URL: http://change.gov/Featured PostNovember 7, 2008Barack Obama Launches a New Website – Change.govBarack Obama seems to be keeping his promise of change, starting with a website. Today the site change.gov was launched. The site is an open platform, that hopes to engage the American people in the governmental process. From The Raw Story… The official website of US President-elect Barack Obama for his transition to the White House, www.change.gov, went online on Thursday inviting users to offer their ideas for the future of the country. Under the headline of “Open Government,” the website asks readers to “Share Your Vision” via email.”The story of the campaign and this historic moment has been your story,” the website states. “Share your story and your ideas, and be part of bringing positive lasting change to this country.” The website’s homepage notes that it’s “75 days until inauguration,” when Obama is to be sworn in as president on January 20, 2009. It also features a quote from Obama: “Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today
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I don’t think there’s reason to believe that he wants to hear from atheists in particular, so I think your post title is a bit optimistic.
Aside from Obama’s mother being an atheist, I do believe that he has leanings in that direction. If not, I would like to refer him and other blacks to atheist, Robert Engersoll who wrote these words in 1867:
(google this)
“An Address to the Colored People”
by Robert G. Ingersoll
1867
An address delivered to the colored people at Galesburg, Illinois, 1867.
Giving Obama the benefit of the doubt, I think he’ll support atheists, but very discreetly.
O knows he must treat American parochialism with kid gloves. Yes, it’s too bad religious pathology is so ubiquitous. But that’s the way it is. I think it would be wise for him to take a more prudent tack when dealing with the handicapped.
He’ll use general terms that imply inclusion for all people, avoiding the specificity both atheists and theists long to hear, but for completely different reasons.
I wrote my suggestions down and sent them in. It doesn’t hurt to mention that there are atheists out there. We can’t go overboard with an agenda and expect a warm reception. I’ll settle for just acknowledging we exist as a first step. I noticed he mentioned gays in his speech election night. Is that a first by a President Elect? I think it is.
That’s a start. Gays are ahead of us in a sense, as I believe atheists will be the last group one can openly discriminate against without fear of raising eyebrows.
My suggestions were the same ones I make over and over – eliminate the budget deficit through spending cuts and consumption taxes, pass a balanced budget amendment, and keep religion out of all aspects of government.
I’m going to throw everything I got concerning my vision of the future at it!
US Business should do this in light of Supply and Demand:
Government should stop repressing the scientific process with patent protection
Nuclear Power Generation and Desalination Treatment Plants
Drilling for Oil in North America
Replacing Chinese Sweatshops and Union Workers with Robotics
Quantum Computers
Flying Boatcars
People Living in Biodomes (undersea/on land/in space)
Methane Energy Generation from City Dumps
Cultivation of South America for Biodiesel/Biopetrol Production
Mining Minerals from the Sea Floor, the Moon, and on Astroids
An Array of Optical Solar Rectennas for Power Production and Microwave Energy Transmission
Blasting Lunar Dust with Microwaves for Water Production
Geothermal/Solar/Wind/Hydroelectric
Air Powered Cars (okay, hold back here, still suspicious of this one)
Correction: Blasting Lunar Dust (FeO) with Microwaves for Oxygen Production
I he has Atheist leanings, why did his campaign go so far out of its way to unwelcome us??
teammarty
I’m still in the dark as to just how far they did go. Is a transcript available of Dave’s talks with them?
quantum_flux
Lots of thought-provoking ideas, but most of them would be better saved for the scientific/business experts.
I’m not sure that loading down Obama’s staff with tons of specific (and to them, probably esoteric) details would be the most efficient use of this feedback opportunity.
Anything we say to them should be short and to the point.
For example, I would urge them to take care not to let government agencies that deal in science to fall under the influence of pressure groups with anti-scientific agendas.
Well, the government should shorten the patent protection terms in order to encourage market competition, stimulate production, and create more jobs. Incidentally, it is long patent protection terms (a government service) that contributes to the rich getting richer while technological progress remains stagnant. Industry can sort of milk their profits without investing in R&D since they have no competition due to government protection.
It is also the lack of technological progress that causes people to be religious. It’s almost as though people don’t trust the sciences because they aren’t seeing their technology evolve quick enough. Really, the essentials of the American auto-industry remains nearly stagnant due to things like non-competive unions.
I have an economic plan that not only insures that every dollar of taxpayer money is secured in real value assets, but, also supports many of the other Obama administration agendas, including jobs for the middle class, support for green energy, revitalization of the housing market, and bail out of the financial institutions.
But, I cannot get my ideas submitted through any conduit. All the economists are looking for an idea “out of the box”, I have one. The voting public will love it, too, because it does not reward the banks that betted the housing bubble would last forever. I have begun calling heads of the economics departments of colleges to find a means to submit this idea. It will work. Public works to restore infrastructure is a good idea, but this is a quantum leap beyond, where every dollar spent recycles again and again, not only strengthening the middle class, but the treasury as well, like it did in the Clinton years. Any suggestions for contact with the economic think tank for the Obama transition team would be appreciated.
NeoWolfe
The title could just as easily be Obama wants to hear from those who feast on the flesh of virgins during the equinox.
There is neither religion specific information, nor references to atheism in that post.
To Dave’s credit, he probably just intended that as “Obama wants to here from us”, which is as true for us as it is for those who feast on the flesh of virgins during the equinox, since Obama wants to hear from everyone.
I think it is very significant and promising that Obama’s parents were atheist/agnostic. Transcendent of his public religious posture,it’s possible he recognizes his parents’ wisdom. I may be assuming too much, but whatever the case, if he is forced to address this issue directly, it would seem odd if he didn’t lend some respect to the beliefs of his parents.
f555 – that metaphor made my day
neowolfe,
I feel your pain. I have the solutions to all the world’s problems too, but whenever I try to tell them to anybody they quickly change the subject, or suddenly remember an urgent appointment on the other side of town.
I dunno, Tuen. My parents are Christians and their status isn’t helping me respect their beliefs at all.
I take your meaning, though. We can dismiss religion with arguments based in logic and reason. The religious can only dismiss atheism with faith, which is a poor substitute. If Obama has even had a serious discussion with them about it, he’s much more likely to have come across with a high level of understanding than my parents would be if they had such a conversation with me.
Cynic
You have a point. My scenario daringly assumes Obama’s christianity is perfunctory and that his true spirituality is of wider scope. If Obama is a true christian, he would believe his parents are foolish sinners who will burn forever in hell.
Thought of a good title for a book
“How the religious right became the new left”
The pundits are already echoing what I stated prior to this election. “The road to The White House now begins at the pulpit.”… Because Barack Obama won the election, the strategy he used will be built upon for future elections. It has become the new road-map, and will be used for a long time to come. Everyone here that voted for Obama, voted to support their own exclusion from the democratic process… MARK MY WORDS: YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN TRUE PANDERING TO THE RELIGOUS RIGHT BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY… so don’t act surprised when it starts to get really bad, and “Hopey McChangey pants” turns on you.
I’ll send a note to Barack but as soon as he does something to favor religion I will be writing him and anyone else as to my disatisfaction of him not abiding to the Lemon Test ruling. I’m not letting up just because the more liberal guy won.
Cascade,
Not to point out the obvious, but didn?t the Dems just win the White House with relatively little pandering to the religious? In fact, they won the Presidency in spite of all of the religious claiming what a commie, left-wing, baby-killing, Muslim, liberal Obama was. Can you please point out where the Obama campaign inequitably pandered to the RR? From my perspective, he didn?t pander any more to the religious than he did any other interest group ? in fact, I feel he did very little pandering to the religious.
Obama won because he maintained a very disciplined campaign that focused on issues like our economy, the war, energy, etc. I don’t remember him pushing any religious agenda designed to bring in religious voters – but maybe you can refresh my memory?
Truth is, I believe the GOP will be taking a long look at how their fall has happened, and one of two things will occur: either they will purge the strangled hold of the RR from their party and return to a concentration on fiscal conservative, small government, pro-individual rights ideology or they will spiral into two distinct factions where we have the RR on one side and the rest of the GOP on the other. If the latter occurs, the GOP will be very ineffective in winning elections for a long time to come. I believe the days of pandering to the religious, aggressively, may be over ? at least for a long while. It’s now been proven candidates don’t need to do so to win elections.
Long term if the republicans don’t do something to change their pandering they are going to massively lose.
Since the younger generation is massively more liberal then republican. They are also less likely to be successfully pandered to by using religion, and they are far less racist/sexist then their elders. Which puts away the two biggest selling points of the republican talking points.
The younger generation is also far less partisan then their elders as well. This reduces the pandering of calling your enemies the devil, as they can see that this is just fear mongering.
Appealing to xenophobia in the American public is going to be less and less effective as the old timers die off. Since the younger generation has traveled far more often then their elders and have a much better grasp of outside cultures. Have to thank the internet too for eliminating cultural bounds.
Also in the next few decades the white majority is going to drastically reduce in America as well. If the republicans don’t start learning how to pander to minorities instead of taking away their rights, then they are never going to win.
Here is what the election would have had looked like if only the 18-29 crowd were to vote:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tweetmeme/30130671283014f9bc7aojpg
Obama would have won by a 455:57 margin.
SO yes, the republicans are doomed if they don’t do something to change.
Dont forget that 75% of those voters under age 30 fully support marriage equality. The power days of old white straight xian men is over and the GOP is in utter shambles.
DVanWechel:
Surely you remember the Saddleback forum…the AIPAC summit…the speech on faith based initiative …etc… How could that not be considered pandering to the RR?
godless sodomite:
Both political parties have reinvented themselves at times in their history. It is true that the GOP have suffered a severe blow because of GW Bush.
However, like the Borg, the Republican party will adapt. (After they get over the imminent civil war between the Zealots and the Moderates) One thing you can count on is that they’ll be back.
The GOP is bifurcating into the Constitution Party and the Republican Party. The Hippy Party is splitting into the Democrap Party and the Progaysive Party. I’m drinking JD and listening to the Contra Music soundtrack, and doing some homework!
Cascadia,
Certainly I do remember those. But, like I said, he didn’t pander to the RR anymore than he did to any other interest group. He gave speeches and spoke at many other liberal institutions as well. And his comment about “clinging to guns and religion” shows he can at least think critically about the subject.
talk about wishful thinking.Obama doesn’t give a damn about anybody,anyone with two brain cells can see it is all about him.
This is what I wrote:
Dear Mr. President-
I’m very happy you were elected to run this great country of ours. I know you will do a great job.
I would like to point out that during the last 8 years, the separation of church and state has become very blurred.
Allow me to quote Thomas Jefferson:
“Believing that religion is a matter which lies solely between man
and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or
his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach
actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign
reverence that act of the whole American people which declared
that their Legislature should “make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and
State.” –Thomas Jefferson to Danbury Baptists, 1802.
The faith-based initiatives that have been passed in the last 8 years have almost destroyed this wall.
I would ask that you take change and rebuild one of our founding fathers dream of the true separation of church and state.
Thank You,
Larry Goin
Mesa, AZ
Neither of the above are sentences; they wouldn’t make any more sense had they been. Anybody with more than your two brain cells knows you’re full of shit.
Obeah
Do you really think team obama cares about public input this is simply a pr stunt.You can call me names all you want but the change president has picked a hardline zionist for chief of staff and is busy recruiting the same old washington insiders to staff his admin.
Democrats and Republicans aren’t change they are partners in crime.
i’m going for awhile you guys all of you take care.i have enjoyed talking to you i’m glad we didn’t agree most of the time it would have been boring.i wish all of you the best and don’t get your hopes up too high with the new president he is just a man after all.
This is the most sensible thing I have ever heard from you. So, you’re not full of shit.
Goodbye and good luck.