Citizen Brand

A Modern U.S. President

Enjoy this spoof with President Obama being portrayed by actor Ronnie Butler, a great friend of my brother Scott. Share this with all your friends!

 

 

Photo of the Decade

This photo brought new meaning to a picture is worth a thousand words - or just two words.

 

Filling the Republican vacuum

No one loves it more than him. The fact that Rush Limbaugh has become the center of all things Republican since Barack Obama moved into the White House makes him very happy. His ratings are probably strong which means he can charge his advertisers more for his daily dose of entertainment disguised as political discussion. His pronouncements that he hopes President Obama fails continue which begs the question, what is it you are for Rush? We always know what you are against.

What right thinking Republicans must be asking themselves now is how did we get here? The party of Lincoln, T. Roosevelt and Reagan is in search of their next leader. The Party apparatus elected an African American as Chairman, but no one seems to be showing him respect yet. They sent out poor Bobby Jindal to follow the President and he didn't fare so well. But who would with the tired and worn out format of the "opposition response" to the President. It's not a fair fight and should be scrapped in the future. Why not set a speech the next day for someone in front of a friendly crowd to lay out the loyal opposition's agenda.

Right now, Republicans are in search of their voice and in desperate need of focused leadership. Romney, Palin, Jindal, Gingrich and the GOP leaders in Congress are talking all at once. Which brings us back to the loudest voice the Republicans have right now - Rush Limbaugh. He has the biggest megaphone and any Republican who doesn't fall into line gets called out on the air and forced to apologize to the big guy if they dare criticize him.

The Obama White House is stoking the fire. From the Chief of Staff to the Press Secretary to the President himself, all have said over and over that it is obvious that Rush Limbaugh is the defacto leader of the Republican Party today. This political sideshow is interesting to watch. Who will be the Republican to step up and try to wrest the megaphone away from Limbaugh? Will the Democrats keep throwing logs on the fire to keep Rush the face and voice of the GOP? Will Limbaugh sacrifice the Party that has kept him in the lifestyle to which he has become accustomed in order to keep the spotlight on him?

Stay tuned. It can only get more interesting.

Style points

 

President Barack Obama campaigned on change as we all know. And while we have already seen some policy changes from the previous administration, there is also a noticeable difference in style and approach to governing from former President Bush. We will let the Associated Press take it from here.

White House doors are open for business

Barack Obama's campaign was all about change. He didn't waste any time in starting to pay that off.  At 12:01 pm on January 20 -- one minute after he became President -- his White House once again became our White House. WWW.whitehouse.gov launched and gives each of us immediate access to what the Obama Presidency will do for us and for all the world.

Check it out. The issues are there. His administration's agenda. History of the White House and the Presidency for the kids. And they want to know what we think. The conversation his campaign began with all of us continues.

That's one big promise kept already.

A League of their Own

I'm a sucker for stuff like this.  Regardless of your political leanings, it is truly extraordinary to see all the living US Presidents together in the Oval Office.  It says something about our country and about how, despite the deep divisions and serious issues we have, we transition power from one president to another with grace and dignity.

The same can't be said for what has been happening on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.  Seat the man from Illinois and tell Coleman in Minnesota the election is over and let's get busy moving this country forward.  The Democrats in Congress need to understand one thing.  There is only one top Democrat now and he will be at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  Get on board the train before it leaves the station.

Why Obama is President-elect

He had a single organizing thought - change.

He was disciplined in sticking to his message.

So was his staff.

He understood community organizing and applied it to the national level.

He gives a damn good speech.

He has a vision for the future and is able to make us all see it and feel it.

He energized a new generation of leaders for our future.

Obama understands America's place in the world and is ready to take us where we need to be.

He has already helped raise America's standing in the world by winning this election.

As proof of that, read this email from a good friend of mine in Ireland, Jim Walsh.

Congratulations on the ultimate example of democracy in action.

Whether Democrat or Republican the people of the United States of America
have shown the world how to behave when selecting a new leader.

The stunning acceptance speech from Barack Obama and the gracious acceptance
of defeat from John McCain has reverberated around the world.

Here in Ireland we quickly found a link with your president-elect. His
great, great, great, grandfather emigrated to the United States during the
Famine from a village called Moneygall in County Offaly. We look forward to
welcoming President Barack Obama to his ancestral home as we did John F.
Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

Jim

Isn't it great how everyone in the world wants to lay claim to our incoming President.

Thanks Jim for giving us a great perspective on how the rest of the world is looking at the events of November 4.

A Journey to Remember

The excitement and anticipation and joy that envelopes this nation with the election of Barack Obama is nearly indescribable.  I won't try other than to say the following.

Change is more than a word. President-elect Obama will bring change. America will regain respect in the world which will do more for our own security than anything else. We will see equality return in our domestic policies. And a new generation of leadership will bring new thinking and new ideas to address the challenges and opportunities ahead.

This campaign has been a great and wonderful journey. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Barack Obama for President

Saturday Night Live

Clearly, Saturday Night Live is the first winner of the 2008 elections. The show that won't and should not go away found its voice again this fall. There were so many great sketches, but this was one of my favorites. Enjoy.