baseball, gadaffi, occupy wall street

i don't have much to write at the moment, but wanted to share a few things that are trending through this blogger's mind!

• Baseball : for the last couple of weeks, i've been infatuated with baseball. actually ive been infactuated for the last couple of (10 or so) years. but ive been watching american baseball at the oddest of hours (start time 2AM in joburg) for the last couple of weeks. many people have remarked at the amount of dedication that takes. i think its mostly stupidity, but i dont know any other way! the reason i'm paying special attention this year is that my team, the st. louis cardinals, are in the playoffs (now world series). they won the world series last in 2006. and i still remember every moment of that memorable time. this year's playoffs/world series has the potential to match or eclipse that storied 2006 season. see, this season the cards were hit with so many injuries to key players. sometime in august, after a string of heartbreaking losses, i stopped intently following them (a bad fan i know). many that i knew (as well as other teams and media) left them for dead as they continued to pile on loss after loss. but sometime in late august or early september, something clicked. they started winning a whole bunch of games. mathematically, however, they were only a couple losses to being completely eliminated from playoff contention. but something strange and magical happened. as they continued to win games, the team they were chasing for the extra wild card spot, the atlanta braves, started losing a massive number of their games. these two teams, moving in opposite direction when once they were far apart in the standing, finally closed the gap and were tied on the 2nd to last regular season game. it would take a win by the cardinals and a loss by the braves, several hours later, to clinch a playoff spot in magical fashion. after they (barely) made it to the playoffs, they went ahead a beat the best team in baseball (philadelphia) with their imposing pitching staff, then they beat the team that beat them in their division (milwaukee) with their imposing lineup or batters. now they face a very difficult team (texas), tied 1-1 in a best of 7 series. a win would be just way to magical, way too special, for a team who everyone once gave up on.

• Gadaffi : someone asked me what i feel about his death. after not a lot of thought, i responded: relieved, its about time. it seems that after the prolonged fight and the many friends and networks that gadaffi has across the world, the only resolution that remained was to kill him. interestingly, the misguided south african government put out a statement by the president saying that it wouldve prefered that he be put to trial by the ICC instead of killed. hmm, SA foreign policy never seizes to amaze me sometimes. wrong on cote d'ivoire, wrong on egypt, wrong on libya. again. first SA votes with europeans on the air attacks. then says, no they were fooled and the air strikes have gone beyond the agreement (this of course, after they were scolded by the BRIC countries, most importantly China). then they refuse to side with the so-called "rebels" or recognise them. then the bad man is killed and they say he should have been tried by the ICC. this is the same international criminal court that they complain of being too one-sided in its witch hunt of bad african leaders. this is the same court that they could partner with to bring the sudanese tyrant of a president, omar al-bashir, to justice after being accused and wanted for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, embezzlement, etc. but they refuse to. right. anyway, back to gadaffi, while i am relieved that the man is dead, i refuse to celebrate his death like others do. i'm not saying they are wrong to do so. perhaps they have very good reasons to rejoice. however, just like the death of bin laden earlier in the year, this to me is a solemn moment, a moment to reflect, and more importantly, a moment to consider the future and what it means, a golden opportunity to re-build.

• Occupy Wall Street :  this movement is fascinating, to say the least! I couldn't get enough of reading about this, especially because every news article, every person interviewed, has a different view on what is actually being protested and the merits of it. ive always thought of myself fully business-oriented. at the same time i would also like to think of myself as people-oriented. ive argued many times that it shouldnt be mutually exclusive that what's best for business is best for people. i still believe that. which is why on the one hand i can sympathise with those who feel that wall street has screwed them over with bad (to put it mildly) investments of their money, shady dealings, and bailouts that at times simply went to  the pockets of the perpetrators through bonuses. on the other hand, i can sympathise with those on wall street or in 'the corporation'. many are simply trying to make the most money for their clients (as they have been charged to do). yes, without wall street or big business, we wouldnt have the massive collapse in world economies that we've experienced over the last few years, but without wall street, many would also not have jobs to lose in the first place. big business has created a lot of job. yes, even manually-created bubbles such as the housing bubble or the internet bubble created millions of jobs and many are grateful for it. bill clinton would not have won a 2nd term if not for it. what is disturbing about the occupy wall street movement, however, is in its very nature. it was conceived at the grassroots- a movement largely leader-less, addressing the concerns of the masses and not of the few. i love it. i really do. but at some point you need a leader. you need a clear message. in search of that message, many have turned to a single word: anger. we're angry so we protest. ok, that'll get you noticed, but then what? look at the COPE party in south africa. the leaders were angry that their voices werent heard so they formed another party. that party was doomed from the start, as it could not decide on a platform or key positions on key issues and is now largely in the background. and now occupy wall street faces the same hurdles. many across the US and across the world have taken advantage of this movement and now have made it their own. ive got no clue what SA is protesting (one account says its protesting against capitalism. borring. another says it seeks a different approach. what approach then? and approach to what? gimme an effing break.). but this is inevitable. when a movement is ill-defined, it risks the real possibility of being hijacked by other movements, or other individuals, in hopes of self-gain. i look forward to seeing what comes of this movement. my opinion: i think people in the US should be thinking seriously of how to break this constitutional "barrier" against a third party. i would love to see a third party in the US that addresses real issues and does not cater to the norm and the tired arguments of the 19th century! i do not want the tea party; i don't want the green party or the reform party. i want a party serious about thinking intellectually and outside the linear line of american politics. a party not afraid to side with another party if ideologically-sound. a party that address the real issues in real and practical ways and not one so far fetched that only crazy people would follow. i'm tired of stalemates. time to check!

nigeria votes 2011: big day

in a few hours, nigerians go to to polls to vote in a new president and governors. so many things have happened since the start (or almost start) of the elections. there was the postponement, and then the 2nd postponement. the shellacking (in nigerian terms) of the ruling party in the parliamentary elections, and theres the collapse of one of the opposition party presidential candidates who many young people initially believed could bring about change. this was ribadu, the former chair of the anti-corruption agency. as i've mentioned in an earlier post, this guy completely turned me off when i watched him debate. i'm still impressed with the party and its organisation and seeming desire to deliver services in areas they control (like lagos), but im not at all convinced in the candidacy of mr ribadu. and apparently neither was he, as he and his party tried had to merge with another opposition, as theyve tried many times in the past. its all politics folks!

so at this moment, im feeling very proud and hopeful that things are happening in nigeria. im so inspired, not by politicians or empty promises, but the committed activity by ordinary nigerians who tweet and blog endlessly, given people like me a feeling like we were actually there. another journalist widely respected, christian purefoy, has set up a site and uploads videos and reports on whats happening. ive known about this guy for some time now and he's covered nigeria for several years and im constantly impressed with the way he covers nigeria and the sorts of stories he tells. stories that are not always the mainstream. i think i have a man-crush! keep up the good work. check out his site: http://christianpurefoy.tumblr.com/.

good luck nigeria. let change and development reign!

nigerian votes 2011: fool me once, twice...

the nigerian elections are less than 2 weeks away. and of course we've begun to see the tell tale signs that people are ready to vote and votes are ready to be counted. those signs include pre-election violence (read: a bunch of hooligans, some paid by political parties, decide to reak havoc for their own good and hide under the cloak of fighting for democracy) and lots of ridiculous promises by politicians. so i wanted to briefly explore those promises and some hopes that make nigerians so hopeful that this time, this year, change is in the air!

i was watching a not-so-great debate of the top candidates - minus the top-est candidate, mr. goodluck - the other day and just noticed how completely full of hot air these politicians were. OK thats not really earth shattering news, politicians have never been known for substance anywhere in the world. But this was just to another level. I really believe that these men believed that they can fool nigerians over and over by their empty words and we would simply grin and take it, stick our asses in the air and ask for more. one was asked what he would do about the crisis in the energy industry and what specifically he would do. he responded something to the effect of "specifically, he would look into the problem"! are we nigerians that dumb to believe this sht? or is he that dumb to think we can be easily fooled? another said he would investigate the misuses of the past administrations. while admirable, id much rather a government thats forward looking that one that obsessively looks backwards and blames everyone from military, to the british, to the sun and the moon for all that ills nigeria. another does not know the difference between military dictatorships and democracy. yet another commented that he would set up committees upon committees to get to the root of the problem. ok. committees are nice and fact finding. wait. this is nigeria we're talking about. committees are yet another excuse to party and squander tax payers money.

i was very critical of mr. goodluck jonathan's - the noted academic - failure to join in the debate, but his actions seem to speak louder than a words on a stage can. that's the other tell tale sign of nigerian elections: the legislation and presidency begin (and i stress begin) to take action. for example, the year's budget was finally passed! never mind that every expert, nonexpert, reasonably minded and nonthinker knows that there's no way in heaven, hell or earth that that budget will be implemented or is even implementable. not to mention the gross domestic deficit it calls for. in other news, the government is finally planning on rolling out a gas policy that will allow the country to take advantage of the massive potential of gas generation and export. the govt also made a big hoopla about the train project which is nearing its end and would allow people to travel effortlessly around the country (and why dont we start with moving goods and providing enabling infrastructure for the necessary and free movement of goods??). the revised oil bill, due ages ago, looks like it might pass soon. the prez has promised millions of jobs within the next couple of years. etc. etc. the president, mr. goodluck himself, however, has not explained why the external reserves which he controls have dipped ridiculously low. but hey, we can't ask for a saint can we?

needless to say i'm completely uninspired by the candidates rolled out to lead this great conundrum of a country. but rather the devil you know than the devil you don't right? i'm starting to think a goodluck presidency (a legitimate one) could be good for the country. he would inspire a lot of youth from the south-south region - a region from where no president has ever hailed, even as it is largely responsible for the vast wealth of nigeria today. perhaps he would get some backbone and stop trying to please the granddaddies of politics and focus on the people. hey, one can only hope.

now back to the reason for most people's hope. the independent national electoral commission national chairman, mr jega. hand picked by mr goodluck. the good news is that unlike his immediate and past predecessors, mr. jega is widely respected and acknowledged as an honest, well meaning, hard working man of action. and he's shown that so far. i honestly have not heard 2 bad words about this man. nigerians, election observers (already in the country), and the international community are all up on this man's jock. so he must be doing something right. at times i worry tho, that the problems are so grave and ingrained (and largely beyond his control), and the expectations so high. he cannot stop people from engaging in violent acts. he cannot stop political parties from employing thugs to vandalise and intimidate. but he has set up his organisation to represent his values. he's set up special courts for election cases to be resolved faster than normal. he's fired those within inec that are not in line with his values, he's run a successful voter registration. etc. etc. i wish this man the best. but i also caution against unreasonably high expectations for one man (see: b-obama).

ultimately, im left asking what will be considered success for nigeria's elections? ive admittedly lowered my expectations in all areas regarding my country. i dont expect much and i enjoy being pleasantly surprised when something good happens. so what are the election observers looking for to call this election good, free, or fair? will it be relative to other failed elections in nigeria? or compared against the beeming electioneering experts of our good neghbour, cote d'ivoire? will nigerians stand up and refuse to be fooled or taking as fools one more time? will we take after ken saro wiwa and wole soyinka and take to the streets? its all coming up in the days of our nigeria! this should be a good one. stay tuned!

the english, american, and nigerian

so you've heard the one about the english guy, american, and nigerian at the bar, right? what is that? you haven't? well allow me to tell you. there was a english guy, an american and a nigerian sitting having a beer at a bar in london on election night. the english lad turns to the other two and says, "mates, you're really watching true democracy in action. our system is so good, that we're having the elections now and in just a couple days, we will know who the winners are, barring run-offs." the american just smiled and said, "man, y'all have some stuff to learn. we hold our elections in america and that same night, we know who the president is!" meanwhile, the nigerian bloke is just having the time of his life, laughing at these two okes. takes a break from his laughter and says, "guys, our system in nigerian beats all others. even though we are having elections today, we've already decided on the winner months ago!"

I read this recently: "Nigerians are incurable optimists and believe the ballot is the way to effect change. This will clearly not go on forever. As it is said, if you fool a person once you are a fool, but if you fool that person twice then for sure that person is a fool. I don’t think the Nigerian youth is a fool."

nigerian elections are coming up in a little over a month, on 9th april. so i'll be writing about that quite a bit from now. but of course i'll try to write about other things as well. and i promise, to those that are not into politics and government, i will write very shortly about something much more personal. watch this space...

for now, back to nigerian elections. Everywhere you go, you're bound to run into nigerians. and everytime i to talk to nigerians about the upcoming elections, they are always so optimistic. there's a reason nigerians have won the prize for most optimistic people 3 years running. anyway, im one nigerian who's doing his best to hold back any measure of optimism. don't get me wrong, i would love nothing else than to be optimistic, but a wise prof once told me "a cynic is simply someone who used to be an optimist and has just been knocked down too many times." ive been disappointed in nigeria too many times, ive ached for nigerian too many times, ive rejoiced in nigeria too many times and then watched it take 14 steps back after 1/2 a step forward, ive sobbed for nigeria too many times. i also deeply respect my friends who remain optimists and hope that i can one day regain that same sense.

This nigerian election is different only for one reason. There is no clear frontrunner. Yes, the sitting president will likely win, because thats how they roll, but he's not a given, as the aforementioned joke alludes. Mr. goodluck, if he wins this election, will finally be able to claim that for the first time in his life, he's actually won an election (although he's been deputy governor, governor, vice president, then president). he will also accomplish another first in being the first president from the so-called "south-south" - the oil rich part of the country. the part of the country that makes the nation one of the richest in the continent, but a region which remains one of the poorest in the world. His major competition, a man i truly respect, is mr. ribadu, former and exiled chairman of the anti-corruption body under the former president OBJ. This man has vision, and he's young and vibrant and a hope-monger. im a sucker for hope-mongers! i very much doubt he'll win tho as he belongs to a much smaller party than the ruling party, but i like the hope he's instilling in young nigerians. the other competitor is mr buhari, who is past his prime and his time, but whom many nigerians respect for good reason.

I don't really have a fovourite for the election, but what im hoping is that more than any other election in the history of this young nation, the electorate wakes up and begins to demand action and progress. i doubt anything like egypt or tunisia will happen in nigeria, for good reason (tho i wouldnt be completely opposed to it), but instead, what nigeria needs are politicians that begin to debate policy, issues, and outcomes. tell me what youve done or what you plan to do and exactly how you will do it and you get my vote. the current lagos governor for example was accused by the opposition of corruption and while people knew he had shady dealings, no one gave a flying saucer, because what he's been doing for the last several years in lagos has had real and positive effects on the lives of ordinary lagosians. signs of progress are visible and continuous. is it not time we began to demand such from all our politicians? starting with our president? how many times must we listen to empty promises of reform in energy? or end to blackouts? no one even talks jobs or employment anymore, while the related issues of crime and gangsterism are increasingly on the rise. what about progressive issues of renewable energy that the economy is well positioned to take advantage of? what about health care and mortality rates? tourism? or an economy that encourages and harbours small and medium sized start-ups instead of frustrating them? "Nigeria's election commission has already deployed 240,000 people-more than all armies of west africa's 16 countries put together-and 132,000 data capture machines, which if lined up edge-to-edge, would cover over 80km." surely, change is in the air, no?

a friend of mine set up a day of prayer for nigeria and the elections tomorrow on facebook. i admire that. but firmly believe that faith without action is DEAD. nigerians should stop being a "hopefully" country, praying and longing for that one day when things may get better. and begin making changes now! im not talking of revolutions and uprisings. im talking of rejecting corruption as a way of life. being whistle blowers, starting impact business defying the difficulties that come with it, empowering children and youth, eduating. nigerians are smart and resiliant and we believe we're a special breed. we are. and if others can make change happen - the kind of change that impacts the ordinary citizen and brings about meaningful development - nigerians certainly can as well. in fact we should be leading the pack.

post-post: i think i write a fair bit about nigeria in this space. but im quite disappointed that i dont have the kind of following from nigeria that would be expected. so thats my goal now! interestingly, i have a sizeable following from the Ukraine! I know approximately no one in or from the Ukraine, but somehow, last week, the highest traffic i got was from the Ukraine. This week, Japan is threatening their position. go figure! anyway, nigeria is now on my watch list.

post-post #2: what leaders that remain in power despite election laws, or african leaders who refuse to recognise the power of democratically casted votes (looking at u zuma, goodluck, dos santos, etc), are saying is that they, as a sole individual, are more enlightened than the masses. while at times the masses may get things wrong, i reject that notion as firmly against the institution of democracy, the same institution that they purport to be champion. i also reject the notion that they are smarter than me. ur not.

100th post!

i'm so proud that on my 100th blog post i get to talk about a couple things that i'm so passionate about! politics and baseball! i actually hesitate to call it "politics" (tho i do enjoy my fair share of political bullshit discussions). but this is more than mere politics. what i want to talk about is about freedoms. its about people. and their voices. its about a revolution!

a while ago i read an op-ed piece where an egyptian was quoted after the tunisian people toppled the sitting government as saying that "today, we are all tunisians". the feeling of unbelief, then exuberance that filled me after what happened in tunisia remains undescribable. likewise, and even more so, i find it hard to put into words how i felt on saturday when i could proudly say, "today, we are all egyptians". i dunno why, but i felt such a pull towards the egyptian people. ...the resiliance...the passion...the cries...the tears...the shed lives...the strength. ive learned to value people of different persuasions to me in many areas of my life, but i find it really hard to understand people who are not emotionally charged by what is happening in the middle east. as a brotherhood (and sisterhood!) of human beings, we owe the people of egypt and tunisia (now yemen, iran, and others) nothing less than to take pride (and part, if we can) in what is happening. the process. the transformation. the revolution.

in high school, as the student body president, my advisor and civics teacher, ms. meyer, used to urge us student leaders to find something that we're passionate about (like free lunches or updated textbooks, or new facilities...yea, life was really difficult back then!) and fight for it. jokingly, she said she really wanted to see students stage a mass walk-out. i remember ms. meyer saying some pretty crazy and out-there things, but the lady had a good point. i don't think i've ever cared about something or someone so deeply that i was willing to risk my life for it. this is not about politics. this is about people. wanting to be free. wanting to hold people accountable to their words. this is government for the people, by the people. i truly hope that the succeeding weeks and months reaffirm, rather than squash that. even more, i hope that the lesson here for others is to find something that we are sincerely passionate about that we are not afraid to put our voices to and risk our lives for. thats deep.

tahrir means liberation.

watching the crowds demand their liberation, demand that their voices be heard, assert that they will no longer live in fear, but that their voices and actions matter and count for something, i was moved. these voices had been quieted for so many decades under the bane of fear, unworthiness, guilt, shame, religion, and hopelessness. these voices had had enough. for more than 2 weeks, these voices proclaimed that they would no longer be kept silent. one protester at tahrir square who came with his wife and young daughter reflected,

"We got a message from Tunis. And the message was: Don't burn yourself up, burn up the fear that is inside you. That is what happened here. This was a society in fear and the fear has been burned. When we meet God, we will at least be able to say: We tried to do something" [more]

That was before president mubarak stepped down. rather, was driven down. the egyptians more than "tried to do something". the protesters, the volunteers who came daily to ensure peace was held and the sick were tended to and the grounds were clean and the looters were kept at bay, they all were part of a great revolution of our time. a revolution seeking democracy and development, freedom and unity, and seeking this not through foreign armies and crooked deals, not through guns and wars, but rather through that very natural gift of their voices. united. one can only hope that the ripples that have been started in the arab world, emboldens other communities and brings them together in one call - the call for credible and democratic leadership which is for the people, by the people.

i could say so much more about this, but i'm already getting too emotional. thanks to al jazeera which has kept me glued to news and analysis from a different perspective all along. its interesting to read journalists and other commentators debate whether "an egypt" or "a tunisia" can happen in their country. to those that doubt that it can, i say, shit on your people long enough and soon enough they'll start realising that the droplets they feel on their heads is in fact that - shit. i think most people don't appreciate being shat on for an extended period of time. maybe that's just me.

moving on...baseball.

this has nothing to do with the post above, but its gotta have a mention. pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training / camp (mostly in florida). most other players will report by the end of the week. and the baseball season (seemingly never ending) is upon us once again. for my south african buddies who i have yet to convince of the genius of baseball, let me say again that this sport (as dull as it may look to the layman) is truly one of the greats. come chat to me. in the mean time, heres to my favourite team, the cardinals, signing one of my favourite playes, poo-joles (pujols), to another great season, and a world series (yes, we are the best in the world so much so that we dont need to play other countries to tell us this) ring for the cards.

(slightly) more b-obama

to water your pallets: just wanna give a heads-up that this blog will be experiencing some dramatic and some not-so-dramatic changes in the future...think next year and beyond. so watch this space!

on other news, actually old news. more about what i discussed in the last post. read about how most americans seem to be misinformed and how i firmly believe that obama needs a new spin doctor. or better yet, just communicate to americans with the passion and clarity you once had.

"Frightened by joblessness, the American people rewarded the party that not only opposed the stimulus but also blocked the extension of unemployment benefits. Alarmed by a ballooning national debt, they rewarded the party that not only transformed budget surpluses into budget deficits but also proposes to inflate the debt by hundreds of billions with a permanent tax cut for the least needy two per cent. Frustrated by what they see as inaction, they rewarded the party that not only fought every effort to mitigate the crisis but also forced the watering down of whatever it couldn't block."

read more: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/11/15/101115taco_talk_hertzberg

~won't the real obama please stand up~

i realise that obama (lovingly called b-obama in this space, if you recall) has been painfully absent in my blog entries of late. so, to keep from forgetting the forgotten, this entry appears. tho, i guess you can't really call obama the forgotten. he is very well on the hearts and minds of most americans and many many foreigners (e.g. south africans who do not fail to ask me what the next step is for obama or which republican candidate will inevitably unseat him in a couple years). i really feel sorry for the guy, well kind of. obama gets back from his longest overseas trip this week - a trip which saw some successes (india, indonesia) and some dismal failures (no south korea trade agreement and no love at the G20). even more exciting, he goes home to face more questions about the "shellacking" (in his own words) he and his party experienced during the elections a week or so ago.

perusing the www, there is no shortage of articles stating what went wrong, how it can or cannot be fixed, and what obama did or did not do or should or should not do (did you know that democrats are mad at him cuz he doesnt call them or take pics with them and republicans are mad at him cuz he doesnt invite them to golf outings? true stuff!). and maybe its just me and maybe i have a bit of a socialist in me (but really who doesnt, come on...), but i cannot for the life of me understand people's aversion to being insured or having health insurance. yes, it costs the government money when it doesn't have much, but imagine a recession like the one we were just in where millions lost their jobs. what if those guys were not insured or their insurance didn't cover much. now we would have unemployment, a recession, and loads of peeps packing the ERs cuz they can't go for a normal procedure or worse off the elderly and poor dying, unable to treat simple injuries. during massive job losses, the worst thing you want to do is exacerbate that by not having enough social service nets to take care of people that cannot take care of themselves. if the government does not take care of the helpless, what is the role of the government. even more, obama did this w/o raising taxes which almost amounts to magic (aka chinese debt). and don't even get me started with the tea party (actually i know very little about this group as i refuse to even read up on them and their ridiculous tactics). anyway, i digress.

its a rather cool exercise to look at presidents' photos during their tenure to grasp just how much stress and burden the position is. and with 2 wars, a global recession, the fall of the investment banking sector as we know it, and rising unemployment, obama has his fair share of burden and stress i'm sure. so before i close with my 2 cents of what i think obama needs to do to regain his credibility in the eyes of voters, a bit of pictorial digression.

Once upon a time, obama burst unto the show with much fan-fare and promise - a savior almost - looking so fresh n so clean, talking a new kind of politics, a new america.

Then shortly after he won the hearts, minds, and imaginations of the american people, he realised what he had gotten himself into. and the grey hairs and sulken face began to appear.

shame. that's what a shellacking will do to you. look listen and learn, folks! and after all the mudslinging and attempts at "changing washington" (hah!) and more attempts at pleasing the never-happy liberals (i almost think ultra-liberals get off on finding something to complain about, otherwise their existence would be worthless) and the conniving conservatives, what is america's view of the so-called neo-messiah now?

and really i can't blame anyone but obama himself for that assessment...which leads me to my 2 cents.

when obama came unto the screen, he was viewed and appreciated by many, including myself, as the anti-bush, in many ways. here was a figure that was both inspirational and pragmatic. one who inspired others to think larger than themselves and expect more and better from their leaders. a smart and informed president - what a new and refreshing thought in these modern times! well, i think he may have taken that batton so far that he forgot that even as an intelligent and thoughtful, careful president, you still need a human touch (see president clinton). obama has lost that human touch. without which, all best-laid plans and inspirational speeches and attempts to cross party lines becomes moot. maybe, just maybe, the reps are unto something by being upset over no invites to golf outings. now when we see obama, we literally see a man that talks to the audience or often, above the audience, chin raised with a hint of condescendence in his speech - all too reminiscent of the upper-lipped, upper class of upper england. sorry, that just wont cut it in america. take academics for example (or just really bright people); we all love them and appreciate their contributions to society. but who wants to sit there and listen all day to an intelligent person reminding you of his/her intelligence all the time? people (esp. women :P) when they've had a tough day and they're spilling it all to their poor man aren't necessarily looking for answers and solutions, theyre looking for empathy and someone to listen. and though in a president we do want answers and solutions, we do not expect him to all of a sudden forget that there is a human perspective to leadership. and yes, it requires you doing some stupid things sometimes, like playing golf with people and taking time to take photos with others.

b-obama showed this human element many times during his 2008 campaign. he showed anger when he was outraged at the response to katrina for example, he was often calm and collected when speaking of important matters like the global recession, he was thoughtful and brilliant when speaking of matters of race, and he was filled with tears of compassion, grief and mixed emotions when speaking of his late grandmother.

we know the real obama is in there somewhere. let's see it again. many presidents have understood that your agenda means nothing if you dont carry the american people with you or make silly gestures to reach across the aisle. i don't care much for silly gestures (tho, they are a necessary evil), but i believe obama owes the american people a touch of emotion and feel of understanding as he drives his agenda and policy. i fully support what he is trying to achieve, but all of it will be undermined if he cannot take the public with him - whether that is by holding their hands, stooping down to help them or carry them along, lowering his flippin chin, or, yes, even having a beer with a local who's just lost his job.