Dave Caolo

When Elisabeth Kübler-Ross released her book On Death and Dying in 1969, she described what’s come to be called the Kübler-Ross Model, also known as The Five Stages of Grief. Specifically:

• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

Elizabeth originally applied these stages to catastrophic personal loss (for example, the death of a loved one), but others have noticed that any significant personal change can elicit these stages. I think some conservative members of the Republican party are going through the process.

I want you to understand that I’m not attacking conservatives. Just stating my observations. Take a look at these comments written on a blog post describing a recent television appearance by Rush Limbaugh*:

• “I want Obama to fail in his stated purpose.”
• “I want Obama to fail to implement his domestic policies.”
• “I want the U.S. to succeed under the Obama Presidency, but that does not necessarily mean that I want the Obama Presidency to be successful.”
• “I want him to be successful in national defense and fail miserably on all social/fiscal policy.”

I understand that you’re angry that your guy lost. I understand that you ideas for the country don’t align perfectly with all of President Obama’s. You’re allowed to be angry. For a while. Because there’s work to do, and we can’t afford to bicker amongst ourselves for a minute more.

Haven’t we endured enough in-fighting over the last eight years? I look out my window and see Republicans and Democrats who actually hate each other. Talk radio shows are designed to bait people into on-air shouting matches. Why are we yelling at each other? “I disagree with your opinion, therefore you deserve to be screamed at.” When did that happen?

This type of divisiveness is not the American way. Worse, it’s counter productive. The economy is in very serious trouble among a laundry list of other things. The time to fight over “why” is later. The time to fix it is now.

When you’re on the sinking Titanic, you don’t stop to yell at the iceberg.

Our differences aren’t a hindrence. They’re our strengh. This country was founded and built by immigrants. It’s the varying opinions, insights, background and ideas that will get us through our troubles more quickly and creatively than a single mindset ever would.

President Obama called for A National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation. I’ve said some mean things. So have conservatives.  Let’s admit that we were wrong and put down the sticks and stones.

I’m done fighting with you. You are my brothers and sisters. I want to know where we meet and how we can collaborate. So does President Obama. Tell him. Shaking your fist in the air accomplishes nothing (aside from some mild exercise). Let’s talk.

*I realize that what Rush does is theatre, not actual political commentary, but some people take him seriously.

My wife came home with a present for me this afternoon: A Barack Obama bobble-head and a Barack “…action figure we can believe in.” The best part? The bobble says, “Yes, we can” when his head jiggles.

Awesome.

President elect Barack Obama and Vice President elect Joe Biden’s official website, Change.gov, has been launched. I’ve visited Whitehouse.gov several times over the years. It’s pretty much a news portal. Not Change.gov.

There’s a blog. Imagine — an official Presidential blog. I only hope that it stays in place and is used to its fullest potential over the next four years.

There are clear definitions for our country’s immediate problems: the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare, security and The USA’s role in the world. Each offers initial steps towards a resolution and gives readers an opportunity to share their own ideas. Another page asks, “Where should we start together?”

When I consider that, and President Elect Obama’s agenda for technology, I feel awed. As a public servant, the President ought to provide his people with a forum. Still, this blows me away.

Change indeed.

When President Bill Clinton was inaugurated on January 20, 1993, Maya Angelou read the poem On The Pulse Of Morning, which she wrote for the occasion. It’s just as appropriate today. The last two stanzas:

The horizon leans forward

Offering you space

To place new steps of change

Here, on the pulse of this fine day

You may have the courage

To look up and out and upon me,

The Rock, The River, The Tree, your country.

No less to Midas than the mendicant.

No less to you now than the mastadon then.

~

Here on the pulse of this new day

You may have the grace to look up and out

And into your sister’s eyes

And into your brother’s face,

Your country,

And say simply

Very simply

With hope –

Good morning.

I’m proud of you, America.

While using Twitter this afternoon, I had an idea.

There are lots of people using Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, etc. The so-called “social” apps on the web. I’ve got 862 Twitter followers as of this writing.

When Britney Spears created a Twitter account (or, more likely, her marketing team), I thought, “I wonder what other celebrities are using Twitter? Could I be connected to any of them, Kevin Bacon-style?”

Surely, among the 800+ people who follow me, the thousands of people who follow them and so on, is a set of links between me and a celebrity. I decided to find out.

For the purposes of my experiment, I chose Alyssa Milano. She’s high-profile enough that many people know her, and I’ve got no pre-existing connection to her. So, here’s the question:

How many degrees of separation exist between me and Alyssa Milano, using only social media connections as the links?

Ged suggested that there might be a connection in the Cape Cod Baseball League somehow. He’s almost right. I did see Jason Varitek play with the Hyannis Mets, and he went on to play on the Red Sox with Manny Ramirez, and Alyssa blogged about meeting Manny, but that doesn’t really count.

This is where you can help. If you can provide a link(s) between me and Alyssia, let me know via Twitter.

This will be fun!

Update: Not five minutes later, I’ve got two connections

• Number one
• Number two

Fort Mill, S.C. Mayor Danny Funderburk sent a chain email to people he knows to “…get documentation if there was any scripture to back up” his idea that Obama is the anti-christ. “I am curious about current events and their connection to the Bible,” he said.

America, we’re screwed.

Congratulations to the New York Times on this wonderful, interactive timeline of the 1st Presidential debate. Very well done.

Nails it.

The first time I saw David on TV, he was performing magic tricks for people on the street. The tricks were very entertaining, and Dave played the “supernatural weird guy” persona well. I liked him right away.

Today, he’s abandoned magic for these silly stunts. As I type this, he’s hanging upside-down in Manhattan for one reason or another. Honestly, I don’t care. And that’s because there’s nothing at stake. The whole thing will culminate in a prime-time TV special, after which they’ll tear down the scaffolding and everyone will go home.

The result of success is no different than the result of failure, so there’s no reason to get emotionally involved. It’s like watching a sporting event between two teams you’ve never heard of.

I wish he’d return to tossing playing cards into beer bottles. At least that was fun.

For decades, the Republicans have campaigned not on their strengths, but on their opponents’ faults. It’s as if the old Republican book of political strategy says, “You don’t win elections by making yourself look good, you win elections by making the other guy look worse.” It’s a strategy of misdirection and hate.

At last night’s GOP convention, newcomer Sarah Palin demonstrated that it’s business as usual for the Republicans.

Here was her first opportunity to address the bothersome stories of the Labor Day weekend and introduce herself to America. For most Americans inside the continental United States, the convention was their first look at Sarah Palin.

What did she do with her first time on the national stage? She ripped Senator Obama apart. After describing herself as “… a pit bull,” she launched into attack mode:

“This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word ‘victory’ except when he’s talking about his own campaign,” she said.

She slammed Obama for “…saying one thing in Scranton and another in San Francisco,” argued that he had written two memoirs but never authored a major piece of legislation and asked what he would do “…when those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot,” a reference to the stage where Obama gave his acceptance speech last week.

It’s very disappointng. She’s a veritable unknown, the first woman on a GOP Presidential ticket and only 44 years old. But in every other way, she’s no different the rest.

Oliver Willis agrees.