Tag Archives: Obama

Finally a Tech Savvy White House

CNN Technology gets swamped on inauguration day, and isn’t sure what to do in “The Moment” with Photosynth. Perhaps they can take few lessons from the new tech savvy White House who is showing some chops in cyber space. PWND!

Posted in The Annals of Protest | Also tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Response

The Speech

Leaders lead from the podium. Those who say otherwise do not understand how leadership works. Regardless of your political stripes, few dispute that somewhere along the path of the last eight years George W. Bush stopped leading the country, primarily because he failed at the podium of public opinion.

President Obama has been something of national Rorschach inkblot test. People see in him what they want. His (fabulous) inauguration speech today was no different. Many will see in it what they want.

Here are my picks of favorite quotes. What do they say about me, and what does all this say about us?

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The End Of Cynicism?

Is this the end of cynicism? Obama’s soaring victory speech in Chicago last night was an oratorical flourish of positivism, such as has been missing in public discourses in America for years.

But what does this victory mean to the future tone of discourse in America? Is this the end of cynicism, the tone of voice which has become the best way to identify one as an American? Now that the revolution is over how will we speak, casually and formally, without the ability to mock, snark or deride the archetypes built since the 1960’s?

Certainly the old rebellion is over, so what will replace its messenger, which has been the sound of sarcasm in our voice?

Posted in Best Of, The Annals of Protest | Also tagged | 9 Responses

Bill Buckley and Gore Vidal

Bill Peshel’s site reminds us of a the 1968 mud wrestling match between Bill Buckley and Gore Vidal. Since along with Jean Shepherd, WFB is one of my earliest media influences, I throw my two cents in the ring:

“Regardless of how one feels about his politics – and the terms arrogant, elitist, monarchial, papist all fit – Buckley was a force that influenced politics for decades.”

Posted in Best Of, Visionaries | Also tagged , | 4 Responses