This seems appropriate to me, as it does to many other people too:
Note how he seems almost in a trance at the end.
Motto America
Welcome, President Obama.
To mark the inauguration, and let us hope a more nuanced and optimistic USA, here’s a strangemap of America’s state mottos:
The Bigger Gaffe
Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight fame dissects the demographics of the recent US elections in Esquire:
If Bill Clinton was the first black president, then Barack Obama might be the first urban one. He is the only American president in recent history to seem unembarrassed about claiming a personal residence in a major American city.
And the future of America is urban, with populations in cities growing much faster than in the reliably Republican rural areas. They’re also easier to canvas.
During the election campaign (or was it the Primary campaign, its all a bit of a blur), Obama’s one gaffe was to pity rural voters who “cling to religion and guns.” He was universally panned at it threatened to compartmentalise him as a candiate without mass appeal. The gaffe went through several news cycles. Meanwhile, John McCain and Sarah Palin spent their entire campaign proudly drawing a distinction between urban elites and the so-called “real” America in the rural areas. At the time, it seemed to be your normal, run-of-the-mill Republican campaign rhetoric. With hindsight, it was one huge gaffe.
Update
Just remembered this link, which describes the “Bittergate” gaffe, how it came to be reported, and the tough decision taken by the ‘citizen journalist’ who reported it.
“A candidate should never play political scientist”
Obama's 100 Days for Human Rights
Effective online campaigns often draw in supporters by asking them to do something simple, such as signing a petition or sending an e-mail. Effective lobbyists usually asks for small, well defined, incremental steps, that a Government can act upon for a quick public releations “win”.
Amnesty’s Obama’s 100 Days Campaign uses both these insights (from the field of behavioural economics, all the rage in 2008) to lobby the incoming administration on Human Rights. Despite the fact that Obama is massively popular, he still requires a great deal of political capital to push back some of the human rights abuses enacted during President Bush’s eight disastrous years.
Not many people have signed the petition yet. Why not add your name to the list?
Sketching Michelle O
The second big question facing the United States at the moment (the first is what dog the Obama’s should get) is of course, what Michelle Obama should wear to the inauguration and its myriad balls, in forty days time.
Via Kottke, here is an interesting array of proposals for Mrs Obama, from some of America’s top fashion designers. I particularly like the sketches that include proposals for the two daughters, Malia and Sasha: They really capture that slightly timid but proud gait that all three women exhibited when they walked out with the President-Elect on election night.
The final sketch caught my eye. I don’t particularly like the red dress, but the mannequin features of the sketch are very similar to the androgynous fairy I created for an experimental animation a while back: