50 things in 50 years

Eric Zorn shares "50 Things I've Learned in 50 Years."

Some of my favorites from the list:

7. Prejudice and bigotry is hard-wired into us. You can’t overcome it until you acknowledge it.

11. The Golden Rule is the greatest moral truth. If you don’t believe in it, at least try to fake it.

14. It’s not “political correctness” that dictates that we try not to insult others’ beliefs and identities. It’s common decency.

18. Keeping an open mind is as big a challenge as you get older as keeping a consistent waistline.

21. Fear of failure is a ticket to mediocrity. If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not pushing yourself. And if you’re not pushing yourself, you’re coasting.

28. Two cheap, easy self-improvement projects: Develop a strong handshake and start smiling when you answer the phone.

40. Exercise does not take time. Exercise creates time.

Obama: Vote for me because I'm black

The Clintons have frequently (and correctly) been accused of playing the race card in recent weeks. Obama has responded by trying to claim the high ground and make the Clintons look slimy and small. He has succeeded in this, I think.

But Obama is not above making his race work for him when it suits him:

[Barack Obama] asked the audience to imagine what it would mean for the country to see him with his hand on the Bible, taking the presidential oath of office.

"Our children will look at themselves differently and their possibilities differently. They'll look at each other differently," he said.

It's hard to see this as anything but an attempt by Obama to remind us that he would be the first black president. It's a cheap, emotional appeal, of course. Vote for him, not because he's the best candidate or because of his policies (which are nearly identical to Hillary Clinton's), but because we can make history and inspire the country.

Obama: I'm a divider not a uniter

Throughout his presidential campaign, Barack Obama has consistently touted himself as the candidate who will work with Republicans to bring unity to Washington. His recent remarks in Denver, however, reveal that Obama's idea of "reaching across the aisle" is to build a large enough Democratic majority so that he can steam roll the Republican minority. In other words, the only real unity is when everyone agrees (or is forced to go along) with him.

In his speech, Obama depicted Clinton as a calculating, poll-tested divisive figure who will only inspire greater partisan divisions as she sides with Republicans on issues such as trade, the role of lobbyists in politics and national security.

Now does this make sense? Democrats and Republicans coming together and actually agreeing on things -- some call this bipartisanship -- is going to be divisive and lead to greater partisanship?

"Democrats will win in November and build a majority in Congress not by nominating a candidate who will unite the other party against us, but by choosing one who can unite this country around a movement for change," Obama said."

So finding common ground with Republicans "will unite them against us," while ignoring their ideas and forcing our ideas down their throats is the real path to unity.

Later Obama says:

"We need to offer the American people a clear contrast on national security, and when I am the nominee of the Democratic Party, that is exactly what I will do.

This is the point. Unity is not possible when Democrats and Republicans hold contrary views on so many big issues -- national security, abortion, the economy, illegal immigration, health care, education, etc. We shouldn't be seeking unity, but rather honest debate and discussion over these disagreements.

One of the lessons of the last seven years is that the quest for unity and bipartisanship is neither attainable nor desirable. George Bush tried it, on everything from education (No Child Left Behind), to prescription drugs, to illegal immigration. What did it get us? A bunch of policies that no one is happy with. For Democrats, it's never enough; for Republicans it's always too much.

Meanwhile, did Bush get any credit for having reached across the aisle? Did Democrats embrace his attempts to bring the parties together to get something done? Not close. Far from achieving unity, it's rare enough these days that we even rise to civility (especially from the left).

So let's recognize appeals to unity for what they are -- vacuous pandering as a substitute for serious ideas. Democracy doesn't require unity. It thrives instead on the clarity that can only come about through the clash of ideas offered honestly and openly.

Right to choose

How is it that the government protects our "right to choose" to have an abortion, yet (according to Hillary Clinton and John Edwards) it can deny us the right to choose whether we want health insurance?

Damnable depression

My brain isn't very reliable these days.

It has trouble getting from "here" to "there." It forgets where it's been. I send it out to fetch things and it doesn't come back.

The best way I can describe it is to imagine holding your breath while running across the bottom of a swimming pool--your vision blurred, your feet failing to find traction, your coordination defeated by the heavy water and queer gravity--expending so much energy for so maddeningly little progress that frustration soon gives way to futility and you're left thrashing helplessly in the deep end as the last of your oxygen expires.

Thinking under water.

Despite this, I often have trouble turning my brain off. Seems I'm always obsessively puzzling over some bit of trivia or another. I'm pretty sure this is a defense mechanism. My depression is so chronic that, if I don't keep my mind constantly occupied, I get sucked into some frighteningly dark places that I can't afford to visit too often.

As you might imagine, a brain that won't work but refuses to shut down isn't much fun to be around. I spend a lot of nights lying in bed wishing I could either follow a train of thought or let it go altogether. It reminds me of the way my father's old pick-up would diesel after he switched off the ignition.

Since I've been following the campaign pretty closely lately, it's not so surprising that my brain has been spending a lot of time running sprints in the deep end of the political pool. Occasionally I manage to string together enough coherent thoughts to construct a blog post in my head.

Sadly, these "posts" never seem to find there way onto the blog. When I sit down to write, the exhaustion and depression kick in and I invariably find myself back in bed, writing more "posts."

Sigh.