Sunday morning cartoons

In honor (?) of the Bush administration’s attempt to rush through last minute legislation to open the Grand Canyon area to uranium mining:

Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune, 11.07.08

 A combo shot at the new puppy and Rahm Emanuel:

Jimmy Margulies, The Record (NJ), 11.08.08

 A little more on the historic nature of the election:  from Rosa Parks to Barack Obama:

Jack Ohman, The Portland Oregonian, 11.07.08

 On the dichotomy of the Obama win v. the ban on gay marriage in California and other defeats of civil rights measures for gays and lesbians in Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas:

Mikhaela Reid, 11.07.08

This one was jarring … because it’s from Sweden:

Riber Hansson, Sweden, 8.17.08

And, finally, to begin the recognition of Veterans’ Day.  Remember, political cartoons (and children) frequently confront us with a truth we don’t want to face:

Rick McKee, The Augusta Chronicle (GA), 11.08.08

 If you’d like to help, visit the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

Tickets to the Inauguration

FYI …

The 56^th Inaugural Congressional Committee has issued the following statement on tickets to the Inaugural events: 

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) has issued the following information regarding the availability of tickets for the 56th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony on January 20, 2009: 

Tickets to the 56th Inaugural Ceremonies will be provided free of charge and distributed through Members of the 111th Congress. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies does not provide tickets to the public.  Members of the public interested in attending the Inaugural Ceremonies should contact their Member of Congress or U.S. Senators to request tickets.  

The public should also be aware that no website or other ticket outlet actually has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim. Tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until the week before the inauguration and will require in-person pick-up.  

“Any website or ticket broker claiming that they have inaugural tickets is simply not telling the truth,” said Howard Gantman, Staff Director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. “Tickets for the swearing-in of President-elect are all provided through members of Congress, and the President-elect and Vice President-elect through the Presidential Inaugural Committee.  We urge the public to view any offers of tickets for sale with great skepticism.”

Friday cartoons

Some cartoons for this Friday morning, two days after the election.  First, a little more about the weight of history on Obama’s shoulders:

Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner, 11.05.08

David Horsey, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11.06.08

 On Obama’s coattails:

Joe Heller, The Green Bay Press-Gazette, 11.06.08

 On the challenges Obama faces:

Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11.05.08

Matt Davies, The Journal News, 11.06.08

And this one just for my four year old who has been calling Obama “Rock-O-Bama” since he could speak:

Steve Benson, Arizona Republic, 11.06.08

Headlines from around the world

Someone with a lot of time has put together an astounding webpage with headlines from around the world declaring Obama’s victory.  The cool thing is that the site doesn’t just show the front pages of the papers, but is interactive, so you can click on any frontpage and pull up a larger version.  Go check it out:  Obama Grabs Headlines.

The President-Elect’s new website: Change.gov

The Obama transition team has a new website, Change.gov:  Office of the President-Elect.  Very cool.  Check it out.

Update:  Folks:  The comments you’re leaving here are amazing, but I think you mean to be sending them here:

      Change.gov

Please make sure that you visit that website, where you can tell the President-Elect your story.

Obama’s Staff – Update 1

Yesterday, we finally got confirmation that Rahm Emanuel would be Obama’s first Chief of Staff.  I say “first” because these guys never last more than a couple of years.  It’s a tough, demanding job.  As more positions are announced, I’ll write these “Staff Update” posts to keep you up to date.

Press Secretary:  Robert Gibbs

Gibbs was the voice of Obama during the campaign and on Obama’s Senate staff, beginning as communications director and ending as a senior strategist.  I like Gibbs’ southern roots:  born in Alabama and graduating from NC State.  One of Gibbs’ finest moments on the trail, in my opinion, was his take down of Sean Hannity after the second debate. 

Senior Adviser:  David Axelrod

Axelrod has been with Obama since God was a boy and is fiercely loyal.  He and Rahm Emanuel are also good friends, which should allow for a sort of short hand among this triumvirate that can only help in the frenetic pace of a White House facing as many crises as this one will.  It should also give insight as to why Emanuel was chosen for the job.

Economic Crisis Team:

These folks are not White House staff, but are a team of economists, business leaders, and politicians who will help Obama deal with the eocnomic crisis during this transition time.  The members of the Transition Economic Advisory Board (TEAB) announced yesterday are (in no particular order):

Warren Buffett
Paul Volcker, Fed Chairman under Carter and Reagan
Eric Schmidt, Google CEO
Lawrence Summers, Treasury Secretary under Clinton
Robert Rubin, Treasury Secretary under Clinton
William Daley, Commerce Secretary under Clinton
Anne Mulcahy, Chaiman of Xerox
David Bonior, Former member of the House
Roel Campos, SEC Commissioner under W.
William Donaldson, SEC Chairman under W.
Roger Ferguson, former Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Michigan
Richard Parsons, Chairman of the Board, Time Warner
Penny Pritzker, CEO, Classic Residency by Hyatt
Robert Reich, Labor Secretary under Clinton
Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles
Laura Tyson, Former Chairman National Economic Council & President’s Council of Economic Advisors under Clinton

Jammin’ for Obama, old style

I know, the election’s over.  But I’m still happy to celebrate how we won it:  the energy of the campaign, the innovation of the volunteers, the employment of the ‘net as a powerful tool for change.  Check out this video of some hyped up volunteers making old school music in Charlottesville, VA for Obama:

Letters from Harlem

Over at HuffPo, Lauren Rubinfeld has graciously shared some of the letters her fourth graders in Harlem have written to President-elect Obama.  Here’s one.  I hope you’ll go read the rest.

Dear President Obama,

I want to say you are the bomb. I love all your speeches. Even my grandma does. I feel sorry for your grandmother but she’s there up in heaven watching over you. When you get to the white house you will have our help.

I’m so happy that you are becoming president. Can you make a change about the cops? They need to pay more attention at the Lincoln Tunnel.

Write back.

Your friend,
Asia

The Republicans have lost their minds

The GOP apparently didn’t get the message from the American people on Tuesday that we’re tired of divisive politics.  The latest evidence?  They’re attacking Obama’s choice of Rahm Emanuel for Chief of Staff less than 48 hours after “Change” and “Hope” won and just as North Carolina has officially gone blue.  The GOP has lost its collective mind.  If this is the way they’re going to try and work with the Obama administration, they should steel themselves for yet more losses in 2010.

Update:  For his part, Emanuel struck a very conciliatory tone is his statement:

I want to say a special word about my Republican colleagues, who serve with dignity, decency and a deep sense of patriotism. We often disagree, but I respect their motives.  Now is a time for unity.  I will do everything in my power to help you stitch together the frayed fabric of our politics, and help summon Americans of both parties to unite in common purpose.

John Boehner (R-OH), House Minority Leader, however, wasn’t so conciliatory:

This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil and govern from the center.

Power concedes nothing

Bob Franken has a great piece on The Hill’s Pundit’s Blog this morning.  Because I’m running, I don’t have time to comment or excerpt, so I’m posting here in it’s entirety.  Enjoy:

‘Power Concedes Nothing’
by Bob Franken
It is hard to know which was more moving: Was it the crowds erupting after the results were known — people of all colors, hugging in mutual congratulation? Perhaps it was the close-ups of the older black faces, with tears of disbelief streaming, as they witnessed a young African-American family realize a possibility that most didn’t even bother to dream.
Equally memorable were the long, long lines at the polling places, as citizens patiently insisted, with their votes, that we couldn’t go on the way we have been.
It was a celebration of our country’s best instincts, a release of its worst frustrations, a demand to do better.
But now the cautionary note, quoting none other than Barack Obama: Two days before the election, warning against overconfidence, Obama said, “Power concedes nothing – we are going to have to struggle.”
The context is different, but post-election, the words are even truer: “Power concedes nothing.”
We cannot believe for one instant that those entrenched in privilege will be willing to give up their advantages without a ferocious fight.
Their control is derived from their riches. The laws have been crafted to favor them. The political system is still greased by their wealth. They have the wherewithal to manipulate public opinion through advertising and obfuscation, spending millions to keep their billions.
John McCain was right. The changes we demanded will require, to some degree, that we “spread the wealth.” How else can we close the gap between those with too little and those hoarding too much?
Get ready for the screams of “socialism.” That touches a nerve in the U.S. of A, but it’s a distortion. What we’re really talking about here is the American Dream.
Remember that one, the idea that corruption will be prevented by regulating commerce so hard work and fair play could be rewarded?
What we’ve just witnessed is a belief in our potential. But let’s not get carried away. It would be wonderful to discover that the “haves” would voluntarily share with the “have-nots.” But it ain’t gonna happen. To return to Barack Obama’s quote, “We are going to have to struggle.”