If you could give Barack Obama one piece of advice, what would it be?
Pretend you’ve just won a special political lottery -- a grand drawing from the list of millions of people who contributed to the Obama campaign. Your prize is the chance to spend five minutes speaking your piece to the president elect.
What would you tell him?
I’ll give my answer in a separate post later. But for now, I want to hear from cafe regulars (and anyone else). If given the extraordinary opportunity to offer Barack Obama just one piece of advice face to face, what would it be?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Keep the common good at the forefront of your mind and in your heart. It is easy to be seduced by power. It can corrupt as surely as money and fame. Remember that this country is multicultural; that the playing field is not always equal; and that all levels of society contribute to the welfare of this nation. No one group should be allowed to take unfair advantage of the others. Be compassionate; be objective; and keep on listening to the “people.”
November 7th, 2008 at 5:42 am
Try to undo just about everything Cheney/Bush have done for the past 8 years, & don’t forget a bunch of Clintonista crap that needs to be corrected.
November 7th, 2008 at 7:40 am
I am a progressive. I am your base. Don’t pander to me; govern the country. It may seem as if you got a mandate with the electorial college, but you got less than 55% of the popular vote. Please govern as much from the center as you can. We’ll all be better off if you do.
November 7th, 2008 at 7:46 am
Commit to a war crimes trials against Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld. Then, if found guilty, have them publicly hanged for war crimes, treason, torture, violations of international law, and violations of the U. S. Constitution.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:09 am
The very first thing you need to do as President, in order to reestablish the trust in our American justice system and fairness and equality for all for the people of this country and the rest of the world, and to dispel the strong feeling we all have that the privileged wealthy few can escape the law and prosecution of any crime even as serious as torture, treason and mass murder, is to immediately begin real investigations into this administration’s criminal activities.
This needs speedy handling, and no punches pulled. Special prosecutors with powers that dwarf that previously held by Ken Starr. With no plea bargains, no pardons, no private hearings with testimony not under oath, and no lightening of sentences from the false belief that severity of punishment should be dictated by level of office. If the President committed crimes in office he should be held responsible. If he committed Treason, Torture, etc, he should get the maximum penalty under the law. Even if it was hanging.
I do not say this lightly. There is a serious question as to whether this administration has been directly involved in acts of Treason against our country, violation of the constitution, violation of the Geneva conventions, attacking and occupying a sovereign country that made no attack upon us,
Mass murder of over a million of said country’s citizens.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Vow to hear the voices of the PEOPLE and ACT on the needs of the PEOPLE. No more “tax breaks” or special bailouts for corrupt greedy corporations and the wealthy- all of them. If they are “hurting”, then let them “pull themselves up by the bootstraps”! BEWARE OF CORPORATE LOBBYISTS – THEIR THREATS, THEIR BRIBES. TELL THE CORPORATE LOBBYISTS, CEOS TO TAKE A BACK SEAT – ESPECIALLY THE “HEALTHCARE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX”! Take a strong stand to stop the growing facism in this country.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Please prosecute the Bush/Cheney administration so that I will know that the law applies equally to all US citizens.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Mr. President, please read “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein. The book clarifies how Milton Friedman and his minions from the University of Chicago School of Economics have wreaked havoc on the economies of developing countries for decades and how their corporatist policies are at work even now in the United States. The “bailout” package just passed by Congress and signed by Bush is designed as history’s largest transfer of public wealth to private hands, but the most egregious abuses of the plan can still be stopped. Ms. Klein’s book provides well-researched history in the methods used by the economic shock therapists to re-engineer a country’s economy along radical free-market lines following a crisis, whether real or perceived. I consider it essential reading for anyone concerned about the current state of the United States economy.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:40 am
In addendum, if it were acceptable, I would suggest a few additional tasks that need immediate attention, such as the same level of investigation and prosecution of banking and wall street fraud and theft, the reestablishment of a modernized works progress administration and civilian conservation corps with projects and goals aimed at repairing a lot of our aging and neglected infrastructure (schools, roads, bridges, etc), and a large subsidy program for starting up business relating to alternative energy and for homeowners to retrofit alternative non-fossil fuel heat and power. Doubling the Department of Educations budget, and a nonprofit single payer universal healthcare program with no human left uninsured should be a high priority as well. This would create millions of jobs, create and improve new technologies while making the country more energy independent, and make a healthier and smarter population. As in Roosevelt’s New Deal, the money spent would be an investment in our society and its survival. Lets get it done.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Write down your values in concrete terms. Be specific, and where appropriate, mention the contrasting options. (For example: “Choose nonviolent methods of conflict resolution over violent ones.”) Post the list where you will see it every day–or better yet, several times a day.
Make every decision courageously and in accordance with those values. Continue to solicit and consider good advice from educated, intelligent people who understand your values, whether or not they share those values. When it comes time to make a decision, be informed by their perspectives, and be guided by your list of values. Believe that an option exists to achieve any worthwhile goal without compromising your values; it does, always, every time, guaranteed. Persevere when it’s hard to find such a solution, so that you can live through your Presidency and your life knowing you have remained faithful to yourself.
I could suggest specific values to put on the list, of course: to make time to demonstrate to your family their value in your life, to treat all human beings as equally deserving of human rights and human dignity, and so forth. But I don’t need to do this; you know your values, and you don’t need a stranger to suggest wording for you.
Finally, I’d have to say a simple “Thank you.” I’m almost forty years old, and this is the first time in my life I’ve felt real respect for my President. You’ve inspired me, my children (who voluntarily stayed up late on election night to cheer you on), and my community. After eight years of being embarassed by a President who bumbled his words constantly, I get the thrill of feeling my heart swell to your articulate, intelligent speech–I can be proud of the impression you make on our behalf to the rest of the world.
So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
November 7th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Today is the day
by Beverly
The sun rises.
The eyes weep.
The future shines.
We have hope again.
We are not burdened
By the failures of the past.
Not today.
We are emboldened to fly free
Free of yesterday’s mistakes.
Time enough tomorrow
To figure out what has to happen
Time enough to lay the plans.
Today is a day of lightness,
A day of happiness.
A day to lay the burdens down
And dance.
November 7th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I am so relieved & grateful that Senator/President Elect Obama won the elction. I would humbly advise him to never, never trust a neofascist (http://www.neo-fascist.org/) republican. Never. Please.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Barack, give Ralph a call.
You need to talk.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Move the US away from being a militaristic war society to focus on programs that will benefit people here and in the world at large. This means reducing the Pentagon budget, not increasing it as you have stated you’d like to do. It also means getting out of Iraq, including leaving the military bases the US has built, and getting out of Afghanistan, not sending in more troops as you want to do. History has shown the folly of trying to subdue both Iraq and Afghanistan, and you are an intelligent, educated man, so you must know this.
All of this means going contrary to the wishes of corporate power–how, or if, you can do this, I don’t know, but perhaps focusing on the needs of humanity would give you millions of people watching your back.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:39 am
my advice? You know, i am a programmer – i have to think about worst case scenarios to avoid them
the situation – at the moment – is really wonderful. So wonderful that we all seem to forget, what could have happened without the Financial Crisis
what if the Black October would have been a Black November? Just one or two months delay – what if Lehman had survived just a month longer – or maybe just two weeks?
I remember the polls before, i guess, you too – and now? But the Emperor still lives, despite the fact, that – at the moment – most people can see that he has no clothes
Olin, Scaife, Coors, Bradley and Koch still exist, rich and powerful, don’t they?
so my advice – be careful, Obama. You won a battle, but not the war…
but when i look at him – how he starts to work, without much hooray, let alone holiday – i guess, he knows that. Obama isn’t a pampered rich son, that is a great advantage…
November 7th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Mr. President-Elect, we need your intelligent, effective, compassionate leadership in Washington. Dive in; I know you campaigned to some extent “against” the whole culture of Washington, but I know that by your very presence you are going to change that culture. However, what you must guard against is giving Washington players any reason to accuse you of being aloof, stand-offish, inflexible, self-righteous, or any of the downside of being from outside the Beltway. I’m thinking of Jimmy Carter, who suffered from such perceptions and it hurt his getting anything done and hurt his legacy. I’m thinking of Bill Clinton after the Republicans took control of Congress in 1994. I’m thinking of our own NYC mayor, David Dinkins, who coined the phrase “a gorgeous mosaic.” The only one of these leaders who seems to be remembered with respect is Clinton, although I think the other two were good and capable men. Your intellect and your education in foreign relations and law are great assets that I hope you will use to the absolute fullest. You also are a “people person” with valuable interpersonal/social skills. You’ve promised to aim for bipartisan cooperation, and obviously that’s a two-way street, but I think you need to be very assertive and reach across the aisle and keep reaching, and keep reaching. And do attend those Washington parties with Michelle, at least within reason. I imagine a lot of political work gets accomplished at those events. Be approachable; if you’re going to be “professorial,” please be the kind of professor whose door is always open and who plays in all the campus softball games. These are difficult times, but we, your supporters, will continue to have your back. I’m checking change.gov to see what I can be doing next. Oh, and may I say: Hallelujah!!!
November 7th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Dear Mr. President: There are several imperatives to be accomplished during your first term as President. They are:
1. Prosecution of the bush thugs for treason, war crimes, and crimes against Humanity. No pardons, no forgiveness. Dont insult our people with some old canard like “doing so would divide the nation” or some other crap.
2. A Constitutional Convention for the purpose of elimininating the hopelessly corrupt Electoral College, a Balanced Budget Amendment, and the passage of a a Voter Rights Law.
3. Nationalizing the “energy” industries and impounding their vast wealth for the purpose of funding research into new ways to generate electricty and propel motor vehicles WITHOUT BURNING ANYTHING.
4. A new WPA for the purpose of rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, under the auspices and supervision of trade unions.
5. Elimination of the patriot act homeland security, and “no child (read no billoinaire) left behind”.
6. Ending military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, recalling ALL our troops from foreign postings, and closing down all those bases.
Don’t betray our trust with anything short of these measures, and to hell with a second term, if this is what it comes to.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
It seems so unfair to say just suggest one thing, because there are so obviously so many things that need to be worked on. I think Obama is already intelligent, straight shooting, mindful of the people, and has already professed a desire to bring our country together in a bipartisan way, so I don’t need to tell him any of those things. I have been increasingly concerned about the militant and racist factions of thinking that have come to light because of this election. Of course there will always be some of these people around, they are simply a bit crazy. I feel that if Obama doesn’t be leary of the real threat that these racists present, than I am fearful for the safety of he and his family… I think I would want to tell him that I know there are too many things to fix right away, but that I think that something should be done about the voting system itself as a priority, and especially concerning companies like Diebold, and the fact that all the major news and radio outlets are owned by only 6 companies (most who have professed their loyalties to the GOP). Other than that I pretty much agree with all the thoughtful, intelligent and insightful things that everyone else has said on this page and might just tell the President ellect that he should read all of these comments. I feel quite sure that he is aware of most of issues commented on in this forum… that’s the impression I get about him. I really think something should be done about the crazy hate mongers who are spreading hate and fear among our citizens.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
<—— Follow the arrow to the left and never make a right turn. Also apopogize to Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright and any and all other revolutionaries for any negative things you said about them and prosecute bush and cheney
November 7th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
First, stop the killing. Maybe, just maybe, other societies have the right to determine the structure of their our governments. Unless the plan is to bomb the planet into a democratic parking lot we need to back off on our guns and ammo “Democracy” war.
But more important than any Other issue, is education. The state of California is the 6th or 7th largest economy in the world. But we are somewhere in the bottom 5 states for quality and effectiveness of education. Now the really pathetic part of this is the United States is somewhere around 27th in the world for quality and effectiveness of education. Without educated citizens & voters (I know thats a scary idea to most politicians) how are we ever going to crawl our way out of the mess we’ve spent our way into.
Drop the “U. S. A., #1″ mind set and gather a select group of educators to go out into the world and see what REALLY works when it comes to educating people. Don’t just throw money at a problem, FIX the problem. If it means dismantling the whole educational system in this country, so be it. But soon, very soon, other unimaginable problems are going to rise up, and unless we have the trained minds to meet these problems, you might as well just turn the planet over to the insects. That’s where it’s going now.
November 8th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I am so thrilled to have an intelligent president who listens and cares about the needs and dreams of the people. Please govern from the left. You have a mandate for healthcare, education reform, green jobs and bringing bush’s wars to an end. Don’t let bush’s deficits take this opportunity away. If we are to grow the deficit, let’s do it by rebuilding America and it’s foundations.
Appoint people to run our gov’t agencies who believe in the power of government to work for and with the people. Continue to speak to us as adults, with brains, who love their country. Give us your trust and we will return it with enthusiasm and determination. Change won’t come from the middle of the road, we know what you find along that yellow stripe, roadkill.
(and that can we’ve kicking for years and years).
Don’t listen to the cowards and fools who resist change and will urge centrist policies and hesitation. Go for it!
Yes. We. Can.
November 8th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Go back to Rev. Wright’s church and really start palling around with Bill Ayers. These are intelligent people who care about America, and can help you fix it, unlike the corporate pillagers whom you have promised to give “a seat at the table.”
November 8th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Please do not expand or continue the “Faith-based Program.” Let’s keep church and state separate.
November 8th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Number one on the agenda should be the outlawing of all electronic voting machines b/c they are designed expressly for one purpose: to steal elections. We have seen this over and over again since HAVA was passed. President Obama must act to implement hand counted paper ballots and only hand counted paper ballots for all elections in the country just like that which is used in all other G8 nations. It looks like we dodged a bullet this time b/c Rove was feeling legal pressure from a lawsuit which was taking place one day before election day in Ohio, the details of which are discussed in a posting by Mark Crispin Miller–
http://bleiersblog.blogspot.com/
If Obama fails to expunge these evil machines in his first term, then he can kiss his 2nd term and American democracy goodbye.
November 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
No marriage licenses issued by the government – only civil unions. Leave marriage for religous sacrament.
This will give all citizens equal rights.