Daniel makes stuff, and, in his spare time, writes about things like movies, kid culture, and geek stuff.
The Millennial Generation and Politics

Maegan Carberry, responding to a pessimistic belief that the Millenial generation – who showed up in full force to vote Barack Obama into office – have since stopped caring:

Many say that the historic election was an isolated moment in time and that momentum has plateaued, but 2008 was the beginning of something that will manifest itself in the coming decade, starting with November’s midterm election, to 2012, 2014 and beyond as our nation’s demographics shift toward majority Millennial voters. It was the arrival of a generation that has since taken action to support our values system and vision for the future. We are often criticized as disappearing acts, or celebrity-crazed misanthropes who want the posters for our walls more than we respect the politics.

I don’t believe we disappeared. We went to work on the issues we care about. I don’t believe we disappeared. We went to work on the issues we care about. We demanded marriage equality, participated in the health care debate, fought for the rights of our peers who are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, called for an independent energy future, demanded fiscal responsibility, rallied for access to higher education and pushed for a more transparent government free to utilize the digital tools that are unique to our communications.

This is absolutely my experience as well. I’d say we’ve not so much stopped caring about the civic issues, but we’re showing our skepticism and disenfranchisement from the older generations’ top-down mechanisms of social change. We’re a Grassroots Generation – we’re not going to passively sit by and entrust our futures to stodgy politicians and corporate-sized and -run nonprofits, but we’re going to get out there and make change ourselves. Look no further than Invisible Children and Krocket Kids if you want proof of that.

May 01, 2010 :: Tagged under: , , :: #

This Moment in American History

Abraham Verghese, reflecting on the stirring passage of health care reform in the United States:

I have been trying to explain to my youngest why this is such an exciting moment: front line soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq take personal risks, put their lives on the line. But so few politicians put their careers on the line, even though they make decisions that have an impact on soldiers. President Obama (and to some degree every Democrat who supports this bill) is putting his political career on the line. The idea that you might do what you think is right and pay a penalty has been so foreign to politics that it surprises us when we see it. I think my son is surprised to hear all this. He assumes at 12 years of age that people, especially people we elect, go to Washington to do the right thing.

Mar 22, 2010 :: Tagged under: , , , :: #

David Brooks: "What Obama Stands For"

David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, provides readers with a strong reminder of who President Barack Obama has actually always been – not a skilled, ruthless liberal and not a weak, cerebral compromiser, but a “center-left pragmatic reformer.” (With an emphasis on the pragmatic part.)

I couldn’t agree more, and it’s his “on-the-one-hand-on-the-other” pragmatism matched with a classically grand ideology of America, not far from the visions of Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King, Jr., that attracted me to Barack Obama to begin with.

In a sensible country, people would see Obama as a president trying to define a modern brand of moderate progressivism. In a sensible country, Obama would be able to clearly define this project without fear of offending the people he needs to get legislation passed. But we don’t live in that country. We live in a country in which many people live in information cocoons in which they only talk to members of their own party and read blogs of their own sect. They come away with perceptions fundamentally at odds with reality, fundamentally misunderstanding the man in the Oval Office.

Mar 16, 2010 :: Tagged under: , :: #

Why Most Education Reform Fails

Marion Brady, for Truthout:

Washington Post headline, February 18, 2010: “Lawmakers to launch bipartisan effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind.”

Reading that headline, teachers familiar with the King James Bible are likely to recall one of Jesus’ parables as quoted by Luke: “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?”

Mar 11, 2010 :: Tagged under: , , :: #

Coburn Said Yes.

After dozens of activists held out for 262 hours outside the Oklahoma City office of Senator Tom Coburn, a compromise was reached today that — barring any holds placed by other Senators — should allow the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act to pass the full Senate later this week.

The Oklahoma Hold Out gained enormous local press coverage, putting pressure on Senator Coburn’s staff to negotiate a solution to the legislative impasse. Starting with just 30 committed young people, it grew to over 70 and continued to gain momentum.

Talk about the power of young people to change the world. Rock on, kids.

Mar 09, 2010 :: Tagged under: , , :: #

46 Million Reasons for Health Care Reform

From a widely-respected group of leaders in America’s faith community, Sojourners magazine shares what they see as “The moral imperatives for change.” Probably the most articulate, intelligent contributions of discourse I’ve seen yet in the debate over health care reform.

Oct 18, 2009 :: Tagged under: , , :: #

Fourth Grader Asks Obama: "Why Do People Hate You?"

At a town hall event today in New Orleans, one young fourth-grader asked a question of the visiting President Obama that I think has been on a lot of people’s minds.

Talking Points Memo:

President Obama took a question from a fourth-grader named Tyren Scott who wanted to know, “Why do people hate you?”

“They’re supposed to love you,” he continued.

After the crowd swooned, Obama responded that the boy should take criticism of him with “a grain of salt.”

“One party feels like they need to poke you, keep you on your toes,” he said.

“When things are tough, you’re gonna get some of the blame,” Obama said. But, he added, “I’m a tough guy. Are you a tough guy? You look pretty tough.”

Sometimes I wonder if kids see the world a bit more clearly than most adults. At least Tyren does, I’d say.

Oct 16, 2009 :: Tagged under: , , :: #

Senate Confirms Sotomayor to U.S. Supreme Court

Best news I’ve heard all day.

Aug 06, 2009 :: Tagged under: , :: #