I follow twitter B50 on twitter who has been pushing the Vote Yatra 2009 campaign even before the mumbai attacks ever happened. Vote Yatra 2009 is a campaign to spread voter awareness and voter rights in the upcoming 2009 general elections. I am all for it. In fact, I had a few queries about registering to vote which the Vote Yatra promptly and effectively helped me out with but now the problem of lack of leadership is abundantly evident. I think everybody would agree that India lacks political leadership in the short term. One would argue that the young leaders could bring about a change. But I dont expect them to be the revolutionaries. The young leaders are part of the political monarchy in India where the political reins of India are handed down through generation by select families. It’s a matter of right and not eligibility that Rahul Gandhi will be the PM some day. This hurts India in two ways. First, leading India is taken for granted because there is no sense of achievement to lead India. Second, due to political monarchy, there is no way for a worthy person having no political background to be a leader. Lets take the case of AB Vajpayee, he had no apparent political background and had to climb all the steps of party leadership ladder and hence by the time he became the prime minister he could barely walk. I don’t mean to belittle the young leaders but they haven’t stepped out of the typical political mould as yet and I dont see it happening in the near future either.

Going back to Vote Yatra, the campaign would be effective only if there were a confusion in choosing between leaders. But currently, there is no confusion! Everybody, including the “uneducated” class, knows that the leaders are just not interested in governing. To make this thought more objective, let me trouble you with a few numbers. In the 1953 and 1957, the parliament met for 137 days (almost 6 months). In the 2008, the government recorded the lowest number of parliament sittings with only 32 sittings in the entire year. The decreasing trend has been noticed since 1999, hence the earlier governments were no good better than the one we have. This falling number clearly indicates the reducing importance of parliament and in administration of the country. Another important fact is that 125 out of the 552 members (almost 20%) have criminal backgrounds. So the question I think we really should focus on is how do we ensure that right people are occupying the right position in the countries administration?

There probably isn’t a right answer but here are my recommendations for the above problem. Currently, it is impossible for any party to get a clear majority hence India will always have an alliance government which is acceptable provided that the alliances are formed before the elections and not just to gain majority. Before the elections take place, the various alliances will have to propose their PM candidate and the proposed PM will be nominate and elect his cabinet before the elections take place. How will this help? People will be able to clearly see who will finally be the PM as a result of their vote and the cabinet portfolio allotment will be done more scientifically than the way it is done currently where ministries and cabinet positions are promised in exchange for number of seats in the alliance government.

I am not attacking the Vote Yatra campaign but what we need now are political reforms in the way we choose our leaders and not which leaders we choose. How do we operationalize my recommendations? I have no idea and would like to crowd source is. Also, you are more than welcome to trash my recommendation but only if you have a solution or think that there should be a different issue to focus on.

In a nation like Pakistan, the government will have to be persuaded to deal with those in their midst who are complicit. This can happen if those nations’ citizens decide they don’t want their own country to be dishonored by allegiances with terror groups. Otherwise, other nations may have to act [source].

Mr. Kristol, replace Pakistan with Iraq and I would like to know if you have similar opinions. And at what point would it be alright for other nations to act? You did not support Barack Obama when he said something similar on the lines of, if Pakistan does not act on the jihadis within their borders, we will. In fact, you continued to back McCain who uttered inanities about infringing Pakistan’s sovereignty; ironic given the U.S. was/is in a war with another nation doing exactly that.

It is funny to see Kristol sprout intelligence on the Mumbai terror attacks even though it is apparent he does so to further his neocon agenda. So Mr. Kristol, please do not offer your opinions about something you’ve no clue about. In case you are looking for topics to write about, your darling Sarah Palin was campaigning in Georgia and no one seems to care.

The South Mumbai seige is over but the scars still remain. My office is in the Air India Building which is right next to the Oberoi Trident. The exterior of the hotel does not show that the building was under attack just 36 hours back but the interior of the hotel might tell different story.

The news channels have been talking and annoying the shit out of me about the famed “Mumbai Spirit”, its ability to bounce back, resilience shown by Mumbaikars to hop on the train and go through the station that just a few days back was strewn with dead bodies! What other option do I have? Mumbai is a fucked up, competitive place. If, I don’t go back to work, I risk being replaced. In Mumbai, everybody and anybody is replaceable and dispensable. Hence going back to the grind is the only option that a Mumbaikar has. This applies to businessmen and salaried professionals equally. But this time it’s different. Mumbaikars are shit scared because this time they saw the face of terror in action. The footage of the terrorists calmly walking out of VT station is difficult to get out of my mind. People say it’s time to shut up and do something. So a few intelligentsia are planning “Anti-terrorism walk”, “Candle lighting - homage to the dead” event in South Mumbai. There was even a twitter meet up that was arranged yesterday near Café Leopold. I have deliberately chosen to avoid such lame duck events because once the event is done; the same people would head to a Pizzeria or Not Just Jazz by the Bay and enjoy a beer. All that these people want is to get a sense of satisfaction about having done something post-attacks however useless the activity might be.

I know I am running the risk of pissing of the entire Indian Facebook and Twitter community by saying this but I know I am not wrong. Now, you might think that my smart ass might have a solution to this. But I am sorry to disappoint you. But what each one of us has to think is lighting a candle and a peace walk the best that we can do?

Twitter was invaluable in getting the latest news and most people I was following in India were updating furiously. The rumors were kept to the minimum. In fact, surreal news of terrorists hijacking a police van and shooting on people would have been considering outlandish but unfortunately were true and captured on film. Several outstanding police offices and anti-terror cops were killed simply due to lack of adequate firepower which in itself is a deplorable situation.

I’m seriously pissed at the alarming regularity of such terror attacks in India and the UPA government should be held fully accountable for these death and the mayhem unleashed by the terrorists. The buck must stop at their doorstep and I don’t want to hear any talks of ’spirit of Mumbai’ because it no longer stands for resilience but instead reflects apathy and despondence. The government if nothing else is expected to provide a climate of security and peace for its citizens otherwise we are nothing but a motley bunch of individuals looking out for our own selves.

As of now, the crisis isn’t over and some might suggest another time for finger-pointing but I still don’t see anyone firmly in command. The spineless Home Minister pops up ocassionally asking for calm but we see no commanding or reassuring presence from our leaders. The terrorists are achieving their simple aim of spreading terror and without anyone to take command, I don’t see us foiling their objectives. I hope the situation is brought under control soon and the death toll stops rising.

PS. the magnificient building on the waterfront, the Taj Mahal was in flames and it seems the top portion might be lost. The architect in me finds this reason enough to deal with any future terrorists strongly.

As for “ruining what is great about football”, you’re aware that the other famous cousin of football, the NFL does have playoffs, right? Even in the NFL, a perfect record in the season still doesn’t mean you will win the Superbowl. Just ask the New England Patriots from last year. And if you must mention USC’s derailment of the title bid last year following a loss to Stanford, you must also remember that they’ve been kept out of the title game in spite of having similar records as the top two teams except they’ve beaten superior teams. Heck, I’ll go out on the limb and say that by BCS’s current logic, one SEC team should always figure in the title game given the level of competition in the league.

In spite of having your “first major philosophical break with the candidate I voted for”, you still talking about spreading the wealth and gasp at the horrors of including “football’s neglected working class, like Utah and Boise State.” Well, if they seem so horrible and undermatched, wouldn’t they lose in the first round of the playoffs and “two upper-crust contenders like Alabama and Oklahoma” would eventually rise to the top in tune with their oh-so-perfect record. But I guess you rather invest your belief in the sentiment that “lose once, and your team finds itself at the mercy of the voters and the dreaded computers” because we know how that worked out in Florida in 2000. What are you afraid of, if a “upper-crust” team can win it all in the regular season, what’s a couple of play-off games for them, huh?

Finally, I admire your love for the “technocratic appeal of the computer rankings” because I’m sure that’s where games are supposed to be decided - on IBM servers. Talking about a healthy debate and your comment that “the president-elect has shown himself to be adaptable and open to dissenting viewpoints. After a national “conversation,” and perhaps the appointment of a presidential commission, I believe he can be convinced to come to his senses” sounds so appropriate because Jesus seems to have told you, son, you can never be wrong and ultimately the world will come to its senses and understand you. Our current President seemingly is under the same impression. Good luck to ya!

Although it makes perfect economic sense to let Detroit go bankrupt allowing it to restructure, the reality is that the 2-3 million job loss, pensions wipe out, and consequential effects on other ancillary industries and indicators. If the rest of the economy was strong and rising, I would be dead against the bailout. Now I’m merely conflicted. Theoretically I approve of rejecting the bailout but I don’t believe that bankruptcy is going to rescue Detroit; restructuring or otherwise. So it all comes down to biting the bullet and learning to deal with not only the economic avalanche but also the political fallout.

Don’t be swayed by the arguments on TV because if you look beyond the faces and their arguments, their motivations are completely different from what they state. All the supporters of the bailout are from the Michigan delegation e.g. Senator Levin who offers economic reasons and doomsday predictions in the wake of a bailout rejection. On the other hand, those against the bailout citing lessons from the free market are from non-Midwest states such as Senator Shelby whose state Alabama is home to ‘foreign’ car assembly plants. It is all politics yet no one seems to admit it. For once, I would like to see a non-Michigan Congressional member support the bailout and a Michigan member speak against it. I’m sure you’ll be hard pressed to find such a member. This election stripped Michigan of its swing state status and the Democrats would like to keep it that way and the only way they can is by refusing to acknowledge a dying industry.

Pandering to the constituents is the elephant in the room and no one on TV even talks about it. All the economics and free market lessons from the politicians are bunkum because if the car industry was in Birmingham (Alabama), you would see roles reversed. Politicians, I can understand but what stops the TV pundits from confronting this obvious truth? Let us not pretend that loyalty to an economic ideology dictates our actions because if that were true, we wouldn’t have seen any bailouts. As Carville would say it, it is the politics, stupid.

Fortunately, the wonder that is YouTube brings to us this guy who does a better Obama than Armisen. Shouldn’t SNL hire him for at least the next four years considering you won’t have McCain or Palin to make fun of?

On election night, Fox attracted many more viewers than MSNBC — until Mr. Obama was pronounced the victor. During the midnight hour, when Mr. Obama spoke in Chicago, MSNBC averaged 5.6 million viewers, compared with Fox’s 3.9 million.

An interesting tidbit from a story commenting on MSNBC’s seemingly controversial new tagline - The Power of Change. MSNBC’s critics are shouting hoarse on the blatant channel’s liberal bias. Talking about the right’s allegation that the media was in the tank for Obama, I was quite tickled by Olbermann’s comment post-election that it seemed like the majority of American voters were in the tank for Obama.

It is unfortunate that news networks no longer are considered non-partisan but Fox News’ ‘Fair and Balanced’ is much to blame for this state of affairs. MSNBC merely moved to the left to fill the gap in the market for liberal viewers. They might have thought if the public thinks it is a liberal media, we might as well give them that. Poor CNN is still undecided on which way to pander.

[image source] To paraphrase, Remember, Remember, the Fourth of November.

“America remains a center-right country. Democrats should not make the mistake of viewing Tuesday’s results as a repudiation of conservatism or a validation of big government” - House Minority Leader John Boehner [source].

So let me get this straight - the Democrats win the White House with 350 electoral votes and 52-46 popular vote margin, have 253 seats in the House; a net gain of 19 seats (9 undecided yet), have 56 seats in the Senate; a net gain of 5 (3 undecided), and have 29 Democratic governors in a 50-state country and YET this is a center-right country? Pray tell me what would a center-left country look like?

My friends (apologies to that Senator from AZ whose name I can’t remember today), the pendulum swings back and forth between center-left and center-right. It was center-right since Reagan but it was swung back the other way now. The quicker you admit it, the easier it will be for the GOP to swing it the other way again. Steve Benen at The Washington Monthly is equally frustrated about this unwillingness to see what is in front of them. Mind you, the last few weeks of the campaign were all about how Obama is a socialist and wants to redistribute your wealth (utter lies). So now that he has 52% of the popular vote, do the Republicans want to admit that Americans might not mind a little bit of socialism?

Reams will be written dissecting Obama’s path to victory but none will even come close to underscoring the American spirit of optimism and hope for a better tomorrow. Mired in one of the worst economic disasters of modern times, bogged down in two wars and threatening more, and sliding favorable ratings for their political leaders, Americans across all demographics came together to elect a man who displayed tremendous content of his character blinding most to the color of his skin. America by no means is in a post-racial time but has definitely embarked on that road and things can only get better from hereon. Naysayers liken Obama’s victory to an idea whose time had come but they miss the larger picture that this idea took years in the making and was nurtured by millions of his supporters who believed in the hope and optimism that he promised them at the end of this arduous journey. I hope he lives up to this promise.

Although ineligible to vote yet, Ash and I were overcome with emotion when the networks called him President-elect at 11pm EST following closing of the polls on the West coast. The images of people erupting in joy all across the nation especially African-American who openly wept at the realization of the dream that Martin Luther King talked. I can only imagine how the people who fought hard for their rights during the tumultuous Civil Rights movement must feel at this historic moment. In Dr. King’s words, Obama did not win this election on account of his skin color but through the power of his ideas. Potential political leaders across the world can take lessons from his victory. His eloquence, intellectual curiosity, stoic temperament, and gentle demeanor was dismissed as elitism but little did those critics realize that these are the exact quality that Americans were looking for. Judging by his speech last night, I hope Obama fulfills his promise of a great presidency that history will remember for years to come.

The most recent incident was shocking given the political climate and goes to show the rank immaturity of the conservative student body. The MSC Plaza hosted this despicable egg-tossing Anti-Obama Carnival. I find one of the images that of a black football player standing in front of the poster quite arresting. Mind you, this is a town that worships football players most of them black and you would think this would dispel many myths. There have been other Democratic nominees but none has generated this much hate as Barack Obama. I wish the students at Texas A&M would grow up to see the world that lies beyond your farmland. No wonder 23% of you think that Obama is a Muslim in spite of his much-publicized pastor scandal.

Update: To the university’s credit, we received the following message from the President late last evening:

To the Aggie Family:

One of the fundamental and most important rights that we have as Americans is freedom of speech — and this is a right that we firmly support here at Texas A&M University. As a native of Cuba, I personally understand the consequences of not having the right of free speech, or the many other freedoms that we, as Americans, so often take for granted.

The recent actions of the small group of students at Rudder Plaza claiming to make a political statement concerning the presidential election have been widely interpreted as being much broader—and certainly contrary to the core values of Aggies everywhere. Here at Texas A&M, respect is one of our core values that are fundamental to being an Aggie. We should always respect each other, each other’s opinions, and express our own opinions in a respectful way (emphasis mine).

Political disagreement is to be expected, particularly as election day nears, but it can—and should—be addressed in respectful dialogue. This was certainly the case when the Texas Aggie Democrats and the Aggie College Republicans conducted a joint program earlier this week under the auspices of the Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA), which is sponsored by the Memorial Student Center.

Aggies have a long and proud tradition of honor and respect for one another, for our school and our state and nation—and are so recognized and admired. We must do nothing to tarnish our reputation.

I strongly encourage everyone in the Aggie Family to respect the opinions of others, especially if you disagree with them. Even more importantly, I urge you to express your opinions and ideas in a respectful way, as they can serve to enrich the educational environment here on our campus. Let’s respect each other, for that is what Aggies do.

Elsa A. Murano, PhD
President

Although she didn’t explicitly denounce the incident because of first-amendment issues, I think she successfully distanced the university away from this distasteful incident especially in the bolded statement above.

I find this image compelling; more so given Obama’s campaign narrative. This was taken in Pennsylvania yesterday where both campaigns held rallies in this must-win state (for McCain at least). The McCain campaign canceled citing weather conditions but Obama went ahead with his rally standing in rain without an umbrella. You would be forgiven for thinking that perhaps Obama is trailing by 7-8 points instead of leading.

It has been all Pollster, Five Thirty Eight, and Real Clear Politics for the past couple of weeks. Although I want this election season to end soon I wonder if anything I read after November 4th will be half as interesting. Why do I bother you ask? Well, Jorge Cham has an answer for that as well:

“John McCain polling within 2 points in 2 or more non-partisan polls (sorry, Strategic Vision) in at least 2 out of the 3 following states: Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania.”

If this condition is fulfilled say, a day or two before the election then be prepared for a long night with McCain still not a favorite otherwise you can easily make it to bed before 10pm fully knowing who the President is gonna be. Don’t expect the media to tell you this. It is not in their best interest to call this ahead of time even if it is painfully obvious.

Remember them? The guys who masterminded the most terrifying attack on U.S. soil and are now currently regrouping in Pakistan-Afghanistan. Nope, Bin Laden did not make a new mix tape but the endorsement was found on a password-protected Jihadi website which is allegedly a favorite haunt for Al Qaeda social networking types. Why would Al Qaeda endorse McCain? Because nothing works better for their recruitment drives than continuing a long-lost war for freedom in the Middle East and McCain is just the guy for continuing wars if not starting one more.

Imagine if this endorsement was for Obama? You would have seen the airwaves been inundated with McCain acolytes shouting see we told you so! But the genius that the McCain campaign is instead decided to make a conference call and criticize the media (the ever-favorite tactic when everything fails) for reporting the news. But the strangest explanation would follow later - the Al Qaeda endorsement was in fact, reverse psychology i.e. they want us to believe they support McCain when in fact they root for Obama. Honestly, you cannot make this stuff up! But sadly even logic is not their forte because they follow up this ridiculous argument by emphasizing the supposed support for Obama from Hamas which completely negates their first point.

Come on, guys! I’m not sure if you really want McCain to win or simply have a secret plan to sabotage McCain’s campaign a la the 2000 fiasco. Probably Cheney and Rove are still rooting for Bush and pulling the strings.

The McCain campaign is still crying foul over Obama’s broken promise to consider public financing. But that’s not it. They are raising questions on the infusion of such large sums of money into an election. Of course, it remains to be seen how a maximum contribution from an individual ($2300) can influence a candidate who has raised hundreds of millions. Remember the average is only $86. The Internet has made it easier to donate money so obviously more people have and significant higher enthusiasm among the Democratic base has helped. You would imagine this wide dispersion of direct financial support from the public would be a better alternative and the Republicans would’ve hardly complained if they had managed to leverage the power of the Internet for fund raising. And lets get real…even if it is easier to donate online, is the Republican base really enthused enough to donate for McCain? The Republican base got involved mostly through chanting of racist slogans only after the Palin pick.

Another complaint is that Obama is getting money from suspicious sources. McCain has been demanding to see the list of donors to the Obama campaign when in fact, it is not legally required to do so if the amount is less than $100. But to label a large swath of American people who have donated less than $100 as suspicious is cowardly. And now it turns out that the McCain campaign sent a fundraising letter to the Russian Mission to the United States. Eliciting campaign funds directly from a foreign source is illegal. Now isn’t that more suspicious?

It might be attributed to a mistake but if we choose to adhere strictly to the election laws, this ‘mistake’ might be enough to disqualify McCain’s nomination. I’m sure Democrats will not push this story but trust me, the Republicans would have made a big fuss if it was Obama’s letter to the Russians. If McCain goes down to defeat, it will simply be due to an inept campaign more than anything else. As any Maharashtrian would say, svatacha ghar sambhalo shakat nahi, nighalaya jag jinkayla (can’t keep his own house in order and he sets out to conquer the world) or khud ka campaign nahi chala sakta, desh kya chalayga.

“The toughest thing has been the shots taken against the kids, against the family,” said Ms. Palin, according to a partial transcript of an interview with WWOR, a television station that serves New York City. “They’re my kids. The mama grizzly bear in me comes out, makes me want to rear up on my hind legs and say, ‘Wait a minute’ [source].

Dear Ms.Palin, now do you really want to put that image in our head when SNL is mocking you week after week? And yeah, wait a minute, you have to rear up on your hind legs? Aren’t you on them all the time? I definitely don’t want to know when you are not.

Anyway, back to the expertise-by-birth logic, should we appoint the next Treasury Secretary based on the fact that his kid is majoring in finance? The President should technically then be only a person who has a kid serving in the military. Who care if Sasha and Malia are not yet teens yet, ship them off to Iraq like McCain, Palin, and Biden’s kids, right? Better appoint a person who has a homeless kid as the next Housing and Urban Development Secretary and dare you nominate a Supreme Court Justice whose kid hasn’t appeared on Judge Judy. So it is not only important to live closer to Russia to be considered a foreign policy expert but to also use your poor kids illness as a qualification otherwise the press should respect their privacy. Next Up - Cheney to serve as a gay rights activist once his term as Veep is up.