Invest in the U.S.

Bob Herbert, as usual, tells it like it is:

NYT: The resolution may be difficult, but it’s essential. Americans must resolve to be smarter going forward than we have been for the past several years.

Look around you. We have behaved in ways that were incredibly, astonishingly and embarrassingly stupid for much too long. We’ve wrecked the economy and mortgaged the future of generations yet unborn. We don’t even know if we’ll have an automobile industry in the coming years. It’s time to stop the self-destruction.

The slogan? “Invest in the U.S.” By that I mean we should stop squandering the nation’s wealth on unnecessary warfare overseas and mindless consumption here at home and start making sensible investments in the well-being of the American people and the long-term health of the economy.

The mind-boggling stupidity that we’ve indulged in was hammered home by a comment almost casually delivered by, of all people, Bernie Madoff, the mild-mannered creator of what appears to have been a nuclear-powered Ponzi scheme. Madoff summed up his activities with devastating simplicity. He is said to have told the F.B.I. that he “paid investors with money that wasn’t there.”

The beef:

Somehow, over the past few decades, that has become the American way: to pay for things — from wars to Wall Street bonuses to flat-screen TVs to video games — with money that wasn’t there.

Something for nothing became the order of the day. You want to invade Iraq? Convince yourself that oil revenues out of Baghdad will pay for it. (Meanwhile, carve out another deficit channel in the federal budget.) You want to pump up profits in the financial sector? End the oversight and let the lunatics in the asylum run wild.

Larry Summers on Obama's Job Creation Plan

Larry Summers, Director of Obama's National Economic Council, wrote in the Washington Post today about Obama's plan for jobs and how boosting consumer spending isn't going to cut it. I agree. Consumerism can't continue to prop up our economy. It's also destroying the planet. We need a real economy. Meanwhile, conservatives are whining about corporate tax cuts.

WaPo: Our president-elect understands both the peril and the promise of the situation and the importance of responding to changing conditions. That is why his economic team is crafting a broad proposal, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, to support the jobs and incomes essential for recovery while also making a down payment on our nation's long-term financial health.

A key pillar of the Obama plan is job creation. In the face of deteriorating economic forecasts, Obama has revised his goal upward, to 3 million. For one thing, significantly fewer positions would be created in the absence of any recovery plan. Second, more than 80 percent of these 3 million jobs will be in the private sector, including emerging sectors such as environmental technology. This is a bold goal. But economists across the political spectrum recognize that it is far less risky to stand firmly against the forces propelling our economy downward than to be timid in the face of a mounting crisis.

Here's the beef:

Some argue that instead of attempting to both create jobs and invest in our long-run growth, we should focus exclusively on short-term policies that generate consumer spending. But that approach led to some of the challenges we face today -- and it is that approach that we must reject if we are going to strengthen our middle class and our economy over the long run. Far from being an excuse for inaction or delay, the magnitude of the work ahead is all the more reason to begin that work.

Mayor Calls on Obama During Hawaiian Blackout

Parts of Hawaii, including where Obama is staying, had a blackout last night, which followed a thunder storm. The blackout is over.

ABC: Crews gradually restored electrical service across parts of Oahu on Saturday after a power failure blacked out the island's population of about 900,000 and thousands of visitors including President-elect Barack Obama.

Residents had been urged to just stay home after the lights went out during a thunderstorm Friday evening. Hawaiian Electric Co. was investigating the cause.

Service had been restored to about 180,000 of the utility's 295,00 customers by 8:30 a.m. Saturday, power company officials said.

Obama, wife Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha are staying in a $9 million, five-bedroom oceanfront home near downtown Honolulu.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann told The Associated Press that while he did not talk with Obama directly, he had conveyed an offer for assistance shortly after the blackout began and was told the president-elect and his family were doing fine.

"He replied he didn't need anything, was grateful for our offer and was going to put his family to bed," Hannemann said.

Duncan Slams Saltsman Over Obama Song

Here's the biggest problem that the republicans have: Ever since Bush, the fringy Palinesque types crept in and took over the republican party.

Now the normal republicans are trying to figure out how to get their party back in order. Good luck with that! They don't seem to know who is who and what they want to be when they grow up. They talk a lot about inclusion, but it appears to be lip service. At the same time, it seems Americans are shunning party politics.

To keep us entertained, the republicans are vying to head the RNC, and behaving as if they need a babysitter and some sense.

Mike Duncan, head of the of the RNC, and campaigning to continue to chair the RNC, slammed Chip Saltsman, the immature little boy, also running for RNC chair, who is passing out a CD that contains a highly offensive song about Obama. Read about that here. Saltsman is Mike Huckabee's former campaign manager.

Duncan isn't enlightened, though. I heard him in an interview on NPR and he was clueless about how to move the republican party forward. I'd guess his slamming of Saltsman's behavior is merely politics. One only needs to look at the crappy commercials that the RNC put out during the election and how they used race to exploit people.

Politico: Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan issued a statement Saturday distancing the party’s leadership from one of the GOP’s best-known operatives, Chip Saltsman, who distributed a CD containing “Barack the Magic Negro” as part of his campaign to be elected chairman of the Republican National Committee next month.

Duncan, who has served the campaigns of five presidents dating back to Richard Nixon, is seeking reelection as the party’s 60th chairman in a hotly contested race that includes Saltsman and several other viable candidates.

Saltsman, 40, was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s campaign manager during the Republican presidential primaries.

Saltsman sent Republican National Committee members, who will choose the next chairman, a CD by conservative political satirist Paul Shanklin, “We HATE the USA.” It contains the controversial track, which was popular on conservative radio. Shanklin’s Web site promises “absolutely the best parodies in talk radio.”

Duncan's statement, in full: "The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party. I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."

Saltsman’s candidacy for national party chair is endorsed by Huckabee and fellow Tennessean Bill Frist, the former Senate majority leader.

Saltsman defended his song selection to The Hill’s Reid Wilson, who first reported the gift.

CNN adds a twist: Puff is mad too.

Also Saturday, Peter Yarrow, who co-wrote "Puff the Magic Dragon," called Saltsman's decision to distribute the parody tune "offensive," and "shocking and saddening in the extreme."

"It is almost unimaginable to me," Yarrow wrote in a statement sent to CNN, that Saltsman "would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree."

Yarrow, a member of the 1960s folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, was a contributor to Obama's presidential campaign

Here's another disturbing track from the CD that Saltsman's, Jose Can You See. What a jerk this guy is.
2008 was the year of the Bad Guy and the year of the Moron.

Manifest Hope DC Obama Art Show

See tons of Obama art at Obamaartreport.com.

The big art show that was at the democratic convention in Denver is going to Washington DC for Obama's inauguration. The Manifest Hope DC show will run Jan. 17-19, according to the website. That's about all that's known right now.
This piece by Michael Murphy is the kind of work that will be there:

FORWARD from michael murphy on Vimeo.

Diggin' on Obama Cool

GQ says Obama is cool, except for the dad jeans.

Extremists Suffer Serious Obama Denial

Extremists, who give conservatives a bad name, just can't face up to an Obama presidency. It's deep-rooted racism. No doubt about it, at least according to me.

Mike Huckabee's former campaign manager Chip Saltsman distributed, for Christmas, a Rush Limbaugh favorite -- Barack the Magic Negro. Limbaugh still can't get over the fact that Obama is black. 

Saltsman (here's his email: inbox@chipsaltsman.com) is actually a candidate to chair the RNC. If this is the state of the RNC, they'll need 8 years, at least, to grow up. 

TPM: If one of the Republican Party's challenges is how to effectively oppose the first black president without coming off as racist, one of the candidates for RNC chair is hardly off to a good start -- he is now distributing a CD that includes a racially-charged song called "Barack, The Magic Negro."

Sean Hannity is leading a "resistance" to the Obama administration: 

Radimist: Since the election, Hannity has described his radio show as the outpost of "the conservative underground," as if a show that's legally on over 500 stations could be underground in any real sense of that word. There is little doubt that there are many conservatives who think America will become a radical country under the Democrats and last night I heard on Mike Gallagher's show of a group that is trying to organize these people - Grassfire.

At the Grassfire web site, you get an idea of the immaturity at work here. What's not good is this kind of thing inspires lunatics to violence. If you head to freerepublic.com (under Obamatruthfile), you'll often see violence against Obama in code. No kidding. 
Here's a passage of the Grassfire-led "resistance:"

Resisting is just the first step. That is why we propose a three-phased recovery for conservatives: Resist, Rebuild, and Restore. We believe that resisting will create newfound unity among conservatives. Out of this, we must then Rebuild our structures. New, invigorating models must be developed that inform, equip and bring together conservatives and prepare us to return our ideas to political prominence. The Internet will be a key battleground The Left has moved far ahead in its embrace of and usage of new 2.0 technologies. The Rebuild process will leave Americans with a clear ideological and practical choice between the Left’s statist model and our model based on God-given individual liberties.

Having rebuilt, we can then Restore conservative ideas to leadership by winning elections. Ultimately, a movement’s ideas must result in electoral victories because that is the basis for legitimate authority and ultimately for implementing one’s ideas. Grassfire.org will soon be announcing a breakthrough effort that will allow our members to get engaged directly in the election process. Stay tuned.

Resist. Rebuild. Restore. It’s not an easy path for grassroots conservatives, but it is a clear path. We know what we must do. And it begins with resisting rightly —respecting the new President but never backing away from the God-given ideals of freedom and liberty upon which this nation was founded.

I have to believe that Sean Hannity is also concerned about his ratings. 
You can also find Obama resistance from, believe it or not, the Pumas. You remember them. They believe Obama is a stealth Muslim terrorist, the guy who stole the election from Hillary.  

Another strain of resistors are the ones who claim Obama isn't eligible to be president. The nutty Wiley Drake, a pastor of all things, is hating on Rick Warren for accepting Obama's invitation to give the invocation. Oh, the irony. Drake is one of the sorry souls who have filed a lawsuit questioning Obama's birthplace and his eligibility to be president. I hope the people at his "church" are aware of his lunacy.

BUENA PARK — Southern Baptist Pastor Wiley Drake bashed Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren this week, saying "God will punish" Warren for agreeing to give the invocation at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration next month.
"I pray He is kind to you in this punishment that is coming," Drake wrote in a widely-released e-mail. In it, the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park pastor criticizes Warren's "recent plan to invoke the presence of almighty God on this evil illegal alien," a reference to Obama.

Notice he said "evil." I'll say again, these folks are merely racists. It's really that simple. Otherwise, they would come up with grownup strategies of moving forward, while living with the fact that their guy or gal didn't win. They'd find constructive ways to make their voices heard.

Reporters' Plight: Ranch to Beach

WaPo: For the White House press corps, covering Obama's 13-day Hawaiian sojourn is a departure from past holidays hunkered down near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Tex. They've upgraded their offices from highway hotels in Waco to the Westin Moana Surfrider Resort on Waikiki Beach. They've traded a backdrop of rusted farm equipment and bales of hay for sailboats, longboards and crashing waves.

And they've hung up their winter coats.

"What a difference a year makes," exults NBC White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie, leaning back in a padded armchair on a veranda overlooking the Pacific.

"No offense to the people of Crawford, Texas, but taking the presidential retreat from Crawford to Honolulu is change anyone can believe in," Henry says, borrowing a phrase from Obama's campaign.

Although Obama is staying about 15 miles away in the quiet beach town of Kailua, the television networks decided to broadcast from the beach in front of the Honolulu hotel where journalists and Obama's staff are staying. The location affords a stunning backdrop of Diamond Head, one of Hawaii's most recognizable landmarks. Since the isles are five time zones behind the East Coast, the sun is blazing during reports on the evening news.

But broadcasting live from a tourist-packed beach can be dicey. Sunbathers stretch out just a few feet away, and shirtless vacationers gather close to the correspondents to snap pictures during their reports. And there's no telling if a strong wave might splash the cameras or whether kids might get silly in the background.

"I was really surprised to see how exposed we are," Guthrie says. But, she adds, "you develop a tunnel focus. If I'm doing a live shot, there could be a pack of wolves in front of me and I wouldn't notice."

Here's another good story about how Hawaii helped Obama get his calm:

NYT: The mood of Mr. Obama, to many observers here in Hawaii, embodies the Aloha Spirit, a peaceful state of mind and a friendly attitude of acceptance of a variety of ideas and cultures. More than simply a laid-back vibe, many Hawaiians believe in a divine and spiritual power that provides a sustaining life energy.

“When Obama gets on television, the national pulse goes down about 10 points,” said Representative Neil Abercrombie, Democrat of Hawaii, who was close friends with Mr. Obama’s parents. “He has this incredibly calming effect. There’s no question in my mind it comes from Hawaii.”

Mr. Abercrombie, who has known the president-elect since he was born, said Mr. Obama’s tranquil, even-keeled mannerisms resembled those of his grandfather, Stanley Dunham. As a child, Mr. Obama would follow Mr. Dunham everywhere, walking through the neighborhoods of Honolulu and beyond.

“He gives off a little oasis of calm,” said Mr. Abercrombie, who is spending the Christmas holidays in Hawaii. “He is peaceful water in the maelstrom, which will serve him very well in these circumstances when there happens to be a crisis.”

Obama Visits Marine Base on Christmas

KANE'OHE BAY — Before sitting down to his own Christmas dinner yesterday, President-elect Barack Obama spent about an hour shaking hands and taking pictures with more than 100 Marines and sailors gathered for a Christmas Day meal.

"I just wanted to say 'Hi,' " Obama said to service members, shortly after walking into Anderson Hall at Marine Corps Base Hawai'i, where mostly single Marines and sailors had convened for a Christmas feast of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes and other holiday favorites.

Obama, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and dark slacks, walked from table to table greeting people, many of whom stood up to shake the president-elect's hand, snap a photo with him or grab an autograph.

Obama thanked the Marines and sailors for their service and wished them a "Merry Christmas." He also exchanged small talk with a few. "How's everyone?" he asked one table of four. "You guys have a good one," he told another.

Linh Tran, a cook for Anderson Hall who helped prepare the holiday meal for the service members, said he was delighted that Obama stopped by. "I'm impressed," said Tran, adding he never thought he'd get to see Obama up close. "I voted for him. I like him."

Obama didn't make any formal remarks or talk to reporters during the stop.

See a bunch of Obama Hawaii photos here. 
Politico's report on the visit:

on the President-elect's visit to a military base in Kailua, Hawaii, from Politico's Carol E. Lee: 'President-elect Barack Obama spent nearly an hour and 15 minutes greeting Marine and Navy service men and women as they ate Christmas dinner at the mess hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay. ... Obama's motorcade arrived at Anderson Hall on the base at 4:04 p.m. Three men in uniform outside were outside. They each stood at attention and saluted the president-elect. Obama spent a few minutes in the lobby before entering the mess hall at 4:08 p.m. He first greeted the man at a cash register, shaking his hand. Obama worked a section of the room with about 25 tables where troops and their families were eating Christmas dinner. Reporters were allowed inside the mess hall for 7 of the 68 minutes Obama spent greeting service men and women.

'The diners represented seven military units – Marine and Navy – and some of them were joined by their families ... Obama worked the left side of the room after he walked in. 'Hey, guys,' he said, shaking hands to men who appeared to be in their early 20s at most. 'Good to see you, man,' Obama said. 'Thanks for your service,' he said. 'Hey, guys,' Obama said. 'Where are you from?' The service men and women rose to their feet when Obama approached their tables and extended his hand. The president-elect took his time and did not appear rushed. He stopped to talk for as long as a minute with some tables, sometimes nodding and placing his hands on his hips. He posed for photos with them. ... The president-elect put his hand on one man's shoulder. He laughed a couple of times. ...

'Obama greeted a table of four young men. One of them had a newspaper clipping for him to sign. The president-elect must have asked where they're from because he said, 'So this is the East Coast table,' as he shook one of their hands and put his hand on his shoulder. The service men and women seemed to enjoy having the president-elect there. Some appeared to be sending text messages from their cell phones when it was clear he was about to enter the room. 'Congratulations,' one of the service members said as Obama greeted his table. 'I appreciate all you service guys,' Obama said to others. Obama did not acknowledge the gaggle of reporters clustered behind a rope-line to his left. ... Obama wore dark khaki slacks and a short-sleeve blue button-down shirt. ... Obama exited Anderson Hall at 5:16 p.m. local time speaking with two men in uniform. He waved to the people who had gathered and said, 'Hello,' before getting into his SUV. Obama's motorcade arrived back at his vacation home at 5:28 p.m. We have a lid for the night.'

Today Obama took the kids out for slush and tries, once again, to buy shaved ice for the reporters. Ah, such good journalists, they've turned down beer and slush:

HA: Obama entered Koko Marina Paradise Deli and said, "So, what are we going to get?" "Let me get a tuna sandwich," Obama said, asking for it on 12-grain bread, tomatoes and no mayo.

"Actually, can you melt cheese on that?" he asked. "Can you make like a tuna melt with cheddar cheese?"

Obama then approached the press pool to say hello. He placed his shoulder on this reporter, who was scribbling notes, and said, "You don't really need to write all that down."

Then Obama walked with Sasha, who was wearing a purple, yellow and white dress, to Kokonuts Shave Ice & Snacks. There were dozens of onlookers swarming the crowded parking lot snapping pictures and saying hello. Obama waved and said "Hi, Merry Christmas."

At one point on the sidewalk, Obama dropped his sunglasses, bent down and picked then up.

Obama ate his sandwich before his shave ice, saying he wanted to set a good example for his girls by eating healthy food before dessert.

Inside Kokonuts, Obama, with his Blackberry on left hip, ordered shave ice for the kids and friends.

He told Malia, "We're going to do it one at a time."

Obama Most Admired Man

Obama visits soldiers on Christmas.

Obama is the most admired man and Hillary is the most admired woman, according to Gallup. He scores big 32%. George Bush is No 2 with 5% of the vote. How does Bush even score 5%? 

Gallup: A remarkable 32% of Americans choose Barack Obama as the man they most admire living anywhere in the world today, putting him in the No. 1 position on Gallup's annual Most Admired Man list. Hillary Clinton earns the top spot for Most Admired Woman, named by 20%.

Here's a tidbit from Politico this morning:

McCain ad man Fred Davis e-mails Politico's Daniel Libit about the President-elect: 'At my family Christmas dinner tonight, all 20 or so of us Republicans, all felt he was doing a very good job being bi-partisan, and not playing any games at all. All agreed, and this was a shocker. Not so good for the press, maybe, but could be very good for our country.'

NYT Reporters Publishing Obama Book

Writers include Paul Krugman and Gail Collins.

FishBowl: The Historic Journey, a heavily-illustrated book covering Barack Obama's life, from his childhood through his inauguration as the 44th president of the United States, with a final chapter that includes the inaugural address and a 32-page photo essay by 12 New York Times staff photographers.

Elizabeth Alexander's inaugural poem will also have an "instant" book out after inauguration.
If you haven't picked it up yet, Rolling Stone has a great book-like commemorative of Obama's road to the White House. It has many of his speeches and some great photos.

Obama's Call to National Day of Service Jan 19

Obamas on Thanksgiving

Pic 2009: On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the day before Inauguration, President-elect Barack Obama is calling upon all Americans to participate in a national day of service, following in the legacy of one of America’s great social justice leaders.

President-elect Obama never asks more of us than he himself is willing to give. He and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be joining thousands of volunteers in Washington, DC, on January 19 to honor the late Martin Luther King Jr. through service.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has begun reaching out to all sorts of national service organizations - including faith-based groups, unions, businesses and political groups - asking for their members’ participation. We want to bring together all Americans in shared purpose, to set aside all that divides us and focus on our collective ability to bring change to our communities. January 19 will be just the beginning of a broader push for Americans to give back throughout the year.

Events leading up to the inauguration:

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) has outlined a preliminary schedule of official inaugural events that underscores a commitment to organizing activities that are inclusive and open to the public. The following events will take place in the nation’s capital between Sunday, January 18th and Wednesday, January 21st:

Sunday, January 18th
The schedule of official inaugural activities will begin with a welcome event on Sunday afternoon that is open to the public.

Monday, January 19th - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
In 1994, to further commemorate a man who lived his life in service to others, Congress transformed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday into a national day of community service. To honor Dr. King’s legacy, the President-elect and Vice President-elect and their families, like Americans in communities all across the country, will participate in activities dedicated to serving others in communities across the Washington, D.C. area.

Tuesday, January 20th - Inauguration Day
The President-elect and Vice President-elect and their families will participate in the traditional inaugural ceremonies and events, including the swearing-in ceremony on the West Front of the United States Capitol, a luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall, the 56th Inaugural Parade, and official Inaugural Balls. Details about the Inaugural Balls will be released at a later date.

Wednesday, January 21st
The newly-inaugurated President and Vice President of the United States will participate in a prayer service.

Hawaii State Society Hoping Obama Shows

24 days until inuaguration!

The Hawaii State Society is hoping to lure Obama to its inaugural ball with one of Obama's apparent favorite Hawaiian performers, Raiatea Helm.The Obamas and Bidens are officially going to 10 balls.
Here is the official inauguration day schedule.

HA: The society is counting on some heavyweights to help sway Obama to stop by their soiree, however.

Ulis said Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, an honorary co-chair for the inauguration, will be attending the state's gala, which is expected to attract 1,000 guests, including a number of Obama's Punahou School classmates.

"We have a special chant, called an oli, for him ... written by some special people in Hawai'i," she said.

Hawai'i vocalist Raiatea Helm, who will be one of the gala's entertainers, also wrote a special song for Obama, Ulis said.

"We understand that Raiatea Helm is one of Obama's favorite artists, so we are hoping that will help get him there," she said.

On top of that, the society is giving out 1,000 fresh flower lei, flown in from Hawai'i, to the attendees with special ones for the Obamas and the Bidens, Ulis said.

Michelle Obama on January's Vogue Cover

Obamas in August's Men's Vogue, photo by Annie Leibovitz
Michelle is quite stunning in Vogue - See the sneak peek photo, shot by Annie Leibovitz, at Black Snob. (Update: Black Snob has since changed its post -- Michelle may be in March's Vogue. One thing for sure, she'll be there. She'll be on all the covers if magazines want to make some money.)

It's not Michelle's first time in Vogue. 

Blago Wants Obama's People To Clear Him

2008 was the year of the Bad Guy.

Lawyers for embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich want two key aides to President-elect Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. subpoenaed, according to Chicago media reports.

Blagojevich's legal team has asked the Illinois House panel that members of Obama's incoming administration testify before the House impeachment committee, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, WBBM-TV and the Chicago Sun-Times reported late Wednesday.

Ed Genson, Blagojevich's chief lawyer, said testimony from the aides will prove the governor's insistence that he did nothing illegal to fill Obama's now vacant U.S. Senate seat.

The news comes days after Obama's team released an internal review that confirmed no "inappropriate" discussions had taken place in the Blagojevich probe.

Update 12-27: Fitzgerald says Obama's aides shouldn't be called into Blago's mess because it would interfere with the investigation.

Santa Live!

Live video chat by Ustream
Christmas Eve photos from around the world.
Obama gets in another workout and more golf Christmas Eve:

HA: Obama's motorcade left his Kailua rental home at 7:39 a.m.

The press pool was not allowed inside as Obama worked out for about an hour. Michelle Obama was with him.

Afterward, he greeted and shook hands with a throng of about 60 people that had gathered in the parking lot of the fitness center, where Obama has started his mornings each day since arriving on Saturday.

"Hey, man, how's it going," he asked one person before wishing everyone, "Mele Kalikimaka!"

He then turned to some children and asked, "You guys got your Christmas lists all together?"

Obama met with the crowd for about three minutes before jumping in his sport-utility vehicle.

The motorcade left Semper Fit at 8:51 a.m. and arrived back at the Kailua house at 8:58 a.m.

After finishing his early-morning workout, Obama next headed out for his second round of golf during this vacation.

Later in the morning, Obama's motorcade left the Kailua rental home at 11:50 a.m. and arrived at Mid-Pacific Country Club about 10 minutes later.

Twas the Night Before Christmas and Shoppers Weren't Shopping

Is there anyone else besides me who is happy that people aren't shopping? Is there anyone else besides me who sees this recession as a huge opportunity to get priorities straight?
I'm certainly not happy that the poor are even poorer or that people are losing their homes, their jobs, or that people are suffering with less. But I'm happy about the prospect of our society, as a whole, attempting to live within its means.
It seems that Obama could usher in a new era. One can only hope.

WaPo: It's beginning to look a not like Christmas, everywhere you don't go.
It's beginning to look a not like Christmas, everywhere you don't go.

Or is that just part of the illusion this time around, a dour paradiddle from the sad little drummer boys of retail analysis? Does it also seem like the neighbors didn't put up as many lights? Does it seem like you were waiting in line for the wrong Santa? Where's last year's Santa? Does the mall look under-decked in plastic boughs of holly? Isn't it strange that they aren't playing as much Christmas music? Where are the poinsettias we usually have in the lobby? (Did the condo association vote on it?) Who was supposed to bring the plastic knives and forks to the office potluck? How come there's so much parking at Bloomingdale's on the Sunday before Christmas? Hello?

The answer that comes back, of course, is that it's the economy -- and don't call us stupid, stupid.

Obama: Nerd in Chief

Obama doodle
This is Obama's strength -- appealing to so many different walks of life. I see the geek in Obama as well. At the very least, he views smart people as essential to solving problems.

ABC: Obama is good at "repressing his inner geek, but you can tell it's there," especially when he goes into nuanced explanations of technical matters, said Benjamin Nugent, author of the book "American Nerd: The Story of My People."

"One imagines a terrifying rally of 'Star Trek' people shouting, 'One of us!'" Nugent said, in an interview conducted by e-mail, of course.

Others see only some geek qualities, qualifying the president-elect as merely "nerd-adjacent." After all, he's an athlete and kind of cool, some experts demur. Still, there's enough there for geeks to celebrate.

Psychology professor Larry Welkowitz of Keene State College in New Hampshire hopefully speculated that there's a shift in what's cool and that "smart can be in. Maybe that started with the computer programmers of the '90s. The Bill Gateses of the world are OK."

The Obama transition team would not comment on the president-elect's geek qualities, even when it was suggested those could be positive. And his old college friends give the geek idea a split vote. While Margot Mifflin, now a journalism professor in New York, said she saw no geeky signs in Obama as a freshman at Occidental College in California, Amiekoleh Kimbrew Usafi recalled it differently, despite the lack of technology back in 1979.

"He's a geek because he was smart," Usafi said, noting that Occidental was a geeky school to start with, billing itself as the Yale of the West. "I remember he would be hitting his books. I would see him in the library. ... There were a lot of girls that liked him because he was cute, but he kept his head in the direction he was going in. I would see him studying all the time."

Wired magazine first crowed about Obama the geek, complete with five reasons in its GeekDad blog. A lot depends on definition of geek, which to Wired is more a compliment than insult.

The Bidens Feed the Homeless Christmas Eve

We have a president and vice president who think it's important to be role models: 

Politico: Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, slipped on aprons Wednesday afternoon to serve meatloaf to a few hundred homeless people at a soup kitchen in Wilmington, Del.

Biden told a local news station that the long lines outside the Emmanuel Dining Room highlight the need for an economic stimulus package, which he said he hopes President-elect Barack Obama can sign as early as Inauguration Day.

"A lot of people are hurting," Biden told the reporter. "This is part of the pulse. You can just see when things pick up here. They're not good everywhere else, but a lot of middle-class folks are getting killed too. So it's the number one priority for our administration.

"This is kinda home. And it's important for people to know who are standing out there in line that there's a lot of people who are thinking about them," said Biden, whose sister is a board member of Emanuel, the news station reported.

Joseph Lowery on Gay Marriage

Joseph Lowery, the other preacher at Obama's inauguration, will give the benediction and has taken a backseat to Rick Warren. Lowery opposed Prop 8, which Rick Warren supported. Still, Lowery isn't over the moon about civil marriage for gay couples. Neither is Obama for that matter. Lowery and Obama support civil unions. Warren believes that being gay is sinful and he comes from the You-Can-Cure-Yourself-Of-Being-Gay-If-You-Want-To-Be-Saved school of thought. Lowery has a significantly different view. 

Page One: Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, President-elect Obama's choice to deliver the benediction at the upcoming Inauguration, said on Tuesday that he hesitates to support civil marriage for same-sex couples. He does, however, support civil unions. Lowery will appear with Dr. Rick Warren, Saddleback Church founder and author of The Purpose-Driven Life, who is slated to deliver the invocation.

Warren has faced criticism over statements comparing same-sex relationships to incest and pedophilia. He was also a vocal supporter of California's Proposition 8. The President-elect has defended his inaugural lineup in the spirit of unity with those with whom one does not always agree.

"I differ with [Rick Warren] sharply on his position on this issue," Lowery told MSNBC's David Shuster. "I don't think we ought to put into law any discriminatory action against people because of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. I oppose that. But that doesn't stop me from being on a program with him."