John Edwards

Pretty classy of him to end his campaign where he started it, here in the N'awl. I wish him well. Sometimes his class warfare rhetoric I found to be a bit much, but I always liked him at the gut, personal level. He was my preferred candidate in the 2004 primaries and I remember being happy that he was picked by Kerry for the VP slot. I thought he made the ticket stronger, and, actually, was the better part of that combination.

Now the question is whom will Edwards endorse, if anyone? My feeling is that he'll eventually throw his support behind Obama. But regardless, I think that his supporters are much more likely to break for Obama than for Clinton.

Nevertheless, Edwards, in my opinion, has nothing to be ashamed of or regretful of how he conducted in his campaign. He generally kept it positive, and certainly made it more interesting than it would otherwise have been.

I have a feeling we're not done with Edwards yet. And he's not done with us yet. And that's a good thing.

Immediate Deportations?

NOLA Blogger Oyster has an interesting set of citations from Hillary Clinton and John McCain that paint them as mass deportation advocates. Forget about the fact that Clinton and McCain's comments are so downright shocking in their mean-spiritedness and their dictatorial tone. Rather, pay heed to Oyster who makes the excellent point that the gist of their sound-bites, i.e. massive deportation, is simply pie-in-the-sky policy wishful thinking. And a nasty bit of wishful thinking at that. Which makes their pandering all the worse because everyone with any shred of common sense knows that what they are suggesting as policy is a logistical impossibility.

But I want to add another little twist to this whole matter. For instance, in the New York Sun article that Oyster links to regarding Hillary's comment, and in the Meet the Press transcript that Oyster links to regarding McCain's comment, there is a notion that illegal immigrants who are guilty of a crime need to be instantly and immediately deported. The fact is that local law enforcement officials would have conniptions if this were policy. On the one hand, they'd never be able to prosecute such people charged with a crime and thus bring a measure of justice to the victims. I imagine that the woman Hillary Clinton was addressing was probably not too keen to hear that there would be "no legal process" to hold an illegal immigrant accountable for his crime, and that the punishment for the crime would be a one way ticket home at the taxpayer's expense. And then there's the fact that local law enforcement officials who need illegal immigrants as witnesses around which to build their cases not only are NOT willing to send these people home immediately, even those who commit no crimes directly themselves, but would rather break the law themselves to illegally detain illegal immigrants and imprison them without charges or recourse, simply because they are important to prosecuting a criminal case. Have Hillary and McCain not heard of the St. Tammany Six?

David Bowie for President??

Who else for the "Change" President? Oh ... he's a foreigner, isn't he? Oh well ... still a pretty cool YouTube, no?

[H/T: Andrew Sullivan]

Matt Forte: Where's The Love?

Can't let this slip under the radar screen. Slidell native and Tulane University star halfback, Matt Forte, earned overall game MVP honors at the Senior Bowl in Hawaii. Congratulations, Matt! You've done Louisiana and Tulane proud! Good luck in the NFL.

Big Dog Brought to Heel

I like the Big Dog (that would be Bill Clinton, by the way). Less so in recent weeks what with his somewhat unseemly stumping for Hillary. But, still, I think of him as a sharp cookie, a great orator, and a damn fine President (when he could keep his "willie" contained). But, man, this little gem from Slate's John Dickerson has got to hurt:

[Hillary Clinton] Campaign aides thought that while columnists might disapprove, Bill Clinton was effective in pushing the idea that Obama had gotten a free ride from the press. But after South Carolina we might see Bill Clinton suddenly dispatched to solve some new crisis in a country with no satellite trucks and no cell towers.

Ouch! Heel, Big Dog, heel!

Barack Obama in SC

May be one of his best addresses yet:



Damn, that man can speak! But what I love about Barack Obama is that he never sheds his commitment to progressive ideas and policies. He makes no apologies for his liberalism. In fact, he makes liberal ideas something that is appealing across all ideological lines. What he represents to me is a leader whose appeal to unity is not to moderate his liberal policy ideas to attract conservatives, but rather convince conservatives that their hopes and goals are well-served by liberalism. He is not convincing to conservatives because he approaches them in terms of ideology, but rather because he can convince them to approach him in terms of ideology. And if anyone doubts his progressivism because they think that anyone who appeals across ideological lines simply can't be really progressive, I would encourage you to check out his policies. He, in fact, may be the most progressive of the three front runners. He has been consistently opposeed to the Iraq War from the beginning. He doesn't just give lip service to ending the demonizing of gays and lesbians, he has specific policies to end it. He doesn't just say that he's against the entrenched powerbrokers within the DC Beltway, he actually has conditioned his campaign to minimize the influence of such powerbrokers. Check out his record. It is solidly and consistenly progressive. Check out his policy proposals. They are detailed (even wonkish), but clearly progressive and liberal. All in the best meaning of progressivisim and liberalism, which is a meaning that believes that we all of us are progressives and liberals -- regardless of party identification. This was a big win for Obama. The magnitude of the difference is striking and just makes it all the more clear that he is a viable candidate. Example: Obama's vote count in SC was more than what McCain and Huckabee, the GOP's top two finishers in SC, combined were able to muster. (H/T: Andrew Sullivan)

Obama, 2008!

Where's Huck?

I'm still here, just trying to keep the head above water at work. It's always busiest the first few weeks of the semester. One needs to get classes going, prepare lectures, orient students, do lots of small, but important administrative tasks relative to the beginning of any new project, which is how I view every new semester.

Besides, too, Mardi Gras comes early this year. Feb. 5 to be exact. And I ride in the Thoth parade, which means that when I have any free time these days, it gets consumed by the Mardi Gras agenda - getting throws, visiting float dens, preparing to ride, and even trying to soak in a few other parades in the meantime. It also usually means extra parties and more out-of-town guests to entertain. But, I'm not complaining. It's a great time of the year. I, for one, very much enjoy it.

As usual, I will have some of my students pick up work on another blog site that I use more as a pedagogical tool than for any other reason. So, if you are ever interested in Latin American affairs, and feel so inclined to see how a group of novice student bloggers take up the challenge of blogging, you should check out this blog. It's called Cuaderno Latinoamerican, or the "Latin American Notebook."

I'll try to pick up the blog posting pace as the semester gets more into a rhythm. Maybe I'll have more to say on the Democratic Presidential Primary race following the South Carolina primary election tomorrow. I have some in-law relatives in South Carolina, so I'm getting a bit of an inside peek at what's going on there. Of course, my hope is that Obama wins decisively and thus picks up some good momentum heading into Super Tuesday -- Mardi Gras day, for that matter. But we shall see ...

Until the next time, amig@s.

Obama at Ebenezer

Here's the video. Watch it and be moved:

Barack Obama's Latest Greatest

From his speech/sermon titled The Great Need of the Hour, delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA, today, Sunday, January 20, 2008, the day before MLK day:

It's not easy to stand in somebody else's shoes. It's not easy to see past our differences. We've all encountered this in our own lives. But what makes it even more difficult is that we have a politics in this country that seeks to drive us apart - that puts up walls between us.

We are told that those who differ from us on a few things are different from us on all things; that our problems are the fault of those who don't think like us or look like us or come from where we do. The welfare queen is taking our tax money. The immigrant is taking our jobs. The believer condemns the non-believer as immoral, and the non-believer chides the believer as intolerant.

For most of this country's history, we in the African-American community have been at the receiving end of man's inhumanity to man. And all of us understand intimately the insidious role that race still sometimes plays - on the job, in the schools, in our health care system, and in our criminal justice system.

And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean. If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community.

We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. For too long, some of us have seen immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity.

Every day, our politics fuels and exploits this kind of division across all races and regions; across gender and party. It is played out on television. It is sensationalized by the media. And last week, it even crept into the campaign for President, with charges and counter-charges that served to obscure the issues instead of illuminating the critical choices we face as a nation.

So let us say that on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds. The division, the stereotypes, the scape-goating, the ease with which we blame our plight on others - all of this distracts us from the common challenges we face - war and poverty; injustice and inequality. We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late.

It's another masterpiece. Read the whole thing. I haven't come across a video of Obama delivering this speech/sermon; but I can only imagine, just from reading the text of the address, how much more powerful it must have been to hear it delivered in the way that only Obama can. If anyone has a link to a clip of Obama delivering this address (even if only an audio clip), I would be much obliged if you would share this link with me.

Now ... I was born the year MLK, Jr., was killed, so I have really no personal connection to the vibrancy of the Civil Rights era in its heyday; but I can't help but imagine that the emotions and the inspiration that I draw from Obama, and his message of unity and of hope, must be what many felt listening to Dr. King. In many ways, I think Obama transcends even Presidential Politics. I am convinced that, win or lose this primary, Obama will have transformed our society just for having participated. God bless him for giving all of us this gift.

The First Campaign Manager?

Not sure what to make of this, but while at Church this morning, the pastor of my parish, in the context of the weekly scripture readings which focused on the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, spoke of the political primary campaigns currently underway in the U.S. Now, my pastor didn't exactly use the terminology of Campaign Manager to describe John the Baptist, but it seemed to me that the picture he was painting of John the Baptist's example as it related to the current political environment in the United States sure sounded a lot like that of a Campaign Manager of sorts, albeit for a different kind of campaign. I must say that the thought rather intrigued me.

Inside the Academy Beltway

This week, we started classes. As usual, I'm consumed by the moment of getting this new semester off the ground. Consequently, I haven't had much time (nor much energy, frankly) to stretch beyond the confines of the Ivory tower (at least in ways that aren't directly related to my work as an educator).

So, I confess to being completely out of the loop on the Jindal inauguration. Not that I mind it so much, since I am completely unenthused about his impending reign. I wish the man well and I hope he delivers positive things for Louisiana. I can even muster up some hope that he might just do so; but I am certainly not emotionally invested in his administration.

On the national front, the Obama/Clinton rivalry is kinda in a breather space. Not much of note, I think, going on there. Even the "putting the race card to rest" moment didn't strike me as all that attention worthy. Perhaps that is because I am in my little bubble.

But there is also always the excitement of the start of a new term. And that's nice. It gives me energy of a different sort in a different way.

I'm teaching a new course, too, which adds to the excitement. The title of the course is "Social Justice in the Americas." It's a course that is heavily invested in the integration of community service and classroom learning. My students and I will be knee-deep in an exciting project called "LatiNOLA Votes," which is a voter registration drive targeted towards the metro New Orleans area Latino citizenry. Our community partner is an organization called Puentes, which is run under the auspices of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Arch-diocese of New Orleans. I'm working with some great people who have seemingly boundless amounts of energy and a commitment to community action, organizing, and service that is both impressive and humbling. In my standard introductory course on Latin America, I'll have some students working with the ESL program at St. Anna's Episcopal Church on Esplanade Ave., and other students working on labor rights and wage claims with the Interfaith Worker's Justice Center on Canal Street.

So that's where I am currently. But, I'm also very much thinking about Mardi Gras, too! I ride in the Thoth parade in a few short weeks, and it's always a highlight of my year. If you don't know already, the Thoth parade rides on Sunday, Febrary 3, in the late morning. We're scheduled to start rolling down our unique Uptown route at 11:00-11:30am (can't remember exactly when, at the moment). If any of you reading this plan to be out at Thoth on Sunday morning (and do a Rain Dance to keep the bad weather away!), especially if you'll be out with your kids (Thoth is a very kid-friendly parade), drop me an email at huckupchuck-at-hotmail-dot-com and I'll give you my float details and position.

Quote of the Day

"Thinking politically in higher education is difficult for both practical and conceptual reasons. As a practical matter, it runs against the grain of academic cultures. Conceptually, thinking politically differs from other approaches to cultural and institutional change. Indeed, conventional approaches disdain politics.

"Practically, thinking politically means building political coalitions or alliances, and this requires recognizing what different political perspectives, interests, and disciplines have to offer. It means building extensive relationships across silo cultures. It means turning hidden, privately felt discontents into objects for public discussion. It means developing public leadership through experiences of public work, cooperative, successful effort with others. It means learning to share credit and public recognition. It means creating space for reflection and collective evaluation. Yet all these steps go directly against the grain of the free-wheeling individual entrepreneurship, disciplinary turf wars, argument culture, hierarchies, and competitiveness that both structure and fragment academia."

Harry C. Boyte, Everyday Politics: Reconnecting Citizens and Public Life (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004): 141.

Sudoku Junkie

Yes, I have to admit it. I am a Sudoku junkie. I have played this game so many times that I pretty much know all the tricks to figuring these suckers out, even some of the most challenging puzzles.

It's to the point now where I don't even do the Monday through Friday Sudoku puzzles in the Times Picayune. And when I hunch over the weekend newspapers which contain the supposedly most difficuly puzzles, it is my firm practice to do the puzzles without making any kind of notations of possible number combinations in the corners of the puzzle grid squares. I'll only write a number in one of the grid squares if I'm sure it's the correct number.

The most challenging puzzles I have come across are contained in the New York Post's "Fiendish" Sudoku Book. Some of these "fiendish" puzzles have, indeed, stumped me.

In any case, if there are other Sudoku junkies out there who know where I might find another source of challenging puzzles, I'm very open to recommendations.

The Salvation of Souls

As a liberal Catholic Christian, I sometimes find myself engaged in theological discussions with other Christians over a wide variety of topics. A frequent topic of discussion is whether or not non-Christians have access to heaven, or eternal life with God, etc. Or whether non-Christians, unless they convert, are subject to eternal damnation. I just don't understand the arguments of those fundagelicals who would say that non-Christians are not as worthy or meritorious of heaven as Christians. I always wonder how do these fallible humans claim to know the mysteries of God? Nevertheless, since many of these folks also speak so highly of C.S. Lewis, I often resort to the words of C.S. Lewis to try to convey the basic position that I hold, which is one that embraces non-Christians as equally privileged members of God's family and that allows for non-Christians a place in heaven. Specifically, in the final installment of the Narnia Chronicles series of C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle, I point to Emeth's story of his meeting with Aslan, who is the Christ figure. Emeth, a Tarkaan who had worshipped Tash, Aslan's evil opposite, all of his life, tells of his encounter with Aslan:

But I said [to Aslan], Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. ... I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted.

This simple rendering captures it all for me. It makes perfect sense. But it should come as a warning to those Christians who seek to do violence against, or to engage in acts of destruction and harm against, their fellow humans -- no matter how much they may disagree with their fellow humans.

From the Archives: Advice to Young Conservatives Getting Ready for College

Since most colleges and universities (including mine) are gearing up for the Spring semester, I thought I would re-post something I wrote previously. Here 'tis:

As a college professor, I would like to say to young conservatives (and, really, to all young people) about to embark on the "liberal brainwashing" that is college. Take heart! Just think that if colleges and universities really were the big brother boogeyman liberal indoctrination machines that Rush Limbaugh would have you believe, there would be much fewer conservatives, independents, and libertarians with college degrees out there.

The fact that many young conservatives not only survive college, but also come through it perhaps with a more informed conservative conviction, is proof positive that college is good for both liberals and conservatives (and even independent and/or apolitical folk, too!)

What is scary to folks like Rush Limbaugh is that college encourages critical thinking. College bombards you with information and data and then challenges you to digest it, make sense of it, and to argue in defense of the conclusions you reach from the critical thinking process with those who come to different conclusions when digesting and thinking on the same information and data. And please know that having what you believe challenged by others is not an assault on your being. It is an invitation to study, think, and argue back.

Folk like Limbaugh are afraid that if you think critically you might become liberal. And they call it brainwashing if, in fact, this happens. Well, let me just tell you that critical thinking is not something to be afraid of. Sure, it may (and probably will) change your view the world; but how it does so is wide open and is ultimately up to you.

I'd only add the following advice to young liberals: Don't think you are immune to having your liberal views challenged, too. And if you find yourself in an environment where your liberal views are more shared and more espoused by your peers, don't let the comfort of such an environment cause you to become complacent. Always question your views critically and be open to opposing ideas. And never ever manipulate an environment tilted more towards liberal viewpoints to demean or marginalize an intellectual rival. Remember that you will almost certainly find yourself at some point in your life in the minority and, perhaps, on the defensive on some issues. Think of how you would want to be treated by your intellectual rivals in such a context, and then offer that courtesy to others.

The Substance of Barack Obama, Part I

You know, I am tired of Obama naysayers claiming that Obama is nothing more than an establishment politician who is not a true progressive on the issues and who lacks specific and concrete plans and policies for governing as a progressive liberal President in ways profoundly different than the ways of previous Presidents or than the ways proposed by his current Democratic opponents. So, to take up the challenge of showing just how wrong the naysayers are, and how their criticism of Obama is as insubstantial as they claim Obama's positions to be, I'm going to be featuring the concrete and specific plans and policies Obama has outlined that prove he is truly the candidate of progressive change on the substance of issues. So, without further ado, here's Part I of The Huck Upchuck's Substance of Barack Obama series:

Don't Ask, Don't Tell - That abomination of a policy, implemented during the Bill Clinton presidency, whose effect is to require gay soldiers either to live their lives in the closet, or to kick them out of the military simply for coming out. The progressive change position on this issue is simple: to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Here's Barack Obama on Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

As president, I will work with Congress and place the weight of my administration behind enactment of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which will make nondiscrimination the official policy of the U.S. military. I will task the Defense Department and the senior command structure in every branch of the armed forces with developing an action plan for the implementation of a full repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. And I will direct my Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to develop procedures for taking re-accession requests from those qualified service members who were separated from the armed forces under Don't Ask, Don't Tell and still want to serve their country. The eradication of this policy will require more than just eliminating one statute. It will require the implementation of anti-harassment policies and protocols for dealing with abusive or discriminatory behavior as we transition our armed forces away from a policy of discrimination. The military must be our active partners in developing those policies and protocols. That work should have started long ago. It will start when I take office.

America is ready to get rid of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. All that is required is leadership.

Not only is it specific and concrete in detailing how he will end this policy, but he even has a plan to bring openly gay soldiers back into the military.

Now, here's what Hillary has to say on Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

Hillary knows that courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice – the traits that define our men and women in uniform – have nothing to do with sexual orientation. She's concerned that the military is discharging people with critical skills, including desperately needed Arabic language skills. Hillary believes that this is a matter of national security and as president, she will address it.

She'll "address it?" That's it?!? Nothing more need be said.

As for John Edwards, well he apparently supports ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but I couldn't find any mention of this policy on his Campaign website, much less a concrete plan for dealing with it. He has a lengthy section on the military, but doesn't even mention this issue. And, of course, we all know that Edwards is the only one of the Democratic frontrunners who personally opposes gay marriage on moral grounds, even though he says he is against the FMA.

In the end, who's not only the most progressive candidate among the three Democratic frontrunners on the issue of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but also has the most concrete and specific plans for implementing his progressive policy?

Obama.

Say It Ain't So, Obama!

Obama's campaign seems to have taken an unpleasant turn. I agree with oyster. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad move. No need for such desperation, Obama. No need for slinging such mud, especially this kind of mud. Don't descend to the depths of identity politics. Please!

Explaining New Hampshire

Speaking simply out of nothing more than pure conjecture, my guess (or wishful thinking) in looking at the numbers is that the NH independents have clearly indicated a preference for the Democrats in the general election. I say this because the total numbers of votes cast for the Democrats far outstripped those cast for the Republicans. The Democrats received about 55% of votes cast and the Republicans only 45% of votes cast. This in a state where registered Democratic voters constitute 26% of all eligible voters and registered Republicans constitute 30% of all eligible voters.

Now, my reasoning is that if independents trended towards the Democrats so significantly, then it seems to me that independents would likely be more open to any of the democratic frontrunner candidates overall and more concerned about who the Republican candidate would be, propelling them to opt for making sure a frontrunner candidate in the Republican party would be more to their liking and inclination: i.e. McCain. So, I think some independents likely to vote for the Democrat in the general elections peeled off to vote in the Republican primary today for McCain. And given Obama's appeal to more independent voters, these peel off votes for McCain likely cost Obama at least a couple of percentage points against Hillary. Probably not enough to really call into question Hillary's good showing, but perhaps enough to have one a really close squeaker.

Just some thoughts. And here's another ...

I think the Obama/Edwards tag-team at the NH Democrat debate really makes it likely that, should Edwards pull out of the race, he'll throw his backing behind Obama. And this would sink Hillary for sure.

Furthermore, although Edwards might not want to do a VP repeat, should he be open to that possibility again, an Obama overture to Edwards for the VP slot in the general would really, I think, solidify the potential for a real mandate victory by the Democrats in November. Having Edwards on the ticket would put the South in play for the Democrats, and it would certainly make Louisiana viable given what I think is strong support for Edwards here as many perceive him to be the only national candidate (of either party) to have truly paid attention to Louisiana's post-Katrina situation.

Obama Transcends Even In Conceding

I tell you, I just watched Obama give what apparently was a concession speech in New Hampshire; but listening to him speak and the manner of his speaking, one would think that America won, even if he didn't. The man is perhaps the best orator I have witnessed in modern times. Only Bill Clinton can even approach it. I tell you, the Republicans have nothing on the Democrats in terms of the ability to give fantastic public speeches.

I have to say that I had a bit of that empty feeling in my gut seeing the returns come in favoring Clinton. And then I watched Obama talk. And that feeling dissipated. And I even began to think that should Hillary take the nomination in the end, it will still all be good in the end for America.

Obama is the real deal. And I look forward to his battling it out with Hillary in the weeks to come.

I am becoming more and more certain of one thing: the Democratic Party is back, it is invigorated, and it is renovated. Whether he wins or not (and I'm still convinced he will win it all and win it big), Obama has radically changed the terms of our politics and the Democratic party's path to victory in November.

Huckabee, Coffee, and Obama

Hot damn! I just loved this story:

By Associated Press
January 08, 2008 7:47 AM
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Mike Huckabee gave it his all this morning to sway one voter — even pouring coffee for him — to no avail.

Outside the Brookside Congregational Church, Huckabee waded into crowd to greet voters on their way into the polling place.

He ran into Joe Legay, 70, and asked who Legay who was voting for.

"I'm independent," Legay said, ducking the question.

"So I have one more chance, what can I do? Can I pour you coffee?" Huckabee asked,then poured him a cup of coffee from a doughnut shop coffee container. "Where else than in New Hampshire does a candidate come out and personally pour coffee?"

Then again, he asked Legay how he would vote.

"I'm independent so I have to be quiet," Legay said, apparently not wanting to hurt Huckabee's feelings, because as Huckabee moved on, he told a reporter he was voting for Democrat Barack Obama.

"My suggestion is that if he makes it, then Edwards should be his vice president," Legay said.

Emphasis mine. Good for you, Joe Legay!