Inauguration Day!

In spirit, I was there at the Capitol when our 44th President, Barack Obama took the oath of office and gave his inaugural address. You can find the text of his address here. I was particularly moved by the portion of the address that asked each and every one of us to do our part.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

A Well-Run Transition

In the two months since the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, his Transition Team has been hard at work and, in my opinion, to good effect.

Have you been following the hearings for nominees to cabinet posts? How many nominees can you name? On the Transition Team's web site there is a section that lists the positions in the new administration.

Here, in order of presidential succession, are President-Elect Obama’s choices:

(Source: http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/obamacabinet.htm)

Updated, Feb 3, 2009, March 2, 2009. * = confirmed by Senate

Department of State: Hillary Clinton* -- U.S. Senator from New York

Department of Treasury: Timothy Geithner* -- head of the New York Federal Reserve

Department of Defense: Robert M. Gates* -- Current Sec. of Defense

Department of Justice (Attorney General): Eric Holder* -- a U.S. attorney under Clinton

Department of Interior: Ken Salazar* -- U.S. Senator from Colorado

Department of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack* -- former Governor of Iowa

Department of Commerce: Gary Locke -- former Governor of Washington [Judd Gregg -- Senator (R) New Hampshire withdrew] (updated Mar 2)

Department of Labor: Hilda Solis* -- US Representative (D) California

Department of Health & Human Services: Kathleen Sebelius -- Governor of Kansas [Tom Daschle -- former U.S. Senator from South Dakota withdrew] (Updated Mar 2)

Department of Housing & Urban Development: Shaun Donovan* -- former New York City housing commissioner

Department of Transportation: Ray LaHood* -- US Representative (R, Illinois)

Department of Energy: Steven Chu* - winner of Nobel Prize for physics in 1997

Department of Education: Arne Duncan* -- Chicago schools superintendent

Department of Veterans Affairs: Gen. Eric Shinseki* (retired) -- Chief of Staff of the Army from 1999 to 2003

Department of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano* -- Governor of Arizona

President-Elect Obama has had a wealth of talent to choose from. His choices give me confidence that the new administration will serve the interests of the American people well.

It's a new day in the USA!

As Involved Voters, we can be proud of the time and effort we put into getting ourselves informed and helping to inform others about the issues and candidates at the national, state and local level.

We have voted our hopes instead of our fears. And I hope we have closed the door on the kind of sleazy campaigning based on lies and personal attacks that was so evident in many of the Republican campaigns this cycle.

Our work continues as we make our voices heard. We need to let our elected officials know what we think, and urge them to work for what's best for all of their constituents.

I recommend reading both McCain's concession speech and Obama's victory speech for their thoughts about how we can move beyond the election and face our current and future challenges.

Voting hopes not fears

You can count me among those who won't be scared into voting for Republicans in the General Election. I've done my research, checked the facts and it's the Democrats who look good to me.

From Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, through Mark Schauer for Congress in the 7th district and Pam Byrnes for State Representative, we're blessed with excellent candidates. I'm convinced that they will work to make sure our country and state get through these challenging times in the best possible shape. The Democrats running for Washtenaw County offices will do the same for the county.

There are great candidates on the non-partisan section of the ballot, too. One whom I think deserves special mention is Judge Diane Marie Hathaway, a candidate for Michigan Supreme Court Justice who will bring much-needed change. She is tough, fair and impartial, and will protect middle-class families and fight special interests.

It's unfortunate that the campaign which is now drawing to a close has brought out the worst in many Republican candidates and campaigners. I'm hoping that on November 5 we will put all the ugliness behind us and unite to do the important work that lies ahead.

Tips for a smooth Election Day, Nov 4

My wish for Election Day, November 4 is that when it's over we'll learn that every U.S. citizen who is registered to vote was able to have her or his voice heard by casting a valid vote, in person at the polls or by absentee ballot. Perhaps my wish is a bit unrealistic, but it's my wish just the same.

Here’s what I think we can do to help make the voting and ballot counting process go smoothly, despite what is likely to be a record voter turnout:

Check to make sure you are registered. Go to www.michigan.gov/vote, click on "Are You Registered?" and enter your information by name or driver's license number. If you are registered, you will see a message confirming it and your polling place will be shown along with other relevant information.

Have you moved recently? If so, please note that registered Michigan voters who have moved within 60 days of the election may still vote at their previous address if they did not register to vote at their new address by the October 6 deadline. This also applies to voters whose homes have been foreclosed upon. Voters in default on their mortgages but living in their homes may still vote without restriction.

Before you go to vote, preview your ballot at www.michigan.gov/vote by using the "Are You Registered" button and then clicking "View My Sample Ballot" on the page that comes up. Write down your choices and take them with you to the polling place.

If you can arrange it and afford it, ask for a day off so that you won’t have to vote during the most crowded times, or so that you can help others get to the polls by arranging rides or babysitting for them.

If you have a flexible schedule, go to the polls mid-morning or mid-afternoon to reduce the crowds for those who are trying to vote before or after work.

Request an absentee ballot if you are eligible - anyone 60 years or older is automatically eligible, complete it and mail it in right away. Absentee ballots count the same as those filled out at polling places. If you are a first-time voter, be sure to visit www.michigan.gov/vote and click the "Absentee Voting" button for information about your situation.

If it's very near election day and you still have your absentee ballot and are planning to use it, make sure that you or someone you've authorized gets it to the clerk at the location printed on the return envelop before election day if you possibly can. If for some reason you decide to go to the polling place to cast your vote on Election Day, take your absentee ballot with you.

Take ID when voting in person. Take your driver's license, state ID card or other valid photo ID with you to your polling place. Go to www.michigan.gov/vote and click on the "Voter ID" button to find out what kinds of photo ID are acceptable.

At your polling place, remember that no campaigning is permitted within 100 feet of the polling place. That means that you’ll need to make sure all campaign clothing, buttons and literature are out of sight while you are inside that 100-feet limit.

And, please turn off your cell phone as soon as you enter the voting area and refrain from making or receiving calls until you are outside again. Yes, talking on the phone about the candidates or proposals is considered campaigning, and ringing cell phones are likely to distract fellow voters and slow things down.

If you encounter any problems at the polls, be patient with the election inspectors who are there to help voters and see that the election laws are followed. There are procedures, some of them time-consuming for the voter, that must be followed in cases such as when a "provisional ballot," rather than a regular ballot must be used. If you make a mistake on your ballot, ask for assistance right away and you’ll be able to correct it.

If we all take the time to get ready and with some good luck, we'll have a smooth, clean election November 4.

(I'm reprinting the above in case you missed my letter on this topic in the Chelsea Standard and Dexter Leader on October 9, 2008.)

Republicans' fake claims of impending voter fraud

It is entirely unjustified to point to a relative handful of problematic voter registration cards out of millions collected and scream "danger! vote fraud!" If someone who was hired to register voters cheats the organization that hired them by faking cards with names and addresses they've made up or copied from the phone book, what you get is useless registrations - not fraudulent votes.

In the words of Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo:

Let's be clear about what this is. These are random stories about fake registrations. The Drudges and Fox scoundrels of the world seem to think that if someone fills out a voter registration card for Mickey Mouse, that Mickey Mouse might show up and cast a vote they're not entitled to cast. It doesn't, and there is zero evidence of any voter fraud or anything that would make voter fraud more likely. The level of lying, bad faith or at best ignorance of the people making these claims is really beyond imagining. This isn't vote fraud. There's no evidence of vote fraud. Nothing. This is an effort of a losing political party to a) lay the groundwork for challenging their defeat at the polls b) lay the groundwork to pass laws to make it harder for poor people and minorities to vote.

I'm disappointed that some people who claim to be real journalists seem unable to see through the fake outrage about voter registration irregularities. We need to focus on the potentially much greater problem of people who are eligible to vote being purged from voter rolls and challenged at the polls.

Does "Maverick" equal "Mean Spirited"?

Shame on John McCain and Sarah Palin. In TV ads and on the campaign trail, they've been whipping up fear and hatred of their opponents. Where are the positive statements with specifics about how they would address the issues that are important to us? It would be fitting for Senator McCain to be judged by his own words from the 2000 Presidential Primary campaign.

MCCAIN: "Uh, I, I just have to rely on the good judgment of the voters not to buy into these negative attack ads. Sooner or later, people are going to figure out if all you run is negative attack ads you don't have much of a vision for the future or you're not ready to articulate it." [The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, 2/21/2000]