Why I Voted for Barack Obama

As I work outside of Arlington, Virginia, I had the option to vote early this year. I am grateful for this option. In the last two Presidential elections I stood in line for upwards of 2 hours. I can only imagine how long the lines will be this year.

So how did I get to my decision? Listening and thinking critically. I have a master's degree in literature and wrote my thesis on Toni Morrison's novels. I used the theories of French psychoanalytic theorist Jacques Lacan. In particular, I studied how Morrison's language was intentionally designed to evoke metanarratives of the construction of racial identity in America. The desire to be loved drove Pecola to desire the bluest eye and ultimately into madness.

I share that so you know whence I come.

Last night, I was at the Reston Arts for Obama Art Auction. I donated a painting and was invited to attend the event. At the auction, the attendees were diverse and friendly art lovers. My kind of people. My piece did really well at auction and the event raised over $20,000. One of the auction pieces, by my friend P. Delia Chisholm, was a fun and inspired image that captured the sense of hope and community I've heard again and again in Obama campaign and in his autobiography. I hear talk of responsibility, of accountability, of coming together and solving problems. This rhetoric is a welcome relief. An oasis in the desert of the divisive language of the last 8 years.

And then. Oh. And then. I took my car into the shop. In the waiting room, they had Fox & Friends on a jumbo flat screen television. The volume was at 11. I sat with my earplugs and tried to read but was oft thwarted. Even through the earplugs, I heard them report that police in Oakland and Detroit were preparing for riots if Obama loses. That report was followed by details of the story of a woman who alleged she had been beaten up and a letter "B" cut on her face. It was a frightening scary picture. And it was reported that the perpetrator did this to her when he found out she was a McCain supporter.

And it was a hoax.

I am not focused on this woman who clearly needs help. My focus is on the news networks that featured prominently a story that had not been fact-checked and verified.

After being in the room with Fox & Friends for two hours, even I felt (a little) that the election was really close, that trouble and chaos could be coming, and concerned about voter fraud. I know how the stories are constructed. I understand the metanarratives at work. I can see the desire of the powerful to hold onto control. I can feel their fear. It is all constructed in the language. The subtle and not-so subtle choice of words. The juxtaposition of images.

I voted for Barack Obama because I heard something different from him. No cheap shots. A man who learns from his mistakes. A man who is not afraid of a strong woman. I could go on. The difference in these two recent events is what is at stake - are we coming together and learning to deal with our differences or are we grabbing for power at any cost? To me, that was the choice.

Real Virginia, An Immigrant's Perspective

So a bit about me. I am an immigrant. My mother and I came from England on a cargo ship with our 2-year old Lab, Ross. My Dad had come stateside a few weeks before to set up house. I've spent most of my life here. As so often happens with first generation immigrant children, I feel multiple allegiances as I belong to and am a citizen of two countries.

When I heard the recent rhetoric of "real America" versus...what - fake America - I thought, that language is coded. Implied is that we are supposed to 'know' what Real America is. What its population is like. How it contributes to the country.

Recently, they used the term "real Virginia" to describe non-Northern Virginia. So you know, I am not in the "real Virginia" as I live in Arlington.

Arlington is a lovely community. We are both the smallest and most densely-populated county in America. We are diverse. We believe in and practice Smart Growth. We are loaded with military, defense contractors, and government employees. Arlington was directly hit on 9/11 as the Pentagon is in Arlington, not Washington DC. My LOCAL fire station sent its trucks and fire-fighters to the Pentagon. Even Senator McCain has one of his seven homes in Arlington. We are probably wealthier than the national average, although the economic crash is taking care of some of that. Yet somehow, none of this is Real. Somehow we are terrorist-loving, anti-American, lazy and goodness knows what else.

It is an insult. No question. So does having a different opinion mean that you are a terrorist? This divisive language is destructive. Being able to hold your point of view with someone who does not agree with you is essential to freedom. Making an enemy of the Other because they don't agree with you is a prison.

For relief, I turn to Dana Millbank's work- a brilliant satirical look at the artifice that is Real America.

Custom Fake News

Grandma! How could you say such things about me?

This video is a remarkable use of technology. And raises some questions about what we know to be 'true' and 'false' especially as seen through the internet.

I've already voted (or at least I think so - Arlington doesn't have a paper trail on its electronic voting). For those of you who haven't voted, please do. Or goodness knows how much of your tax dollars will end up in Palin's closet.

Why It Is Important to Understand the Meaning of Words Like Satire

Um. I don't think Sarah Lou understands satire. (Psst - they're not laughing with you, Guvna.)

She also doesn't understand the Constitution either.

3d Presidential Debate (CNN) Live Blog

10:36 pm End scene. Everybody vote!

10:31 pm Bob Schieffer the best moderator of the bunch this year. Of course it's always easier when you go last and learn from your predecessor's mistakes, missteps and missed opportunities.

10:27 pm Who are McCain's friends anyway? I don't think I am in his clique.

10:20 pm McCain's solution to college education funding is more student loans? How about doing something that doesn't graduate an entire generation into debt? (Check out Davidson College, my alma mater - no student loans)

10:20 pm Obama said he was pro-charter schools at the top of the debate. Was McCain not listening?

10:18 pm I love the parent responsibility points. Yes, put away the television. Set aside the spectacle.

10:11 pm How about a not-so young woman facing that difficult decision? It's not just teenagers who are confronted by an unexpected pregnancy.

10:10 pm Yay! Lily Ledbetter mention. Totally bogus court decision by the way to deny her. Of course she is due back pay for doing the same job.

10:10 pm Yay! Obama trusts me to make decisions about my health and life. Senator McCain? Governor Palin?

10:09 pm McCain looks furious.

10:07 pm I think Roe v Wade was a great decision. A tough decision, for sure.

10:05 pm Senator Government? That is classic Freudian slip on McCain's part. What's the meta-narrative there?

10:04 pm That is true. Buying insurance on the open market costs a family $12,000/yr. If you're a single payer with a health issue: $10,000 at least. If you can get coverage that will also cover your pre-existing condition.

10:01 pm Is McCain making notes to his campaign staff chastising them for going after the made-up Obama health insurance fine on small businesses?

10:00 Zero? Zero!

10:00 Most employers do have wellness plans now. There is a huge micro-industry of HR education seminars on the topic.

9:58 pm I want a health plan like AARP Medigap but have to wait at least 25 years until I am eligible. No copays. No deductibles. Choice of doctors.

9:55 pm Last I checked Colombia was not a particularly wealthy country. They're supposed to balance our trade deficits???

9:52 pm Nice linguistic deconstruction by McCain - have to give that to him - "look at drilling" is not the same as drilling. Nor is it the same as drilling, baby, drilling. (Thank heavens BTW).

9:51 pm Who does McCain keep looking at off-camera?

9:46 pm Ugh. Energy. How many "Palin is an expert" type comments will McCain make?

9:42 pm INSERT EXPLETIVE! Palin is no role model for me! INSERT ANOTHER EXPLETIVE!

9:40 pm Oh snap! The battle of the running mate credentials is on!

9:31 pm Obama calls McCain out on Palin's non-silencing of her rally crowds shouting "Terrorist" and "Kill him" about Obama. Senator McCain?

9:29 pm Can we get a fact check on 100% negative ads from the McCain campaign? Is that so? Will have to research my campaign ad archives.

9:28 pm McCain passed. Senator Obama?

9:25 pm Bob Scheiffer invites them to sling the mud direct into each other's face. Hmm...I'm thinking they'll pass.

9:19 pm Talked to a top economist today. He was alarmed that McCain and Palin were talking about balancing the budget. Essentially he said a drive to balance the budget in this kind of fiscal climate drove us into the Great Depression. Not sure I understand the mechanics of that.

9:11 pm Honestly right now I think I'd trust Obama to spread the wealth around more than some unknown, unvetted Joe the Plumber.

9:09 pm Is Joe the Plumber aka Joe Sixpack?

9:05 pm Yes what about me? My house has lost value but apparently I will not be getting a check from the government for it. (Personally that's okay - that's what I signed up for in buying a home - taking on risk.) But I wouldn't turn away a check for $40,000.

9:04 pm I'll also be Twittering with The Fix on washingtonpost.com

9:03 pm Table format. Apparently there were complaints from McCain's campaign about McCain's camera angle. Thank goodness we're focused on the big issues.

Live Blogging the 3d Presidential Debate

I will be live blogging the third presidential debate tonight. Still figuring out the technology so we'll see how this goes!

Why Dogs Are Awesome