Tuesday night I went to a meeting of Democrats Abroad, Thailand chapter. It was fascinating. About twenty people attended, many of whom have lived here in excess of ten, fifteen, and twenty years. The longest has been here for twenty-seven years!
These are hard-core Democrats and there was a discussion that was supposed to be about the different candidates and their stands on the issues. Frankly, it would have been more useful to hold this discussion two months ago, since by Tuesday night we were down to two! On top of it, it turned out that nearly everyone at the meeting was a vocal Obama-ite.
Lacking any real dissent, the conversation gravitated into a “what if” around different R vs D match-ups. Pretty much everyone agreed that McCain appears to be the most likely challenger as well as the hardest Republican for either Clinton or Obama to beat.
One many summed it up nicely, though: of all of the combinations of candidates, McCain versus Obama would give the United States an opportunity for some truly vibrant political debate about the future of our nation. Plus, McCain has pledged to campaign on the issues. If both candidates actually stick to such a pledge, it could really be a healthy discussion for the nation as a whole.
It is refreshing to see so many people – especially so many younger people – actively engaged in national politics for the first time in my lifetime.
It is also refreshing to take a look at the Democratic Party debate held Thursday evening on CNN and to realize that the Presidential nominee for the party will – for the first time ever – look different than ever before.
That, more than anything, gives me a great deal of optimism and hope about the future of the United States. It confirms that George W. Bush’s presidency was an aberration rather than a prediction of the future.
Networking
There’s a nifty little feature on Facebook that builds a graphical network of all your Facebook contacts and how they are connected. I like it because at one point I wanted to sit down and create a similar chart, showing how all of my friends and acquaintances are interconnected.
There’s something about it that’s very appealing: I’ve always been fascinated by networks and networking. I love to meet new people, especially friends of friends. At parties I like to introduce people, mixing people from different social groups.
When friends travel, I encourage them to get in touch with people I already know in their destinations. When I travel somewhere knew, I’m eager to make new friends there.
To me, that sort of networking is representative of the interconnectedness of all of human life and, on a larger scale, all life.
Understanding those connections, even in a simplistic way such as through a Facebook application, raises awareness. Maybe it causes you to live your life just a little differently, with just a bit more consideration, a little more compassion, and a little more caring for the effect that your words and actions have on others.
christao408 
go obama!
The Facebook chart was facinating. What a wonderful network you have. I’m personally leaning toward Clinton for the nomination. I think it would be refreshing to have a woman in the White House. I feel she will bring some compassion to the office and a no-nonsense approach to government in general. Wouldn’t it be great to get all that testosterone out of there?
I, too, am deeply touched and inspired by Obama’s story. His book “Dreams from My Father” resonates with me on so many levels. So the idea of having the first non-white president bodes well with me.Having said that, a great orator with an amazing insight on race relation but a super thin resume just doesn’t cut it for me. No, not when the alternative is an experienced, knowledgeable and competent candidate like Hillary Clinton. And if that matters, she is a woman.A cynic such as myself finds the Obama’s campaign message of change and hope trite, after all you hear it every election cycle. And that’s why I am going off to campaign for Hillary Clinton right before the Super Tuesday.********************** Undecided voters might want to read a New Yorker article by George Packers. I think it’s the most balanced view on the two candidates.http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/28/080128fa_fact_packer
Fascinating networking, Chris. What worries me about Hilary is Bill…who will really be the President in this circumstance? I also worry about lack of experience with Obama. It’s a pretty important job to learn on. There will be plenty of that under the best of conditions.Interesting that ex-pats of long duration are still interested and follow what happens in US government. I know they are still citizens, but really have more invested in their ex-pat status, it would seem to me.
I loved the way you have described the networking and the connections of the xanga community. Very well described.
People talk about experience and its importance in becoming the president of US. What experience did Bill Clinton have besides being a governor? And how much experience does his wife have , other than the fact that there were a lot of underhand deals that caused (?) a member of her husband’s cabinet to commit suicide? She is a senator, as Obama is a senator. May be we need some fresh untainted blood in the White House.
It is nice to see younger people involved. I hope the voices of those that long for change will be heard, and result in electing some brains into office! I am young and I want to feel proud of my country, and really right now I am not. Personally I am going for Hillary, though I think Obama as her running mate would make for a powerful team!
My heart is with Obama, but Hillary seems to be a practical choice.
That’s surprisingly sparse graph. I don’t see many triangles, quadrilaterals, cliques, etc… What’s up with that? Few of friends know each other? You don’t belong to any clique?
@ToyPetFishes – The wheel isn’t as clear as it can be because there actually are a lot of interconnected people. Because they’re placed adjacent to one another, they form solid lines around the outside of the circle, especially on the lower half of the circle. The upper portion, especially the upper right-hand corner, are all the people who are independent points of contact to me. If I were able to move people around on the chart, it would create clearer trianges and other geometric figures.
At the same time, I have some gaps to fill in on Facebook. There are still many people I know who aren’t on there or whom I haven’t added yet.