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• Saturday, November 29, 2008 12:08 PM

  How about a little math and history?

  Of course Obama is beholden. Soon enough we'll find out if it's largely to the American People.

  On the fund raising front, many seem to discount the volume effects of large numbers of donors. As of 10/27, 67% of Obama's cash came from donors contributing $2300 or less (1). That is really groundbreaking for the amount of money he raised. And, unlike a study mentioned in the la times blogs (2), I don't consider $1,000 a lot of money. I'm more concerned about the true large donors, those people contributing $50,000 or more to the DNC or the Republican counterpart. Those people do tend to throw their weight around (3).

  It would also be great if Obama could pick seasoned government types from other than the Clinton Administration. But you would have to go back over 40 years to 1976 and the Carter Administration to find other Democratic candidates. Let me know if you think of any Corporate or Academic types qualified to run massive federal bureaucracies in a time of war and crisis.

  Gates is more concerning, especially his neocon staffers. But I've heard he has argued for withdrawal from Iraq and closing Gitmo, two key positions in my book. I'm willing to suspend judgment until something actually happens (or doesn't).

  Some of you here expect nothing will change, others expect it all to happen at once in a flash of sublimation. We can't have it all (American mythology to the contrary) and we can't do it all at once. I will be impressed if only Obama is able to bring about real energy policy reform. That will shake up of the balance of power within the military industrial complex, create green jobs, reduce our trade deficit, change our security interests in the Mid East and elsewhere, and reduce the flow of petrodollars to the Islamic extremists. Last but not least, there is that global warming thing, out there.

  Meanwhile, while we are busy bickering amongst ourselves, grinding our axes and gnawing the ends of stale old plots and ideologies, the Russians are predicting our Country will literally fall apart (4). Nothing like a little outside perspective.

  (1) http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/donordems.php?sortby=S
  (2)http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/11/obama-money.html
  (3)http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/03/in_letter_a_dozen_top_clinton.php
  (4) http://www.russiatoday.com/features/news/33836

  —Uncle Fester Read Uncle Fester's other letters
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