Presidential Lists

In honor of Barack Obama 's election to the US Presidency, I thought I'd share some Presidential trivia related to the man.

Obviously, Obama will be the first US President who is black. At one time, this nation revelled in the "one drop rule" - any black ancestors, and you are black. In this day and age, racial designation is somewhat more a matter of choice and of appearance. If you look black, and call yourself black, then you are. But, according to this website, we've had five or six other Presidents with some African ancestry:

• Thomas Jefferson


• Andrew Jackson


• Abraham Lincoln


• Warren Harding


• Calvin Coolidge


• Barack Obama


• (some sites also add William Clinton to this list)
  

Another short list Obama appears on is US Presidents with parents born outside of US boundaries:

• Andrew Jackson - mother and father were born in Ireland


• James Buchanan - father was born in Ireland, County Donegal


• Chester Arthur - father was born in Ireland, County Antrim


• Thomas Jefferson - mother was born in London, England


• Woodrow Wilson - mother was born in Carlisle, England


• Herbert Hoover - mother born in Ontario Canada


• Barack Obama - father born in Kenya

Finally, this wiki page lists many of the US presidents who were related. There are the obvious ones (the Bushes, the Adams, the Harrisons), but there are more distant relations, too. Just one example:

George H. W. Bush: fourth cousin five times removed of Millard Fillmore, fifth
cousin four times removed of Franklin Pierce, seventh cousin four times removed
of Abraham Lincoln, sixth cousin five times removed of Ulysses Grant, sixth
cousin three times removed of Rutherford Hayes, fourth cousin three times
removed of James Garfield, seventh cousin twice removed of Grover Cleveland,
seventh cousin three times removed of Theodore Roosevelt (also eighth cousin
twice removed of Eleanor Roosevelt, a niece of Theodore), sixth cousin three
times removed of William Taft, sixth cousin twice removed of Calvin Coolidge,
tenth cousin of Herbert Hoover, sixth cousin three times removed of Franklin
Roosevelt, ninth cousin four times removed of Richard Nixon, seventh cousin of
Gerald Ford. Note that these relationships then also apply to George W. Bush,
each an additional generation removed.

Interestingly, Obama has his own connection of this sort. Though he doesn't seem to be related to any previous US President, he is the eighth cousin of Dick Cheney, through his mother's line.

Thought I'd pop up a video in celebration of this auspicious day. Yes, today is the 86th anniversary of the day Howard Carter discovered the entrance to the tomb of Tutankaman.
OK, OK, I know what you're saying - yes, today does have another significance, as well, something more, shall we say 'Presidential'? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. So let's all get together and wish the Lincolns (Abe and Mary) a happy 166th wedding anniversary. Good going, guys!

Racist Voting?

The other day, I heard someone suggesting that blacks were voting for Obama solely because he is black. So, I did a little digging.

Harris Polls says that Obama has an 88 point lead over McCain among black voters. CNN’s exit polling after the 2004 election showed that Kerry had a 77% lead over Bush (88% vs. 11%) among black voters. Their exit polling after the 2000 election showed Gore with an 80% lead over Bush (90% vs. 10%) among black voters.

So around 75-80% of the lead can be attributed to blacks as a demographic preferring democratic candidates. What about the remaining 8-10%?

Well, lets not forget that the democratic candidate lost both the 2000 and 2004 elections. In 2000, he led in the overall popular vote by about 0.5%. In 2004, he trailed in the overall popular vote by about 1.5%. In contrast Harris says that Obama has about an 8% lead among all registered voters right now. So, Obama is doing about 8-10% better in the runup to this election than the previous democratic candidates were .

It all fits pretty neatly together… and without having to invoke any racist voting behavior on the part of African americans.

I am a Constitution Voter

Apparently, I'm a bit late to this, but I thought I'd share it anyway. The ACLU is hosting a petition drive that I quite like. By signing the petition, you agree to this pledge:

• I believe that no one -- including the President -- is above the law.
• I oppose warrantless spying.
• I believe that government officials, no matter how high-ranking, should be held accountable for breaking the law and violating the Constitution.
• I believe that the Constitution protects every person's rights equally -- no matter what they believe, how they live, where or if they worship, and whom they love.
• I reject the notion that we have to tolerate violations of our most fundamental rights in the name of fighting terrorism.
• I am deeply committed to the Constitution and expect our country's leaders to share and act on that commitment -- every day, without fail.

Now, these are very topical, and I like them all, but they are a bit... pointed, shall we say. I'd be happier if they added some more timeless ones. For instance,

• I believe that, in accordance with the 10th Ammendment, the federal government's actions are restricted to those specifically listed in the Constitution, and that the interstate commerce clause does not give congress carte blanche to control everything goddamn thing it sees.

or

• I believe that when the members of one branch (say, the legislative) attempt to delegate one of their powers (say, the power to declare war) to another branch (say, the executive), that their attempt should be struck down and a suitable punishment should be applied.

But, the list of points is a fine thing, as far as it goes, and I'm proud to sign on. Objections to any of the points are welcome in comments!

PS: Russ Feingold held hearings in September on essentially this same topic. He's calling it Restoring the Rule of Law. He pitched it as a means of generating a blueprint for the next President to restore executive respect for the Constitution and the law. I doubt he's be asking for veto on spending laws not authorized by the Constitution, but you take what you can get. A quote from Russ:

"As we celebrate the 221st anniversary of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, I want the next president – whoever that may be – to pledge his commitment to restoring the rule of law. It is a sad fact that for the past seven and a half years the Bush Administration has treated the Constitution and the rule of law with a disrespect never before seen in the history of our country. The years that follow this president’s shameful legacy will be the true test of the strength of our democracy."

Wouldn't it be cool if the right and the left both started hammering on each others' unconstitutional actions and we ended up with a federal government that operated within the bounds of the Constitution? And also if Santa brought me a pony this year?

Suspendered Campaign

Cheap political ploy? Certainly. Isn't everything done by either candidate at this point a cheap political ploy? Successful political ploy - it seems not. And I understand why it seemed like it would be a good idea. But, I don't want a President who can't handle everything at once. And besides, you don't pull something like this without making SURE that the other side is on board. Shows a lapse of Prezidenshul Skillz. What do you guys think? Comments are open.

Inspired

I most likely won't vote for him (tho' who knows this year?) but it is kinda nice to have somebody inspiring running for president...

Ron Paul 2008...

Ron Paul 2008... thoughts, comments? I'm so totally not looking forward to this presidential election. Anybody who is remotely appealing to me has an issue or two that I really hate. I might vote Ron Paul this time around. I need to mull some things. Anyone else thinking about the election yet?