While much of America’s attention during this political season has been on presidential politics, there is more to the election than who will be taking up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in January. How the Congress shapes up is a major question, and contributing editor Jason Kettinger takes up a contrarian position in forecasting the balance of power.
It came to me as I watched Will.I.Am's video “Yes We Can” — I encourage everyone to watch it — Obama is a cheater. Now, I don't mean that he condones or abets shady election practices. Rather, I mean that he understands the state of American political culture, his place in it, and how to translate American exceptionalism into “liberal-ese,” if you will.
“Shouldn’t you say some words?” The humor and the weight of the story hung over me. Dr. David Calhoun, a master storyteller, related a tale of a man who had never tried sweet maple syrup straight from a tree before. The man’s friend offered to rectify the situation, and he accepted. As the man prepared to humble himself by letting his friend pour the sweetness into his mouth, he paused for a moment and asked that question. And it contains the profoundest wisdom; I summarize it thusly: We humans instinctively need to mark the moments of our lives with ceremony, with ritual.