This “tumble-log” is devoted to the election, transition, and administration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States and to commentaries on the enormous problems (financial, economic, environmental, global, etc.) facing him and our nation. Begun on October 9, 2008—right after my wife and I completed a 4,000 mile road-trip across the prairie from Chicago to Utah and back, and less than a month before the elections—it presents an on-line scrapbook of news clips, quotations, videos, and photos adapted from news sources, as well as a few observations of my own. At first, I was mostly interested in seeing whether or not Barack Obama would be elected as our 44th president. Then after he took office, the formulation of an economic recovery plan seemed the single most pressing concern. As time went on, the development of health insurance reform legislation seemed most important. But beyond these specific questions and issues, I became increasingly concerned with the state of American democracy. The Republican Party, long the carrier of one of of our two great political traditions, seemed to be moving increasingly toward a radical right-wing populism and a new form of “know-nothingism.” Most of the items in this blog can be expanded by clicking on them. The “search” box will create a list every entries that include any particular term. The “archive” below provides a brief calendar of all the items, and thus serves as a kind of “table of contents.”Tumblr (3.0; @doctord)http://doctord.tumblr.com/<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-madigan/obamas-election-destiny-c_b_368437.html">Charles Madigan: Obama's Election: Destiny Called</a>http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/256411404http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/256411404Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:18:36 -0600“They really make the best effort anyone has ever made. Everything is in here….I...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/255964443http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/255964443Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:19:56 -0600“when it comes to the creation of a government-run alternative to private insurance schemes,...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/255750046http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/255750046Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:08:11 -0600“A funny thing happened on the way to a new New Deal. A year ago, the only thing we had to...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/255395389http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/255395389Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:41:40 -0600“I mostly don’t blame President Obama; he and his team went as far as they felt they...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/255394190http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/255394190Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:40:07 -0600“Republican leaders are circulating a resolution listing 10 positions Republican candidates...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/254701807http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/254701807Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:06:23 -0600<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/23/palin-supporters-struggle_n_367800.html">Palin Supporters Struggle To Explain Why They Support Palin (VIDEO)</a>http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/254700428http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/254700428Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:05:01 -0600“Midge Hough was heckled by anti-reform crowd members. “You can laugh at me,...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/254698230http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/254698230Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:02:52 -0600“To what extent should they try to energize their electoral prospects by hitching themselves...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/254332516http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/254332516Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:39:13 -0600“Based on our knowledge of recent trends and the time it takes to change energy...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253809251http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253809251Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:57:39 -0600“Suddenly the Federal Reserve is everybody’s punching bag.” - Analysis: Fed Under...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253804628http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253804628Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:53:49 -0600“Making big changes is incredibly hard in this country” - Mike Lux: What the Passage of...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253552099http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253552099Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:07:58 -0600“if health care goes down, the attempt to do big things will probably will stop- climate...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253551052http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253551052Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:07:01 -0600“Lieberman is offering a deeply cynical reading of the legislation. The restrictions on who...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253437345http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253437345Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:17:37 -0600“Holding us back, Friedman argues, is a political system too closely connected with money and...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253285998http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253285998Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:47:11 -0600“Palin’s political appeal has never had anything to do with facts — or coherent policy...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253160713http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253160713Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:27:14 -0600“Even by the standard of politicians, this is a woman with an outsized ego. Combine that with...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253159176http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/253159176Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:25:21 -0600“We are in a huge mess here, involving a basic credibility gap about who actually knows what...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/252474346http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/252474346Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:45:38 -0600“Glenn Beck, the popular and outspoken Fox News host, says he wants to go beyond broadcasting...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/252469316http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/252469316Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:40:13 -0600“The Senate has voted to move forward with the health care bill. The vote was 60-39 in favor...http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/252462374http://doctord.tumblr.com/post/252462374Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:32:14 -0600