A photograph of America's new president.
A really great photograph, via Boston.com. Does anyone have photog credit info? Link to original photo series, a collection of portraits of our president-elect (who, as the shot demonstrates, sometimes reads the Wall Street Journal). Here's the info on this photograph:
US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama shares a fist bump with Ethan Gibbs, the five year-old son of campaign communication director Robert Gibbs, upon disembarking from his campaign plane at Dulles airport in Chantilly, Virgina, on October 22, 2008. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) #(via @SdGeek)
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It's the Terrorist fist jab.
That kid's a terrorist!!!
I see he's not wasting any time teaching our children the Terrorist Fist Jab protocols.
Form the Exif data.
"US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama greets Ethan Gibbs, the five year-old son of campaign communication director Robert Gibbs, upon disembarking from his campaign plane at Dulles airport in Chantilly, Virgina, on October 22, 2008. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)"
To paraphrase a political cartoon from a few years ago, "Ah, they blow up so fast."
It's funny how disgusted I'd feel and how phony I'd think the moment was if it was of W and some black kid. I'd be all like "what a monumental asshole. I hates him I does".
But I see this and I'm all like "wow, we're about to get a human being in charge. And he's kinda cool," and it makes me smile.
I don't know where to begin. The acceptance speech was brilliant. He's made a difference already just by making it this far. The rest is golden potential.
Gooble gobble, gooble gobble! Oh, that's a child. Never mind.
Here's a link to the original post: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/the_next_president_of_the_unit.html
I see Obama reads the Wall Street Journal. Has GWB ever read the Wall Street Journal?
Nice.
Be better without that scary-macho military/industrial complex shiny black vehicle in the background. But I guess he needs the protection.
The world would be a better place if the US prez was able to get around on a bike, like some european heads of state. We can hope.
#10 posted by padster123
"able to get around on a bike, like some european heads of state."
Good sentiment, but unfortunately Olof Palme of Sweden was whacked on a street in Stockholm in 1986. Still unsolved.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olof_Palme_assassination
I don't expect miracles from Obama, or any politician.
But damn, so far he's given every sign of being a intelligent, likeable, hard-working guy who could undue a lot of the damage that Bush43 did to this country and the government.
Not miracles, just competence.
After eight years of Bush, mere competence is going to seem miraculous.
That the man's character will put a lie to the hateful, ignorant smears from the right is just icing on the cake.
On the other hand, I like icing.
So now we're impressed by baby kissing? I mean, I'm happy about Obama too, but srsly.
Is this what remains of liberals' famous intellect and reasoned approach to politics? Have we fallen so far?
#13
I'd like to be happy for five fucking seconds, if you don't mind.
After eight years of Bush, mere competence is going to seem miraculous.
Truer words were never spoken.
after eight years of Cheney, mere lack of all-consuming, aggressive evil is going to seem miraculous.
Any projections for the handshake/fistpound ratio that will emerge in the coming years?
You know, that court house in the background of the shot of Obama in St. Louis was the site of the Dred Scott Decision. It's amazing to see them in the same frame, all things considered.
I would LOVE to fistbump Obama. Seriously. That would be awesome.
In fact, I would rather fist bump Obama once than be handed a thousand dollar bill from George Bush.
Obama isn't going to undue anything that Bush "did" to the country. The Bush administration served its Globalist, Bankster masters very well and Obama is going to continue the trend. Don't forget, Goldman Sachs contributed twice as much to Obama's campaign as it did to McCain's (see below for source). Don't get me wrong, McCain is no better than Obama. Both of these guys are puppets of the Globalists/Banksters, Obama just gives the agenda a fresh face. Obama said he was going to vote against FISA, he voted for it. Obama said he was going to repeal the Patriot Act, now he says he won't. The Obama administration is going to declare CO2 to be a dangerous pollutant (plants breathe CO2), bring in the global Carbon Tax, and possibly even invade Pakistan.
It only gets worse from there... It is highly likely that the dollar isn't going to be worth shit a year from now due to the inflation caused by Paulson's multi-trillion dollar bailout (could be more, but we'll never know thanks to his new dictatorial powers). The Western moneyed powers want a unipolar world order, while some of the Easterners want a multi-polar economic world order, with competing currencies. They have openly stated that they are "tired of the dollar's dominance".
opensecrets.org:
Goldman Sachs - $799,821
JPMorgan Chase & Co - $529,012
Citigroup Inc - $523,948
As long as Obama makes good on what he said in May about having his Attorney General go through every one of Bush Jr's executive orders and throw out ones deemed unconstitutional.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/29/obama-bushs-laws-will-be_n_104079.html
This would include all the "president can declare martial law whenever he wants for whatever reason" and "you're a terrorist if we say you are" and "freezing assets of war protesters" stuff. If he does, that's change I can believe in.
If he doesn't, then I might be willing to browse the tinfoil hat aisle. I try not to fall for the sensationalist Alex Jones eugenics-fascist genocide NWO stuff, but when that congressman took the mic and said that reps were told in private that if they didn't pass the bailout there would be martial law in America, I can't ignore that. Who exactly is threatening congressmen with martial law? Is it the treasury? Is it the banks? The White House? Who's the guy in the suit leaning over the table saying "do it or else" and how to we get rid of them? Will Obama get rid of them? I really hope he does.
What's a president doing reading a newspaper? That's crazy.
#10
"The world would be a better place if the US prez was able to get around on a bike, like some european heads of state. We can hope."
Don't let him do any leisure biking in Pennsylvania or his life will be cut short by one of our crater-like potholes
#9 Has GWB ever read anything?
coop
#25: Apparently he read and quite liked /The Pet Goat/.
GWB probably checked out WSJ once, for the pictures. Just like how some people read Playboy for the articles.
((start run W voice simulator:)) "too many dang charts in that paper, and the pictures look all funny, like cartoons er something, but it sure wasn't funny. Hey uh Dick, how's about I go back to readin' some'n else? heh heh" ((end W simulator))
I'd bet my last Sacagawea dollar coin that Obama would never continue reading a child's book to an elementary class if Secret Service personnel suddenly whispered in his ear that our country had just been bombed. I bet Obama would put the pretty book down, get up and actually do something. Y'know, like take charge and all that.
The Pet Goat indeed! Ouch.
So glad it's over. Almost. Those last 70 days of this lame duck presidential puppetshow can't happen soon enough.
Coldspell@9:"Has GWB ever read the Wall Street Journal?"
Does it have stories about goats in it?
And speaking of all-consuming, aggressive evil...
Foofer @ 21:
The combined donations by employees of the three banks you cite (not the companies themselves as you imply, a key difference) is less then 2% of Obama's total donations for the month of September alone. Obama's total fundraising came to somewhere in excess of 600 million dollars, so, if my math is correct, the 1.8 million that those three companies donated equals less than about .3% of his total. In previous campaigns, 1.8 million was a significant amount that would buy you a lot of access. Obama changed the landscape by raising his funds from individual donors giving small donations and largely makes the notion of buying access obsolete. 1.8 million out of 600 million doesn't get you very far.
Of course, the fact that you don't seem to understand why CO2 is both bad and good at the same time shows the real problem here... Sometimes too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. It's really that simple! But since that's too complex for you, it's reasonable to assume that any other analysis you offer will be equally naïve.
I personally feel as if I came out of a political coma. And already people across the globe are excited about this. When the heck has that ever happened outside of JFK? Never!
Your arguments makes sense on one level. That level being the playing field not changing. But guess what. It's changed and it's a whole new game.
So please, enjoy this. Please. And if you can't enjoy this, then please just enjoy this live puppy cam.
Thanks for saving me the time of responding GNOODLES. Foofer believes in little green men running around so forgive him. I am curious as to what the reddest state in the Union is though. Oklahoma?
My socioeconomic political views landed right with Gandhi and the Dalai Lama on the Political Compass chart, but I read the WSJ nearly every day (I have a subscription). The reporting is generally great. Just avoid the editorials if your feathers get ruffled easily.
I've found the trick is to read at least the first two and the last two paragraphs of a story; it seems if they have a bias in a story they'll still cover both sides but perhaps leave the opposing bits at the end.
Live...puppies...too...cute...
Can't...
Can't...
*
@anthony, 14: Sure you can be happy. Like I said, I'm happy too. We can even get a little silly if you like. But let's try not to get stupid. And to me, it's stupid to relate to our politicians like they're celebrities...as though the thing that's great about Obama is his unique style and winning personality.
And that's important to point out, because it's easy for an energetic, issues-based campaign like the one that supported Obama to get sucked into demagoguery: celebrating trivial aspects of Obama the personality while losing track of the philosophy and policies he represented.
Zikzak: Obama can't do squat till January. There's three months left to scrutinize Bush'es exit-vandalism.
Nice photo.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/black_man_given_nations
Oh so reminds me of the Penny Arcade comic:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/3/7/
Thr's cllctn f phts f clbrtns frm rnd th wrld n th Rsns T B Chrfl, Prt 3 blg.. ls, n my Wrd Fc-ff blg, dd cmprsn f bm's vctry spch nd McCn's cncssn. lkd nt th lngth f wrds, sntncs, tc. ls ncldd ll-nclsv wrd clds.
Its just a photo, zikzak. A nice, cute photo. That's all. No one is saying "ZOMG WORSHIP THIS PHOTO!!!" Thereforth the criticism is wildly uncalled for.
Although I will confess my feelings are very similar to #30's. This whole election was just huge for me personally. I still can't really wrap my mind around it.
Politics and elections notwithstanding, I'd like to point out the quality of the photography in this collection.
A lot has been said about the decline of media, but it's really, really nice to see well composed images. As an amateur photographer, I look at these as inspiration to improve my own work.
@ #34 Zikzak - a winning personality is a key component of an effective president, in my opinion. Even if Bush was trying to be bipartisan (it must've happened once) his smirking arrogance and ignorant condescension would have made me want to smack him. If Obama can come across like a human being, it can't *hurt* his productivity.
At first the conservative in me was outraged at the fist bump ritual with this impressionable lad. However, on further consideration, the obsessive-compulsive in me realized that this is more sanitary way of greeting people than handshaking or the high five.
I believe this may indeed be a positive social development and I hope it becomes a normative form of greeting. I would suggest that Mr. Obama can help further this practice by fist bumping Chief Justice Roberts when he is sworn in on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009.
#22 Foofer- I think you raise some salient points that need to be addressed, and which Nader has been yelling about, with most of us ignoring him... These are hard questions, which will sadly not get an answer... But, I have to agree #23 Duffalo. He makes a good point as well. I'm willing to give Obama a chance, despite supporting nader. I am happy about the amount of joy and optimism floating around, not just here, but the world. That is not something to be dismissed out of hand. We are more than just witnesses to history. Human beings make things happen- we have agency, and that is true even in the most totalitarian of places. Governments can not survive too long when there is not some support. What is more, good things happen when we make them happen. That was why Obama struck a chord with so many, because that was a core of his campaign rhetoric- not yes I can bring change, it was yes WE can. If he can turn this into reality, so much the better. I would adore a more engaged electorate, even from those I disagree with, as long as we are all willing to compromise and realize we are not all going to get what we all want.
Plus, it's pretty cool to have a president whose middle name is Hussein.... ;-) I'm actually enjoying saying Barack HUSSEIN Obama. Heh...
I love that picture...
I, too, think it is a nice photo. It sure doesn't appear scripted. What is amazing is that many people assume all photographs depicting politicians are staged (especially positive ones). Heck, with the number of photographers surrounding Obama almost 24/7, it would be next to impossible not to catch him doing something natural or unpredictable. Photos memorialize a moment in time. Without context, photos can depict whatever the observer wants (e.g., the photo of Obama interpreted to depict that he did not show due deference to the flag during the national anthem). If one wanted to, the photo above could be interpreted as taken a split second before Obama punched the boy in the face. Context is everything. That is why this photo seems genuine, and if one were taken of Bush doing the same to a black boy, it would not.
"Fist Pounds" -- a unit of measure for how much it hurts when you get punched.
@talia, thewillow: I'm sure over the internet it comes across like I'm being alarmist or hypercritical, but I'm really not.
I'm just stating out loud what we all know intellectually: the likeability of a politician has almost nothing to do with what they do with their power, and as enlightened citizens of a democracy we should be concerned with the latter, not the former.
We hated it when Palin was celebrated for her "folksy straight talk", and we hated it when Bush was admired for his "lone cowboy" demeanor. And it wasn't just because they were fake, it's because it had nothing to do with their work as politicians. People liked them because of their image, and that allowed them to use their power to get away with doing terrible things.
So again, I'm not trying to make a big deal out of it, just to be the calm voice of reason that reminds us not to take this "human interest" stuff seriously.
fdeblauwe,
If you'd like your account reinstated, please contact Teresa and explain to her why all of your comments contain links to your blog.