Jerry Brown surprises pundits with humor/relaxation

I watched the debate tonight between (former) Governor Jerry Brown and (former eBay CEO) Meg Whitman held at UC Davis. My husband Bill Magavern was in the front row as a guest of and surrogate for Brown. I sat at home tweeting to my 15 followers (literally) and commenting on various live chats and websites. From young to old, conservative to progressive, the pundits almost uniformly were surprised by Brown's relaxing style, great humor, poise and vigor.

When Brown answered the question about why we should trust that he's going to focus on the business of governing rather than running for President, Brown answered "age and marriage." Basically, at 72, after 8 years in the Governor's non-existent mansion he'd be way too old to run for president (otherwise, he confessed, he would) and he's married now, he won't be out carousing in the bars, he'll be home with his wife and better able to focus.

Humor and charm notwithstanding, he was often substantive and displayed a depth of knowledge of the issues. Whitman did nothing to embarrass herself, just completely failed to distinguish herself in anyway. My 15 year old wondered, "shouldn't there be a limit on the number of times you can use the word, 'streamline'?" He has now forbidden me to use it (also "paradigm shift" and "apropos").

Brown also engaged in good old-fashioned class warfare, going after Queen Meg for her billionaire buyouts and proposed tax breaks for millionaires.

And it worked. At least for my mom. You'll remember my mother, she's a retired teacher in San Diego, registered Democrat. I consider her the bellwether for mainstream Dems in California. And judging from my mother, the base in energized for Brown now, even where it wasn't a week or two ago. For months my mother has been complaining about Brown, threatening to vote for Whitman. Tonight, with the combination of Whitman's recent attacks on teachers unions and Brown's charisma in the debate, she is all in for Brown. No antipathy, no ambiguity, all out, "we've got to elect this guy!" And that's what's needed.

Full disclosure: I am now employed as a consultant in an effort to help get out the messages of consumer, labor and environmental groups that support Brown.

Nine Years After 9/11, Let’s End the Fear

You may want to read a piece on fear and 9/11 that I wrote for ministerial class that was posted on the Center for Spiritual Living Santa Rosa Blog. It begins:

--Today marks the 9th Anniversary of the attack by Al-Quaida on the United States. In the intervening period, it seems that the politics and culture of fear in the United States has escalated. I am writing this statement today to declare that nine years of fear was enough; let’s spend the next decade living in hope.

From 2001 to 2010 our government responded to and accelerated fear through an erosion of our civil liberties: the right to free speech, the right to assemble, the right to travel, the right to counsel, the right to confront your accusers, and the right to privacy all have been abridged, trampled upon and narrowed by the U.S. government in the name of safety from “terror.” As a result it is harder to travel, harder to protest government actions, harder to communicate freely and above all harder to trust each other.

At the same time, a culture of parenting from a position of fear has taken hold. “Helicopter” parents hover over their children’s every move. Rather than being given the increasing freedom that growing older used to naturally bring, many of today’s children are prevented from walking or biking to school or friends’ houses. They are in constant contact with their parents and others through electronic devices. They often spend most of their non-school hours glued to television, computers and video games rather than engaging in imaginative play, or being outdoors. Those children who parents keep them active often pursue punishing schedules with an endless array of sports, lessons, and prescribed commitments. A “good” parent worries about car safety, food safety, air safety, safety, safety, safety.

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