)
Here's a look at the major former Daschle staffers now in Obama's orbit:

*Pete Rouse: Rouse served as Daschle's chief of staff for 20 years before the South Dakota Senator's defeat in 2004. Shortly afterward, he was selected to serve in that same post for Obama.

*Robert Gibbs: Obama's communications director, Gibbs served in that same role at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the 2002 cycle. He was handpicked by the Daschle operation for that job.

*Steve Hildebrand: Daschle's campaign manager in 2004 (and South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson's in 2002), Hildebrand accompanied Obama on a recent trip to Iowa and has been reaching out to potential staff behind the scenes. Hildebrand also ran the Iowa caucuses for then Vice President Al Gore in 2000.

*Anita Dunn: Dunn, a longtime Daschle aide, has been tasked with straightening out Obama's Hopefund PAC through the end of this year. She will not be a part of any Obama bid as she is committed as a senior strategist for Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh (D).

*Todd Webster: Webster is a former spokesman for Daschle and the brains behind www.runobama.com, a draft site for the Illinois Senator that has collected some 11,000 signatures urging him to run.


So we know that Obama is tight with many of Daschle's former staffers, and for a long time.


Daschle is also an excellent choice for HHS. He has a plethora of knowledge about the healthcare industry and how to affect real change in Washington. He was far from a "Clinton Insider" and he was one of the first big name Democrats to actually support Obama over Clinton early in the process.


Please take the time to read his book when you get a chance:

http://www.amazon.com/Critical-What-About-...

It's an excellent examination of the problems the healthcare system has, the problems faced in passing legislation, and spells out what needs to be done to successfully pass universal healthcare in a Federal Framework.

(Review From Publisher Weekly)
The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee necessary health care to all of its citizens, and as former senator Daschle observes, Skeptics say we can't afford to cover everyone; the truth is that we can't afford not to because U.S. economic competitiveness is being impeded by the large uninsured population and fast-rising health costs. Daschle's book delineates the weaknesses of previous attempts at national health coverage, outlines the complex economic factors and medical issues affecting coverage and sets forth plans for change. Daschle proposes creating a Federal Health Board, similar to the Federal Reserve System, whose structure, functions and enforcement capability would be largely insulated from the politics and passion of the moment, in addition to a merging of employers' plans, Medicaid and Medicare with an expanded FEHBP (Federal Employee Health Benefits Program) that would cover everyone. There is no more important issue facing our country, Daschle asserts, than reform of our health-care system, and the book's health-care horror stories bring this immediacy home.


So what do the insiders think of the pick??

http://www.politico.com/arena /


Is former Sen. Tom Daschle (South Dakota) a good choice to head up Health and Human Services?

Byron Dorgan, Sen. (D-N.D.):

Yes. Tom Daschle has the knowledge, skills, and passion to be a great Secretary of Health and Human Services as President-elect Obama and the next Congress work to make healthcare more affordable and more accessible.


Norman J. Ornstein, Resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute:

Tom Daschle is a great choice for HHS. He knows the health care system, has co-written a strong book on the subject, knows how to deal with Congress, knows how to pick strong subordinates, and is widely liked and respected. What's not to like?


Anna Burger, SEIU Intl. Union Secretary Treasurer:

Tom Daschle is a bold choice for HHS secretary and a sign of hope that real change to fix our nation's health care crisis will soon come. It is also telling that the first Cabinet appointment President-elect Obama has chosen to make is for a position that is going to be so critical in reforming American health care.

Most working Americans see health care reform as their number one most important economic issue. Health care costs are out pacing wages, and that fact is colliding with a tough economy in the lives of ordinary families. Millions can't afford coverage; millions more are saddled with medical debt.

It will take real leadership to push through a solution to this crisis, and now Tom Daschle is in a position to provide it. He has stood tall on health care in the past, and President-elect Obama deserves credit for responding to the American people and showing he prioritizes affordable care with this appointment. It is going to be up to all of us -- citizens, business and government -- to fix our health care system, and it is good to see government moving in the right direction.


Peter Fenn, Democratic media consultant:

Another good appointment for President-elect Obama. Daschle is solid, smart and understands what needs to be done and how to do it. Clearly, it is important to have a senior voice in place as Obama moves to reform our troubled health care system.


Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform:

Tom Daschle as senator was always caught between his own pro-abortion views and the pro-life views of South Dakota and the Catholic Church he grew up in. Now he is free to show his colors in the department that will force him to focus on the abortion/life issue every day.


Pejman Yousefzadeh, Attorney and blogger:

Senator Daschle is a very smart, very savvy, experienced public figure who knows the bureaucratic terrain quite well and is very well-positioned to implement the kind of anti-market health care "reforms" that the President-elect and his party have dreamed of implementing ever since the halcyon days when HillaryCare was thought to be the health care policy wave of the future.


David Biespiel, Poet and writer, Attic Writers Workshop:

It's excellent. To have such a former major congressional player, an effective Senate majority leader to boot, in one of the more traditionally minor cabinet posts -- that's an A Team decision. And surely it demonstrates President-elect Obama's seriousness to tackle health care. Putting a savvy, knows-Washington insider like Daschle at HHS is a sign that the new administration plans to actually govern.

Fascinating choice and hell of a comeback for Senator Daschle.

He should sail through confirmation, as well.


Julian E. Zelizer, Professor of History and Public Affairs, Princeton:

With Daschle, Obama makes two moves. On the one hand he continues to build on the Rahm Emanuel selection by strengthening ties with Democratic Congress and building a strong team to move his legislative agenda through Congress. On the other hand, he sends a bold signal that he is going to make health care a priority issue and push for substantive reform in this area -- something many Democrats have been looking for him to do. This is a signal that a big push might be on the way to try and reshape terms of political debate rather than focusing on small incremental changes.


Steven G. Calabresi, Professor of law, Northwestern University:

Nothing against Senator Daschle, but isn’t there anyone who President Obama wants to appoint to high public office in his new administration who is not either a Clinton retread or a long time, inside the Beltway Washington insider? For two years, we have heard nothing from Senator Obama but a mantra about how badly we need change. Now his administration is turning out to be nothing more than 1990’s retro. It seems to me Senator Obama’s voters have been had.


Christine Pelosi, Attorney, author and Democratic activist:

All Obama appointees must meet the transformation, transparency, and trust test - HHS nominee Tom Daschle passes with flying colors.

Transformation? Tom Daschle has a deep knowledge of the bold policy changes needed at HHS to advance universal health care as well the ego management skills needed to craft bipartisan solutions. Daschle's early investment of political capital into the Obama startup was seen as risky by DC insiders - but it turns out that he wisely invested in transformational change. We need that same entrepreneurial spirit at the helm of HHS where prescriptions for e-medicine, prevention, research, treatment and cures will all require public-private partnerships to succeed. More...

Transparency? After years in public life and months helping lead an open source campaign, Daschle is well suited to convene Barack Obama's public dialog regarding health care where insiders have seats at the table but as the president-elect has said, "don't get to buy every chair."

Trust? Daschle's steadfast stewardship as chair of the No Drama Obama campaign earned the trust of President Obama. We can trust Daschle to help implement the health care changes we elected Obama to deliver.


John J. Weinfurter, Lobbyist, Pres. of Kimmitt, Senter, Coates & Weinfurter:

Tom Daschle will make a spectacular Health and Human Services secretary. His quarter century of public service in the House and the Senate was bookmarked by a demonstrated concern for those too often on the fringes of society --- the chronically ill, the poor, the unemployed, and those without access to any social service network. He will breathe life back into a long dormant HHS as HHS partners with the expanded majority in the 111th Congress to tackle health care reform.


Victor H. Fazio, Attorney, former Democratic congressman:

Tom Daschle is a superb choice as HHS secretary. One of the more decent human beings to serve in any leadership role in Congress, Tom has been focused on solving the nations health care problems for many years. He has learned the issue from the bottom up during his 30 years in the public arena and he has truly studied and then written about the overarching public policy issues, the solution to which can guide us to a more effective and less costly system. As a person respected on the Hill on both sides of the aisle, Tom is most importantly able to resolve the political conflicts and build the consensus required to finally achieve our most pressing national goal -- affordable and effective health care for all Americans.


Celinda Lake, Democratic strategist:

Excellent and real leader on health care.


Jeff Emanuel, Columnist, combat journalist and contributor to RedState.com:

President-elect Barack Obama's selection of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle sends a very disappointing signal about what direction his administration will go in terms of health care policy and "reform."

Since leaving the Senate, Mr. Daschle has used his cushy fellowship at the far-left Center for American Progress to agitate for a total overhaul of the U.S. health care system, centered on the implementation of a "private system within a federal framework" which would be overseen by a health care equivalent of the Federal Reserve which utilizes the power of the government to "ensure harmonization" within American health care (all words in quotes are Daschle's own). More...

Further, Mr. Daschle has pointed to the U.K.'s national health service, with its waiting lists, rationing of care, and nonsensical drug and benefit policies as a model to which the U.S. system should aspire.

If President-elect Obama and Mr. Daschle are truly committed to reforming the American health care system, they should be willing to consider a course of action which actually addresses the causes of the high costs and large numbers of uninsured that make up so much of this system's problems. The way to do that is not to expand government involvement, but to allow Americans to participate in a true health care marketplace which is free from onerous government regulation and interference.


Martin Frost, Attorney, former Democratic congressman:

Tom Daschle is an excellent choice. He is capable of dealing with complex issues and has enormous credibility in Congress which will be needed to deal with health care reform.



Everybody chill out. Change is on the way. You need experienced advocates to get legislation passed. Daschle is the right guy for that job and a strong advocate of a universal healthcare system.

Let's talk about the first 100 days. Before I bullet point my list, I'll talk about the Congressional Makeup.

We'll have an overwhelming majority in the House. Pelosi may not be beloved by the left but in reality she has really gotten a bad rap. She is extremely well organized. Despite her shortcomings as a speech giver she has actually logged more speech time on the House Floor in the last two years than any other House member. The first two years of her leadership she did pass two separate bills calling for a pullout in Iraq on a timeline. Both were vetoed by Bush. Many would argue she should have impeached Bush. Perhaps, but the truth remains that the trial in the Senate would have resulted in an acquittal and Bush would still be in office. In addition, we'd have fired up the Republican base. What was better, dragging the country through an impeachment with a known outcome or let Bush destroy himself day by day by day and virtually lock up a Democratic President in 2008. Besides, you don't think we're about to see an avalanche of investigate hearings after January 20th? Target Bush Administration? I do.

The Senate will increase to a minimum of 57 votes. That is if Lieberman leaves the Democratic Caucus. We've won Alaska already. If Franken wins his recount we would be to 58. I do not think we can carry Georgia in a runoff with depressed turnout. Maybe I'm wrong. So best case scenario we're at 58 votes without Lieberman. HOWEVER, I think Lieberman remains in the caucus. I think he'll be stripped of Homeland Security Chair, but he'll still remain. I digress! The whole OMG WE NEED 60 meme is complete bullshit. There are at least a minimum of half a dozen sitting Republican Senators who have a longtime history of breaking fillibusters. Off the top of my head I can think of one in particular. Prepare to be blown away. McCain. Plus the other usual suspects, Olympia Snow, Specter, Voinovich, and Graham. There are some others I can't think of at the moment but they are out there. So, legislation getting through the Senate won't be hard. Judicial nominations will be more difficult but we'll get what we want. Reid's also stronger than many of us give him credit for. It was one thing to have a 51 seat majority with 2 independents, it's another to have 57,58, and 59. Much easier.

So Obama appears to be going with a "Dream Team Cabinet." He comes out with the Emanuel pick for Chief of Staff. Fucking brilliant move. Pick a longtime friend with a longtime history of kicking Republican ass. Plus he's got balls of steel and he's a real character. You want someone who wants to win so bad that he mails dead fish to his enemies? He's our fucking guy. Here's a guy who was working at Arby's as a teenager and badly sliced his middle finger. Rather than getting medical treatment he went swimming in a river in Chicago. His middle finger became infected, he almost died, and part of the finger had to be amputated. With the loss of his middle finger he was rendered MUTE for almost a year. I joke, but it's really not that far off. BTW, Rahm doesn't read books, he just stares at them and demands answers until they give them up. Fuck you Chuck Norris! I digress! So now they want Hillary as Secretary of State? Why? Because they agree on 98.4% of everything. Guess what people, primaries are over. It was all in good fun. Get over it. They don't take it personally, do you still? That signals they want BIG NAME people in as many positions as possible. You think Clinton can't go to Russia and grab Putin's head before he rears it over Alaska? Think again! Shoutout to the Queen Bee of Alaska, I hear the honey is drying up though. What I'm getting at here is that the Obama administration wants the BEST OF THE BEST in ALL THEIR CABINET SPOTS! He wants winners and he wants influence. Cronyism? Sorry. Not gonna work. We're talking Lincoln governance. Hillary fits the bill for that spot. NOT SAYING RICHARDSON OR KERRY WOULD BE BAD CHOICES. Obama just wants to win. And we all know, he is good at winning.


So, what will be on the agenda first?


• TAX POLICY. Little Known Fact. Obama doesn't have to raise personal taxes. He just has to let Bush's tax cuts expire. Don't need a bill. Don't need a debate. Just sit back and watch them go back to 39% from 36%. The middle class tax cut will be easy. No problem. They will have to raise capital gains tax. That will be bad press. So how to overcome this? START INCORPORATING REAL TAX BREAKS FOR AMERICANS WHO BUY AMERICAN. Tax breaks for fuel efficiency. Tax breaks for investing in American companies. Tax breaks for keeping jobs in the US. Tax breaks for voluntary service programs. The list goes on and on.

• IT'S THE ECONOMY YOU COMPLETE FUCKING MORON. Look, I live in SW Florida. We are top 5 in the nation in terms of foreclosures. Retail is dead. Mortgage industry doesn't exist anymore. Retirees who had money in the stock market (Almost all of them) lost anywhere from 20% to 40% of their entire savings in two months. It's fucking massacre. I am originally from Akron, Ohio. Guess what. WORSE. Everyone is fucking broke. Somewhere around 2000 people a week move away from Ohio. Hundreds of thousands of job losses in the last 8 years. It's Detroit Lite for the most part. Many areas mimic Ohio, but that's where I'm from and what I know. What was Obama's campaign pledge? To pour money into manufacturing, retool our car builders, build new technologies, create jobs. The problem he faces right now is people who oppose any further "bailouts" with government money. They aren't "bailouts" they are investment in our futures. Bush demanded 700 billion to bailout the banks. We can't spend 25 billion to save the American Auto Industry and the 3 million related jobs it supports? How about you pick up the 100 billion in unemployment benefits and pension insurance the government will be stuck with if we do nothing? Seriously, get a grip. The era of big government is back, and it needs to he back. If Obama says he needs a stimulas package, start understanding he's talking about something a LOT different than what Bush did. I'm not even going to rant about the unions who FUCKING DESERVE OUR SUPPORT PEOPLE.

• OBAMA VS OSAMA. I just have a feeling about this. But I believe that Osama Bin Laden will be captured or dead by 2010. We will ramp up our support in Afghanistan and we will have heavy diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to give up the goods. I'd rather save this for another journal post though.

• TWO YEAR PULLOUT PLAN ON IRAQ. Sorry guys and gals, can't just put everyone on a plane in January 2009. Doesn't work that way. This will be at least a two year transition outbound. We'll never have everyone out but we can reduce our presence to desert mega bases with maybe 10,000 to 30,000 permanent stationed to combat hot spots. We have to put the Iraqi government on the spot, but we can't do it overnight or even in a few months. Like South Korea basically. We can't just leave but we can reduce our presence to a small fraction of what it could have been under McCain. Regardless, it will be increasingly ugly as we complete our pullback. That is unless Obama can inspire the Iraqi's like he has inspired us.

• HEALTH CARE. Such a nightmare to get this right. I'm not a health care expert. I don't understand anything other than wanting cheap affordable health care. But that will be the final first year agenda item.