American Feud: A History of Conservatives and Liberals

Middle Aged, Middle Class and Just as Mad

2011-10-09T07:24:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about the Occupy Wall Street protests lately. I believe they represent the frustrations of a clear majority of Americans. However, their youth, appearance and some of their antics are undoubtedly off putting to a lot of people. In addition, these kinds of protests tend to get diluted when different people start to come in with all their different concerns. People on the left tend to place a high value on diversity and right of everyone to have a voice. However, this leads to a dilution in message, momentum and focus.

This all leads me to 2 ideas. The first is that unthreatening looking people like me should participate in the protest. We should be clad in the business casual clothes or soccer mom outfits that we wear in our blandly middle class lives. We could carry signs that say things like "Middle Aged, Middle Class and Just as Mad". And we could rally around a single demand. Steve Pearlstein had a great column in this morning's Washington Post mentioning the "financial-transaction tax". This old idea would reduce the volume of the dangerous speculative trading which is really just a form of gambling that has done so much damage to the economy and many of our hopes for the future. It would also pay for a lot of that damage as well.

does the constitution need to be changed?

2011-04-16T08:19:00.001-07:00

http://www.pculpa.com/component/content/article/54-breaking/283-measure-to-strip-corporations-of-constitutional-rights-gains-steam-in-wisconsin.html

brain size - liberal versus conservative

2011-04-11T04:54:00.001-07:00

http://www.good.is/post/liberal-brains-bigger-in-areas-of-complexity-conservative-brains-bigger-in-areas-of-fear/?utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+good%2Flbvp+%28GOOD+Main+RSS+Feed%29&utm_content=FaceBook

Don't know how good the science is, but interesting none the less.

Free screening and discussion

2011-03-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

We will soon have a new 45 minutes special screening version of Feud. We will show itas part of the:

“We Are Takoma” Spring Speakers Series

March 10, 2011, 7:30 - 9:30 pm

Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium

7500 Maple Ave.

Takoma Park, MD 20910

Hope that folks come out, and if not, help spread the word.

Civic Education

2011-02-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

From the Maryland League of Women Voters.

How sad.

Proposed discontinuation of the Maryland High School Assessment for Government

The Governor and State Department of Education have proposed that the budget for the next fiscal year include discontinuation of the Maryland High School Assessment for Government. When LWVMD studied the high school assessment issue in 2005, no consensus was reached on whether passage of statewide, course-related testing should be required to determine eligibility for high school graduation. Nonetheless, knowledge of government is certainly part of the League mission, and individual members have expressed strong interest in this topic. We wanted to alert you of this proposed cut and the opportunity to express your personal opinion about the issue to the Governor, the State Superintendent and Board of Education, and members of the General Assembly.

Many within the social studies field believe elimination of the assessment test would lead to less emphasis on "civics" in our public schools. For more information on the proposed cuts and the position of the Maryland Council for the Social Studies in opposition to this action, please check out the MCSS website: www.mdcss.org.

Barbara Sanders,
LWVMD VP, Voter Services and
League representative on the Maryland Commission on Civic Literacy

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

2010-11-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

Some outtakes from our interview with Professor Zinn

2010-01-30T12:44:00.000-08:00

The more I reflect on the passing of this man, the more I realize what a loss it is. One of the many things our documentary made me realize is that there are so many people with inconsistent (if not downright incoherent) political beliefs. Howard Zinn was definitely not one of them. He knew what he believed and fought steadily for it until the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy1ZJYimyHo

the passing of Howard Zinn

2010-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

From today's New York Times, quoting Professor Zinn:

“I think people are dazzled by Obama’s rhetoric, and that people ought to begin to understand that Obama is going to be a mediocre president — which means, in our time, a dangerous president — unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction."

It occurs to me this summarizes in a nutshell the danger of "the great man" theory of history that Dr. Zinn wrote so eloquently against. We think that all we have to do is elect the right politician, and then we can go back to our lives. I understand the desire to believe this, as most of our lives are busy enough as is. However, it's simply not the way things work. Yesterday I was at a lecture about urban agriculture, where the presenters touched on issues of better food, the need to combat childhood obesity, the need to reduce farm subsidies etc. One of them said a colleague had actually been able to talk to the President. Obama told the man that he agreed with him completely. But he added "I won't do anything about it until you show me there's a social movement that will make me". I've had several people tell me that they were really active politically during the campaign, but are no longer. As Professor Zinn worked so hard to make us understand, if we want any sort of "change" to happen, we can't get it just by electing a politician who promises it.

We consider ourselves deeply fortunate to have Dr. Zinn participate in our film.

Kumar Rocks

2009-07-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

I read that the actor with the stage name of Kal Penn, mostly known for his stoner roles in the Harold and Kumar movies has taken a sabbatical recently to work as "associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, a gig he landed after working his way up through Presdent Obama's campaign operation." Using his real name of Kalpen Modi he will serve as an Obama liaison to Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, as well as the arts community.

The idea that somebody would chose working for their government over the rewards of Hollywood celebrity is simply astonishing in our culture. In the New York Daily News he is quoted as saying "We are doing some very serious work.... I consider it the greatest honor to be doing this." I can only hope that this might inspire others. What if more people were to turn away from the pursuit of fame and fortune to look for more humble but honest work rebuilding our country?

Blogger Headaches

2009-07-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to be able to access this account anywhere but on my home computer using the Opera browser. So, it won't be around for a month while I travel in France. But I have a bunch of drafts that are worth polishing up, and will have a observations to share from my trip. So look forward to new content in the beginning of August.

new review

2009-06-29T17:42:00.001-07:00

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6648614.html

American Feud: A History of Conservatives and Liberals. DVD. 90 min. American Feud. 2007, 2008 release. $15 (home use), $195 (pub. perf.)
Gr 9 Up— American Feud offers an insightful and refreshingly unbiased review of how we got to where we are in the political divide. Using a chronological theme ranging from the formation of our country up to the results of the 2006 general election, the film traces the development and evolution of the divergent political philosophies of conservatism and liberalism. The producers have utilized a variety of clear interviews with historians and other observers of our unique system (Noam Chomsky, G. Gordon Liddy, Donna Brazile, and many others), crisp graphics, a remarkable collection of archival photos and live-action footage, and a smooth narration to present this impressive program. Viewers effortlessly follow the sequence of both international and domestic events which affected the electorate. Commentary includes the philosophies from all aspects of the political spectrum and does so in a wonderfully nonjudgmental manner. Viewers are left with a challenge to consider what our country's collective future holds in the political arena. One word of caution: the film contains an unfortunate and completely unnecessary expletive which might be an issue in some settings. Classroom teachers as well as individual researchers will appreciate the chapter selection option and the number of extras included in this useful title.—Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL

The State of Documentary

2009-06-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

An overdue post from about a month ago. I was able to attend some of "SilverDocs", a week long documentary film festival. Docs in Progress, a new non-profit established to help nurture documentary filmmakers at all stages of the process, helped to coordinate additional activities for filmmakers. Through them I connected with a number of filmmmakers I had only known virtually through an internet forum called "D-Word".

I was struck by the variety of things we filmmakers combine with our doc making. As in Documentarian and activist/teacher/non-profit innovator/math nerd/scientist/author/parent etc. And we all complain about not having enough time to work on our films, and yet amazing films somehow get made.

I can't remember who said that shaky camera work was out. I agree that there probably was less of it. But I think it's more that shaky camerawork for the sake of appearing hip or young is out. I saw a variety of cinemagraphic styles and other formal elements this year. But in almost all cases technique worked in service of the story. To quote an old high school English teacher "form submerges, content floats". Which may be the hallmark of a "golden era" for our art form.

The return of The Dick

2009-06-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

I don't mind Dick Cheney getting all this attention. He has the right to speak and to defend himself. I do mind the lack of critical questioning of his line of rhetoric. He asserts that he and the Bush administration saved us from another 9/11. The few who are saying, "yes, but you didn't protect us from the first 9/11" aren't given their due.

structural problem

2009-05-28T17:35:00.001-07:00

I've been reading a book called "Africa Doesn't Matter" by Giles Bolton. It's an interesting and extremely pragmatic take on what can and should be done to help the poor in Africa. It includes many pages on the flaws and limitations of our current way of trying to help.

One thing that resonated for me was the fact that reducing poverty takes long term planning and action. I think he's correct when he says "The wider reason for our inactivity, however, is that governments respond well to problems that havea maximum four to five year time scale - in other words, not longer than an electoral cycle". He calls this a "structural problems of democracy". We tend to penalize those leaders who try to do things that may be wise for future generations, but lacking in immediate gratification.

Outside of a better educated electorate, I'm scratching my head as to what else can be done about this "structual problem".

Faith

2009-05-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

This little film somehow just keeps chugging along. It's certainly not a blockbuster, and I have my moments of despair. But one day I notice the blog has a follower, another day there's an inquiry from another educational distibutor and a few days after that a Youtube video has a comment. Someone has posted a new review on Amazon. Long after I'd given up on festivals I got a notice today that we've been accepted into one in Philadelphia:

http://www.philadelphiaindependentfilmfestival.com/

Overall I think I've learned to have faith that the film will find its niche.

Talking about democracy

2009-05-20T05:47:00.001-07:00

Looks like an interesting affair:

http://www.unh.edu/democracy/conference2009/

The problem of constituency

2009-05-11T12:13:00.001-07:00

We've been told by viewers on both the Left and the Right that our documentary is "biased". Which gives us confidence that we are have been generally successful in being non-partisan. The problem with this approach lies in the marketing - whom should we be targeting? My feeling is that our audience is the small, but I think influential people who are thoughtful and open-minded. (not to mention interested in politics and ideas).

It's a constituency I'd like to encourage, and not only for self interested reasons:

http://e-democracy.org/

hosts several issues forums relating to encouraging thoughtful discussion. One way they do this is to make sure that people use their real names so that they can not make destructive comments under the cover of anomity as so many in the blogsphere do.

The United States Issues forum will open after 100 members sign up. It needs 37 more as of this date.

http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/us

So check it out.

FROM THEIR WEBPAGE:

Opening Soon - Join us for a civil, more deliberative discussion of national public policy issues and politics in the United States among people with diverse political perspectives. Conversations include topics from today's Congressional hearings, White House press briefings, breaking national news stories with public policy implications, new think-tank reports, etc. Modeled on legislative debate where one may not speak a second time until others have had an opportunity to speak, participants may only post once every 12 hours. In addition, name calling of any kind (including using political labels as pejoratives) and personal attacks violates the rules all participants agree to upon joining. Multiple rule warnings leads to participant suspension for this forum. Also, those posting use their real legal name (as your "Display Name" when you register) and list their city and state of primary residence on their member profile. New members will be prevented from posting until they fill out their profile. This requirement differentiates us from other discussion forums across the Internet, but is a critical element of E-Democracy.Org's foundation

Out of the mouths of (celebrity) babes

2009-04-29T07:57:00.001-07:00

This comment is a little late in coming. But I'm afraid the idea is as timely as ever. During the Inaugural festivities singer/actresses Beyonce was quoted as saying about Obama that "he makes me want to be smarter". I found this comment quite touching, as the lady is already quite gifted in the looks and talent department. For all the challenges we face today, we all will need to be a whole lot smarter. We will need to learn to stay calm and use our intellect to guide our emotional response and not the other way around. Hopefully Obama had inspired alot more people then this one celebrity in that regard.

a first lady's role

2009-02-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

There has been much talk about what Michelle Obama's role should be. While there are certainly a range of worthy possibilities, it occurs to me there is one that the chattering classes are missing. When we watched the vast enthusiastic crowds at the Inaguration, Richard wondered "how could that not go to your head?". Bush critics all over the spectrum frequently used the word "hubris" in connection with him and some of his decisions. Later on in the evening I caught an episode of the PBS documentary series "Frontline", which was reairing a special feature on Obama's life story. What struck me was the scene depicted when he was getting ready to give his famous speech in front of the Democratic convention in 2004. He was telling someone that he "had game", he was "like Kobe Bryant" (one of the reigning basketball stars of the time). Michelle told him something the equivalent of "don't blow it buster", which both calmed and humbled him. It occured to me then that this could be one of the most important functions of a first lady - prevention of hubris. Let's hope she does a better job than Laura Bush.

words, words, words

2009-02-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

So many things were said by so many people about the Inaguration that I decided I wanted to to let my thoughts settle. I also remodeled my home office (the stained old dust mite infested carpet is gone and replaced by "green" marmoleum", and the walls are now a bright new shade of purple). Like the country as a whole I've been longing to start fresh. With all my junk temporarily displaced to the living room, it did indeed look like a whole different space. But then the junk (somewhat reduced, cleaned and re-organized) had to go back. It's still a much needed improvement. But like the country as a whole, it still contains the miscellaneous artifacts of its past. It remains the workspace of a compulsive recycler/reuser/craft supply addict. What came before affects what it is now - there is no way to start completely fresh. But it is possible to improve. At least at the microcosm, change for the best can happen.

Too Dumb or Too Crooked

2009-01-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

It's not yet certain whether Timothy Geithner's tax mistake was due to stupidity or a deliberate attempt to avoid taxes. The facts so far cause me to lean towards the later. I once made a mistake on my taxes, so I know it is certainly possible for well intentioned people. But this does not appear to be a similar case.

What confuses me more however is that our nation's leadership thinks this is the best person we can find for the job. The lack of concern among both parties is stunning. I don't know what to make of it except that perhaps they are terrified of doing anything that might possibly hold them accountable for the worsening of the current financial crises. A sad statement about our "leadership" indeed.

The media in action

2009-01-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

The American Film Institute in Silver Spring decided to offer the public a chance to watch the Inaguration in its beautiful theatre instead of braving the elements in downtown DC. It seemed like a great compromise to me, as well as too many others. There were literally hundreds of people in line. Even though my friend and I got there an hour early, the free tickets were quickly gone. Neighbors who had been suffering in the cold for 2 and a half hours missed out as well. Some folks were irked at the situation, but most left without complaint.

When it became clear the tickts were all gone, I saw a bleach blond reporter from a local cable news station ask the crowd "is anybody here angry and want to be interviewed?". Eventaully she found an older woman angry enough to want to rant on camera.

Some of us stuck around a bit to find out about the waiting list. The general feeling seemed to be that while there might have been some things AFI could have done differently, it was just a difficult situation that was handled pretty well. Somebody even said "thank you" to the AFI employee who came out to apologize and explain the situation.

Yet my impression of the situation will be far different from the person watching the angry women on News Channel 8. Will they think she is representative of the crowd, or realize she didn't represent most people's feelings there? It's hardly a new insight that news reporting gravitates towards conflict and drama. But this little incident reminds me of how slanted news coverage can be - not necessarily to the right or left, but to the old maxim "if it bleeds it leads".

INAURGURATION NIGHTMARE?

2009-01-07T05:48:00.001-08:00

Like many folks in this area we are debating whether to go downtown for the Inaguration. Some say that it would a lifetme of "should of" to miss out on such a historic occasion. We should at least go and leave early to get a sense of the crowd. Others, who are much more pragmatic cite the numerous logistical challenges and mammoth effort it will undoubtedly take to actually get in site of even a Jumbotron. And most of us carry all of these thoughts in our head at once, going back and forth depending on the latest report about Metro capacity, expected number of tourists etc.

It occurs to me that this is a dilmena similar to many others - one where you vaciliate between hope and fear. Sometimes there's no obvious middle ground to settle upon. I suspected it may turn out symbolic of many such decisions this country will be facing in the future.

learning from the past

2008-12-30T14:12:00.000-08:00

I reconnected with an old college professor today. He remarked on the entry where I related how nonpulsed my sons were by the Obama election, saying" it's sometimes hard to understand the moment when you're in it. Only on reflection does it mean something."

And yet, should that be true for everyone? Or should it be the job of the elite - those blessed with education, power or wealth to have greater perspective? Like many, I'm still struggling with the failure of so many to not forsee the financial crisis. What should we attribute this stunning lack of vision to? In retrospect, the shakiness of so many of these financial instruments seems obvious. There are many similarities to current events and previous crisises. Did people simply not know their history well enough? Or is a lack of courage to speak up against what "everyone else is doing?" And if so, how do we develop citizens with more spine to steer the ship in these dififcult days ahead?

a not so special night

2008-11-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

which might be the most special thing of all about this election.

Of course, for Richard and I and the rest of the world it was a most special night. My French cousin reports that " One radio commentator this morning said that we were back in the 60's, when everything was possible, and that nobody could hate this kind of America"

My 2 boys are interested in politics and definitely in the Obama camp. They may be glad to be rid of Bush, but the didn't seem to fullly process the historic significance of it. They were a bit subdued. Jimmy asked repeatedly if we could take a break from the coverage to watch The Simpson's Treehouse of Horrors. They took Obama's victory in stride, as if it were the most natural thing in the world that if a person was smart enough, ran a good enough campaign and faced a weak enough opponent then naturally they would be elected.

with tears in her eyes

2008-11-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

I somehow manage to have obtained a reputation as a "cool as a cucumber", rational kind of person. But when I stood before my soon to be obsolete touch screen voting machine to cast my vote I found myself fighting back tears. So many things have happened to inspire cynicism and apathy in the past few years. I was especially motivated to vote against the amendment on the ballot to allow slot machines. I find it utterly appaling that our Democratic County Executive, Lieutenant Governor and Governor all made robocalls on its behalf. (why don't we just legalize heroin as well and tax the proceeds "for our children's education"?)

And yet, it's profoundly moving to be able contemplate a ballot featuring an African American man and a woman on it. My French cousin tells me that in France there's "TV coverage planned for all of election night on several French channels, anchorpersons in NYC and Washington, polls being conducted (“if you could vote in the US election, who would you vote for?”), etc!" The eyes of the world truly are on us. It's beyond gratifying to think that it is likely that we can return to being a source of respect and inspiration for the rest of the world.

Thank you for your support

2008-10-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

I've had so many possible topics to write about these days that I don't know where to begin. So of course, the list just gets longer and longer.

"Thank you for your support" is the kind of boilerplate saying I never gave much thought to until recently. Now I know all too well how important the "support" of others is to making indie film (and other media) is.

So a big thank you to the good volunteers who made the Utopia film festival possible. We had another succesful screening there last Saturday, full of interesting discussion which I'll get into more detail in another post. Thank you to Video Americain of Takoma Park for acquiring a copy for rental. A big thank you to Victor Valdivia of DVD Verdict whose review was so thorough and insightful. It was obvious he really got what we were trying to do with the film. Even though we are a little independent, he took a remarkable amount of time reviewing every extra. He even made it through the commentary track. If even half the reviews are that exhaustive DVDVerdict is a site to bookmark when researching a movie.

everything we intended

2008-10-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

happened last Saturday in the city of Frederick at an art gallery called "The Blue Elephant". We'd made the film to inspire thoughtful discussion - and the audience fulfilled our wish most splendidly. Between 40-50 people not only watched the entire film, but laughed at the appropriate places. Most of them stuck around for the discussion afterwards, which had to be stopped after 90 minutes. All of this occured mostly because of one determined, well connected friend who worked her tail off to make it happen for us.

So in many ways it was a triumph. After many setbacks and frustrations it was reassuring to know that if you put the film in front of the right audience it will have the desired affect. Our challenge remains how to make it happen more often.

show me the money honey

2008-10-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Front page, below the fold headline on Tuesday's Washington Post "Obama adds $60 billion to economic plan . .. ".

Whatever else I am, I'm a pretty strong fiscal conservative who feels uncomfortable with debt. I do realize that some amount of debt can be productive. A mortgage for a family home is widely recognized as a good device to build a family's assets. But what our government already owes is proportionally way beyond this already. I can't see how we can keep running up the debt clock even further. Yet both candidates just keep promising more and more spending and tax cuts.

We all know the lessons of Jimmy Carter's one term presidency. Americans don't want to be told anything negative. But I don't have a real sense of how true this is anymore. I think one of the reasons for the crisis of confidence in our economy right now is because everybody in power is dancing around the issue and not speaking honestly of the tough times ahead. After 9/11 Americans waited hours in line to donate more blood to the Red Cross than it could possibly use because they wanted desperately to do something positive. Obama made a baby step on the right path by daring to mention the idea of turning down our thermostats to save energy. Hopefully it's a path he'll follow further if he gets elected.

Obvious to an 11 year old

2008-10-08T08:31:00.001-07:00

My 11 year old wanted to see a bit of the debate last night before bedtime. Since he has to get up earlier these days I said I would allow him to if he laid down on the couch with me. After a short while he said "they aren't answering the questions" and soon fell asleep in my arms. I agreed completely with him. I'd heard the same old tired boilerplate from both of the candidates before. So I turned off the TV and took a few minutes just to gaze at his sleeping face, which made infinitely better viewing.

I've felt disgusted by the presidential debates for several years now. The current debate formats are of severely limited use. I suppose they serve as a test of a candidate’s ability not to fall apart under the pressure of such a venue. This is a bare minimum qualification of a president, but not much more. I don't see what more they accomplish than that.

I've pondered how I would change things if I were in charge. Suppose after the "response" to a question, the moderator would turn back to the questioner and ask if they felt their question had been answered. If not, the debate could not be moved on until the questioner was satisfied, even if it took the whole debate. I certainly wouldn't have let Sarah Palin openly say "I'm not going to answer your question, I'm going to talk directly to the American people . . . “ That’s fine in another venue. Debates are supposed to be about getting the answers we need to make an informed decision.

invest like a girl

2008-10-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

I remember reading a while back that men purchase the vast majority of stocks and other investments. However, female investors on average actually have a better performance record with their investments over time. This is because women tend to buy and hold, as they aren't as afraid of commitment as most men. Men, on the other hand, tend to buy and sell too easily. They tend to be always chasing bigger and better numbers. They frequently get burned in the process.

I thought of this when I saw photos today, of the old and new Fannie and Freddie executives. All white males of a certain age. Perhaps it's time to let some new blood take a crack at this problem.

happy days are here again

2008-09-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

I was catching up with a friend of mine who immigrated from China in her early twenties. She had been back for the Olympics this summer and found it particularly hard to return to the US this time around. The reason was that in China she felt a certain spirit in the air - an enthusiasm about the future and its possibilities that she doesn't find here anymore. This comment was quite similar to one my cousin had made a year ago. He is a businessman who has had dealings in France, Canada, the US and China over the years.

How have we lost our American brand of optimism? I think 9/11 is still a wound that wasn't healed properly. But I also think the way we conduct our politics is to blame. It leads to a pessimism that things can not change, much less change for the better.

Seppuku

2008-09-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

is the Japanese word for ritual suicide by disembowelment. It comes from the Samurai code, with its fixation on honor. I was thinking about this when I read Steve Pearlstein's column in the Business section of the Washington Post the other day. I don't always agree with him, but I think he hit the bulls eye with his insight that none of the Wall Street executives invovled in the current crisis have even apologized yet. There are many executives in Japan who have killed themselves out of shame over far less serious mistakes. I'm not advocating a mass suicide on Wall Street. But I don't feel we can move forward until we hear that they are sorry and show us some contrition. Instead they are just making demands and threatening the end of the world unless they are helped. If they haven't realized the error of their ways, how do we know it won't happen again?

$5583.43

2008-09-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

No, that number doesn't relate to the current fiscal crisis. I'm still trying to better understand it before commenting. It's the August bill of Tifanie White, makeup artist to the stars, for services rendered to the McCain campaign for that month.

In fairness, I have no idea what Obama's makeup bill is.

Human Resources

2008-09-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

On the list of the career paths I can't imagine myself being able to navigate very well is 'human resources". I believe I could handle the administrative part without too much trouble. It's having to judge a person's suitability for a job that seems very difficult. It has to be a very special and rare skill. Otherwise, why do we meet so many incompotent people in this world of ours?

Yet every 4 years it becmoes our duty to take on this most difficult job. We are asked to evaluate each candidate's qualifications for arguably the most important job in the world and "hire" them or send them the thin little letter of rejection. We have to ask ourselves - what is the required personality and skill set necessary to lead this country? In the case of Sarah Palin, we seem to also asking ourselves - what isn't relevant to this question?

I choose to stay home to raise the kids, manage the household and make the movie. It has been much harder than anything I ever did "professionally" and has given me many more skills and much more maturity as well. Yet I know this is a tough thing to explain to potential employers and I may have done great damage to my future career prospects.

In some ways I am very frustarted by this fact. I do believe it is deeply unfair that this experience isn't regarded in the same light as paid work by most people. Yet, when I imagine myself at the other end of the table I can emphasize with the person doing the hiring. Not only having children but having made them a priority in my life for so long could be an indication of my ability to commit to the job. I can't blame them for wondering about this.

I keep hearing that it's "sexist" to question whether a woman with children can be effective in a challenging full time job when you would never ask the same question of a man. On the surface this does seem unfair. Yet numerous surveys have said that in the majority of households where both partners have full time careers, a dispropriate amount of the housework and childcare still falls on the mom. Of course it's not all cases, but it is still a likely scenario.

If you knew that a man you were interviewing were training for the Olympics, president of a non-profit, or heavily involved in other time consuming activities that he wasn't going to give up, wouldn't this raise some legitimate questions in your mind? As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin seems to have worked something out. As my sister pointed out - when you are governor you can make everybody adjust to your schedule. As Vice President or President, perhaps you can too. She might already be awake for the famous "3 am phone call", but will she be clear headed enough given everything else on her plate?

the roller coast ride continues

2008-09-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

We got a really nice, insightful article from Richard's hometown paper The Somerset Daily American

http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2008/09/13/news/news/news587.txt

And the Amazon subsidary messed up and got our title accidentally pulled from Amazon. I've set up the website so you can buy it directly from us until the problem is fixed.

Street Fight

2008-09-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

In the HBO film "Recount" about the 2000 election fiasco in Florida, there is a beautiful written scene that sums up so much. The actor who plays Warren Christopher (who was coordinating Gore's efforts) makes an eloquent speech about how the eyes of the world are watching and their behavior must be an example to all. Then we cut to the actor playing James Baker who was heading Bush's efforts in the Florida recount. To paraphase his words "Gentlemen, this is a street fight".

We all know how that story ended. The curiously timed barrage from McCain's campaign (the day before September 11th) reminds me of the "street fight" comment. Like Obama, I too have a Chicago connection - my grandfather was a politician from the 5th District. Chicago is an excellent place to learn how to conduct a political "street fight". It will be interesting to see whether this is one of the lessons that Chicago has taught Obama.

other foot

2008-09-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

One thing that amuses me is how the partisans view certain traits when they are held by their candidate versus the opposition. I'm old enough to remember how Ronald Reagan's oratory either made him "The Great Communicator" or an ignorant actor just mouthing dangerous ideas. Nowadays Obama "articulateness" is either high praise, or indication that he is a frivolous celebrity.

Both politicians rightly should be envied for their extraordinary gifts. They shouldn't be easily dismissed either - even with a raw talent such a gift needs hard work and practice to refine. But both deserve a much higher level of regard for actually having written their own speeches. (this may have been less true once Reagan was in the White House). Sarah Palin's acceptance speech was written by a speechwriter before she was even chosen. A beauty pageant rival said "on the stage, we know how to turn it on". She deserves some credit for having the skill to "turn it on" in her delivery of the speech, but nowhere near as much as if she'd written it herself.

A girl can have it all

2008-09-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

She just can't have it all at the same time. This is one problem I have with Sarah Palin.

Let me backtrack a bit. The so called "Mommy wars" where stay at home moms are supposed to be at the throats of "working" moms and vice versa is in my experience a fabrication of the press. At least it's nothing I've ever witnessed in all my years mothering. Most women understand that there are as many ways to be a good mother as there are mothers. They also understand the enormous commitment of time and energy that it takes to do even a mediocre job of parenting. Some have the support of spouses who pitch in and help and others don't. Some have grandmothers, sisters, aunts etc. who will do the same and others don't. Some have a set of job skills that allow them to afford the best help. Others have the temprament to stay at home all the time with their kids and be happy doing it. Some moms would become so depressed and anxious if they did so their kids would suffer much more than from their absence. There is no one formula for being a good mother. Many kids are raised in conditions far less than "ideal" and turn out to be fine contributing citizens. Others are raised by 2 parents in an affluent community and turn out less than great by most standards.

So I don't think anybody should judge Sarah Palin's choice to have 5 kids and a career. She has obviously worked out a way to manage everything. And yet, I'm troubled by the "supermom" image that is being projected here. Perhaps she has double my IQ, triple my energy level and needs half as much sleep as I do. Yet when a woman has that much on her plate something has got to give. There are only so many hours in a day after all. She simply has to be getting a ton of help from family, friends and/or hired help and also letting a bunch of other stuff fall by the wayside. This is more than fine if it works for them. I don't begrudge her success. I just think these women who are glorified as doing it all by themselves are leaving a false and discouraging image to the rest of us to either try to keep up with, or feel inadequate for not meeting.

This brings me to the daughter's pregnancy. Having your own children is the best cure for being judgemental about parents (in particular your own). Having one teenager, and another on the way I know very well how they often don't seem to hear what you've told them a hundred times. Sometimes they make their own dumb choices in spite of your best efforts. Because I know this, I also know that one particular bit of parenting advice is true. You have to be nearby frequently to be able to take advantage of the rare times when they do want to talk and are open to hearing what you have to say. It's very possible Bristol Palin would have become pregnant if her mom was full time "stay at home". Yet I can't help but wonder if a mom who had fewer distractions would have been able to see some warning sign about Bristol and this boyfriend and said a few words that would have made her daughter a little more cautious. It's a question impossible to answer, as complicated as motherhood these days.

haters

2008-09-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning for awhile to write about the shooting in an Unitarian Church in Tennesse by a trucker who "hated the liberal movement". I never figured out what I wanted to say about it until now.

In the past couple of days I've been exploring the world of blogs and social networks. Part of it has been curiosity, part of it an attempt to get the world out about our film. It's hardly news that there are alot of extreme voices out there. Still, it doesn't really sink in until you see it up close and personal. The simplistic generalizations about the "enemy", the level of venom on some sites and groups are shocking.

And yet I still don't believe they represent anything more than a small minority. The vast majority don't have the time or energy to be that angry. And those angry enough to kill are mentally ill. The flames of their illness may have been stoked by angry rhetoric. But I can' believe they are symbolic of the country as a whole. Unfortunately, "if it bleeds it leads", and those drawing blood get the attention.

commentary

2008-09-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get the word out about our film by doing a bit of "social networking" - posting our clips on sites like myspace, facebook and wis.dm in an effort to generate discussion.

Here's one that came up on wis.dm, I'll be commenting a bit more on it later . ..

"I had a very "liberal" professor in college. I was surprised how closed minded he was to new ideas. I found out that liberal ideals are not necessarily "progressive" ideals. I consider myself a very conservative progressive with a hint of libertarianism. I am not sure where that fits into the classic conservative mold. I am a conservative that wants change. A change for more freedom. I feel both parties taking freedoms away.

Palin is . . .

2008-08-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

I think McCain's choice for VP is bold and intriguing. I don't know what I think about her yet. And frankly, I think it's a bit too early for anybody else to know what they think about her either. There is such a rush to put this woman into a neat little box and find an appropriate label for her. I know it's a fundamental human strategy to classify and determine whether someone is "friend" or "foe". After all, if our ancestors didn't have this ability, they wouldn't be our ancestors. The media is even saying the crucial thing is who wins the race to define her will determine whether she's an asset or liability. Yet, like every other individual on this planet, she's a complicated person. Can't we give it a little time for all the facts to come out, and to see how she comes across before making these decisions?

of course I should say a few words about the speech

2008-08-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

Too many words will be said about the speech last night as it is, so right now I will just add a few comments that relate to our film's theme of moving beyond opposing categories to find common ground. For years I've been waiting for a candidate of any stripe to say something like. . ."we wish to live in a country where few women ever have to get to the point where they must decided upon an abortion. We will do what what it takes to make that as rare as possible. In the meantime, let's keep abortion for those who do choose it safe, legal and available." I thought Obama came the closest to it last night with his comment "we may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies". His remarks on gun control and gay rights were in a similar vein. I hope we will hear similar from McCain.

politics is personal

2008-08-25T06:55:00.001-07:00

At my Judo club there is a Sensei from Honduras. He doesn't speak much English. Nonetheless he managed to use a smattering of English, Japanese and gestures to teach techniques we haven't learned from anyone else and make many friends in the process. A while back he brought in his new little baby.

This morning I got an email saying that he had fallen 30 feet on a construction site and was seriously injured. His wife had said that they had both been working day and night in multiple jobs which is why we hadn't seen him for awhile.

It's utterly heartbreaking to think of this happening to such a good person. Richard's first reaction to this story was to say that he wished we were doing things to help people more directly. This family's plight seems far removed from the world of this film.

And yet upon further reflection maybe you can argue it isn't. I can only speculate on many of the details of the story. Yet it doesn't seem to much of a stretch to say that the philosphy of those in charge, and their ability to realize it can greatly affect the lives of people like these. Government policy can affect what kind of health care he will get, whether the family will go into debt trying to pay for it and whether a family with such a young baby needs to be working that hard to get by. These are the real people and the real dramas that lie behind the rhetoric and debate.

Success

2008-08-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Like any filmmaker, artist, or person who makes something, we want the results of our efforts to be a "success". However, "success" can be hard to define, especially for a documentary film. Some people consider festival selection a criteria for success. But with even small rinky dink festivals getting hundreds of entries these days (Silverdocs got over 1700 submissions) it was never a realistic expectation for our earnest little film to stand out among the "edgier", "sexier" stories that most festivals seek.

Others consider numbers of sales as their guage. I've tried to avoid getting obsessed about the rankings on Amazon, but it's hard to resist checking them out sometimes. I've been told they are better than anybody else's documentary in the D-word (my internet documentary forum/community). However, compared to the latest Hollywood blockbuster they will always be miniscule. But I don't believe that a film that sells 500 times as many copies as another is 500 times as successful.

We made this film to encourage people to think about things in a new way. Today I reconnected with an old friend who hasn't seen the movie yet, but did check out the trailers awhile back. She said she and her teenager had learned alot from them. I remember hearing the same thing from a historian who saw our movie at a rough cut screening. I see the postings on Youtube that I quoted the other day. These are just a few examples. I also know that for every person who bothers to comment there are many others who don't take the time, but were none the less affected. So I have faith that we are, and will continue to experience "success" with our little film.

another festival

2008-08-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Just received word that American Feud has been choosen an official selection of the Utopia Film Festival which will run October 24th - October 26th in Greenbelt. More news to follow.

Comments from the youtube trailer

2008-08-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

*** Comparing Liberals and conservatives is comparing apples and oranges. Conservatism is a state of mind and way of life. Liberalism is a theory on the relationship between government and governed. Americans are completely unaware that we are all liberals. If you believe in inalienable individual rights to life, property and pursuit of self interests as opposed to a monarchy, feudalism, dictatorship or communism, you are a liberal. Our revolution was founded on liberalism.

*** Republicans are generally Classical Liberals, and Democrats, Social liberals. Some of the views on role of government have change and politicians tend to enact laws/acts that somewhat exacerbate problems they intend to fix, but the bases are still the same. Classical Liberals believe in very small government intervention and free markets. Social Liberals believe in additional rights to health care, education and min. wages. R's and D's just differ on how individual rights are viewed.

***in truth there is no such thing as "liberal" and "conservative". it is the mechanism of a monolithic two-party system to divide society against itself by assigning some values for these guys and some values for those guys. these values change over time and are completly superficial.

Latest news

2008-08-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

American Feud was selected as a finalist in the feature documentary section of The Independents Film Festival

http://www.ifftampa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=46

Thomas Frank

2008-08-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

When we interviewed Thomas Frank he was prommoting his book "What's the Matter with Kansas". Now we are promoting our movie and he is promoting his latest book "The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule". So we were encouraged by the fact that it took him as long to write a book as it took us to make our movie.

We saw him interviewed the other day on The Colbert Report. We though he did well by taking the bull by the horns early on with an aggressive statement, something along the lines of "that's bullshit". With that, Colbert could only pull so much of his usual mock bluster.

I haven't read the book, but from what I've heard, it seems to make similar points to the ones Chomsky makes in our film. Although perhaps in a vernacular easier to understand than Chomsky's.

One last word about "Sausage Making"

2008-08-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

I said I wouldn't discuss anything more about the nitty gritty of marketing a film. Not to go back on that, but there's a few things I've learned along the way that need to be shared.

The first is that documentary filmmakers are alot like others artists in other media. Very few make any money at it, it's usually more a labor of love. So they need your support. This doesn't necessarily mean a big financial contribution or much effort. First of all, just buy the DVD, album etc. instead of pirating it. It's not really that much money for all the effort that went into it. Trust me on this one. I understand the temptation, I'm a reformed copier myself. But it every little bit helps.

Second, take a few minutes to get the word out. If you like something, write a favorable review on Amazon. Then go to the "Tags Customers Associate with This Product". Check off the tags AND suggest tags to Amazon. Both of these will help others find the film and perhaps buy it. Comment on any blogs you happen to be on and post a link - the more places that link to the artists' site, the better the google ranking will be.

OK, that's enough time on the soapbox. Back to commenting on politics soon.

from the mouths of Governors

2008-08-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

I caught the end of an interview with Maryland governor O'Malley today on WAMU's (NPR) Kojo Namdi show. Our governor concluded the show mock scolding one of the reporters questioning him, basically telling him to chill out because "ideology is passe - government can work".

I haven't been his biggest fan as Governor, but I thought that was a wonderful quote.

Back to Blogging

2008-08-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

I took a long break from blogging about the film, but not completely from blogging. One of this summer's trips was well documented in my travel blog. But besides several trips, family events and numerous other instances of "life getting in the way" we've still been working on the film. Now that it's complete, the second leg of publicizing it takes place. I've heard more experienced filmmakers say that's as much of a process as making the film in the first place. I won't get into the details of it, since it'll probably be the equivalent of seeing sausage getting made. But suffice to say, it is as challenging as making the film in a different way. There is as much as a learning curve in such skills as search engine optmization, getting on amazon, creating an eblast and viral marketing . as there was in fair use rules, final cut editing software etc.

But enough about that, tomorrow I resolve to write more about the current political climate - and hope to generate some discussion.

the question of bias

2008-04-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

One of the perennial debates in documentary filmmaking is over the question of bias. Everybody has their biases, do you seek to conceal them or be up front about them?

Our goal was making a film that was truly non-partisan. Part of this is practical - as a member of the media Richard shouldn't display any preferences. We also wanted to make something that could reach people of all persuasions, to go beyond the usual "preaching to the already converted" rants we've seen too much of. We've seen blind spots in the thinking of both our conservative and liberal friends and family members.

I can sincerely say we did our best to be fair. There were a few clips that are in the film solely due to the desire to be balanced. However, the vast majority of shots, no matter where in the political spectrum they fall, were put in the film because we honestly thought they were thought provoking and worth mulling over.

We haven't heard from all the interview subjects yet. A big cheer for Howard Zinn for being the first to respond. His response was positive, as was "moderate" David Stoesz, "conservative" Mona Charen and "progressive Michael Kazin.

I bring this up because Richard and I had a disagreement over mentioning the fact that I produced an anti-Bush PSA in the "filmmakers" section of our website. Even if this information wasn't easily obtainable by googling me, I feel it would be dishonest to hide it. However, I don't think this prevents me from being unbiased - like many Americans my beliefs don't fall into a tidy category. I am a fiscal conservative who loathes the budget deficit this country has run up. As a mother I dislike many things in the vulgar things in the culture these days. I've been disrespected countless times for staying home to raise children. I also dislike being called by my first name by strangers and children. An exasperating dispute with the IRS has made me loathe its bureaucratic intractability, and question my believe in the power of government.

I appreciate deeply all those who trusted us in sharing their opinions for the movie. I think we've tried our best to treat every one with respect.

What’s the deal with the monkey face anyway?

2008-03-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

There are a number of reasons I have the for giving myself the appellation “simonesimian”.

First of all I had a very dear buddy who had the audacity to go and get a fatal brain tumor when we had many more decades to go on our family strong friendship. “Simian” was his nickname for me, pretty much the only nickname I’ve ever had except for my father calling me “seem” sometimes.

In America the name “Simone” is uncommon except in the African American community. (an African American has never called me “Simon”, a frequent occurrence with others). For some it carries hoity-toity connotations. It amuses me to undercut them by adding simian to it.

I was raised in a pretty sedate household with only one younger sister. So there was definitely a learning curve to becoming the mother of 2 boys. Their behavior has inspired me to refer to them as “little monkeys” on numerous occasions.

In a book about festivals one recommendation was to distinguish yourself somehow - bright shirt, funny hat etc. Some people find the monkey face amusing, others just “weird”. Whatever the reaction, it does stand out.

Lastly, I regularly practice in Anusara Yoga. This type of yoga is particularly focused on posture and alignment - an area where my body has undergone much needed improvement. Over time you develop the awareness to retrain your body out of its bad habits such as slouching and hunching your shoulders.. These tendencies worsen over time with most people. When I see a woman from a distance I can often get an accurate sense of her age just based on how she carries herself. It’s almost as if our bodies are trying to revert to our simian origins and its our continual struggle to counteract this. And the battle between our human and animal nature is played out in too many ways to be dealt with in this blog!

MORE IMPRESSIONS FROM “AMERICA’S COUNTY”

2008-03-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

As we waited for our food at the Italian Oven, I tried to get a sense of how various family members perceived the presidential candidates. As I’ve implied previously, the demographics of Somerset county don’t reflect America as a whole. But they do reflect a segment that feels and votes quite differently from “The People’s Republic of Maryland” from which I hail. So I don’t argue or debate anymore, I just listen to get a sense of how they feel.

Nobody supports Senator Obama, the “experience” issue is a real deal breaker for those who have thought much about him.

For one middle aged female the fact that Senator Clinton had taken her husband back after how he treated her was a terrible example for young woman and thus disqualified her.

A not quite 40 year old female in the party felt the fact that Senator Clinton was female counted strongly in her favor (she had voted Republican previously).

A female college student with a boyfriend in Iraq supports John McCain, because she identifies as Republican and for his military experience.

And my mother-in-law genuinely likes President Bush as much as ever.

THE RETURN OF THE L-WORD

2008-03-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

From today’s Washington Post, news that both McCain and Clinton are using the term “liberal” in a pejorative way against Senator Obama.

In Obama's New Message, Some Foes See Old Liberalism

By Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 26, 2008; Page A01

“ . . . Sen. John McCain and other Republicans have already started to brand him a standard-order left-winger, "a down-the-line liberal," as McCain strategist Charles R. Black Jr. put it, in a long line of Democratic White House hopefuls.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign has also started slapping the L-word on Obama, warning that his appeal among moderate voters will diminish as they become more aware of liberal positions he took in the past, such as calling for single-payer health care and an end to the U.S. embargo against Cuba. . . .”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032503082.html

“AMERICA’S COUNTY” endures THE DEFEAT OF FREEDOM

2008-03-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Our director Richard Hall hails from Somerset, Pennsylvania which is located in the Southwestern corner of the state. Americans became more familiar with the area after 9/11, as it’s the area where the “plane came down”, and also where the trapped coal miners were rescued. It calls itself “America’s County”, although demographically the area is 97.39% White (according to Wikipedia). Also, it has only voted for a Democratic presidential candidate once in the past hundred years.

One of the area’s dining establishments is called “The Italian Oven”. When we were last there the menu featured “Freedom Fries”. We went back last weekend for my sister-in-law’s birthday “French fries” had made their return.

Sign of the times perhaps?

PRODUCTION UPDATE 4, THE DIRECTOR SPEAKS

2008-03-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

From Richard, the Director/Editor:

I am working on improving the advance review copy of our DVD so that it will smoothly play in older and/or most DVD players. Some people have had trouble with our DVD. Using Studio Pro I am limiting maximum MBPS to 6.4 (no-I don't really understand what that means). I learned this from the technical specs. on "CreatSpace" a self-distribution company. The way things are changing and "improving" in the world it's hard not to learn something new everyday. When I first opened DVD Studio Pro I was overwhelmed by the complexity of the interface and the seemingly boundless options. A month later I can almost navigate my way from A to Z without losing my marbles.

PRODUCTION UPDATE 3

2008-03-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

In the next few days we will create a commentary track as a DVD extra. There has been some debate about how useful it is to do this. Chris Gore’s DVD book says it is mandatory for true film nerds. Personally I rarely ever have time to listen to them, and the times I have they were often tedious monologues. . I asked on my documentary forum and responses were mixed. But there was enough people who said they enjoy and appreciate them that I figure we might as well, since there will be space on the disk.

PRODUCTION UPDATE 2

2008-03-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

Right now, when you google “American Feud” you get a bunch of hits about the Hatifields and the McCoys, with our Youtube trailer being tenth. One of the things you are supposed to do to change this is join “social networking sites”. We’ve been on MySpace for awhile, that apparently hasn’t helped. (albeit with the old littlebig website). But today I went ahead and gave it a FaceBook page, which you can do for films as well. The whole thing seems silly in some ways, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt. I’m still surprised (and encouraged) that people have found us with no publicity at all. I think it’s because of Noam Chomsky’s participation - believe it or not, the man has a real fan base.

production update 1

2008-03-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Recently, I’ve been trying to focus on this website. One thing I’ve realized is how this project has continued to add to the list of things I know just barely enough about. Soon I can add website creation and search engine optimization to the list. My cyber friends on the D-word documentary forum have been ever so helpful. In addition a stranger (a Katie Alender) I found while googling for a problem I was having with Iweb software gave me the solution I couldn’t find elsewhere. I never ceased to be amazed at how the internet has facilitated “the kindness of strangers”. Honestly, I’d give up chocolate and a bunch of others things before I’d give up my lifeline to the world!

Richard has been more focused on continuing the final “polishing” of the DVD and seeking endorsements. He’ll post soon.

INTRODUCTION

2008-03-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the blog for American Feud, our political documentary about the history of Liberalism and Conservatism in the US. If you are reading this directly from blogger you can go to www.AmericanFeud.org for more info.

Now, because she's my mother (and our biggest fan) She gets the first words . . ..

Richard, Simone - I think that the reference to "pragmatism" in your film is important and relevant to the political situation you describe. It
could be a way out of our divisions and "feud."

It seems to me that the "point" of your documentary is, as you stated yourselves, "to invite the audience to reconsider the ideas that divide us and imagine a new future beyond Liberalism and Conservatism."

The main difficulties that I see for the acceptance of the ideas of the New-Pragmatists is that (1) those ideas are not well known, and (2) pragmatism has not defined, I think, what moral criteria we should consider for our actions. (Maybe "radical pragmatism" has?)

The social democracies of the European Union have agreed on a set of common principles,  not only the basic democratic values, but also solidarity, social justice, sustainable development for all, peace, etc.

There has been an intellectual dialogue between some American New-Pragmatists (Richard Rorty and others)  and some post- modern continental philosophers (Gianni Vattimo and others). And there is a convergence of ideas.

The long cultural, religious, and political evolution of Western Europe has led us to what Europeans call "the secularization of the Christian message", that is the Gospel message of love your neighbor, help the poor, etc.. is now "incarnated" i.e. "secularized" into civil society and governmental policy. This "secularization" can be compared to Protestantism which became "incarnated" in the U.S society. The Protestant ethic of individual conscience and responsibility, sense of self-reliance,  hard work, and frugal life encouraging saving has been "secularized" into the American capitalist system.

For the American philosopher Richard Rorty, the decisive event in the process of this secularisation of Christianity in Western Europe "occurred when the French Revolution coincided with the Romantic movement. The intellectuals began talking about the power of the human imagination, at the same time that Christian charity changed into Liberty, Equality, Fraternity."

For Christian believers, of course it occurred at the birth of Christ when the divine message of love became incarnated in our world.

We have witnessed the convergence of anglo-american pragmatism and European secularized Christianity during the French electoral campaign. Like many others, I was undecided on my choice of a candidate, because I really wanted to keep our principle of fraternity, but at the same time use more pragmatic methods than the left offered for achieving solidarity, a better life for all, and the protection of the environment.

The centrist candidate who came third in the first round of the elections said that he wanted to look left and right and cross borders between the political parties. Though he lost, he claimed that he "changed the political landscape." I think he is right. The first gestures of Sarkozy give me hope that it is indeed happening. First, the President-elect met for consultations with members of Parliament, not only from his party but from other political parties; he had a meeting/dialogue with the representatives of labor and trade unions, and committed to regular consultations with them; As president, he named two socialists to be ministers, one of them for Minister of Foreign Affairs (Bernard Kouchner, the founder of "Doctors without Borders"), and one from the centrist party; there are 7 women in his cabinet of 15; the minister of Justice is the daughter of North African immigrants.

Maybe a symbol of this convergence of action and values toward a goal which is in accord with our cultural heritage is the new name given to a ministry, heretofore know as "Ministry of Social Affairs," and now called "Ministry of Active Solidarity against Poverty."