Saturday, September 04, 2010

Or Maybe Bill Clinton Is Running On Empty

Newsweek: Bill Clinton Campaigns for Obama ... or Does He?: So into the top-of-the-ticket, presidential-level campaign void has (happily) stepped Bubba, as charming as ever, as sharp as ever at stating his case to voters. Plans are still “up in the air, but expect to see him out quite a bit” ..... “Somebody’s got to get out and make the case nationally for a Democratic Congress...... As a lawyer and salesman, Clinton knows that touting Obama as The One is a nonstarter given the president’s plummeting job-approval numbers. ...... I always love listening to Bill Clinton. If you listen carefully, you can see all the gears in motion: he makes himself clear to people who bother to take him seriously. ...... So what is he saying? That this president has “done a better job than he has gotten credit for so far.” (Which is not the same thing as saying that Obama has done a good job.) And: “All elections are about the future, so what is the alternative?” (Pay no attention to Obama, look at those scary Republicans!) And: “Give us two more years—two more years until another election. If we fail, you can throw us all out.” (Hillary will then be free to pick up the pieces!)
  1. "This president has done a better job than he has gotten credit for so far.” (Which is not the same thing as saying that Obama has done a good job.)
  2. “All elections are about the future, so what is the alternative?” (Pay no attention to Obama, look at those scary Republicans!)
  3. “Give us two more years—two more years until another election. If we fail, you can throw us all out.” (Hillary will then be free to pick up the pieces!)
Hillary is nowhere in the picture for 2012. This Newsweek writer is also running on empty.

The country is in an insurgency mood, and it is hard for a two term president to pose as an insurgent. Bill Clinton is a Democratic asset going into November, but he is not in the best position to capture the mood of the country right now. Reshma is.

Bill Clinton has the option to be the master of disaster to Carolyn Maloney during these final 10 days and help out Reshma Saujani. If all elections are about the future, Reshma Saujani is that future. Bill Clinton is still sharp, but he himself will admit, he is the past. He has said he is too old to sit on the Supreme Court. He knows.

Throwing his weight behind Reshma, however indirectly (Hillary Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani, Credit For Credit Card Bill Goes To Barack Obama, Barack Obama Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani), is the single best thing Bill Clinton could do to ensure a Democratic victory in November. If nothing else Bill Clinton needs to say thank you to Reshma Saujani for all she did for Hillary 08. Reshma gave Obama 08 its first scare. Remember the Democrat from Punjab? The New Hampshire victory was the second scare in which Bill Clinton played a major behind the scenes role.

This Is Not 1994
Obama Needs To Ride The Reshma Insurgency Wave To November Victory
A President Is Like A Political Billionaire
Extrapolations

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Friday, September 03, 2010

I Have Become A Cloud Person


Sometimes I can talk like I were someone still looking for a career, as if I am still trying to figure out what to do with my life.

During Obama 08, Jordan Thomas, the founder of Brooklyn For Barack, once insinuated that I was not showing interest in running for public office myself because I did not have the option to run for president some day. Jeff Kurzon, the founder of Manhattan For Obama, at an Upper East Side rooftop party at the residence of a Harvard Law classmate and family friend of Barack, Terrence Yang, said the country should amend its constitution so I could run for president some day. Whereas I was posing as a guy who just so happens to be excited about Barack, and as soon as it is done and over with, I was going over to my startup. I did raise the 100K I said I would raise for my startup's round one. The company was in my name because all you need is a social security number to do that. But the money was in my partner's name ("Are you sure you want to trust me with all this money?") because I was out of status. I was going to regain my status down the line somehow and turn it into a joint account.

I was born into a political family on both sides. They made me House Captain in Class 5, and again in Class 10. A year and a half later they offered to make me School Captain for being the obvious candidate although they did not want to. After high school I became Vice General Secretary to a political party with two MPs. Someone who was a central committee member and hence junior to me is currently a cabinet member in Nepal.

I came to America. I came, I saw, I conquered. Within six months of landing I got myself elected student body president at the number one liberal arts school in the South: Bible Belt. They had to amend the constitution so I could run as a freshman. I shared that story with Jeff at the rooftop party.

I was a Deaniac in 2004. My enthusiasm for Obama is well documented right at this blog.

Why tech entrepreneurship? My backgrounds have played larger roles in my life than I would have liked. I relate to my family, to NYC, to my work. I have had to drop high school and college as institutions like stones into sea water. I was born in India, but did not grow up there. In Nepal you generate hostility when you look like me. Kentucky cured me of what my idea of America was.

Bill Clinton is a telephone guy. The internet is my telephone. Bill Clinton is the ultimate reunion guy. He likes to go to all sorts of reunions. He is constantly reconnecting socially. Me? I don't see me going to high school and college reunions. It is called being Madhesi in Nepal, being nonwhite.

Perhaps there are post-ISMs individuals.

To get myself elected student body president within six months of landing, I had to have been super social. I must have shaken many, many hands. But the person today, I have atrophied social muscles.

I have had to drop so many identities, so many social circles. I draw such sustenance from the net, that somewhere along the way I became a cloud person.

I have no desire to stop being a cloud person, but at some point down the line I want to actively reclaim my social self. For that NYC is my chosen place. If you love people, this is the city to be. Perhaps this city will let me reclaim my social self.

When you are rootless like I feel I am, NYC is the place to be.

Tech entrepreneurship is not an option right now. I don't have a green card. I could blog. I could do the Iran work. Those are some options. And those are good options. Iran intrigues me.

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The Nitty Gritty Of Politics And Idealism



Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, head-and-shoulders por...Image via WikipediaSometimes in the nitty gritty of politics, in all those hourly, daily details that have to be taken care of, in yet another hand that has to be shaken, yet another speech that has to be given, one more time of telling the same story, sometimes it can feel like the idealism has been diluted, possibly even lost, especially when it has been a down hour, or a down day. But the idealism has to continue to burn. The purpose can never be lost sight of.

It is important to learn the mechanics. It is important to get to know the tools of technology that are so important. But beneath it all it is all about the larger goal.

I have long maintained meeting "ordinary people" is the best part of being part of a political campaign.

You can have the best intentions, but if you can't navigate the political process, your ability to deliver gets hindered. Good politicians are like good doctors. They know their stuff.

But often times a lot of politicians get lost in the process. The process took over the purpose a long time ago for them. They are going through the motions. Incumbency can do that to you. You can lose touch.
NYDailyNews.com: NY-14 Money Matters: Carolyn Maloney V. Reshma Saujani
NY-14 Hopeful Reshma Saujani No "Uptown Girl"
UK Asian: Interview w/ Reshma Saujani At Netroots
Inspire@BTHS: “Don’t Ever Let Anyone Tell You That You Can’t Do Something”- Reshma Saujani:Ever since she was a child, Reshma Saujani was extremely passionate about law and public service. Saujani says her father, a prominent figure in her life, provided her with the tools for a successful career in both law and politics. “Law and politics were always in my interest. I always wanted to be an attorney. My father would read to me about Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt. They were inspiring because they were always working on social justice issues. That was very empowering to me.”.... Saujani used her teen years to build experience in social work. ..... “I did a lot in high school to prepare for attorney skills. In college, I was part of student government. I led marches and I was an activist. .... I want to make this country a better place.” .... asked if being a first-generation Indian-American woman has ever held her back from doing anything, Saujani was very firm in her answer. “No,” she says. “It has never held me back.” On the contrary, it seems that being a first generation Indian-American woman has pushed her forward...... the strong, confident and incredible woman that is Reshma Saujani. ..... She constantly stresses one idea:dreaming big...... Don’t worry about making money. Money will come. ...... Favorite fictional character: Atticus Finch, the lawyer from To Kill a Mockingbird ...... Your most treasured object: A bracelet my father gave me when I was thirteen. .... Greatest achievement: Running for office. ...... Greatest influence: My father...... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again .... if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. ..... A passionate, determined and strong-minded woman, Saujani is working towards winning the Congressional seat. Brilliant, courageous, and caring, this woman is undoubtedly reaching for the stars. She’s working ardently to help rebuild Main Street and work with Wall Street. ..... cannot wait to see what this phenomenal woman will do once in office.
Pennsylvania Lemon Law: “Maloney and Saujani spar on Wall St., L.G.B.T. issues”: includes America's wealthiest voters on Manhattan's Upper East Side, as well as some of the nation's largest and most troubled public housing projects in Queens .... will experience a very rare event later this month — a Democratic primary challenge to its nine-term representative. ..... an effort she describes as generational, ethnic and based, as much as anything else, on "leadership style." ..... could in time land the congresswoman in front of the same sort of ethics investigation currently plaguing Charles Rangel ...... Saujani now explains that her concern about the banking industry's health has to do with the availability of credit, which she said is vital to the prospects for small business owners in Queens to survive. ....... the press has uniformly ignored an inspiring immigrant story ..... widespread frustration among L.G.B.T. voters with the slow pace of change two years into the Obama presidency and after four years of Democratic control of Congress. ..... Her passion for not waiting, Saujani explained, is "generational," an example of her willingness to emphasize her age difference with Maloney. She would challenge the House speaker in the same way that she took on the organizers of the Aug. 15 India Day Parade, whom, she said, she threatened to "call out" prior to their agreeing to allow the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association (SALGA) to march openly. ...... Saujani readily acknowledged that she has no endorsements to speak of, saying she really never expected any. True to her insurgent form, she turned that lemon into lemonade, noting, "Membership has its privileges."
MSNBC: NYC House Race Boils Down To Wall Street Visions
Community Conversations Wrap-Up



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