Dateline: 20 January 2008, Luang Prabang, Laos
Hi Everybody!
Well, we just passed the three-month point in our trip and we’re both feeling twinges of homesickness. We find our thoughts turning to puppies, houses, gardens, and of course friends and family (that’d be you). Missing home… *sigh*… what to do… hey, let’s turn on CNN! (Thank you, Jaliya Guesthouse with cable tv.)
So we turned on CNN, where the big news of the day is about the U.S. presidential primaries, especially McCain’s win in the South Carolina Republican primary. And on the Democrat side, Clinton and Obama seem to be neck and neck.
What an interesting primary season! How are things there? What do you think about the choices of candidates, on either or both sides? How are people feeling in Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Montana, California, Alabama? How is the news coverage? News-wise, we feel kind of lucky that we’re only getting bits and pieces — the frosting on the election-news cake, enough to make it interesting without the overload that you all might be feeling there. On the other hand, this means we’re getting only the surface view (frosting) of the candidates — but maybe that’s not so different from what we’d get there anyway? 😉 We’re also missing out on just being able to talk about it with friends and family, so we’re hoping our “comments” box will fill up with your thoughts, hopes, doubts, etc… (hint, hint…)
From this distance at least, it’s exciting because this primary feels quite different from the usual.
On the Democrat side, we have a really experienced woman who is like contender number 1 (omg! in our lifetime! yesss!), and a young but rock-solid black man who is like contender number 2 (omg! in our lifetime! can this really be happening!). Amazing.
And the choices are interesting on the Republican side, too. Each candidate seems unique, and none of them quite fits the “GOP” stereotype. One, Ron Paul, even has a sense of humor.
What would really be a dream come true is if come November, we can look at the choices on the ballot and feel that no matter which party wins, our next president will get our country moving in a positive direction. A year ago we probably NEVER would have thought this possible — the divide between “Bush” and “us,” so vast, felt like a divide between “Republican” and “Democrat.” But it doesn’t have to be! The most amazing thing would be if our next President, whoever he/she is, is someone who does NOT stoke these idiotic fires of “red state/blue state,” “culture war,” “with us or against us.”
Kate says: Some people stoke these fires on purpose, but some stoke them simply by virtue of who they are and how people already feel about them. This is one reason why I’m worried about a Clinton presidential candidacy. I’m worried that so many people already think they “hate” her and everything she’s ever touched. I don’t want 4 or 4X more years where our country is divided into “President-Lovers” and “President-Haters.” Enough. I want to be excited about a Clinton-Obama ticket, but even moreso, I want some sense of unity in our country’s support for its president. What do other people think/say about this? Are there signs of rising Hillary-hatred, or am I worrying for nothing?
Derry says: I’m more sanguine about this than Kate. Hillary is, after all, quite the centrist. And I would like to think that the fires of polarization are subsiding. Fatigue if nothing else. That said, I do find dynastic presidencies in general off-putting: we end up voting, for or against, a package that includes irrelevancies tied the past.
As for the Republican side of the ballot, we both breathed a huge sigh of relief while listening to McCain speak today. He has a wealth of experience in both the military and the legislature, and seems highly capable, grounded, intelligent, etc., etc. No, we don’t necessarily agree on various policy points, but there’s not this feeling that we’ll be DOOMED if he is elected president. What a huge relief, like a dark cloud lifting. Maybe he would even choose Ron Paul as his running mate! 🙂
OK we don’t want to jinx ourselves by getting too optimistic too early, and we don’t know enough about all the Republican candidates (McCain included) to know if our relief is warranted (oh no! maybe it’s just another trap! {:-0 ). But we’re going to hope for just what we said: a November ballot where no matter which party wins, we’re not doomed. (Or at least not because of our president.)
What do you think? Your civic engagement can help alleviate our homesickness — it’s a win-win! Let’s discuss!
derrykate 
January 22, 2008 at 11:41 am
OK, you asked. Look out!!
Re upcoming Pres election:
What do I think? I’m disgusted by many aspects of the process, so much so that I’m not making an effort to learn about the candidates. Of course, NPR news and NPR talk shows are full of it, and it seems impossible to avoid getting an earful every day. It was almost a relief today when this morning’s lead story was about the huge drop in stock markets — bad as this is for anyone with even a very modest “portfolio” such as mine. With Oregon’s primary coming way too late for my vote to have any impact on the nominations, there’s yet another reason for my apathy. I imagine I’ll vote for the eventual Democratic nominee, whoever it is. What this country needs in addition to a decent, people-oriented president, is a congress full of veto- and filibuster-proof good souls who are truly dedicated to making this a better world for the poor and disenfranchised, and to hell with the fat cats, lobbyists, war profiteers! Kucinich – now there’s a guy I could get behind, but alas… I like Edwards’s focus on working folk. I’m not worried about a “Clinton dynasty.” Obama could be just the breath of fresh air Washington, the nation, the world needs. McCain was on the right track with campaign finance reform and immigration; he’s on the wrong track about Iraq.
I’ll share a couple of quotes which reflect some of my dismay. Both are from the recent AARP Bulletin, January-February 2008, and article by Elaine Povich, p18.
“3. Ka-ching. This election will set new benchmarks for spending. The presidential money chase will surpass $1 billion, a whopping 50 percent rise over the price of the 2004 campaign, predicts the Washington-based research group the Center for Responsive Politics…. Add in codngressional elections and special interest spending, and the total could top $5 billion.”
The absurdly long and obscenely expensive primary season is just one indication of how whacko this country is compared to sensible democracies like Canada, the UK, France, for example. And, as Povic points out, “… the party nominees may be known by Valentine’s Day and surely by St. Patrick’s Day. That means that the general election campaign will also be the longest in history.” Gimme a break!! Oh, so much more time to dig and do dirt on each other!
Re the “dynasty” thing, Povic quotes: “ ”I wonder sometimes if we are the American republic or a banana republic,” says University of Virginia election expert Larry Sabato. “If another country were passing the presidency between two families for 24 years, we would laugh.” “
Hmm, food for thought. I think his arithmetic is off, though. If I remember correctly, Bush senior was V.P. for 8 years under Regan, then 4 yrs as Pres; add 8 yrs for GW and you’ve got 20 yrs of Bushies right there. Bill Clinton had 8, and Hillary serving only 1 term would add 4. So that’d make only 12 on the Clinton side. Yes, Obama looks good from this one perspective. Still, what about Congress?? We need a landslide which is not going to happen, I’m afraid. Kucinich? One good guy in congress. Peter DeFazio, another. Not a majority, much less a strong majority. Alas and woe is us, and U.S. and the rest of the world.
Nuff said from this old curmudgeon. I feel like I’m in the worst kind of Hanoi way just now.
January 22, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I’m so excited that you made a post on the primaries!! I just wanted to tell you that, and that I will join in the discussion soon as I get enough free time to collect my thoughts on the matter. I really enjoy hearing everyone’s take on the situation… and it feels good to help each other get informed so we can collectively make a good decision. But you’re right, all the candidates look sooo much better than Bush!! Happy day!
January 23, 2008 at 6:22 am
Well, Allen, every election cycle I get my hopes up, and then the realities set in, bringing on the cynicism. I feel like Charlie Brown running up to kick the football Lucy has promised to hold “this time”. But maybe this time? I really think Obama has the depth and moral compass I have been looking for in a president my whole adult life. But then there is congress, and of course a less than sterling supreme court. Oh well. Maybe being cut off from the news glut is forstalling my despair with the whole system.
January 23, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Kate-Kate-Kate—can you hear me sighing all the way around the world? There is one thing that I have learned in my adult life here in Alabama–NEVER discuss politics, religion or college football with any man, woman or child from the great state of Oregon. I tried the politics “thing” with my brother Tom, his Eugene/Oakridge buddies as well as his “blog world” buddies 4 years ago.
There were a lot of hurt feelings at the end of the discussion, mostly mine. LOL
If you and your friends promise to be semi-kind to this Pacific North westerner (born and reared) turned bible thumpin, college football watchin’, country bumpkin, Southern Republican NASCAR fan, I will share my thoughts and hopes for the next president of the great United States of America.
January 24, 2008 at 4:25 am
Hey Stace!
Yeah, I kind of wondered if your perspective would be different from the “West Coast” perspective. But I didn’t know — I didn’t want to assume that I knew your views just because you live in Alabama now!
Anyway, for my part I would love it if you shared your thoughts and hopes for our next president. It sounds like trying to discuss it with Tom and his crowd during the last election cycle was a painful experience.
I know that when people with differing views try to discuss politics, there seems to be this built-in human tendency to (1) feel threatened by the other person’s views, (2) put a label on them (the person, not just the views), (3) not really listen, (4) try to change the other person’s mind by showing how they’re wrong and you’re right, etc. etc.
I want to hear your thoughts and hopes and I will do my best to listen!
January 24, 2008 at 11:53 am
Ok, I have 10 minutes left at this internet cafe joint in Panama, so I’m not even going to touch politics or else I could get carried away! But, we just wanted to check in with you two and see how the trip is progressing. Sounds like an adventure and we appreciate that!
Thanks for your comments on our blog and of course you are welcome to put a link to ours from your site. We aren´t quite as blog saavy as you yet. Its tough when the internet we find is so ungodly slow…
Safe travels and savor the adventure!
emily and drew
January 24, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Hi Derry and Kate!
First, I want to tell you how much I liked your winter solstice greeting. I copied it and put it on our ‘frig so we could see your happy faces everyday.
Next, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you! Our New Year’s Eve late supper party was great. You would have had fun. Our guests want to do it again next year, so maybe you can come.
Hanoi. . .hummmmm…I wonder if there ever was a time when it was a beautiful city. I checked my National Geographic Index for back articles on Vietnam, and none of them had pictures of lovely downtown Hanoi. Maybe when the French were there it was one of those pretty colonial cities, but then that would have been French and not Vietnamese, right? Most of the articles were about war and its hardships. So sad,. . .so silly. One thing for sure though: Those Vietnamese really learned the lessons of capitalism well! They really had you trapped on that boat. I think the visit to Hanoi and its environs will just be a short chapter in your book.
As for the political process, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s sort of literally six of one and half-a-dozen of the other.
There are still so many candidates it’s hard to keep it all straight. I think the Democatic choice will narrow down to Clinton or Obama. I could vote for either one (how refreshing), but then I would feel guilty for not voting for the other. What to do, what to do!
I don’t know about McCain. He sounds reasonable for the most part, except when he talks about Iraq. He thinks we need to win there, whatever that means, and he’s just so military. He just makes me a little nervous.
I personally think Dennis Kucinich would be a great choice, but he doesn’t have the backing or the money, and he is probably too progressive for lots of folks.
Frankly, I’m just tired of the whole thing. It’s gone on too long and is costing too much money, sort of like Christmas. And when the candidates start arguing and calling each other names like elementary school kids, I say, “Bah! Humbug! A pox on all their houses!” Did you plan this trip so that you would miss all this, or is it just a fortuitous accident?
I am loving this dark time of year. It’s the time of candles and oil lamps and fireside reading. I’ve read two books lately that I think you would enjoy. The first is Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. Have you heard of her? She was born in Kiev in the early 1900s, but her family emigrated to France during the Russian Revolution. Both she and her husband died at Auschwitz, but their two daughters and her notebooks were saved by quick thinking friends. Sixty-four years later this book comes to light. Suite Francaise is two parts of what was going to be a five-part novel, so it is incomplete but still wonderful. After I finished reading it, I couldn’t help but wonder what was supposed to come next, what was going to happen to these characters I had come to know.
The other book I think you would like is The Quantum and the Lotus by Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan. Ricard is a molecular biologist and a Buddhist monk and Trinh Thuan is a Vietnamese astrophysicist. The book is written in dialogue style and explores “the frontiers where science and Buddhism meet.” I found it facinating. I’ll save both books for you.
You are going to have a lot of reading to do when you get back to Eugene. Just think of the Shambhala Suns that are piling up!
Finally, we want to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATE! Tomorrow is the big day! I hope you celebrate in some unique way. You will always remember your birthday in Thailand.
We love you both and miss you very much.
Sue/Mom
January 24, 2008 at 5:52 pm
P.S. It’s snowing like crazy! Oh boy. Maybe we can make snow ice cream!
Mom
January 25, 2008 at 12:25 am
Thanks Mom! I love reading your blog comments. We’re in Luang Prabang, Laos right now (so I guess I’ll always remember my birthday in Laos, and that I should be better about telling my folks where I am!). I bet there MUST be National Geographic articles about this lovely ancient town, whose name goes by a variety of different spellings so it might take some looking in that NG index.
Tomorrow morning we get on a boat for a two-day trip up the Mekong River to Huay Xai, Thailand, then bus (another day) to the northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai, where I’m looking forward to visiting a used bookstore. Both of the books you mention sound exceptional; if I see the Buddhism-science book I will DEFINITELY pick it up. Exactly the kind of reading I’m craving right now.
On politics, it sounds like there’s a prevailing mood of burnout, disgust, discouragement, and mistrust, with a sprinkling of Charlie Brown hope that “maybe this time it will be different!” (Thanks to Derry for this apt image.) While we didn’t purposefully plan our trip to miss election overload, we are grateful it’s working out that way.
It’s good for me to be reminded that McCain probably isn’t what I imagine him to be. I guess I wanted to think that his Vietnam experience had given him depth to see beyond a false “win/lose” surface when it comes to convoluted conflicts like Iraq. Sounds like maybe not. What I’m looking for in a president is someone whose approach goes beyond win-lose, into the pragmatics of how to move from the existing situation to a better situation. I guess this seems both obvious – duh, this is what everyone wants! – and unlikely. *Sigh* OK now I’m starting to see the source of the despair.
On to happier things, dammit! Like how about… a little… i can has…
CHEEZBURGER! http://icanhascheezburger.com/
February 2, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I hesitated to answer because I didn’t want to be negative, but after reading Allen’s comment, I guess I’m not the only one who is very discouraged about the whole election process. And now that Clinton (he/she) have made odd comments about Obama, it’s even worse than when Allen responded.
And I also have real problems with McCain because of Iraq. At least, it appears as if the intelligence community has dampened Bush’s hope of invading Iran by their announcement that Iran doesn’t have nuclear bombs or capability.
But I just wish this country could get out of Iraq, get out of “nation building”, quit being a big imperialist bully. I will vote for whatever candidate seems most likely to limit this country’s involvement in other countries’ business to rebuilding, assisting, NOT invading.
There was an article in the London Review of Books recently–the title was “It’s the oil, stupid!”–it’s distressing that Bush/Washington are so fixated on Middle East oil. Even when we get rid of Bush, there are so many entrenched interests that it may take a long time (and more gumption than many Democrats have shown for a long time) to reverse policy.
Sigh. Enough. And like Allen said, our contribution to the decision making is also minimal–June primary here in Montana.
We’ve had a very windy winter (gusts to 90 mph–tossing semis around like potato chips), pretty cold temps (we haven’t been above freezing for weeks), but the dogs still need to get out for their runs–some of which have been pretty short because of the wind chill. Lots of birds at the feeders and the heated bird bath (a friend calls it a bird spa). Brant has taken up baking bread again (a good excuse to fire up the oven!) as well as his usual scrumptious main dishes–roasted pheasant with a Calvados sauce, venison Stroganoff…. Not as exotic as Durians, but pretty darn tasty….
Happy Groundhog’s Day–the sun shone here, so we’re resigned to six more weeks of winter–HA. We know we have at least twice that much to endure. Dogs are counting down the days to next fall’s bird hunting season.
love, pauline
February 3, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Move-On’s endorsed Obama, so maybe I’ll get excited after a while.
We had three snow days last week. That was exciting.
I just had to recycle last week’s lesson plans for this week, so when John Cloud called to say he was out at the Fair in a canoe, I had time to hear his entertaining show and tell for an afternoon, and I liked that, too.
Next week’s the 7th grade writing assessment. Will they remember to paragraph, is what I wonder.
February 4, 2008 at 7:26 am
I also feel that I would be happy with either Obama or Clinton, but one statistic from Harper’s Index really bothers me.
Number of Americans who will have lived only with a president Bush or Clinton if Clinton wins this election: 1/3
That’s an awful lot. Are we really a country where 2 families can rule the country for so long?
Ok, that’s all I’m contributing to the political commentary. I’m really just writing because I think it’s great that you guys are in Asia, Drew and Emily are in South America, and I’m in Africa right now and we are all communicating. I love it!
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