for sure you cannot pick up a newspaper or turn on the television in the U.S. and not see the latest "poll results" regarding the choosing of the next leader of the "free world"…polls, polls, and more polls….we have an international readership here, but i suspect the choice of the next President of the United States is of concern to one and all…
with world financial markets crashing all around us, and an almost doomsday paranoia seeping into the souls of even the most optimistic, certainly what happens on November 1 is of more than passing interest….
while the U.S. cannot be blamed for ALL that is wrong in the world today, it must surely bear a lot of responsibility…if a country rises to prominent world power, it must "take the heat" when things are a mess…and i think we can safely say that things are not exactly "tidy"….
this is a photo blog…..by some kind of unspoken consensus, we have all pretty much agreed here to not talk about religion , sex, or politics (the three most interesting topics in the world), but concentrate instead on the philosophy and practice of becoming better photographers….of course, everyone knows that becoming a better photographer is primarily about "awareness" and not necessarily knowing how many megapixels aunt Mary has in her new "point and shoot"…
so, on a sunny bright morning here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, 20 miles from the largest military complex in the world, and as i prepare to photograph a military family, i have decided to take my own international poll…
since we really should not go into politics here , i will couch this poll in photographic terms …you may fantasize either digital or film…black & white or color…..
who would you most like TO PHOTOGRAPH in January of 2009….Obama or McCain???
patricia
i didn’t find it too tough to be honest.. the first mccurry book which struck me was monsoon.. seen in india.. during the monsoon… and i adore it still.. imprinted into my psyc at a tender age it still inspires.
it is an astonishing book.. some of the most amazing situations.. some real corkers.. and a great project to follow, although a literal one.. three months or whatever following the monsoon up india is kind of a treat, no doubt.. and would produce great photos..
i really love his work.. as one of the masses.. however tend to think of his work more as john coltrane than mahavishnu orchestra.. more beatles than rolling stones.. you know?
i was interested in his recent study of the tibetans in exile, since it is a subject i have attempted to tackle in the past ( http://bophoto-mumblings.blogspot.com/2008/08/going-back-to-my-roots-yeah.html ) and it did not cover all bases for me.. although it was certainly an impressive and worthwhile study. i wanted to see the fights.. drug abuse.. the american and english influence rather than the indian.. after all, nehru set aside remote pieces of land to protect their culture from indian influence, while the t.v.’s of murdochs empire are causing more damage.. with the x-files and oprah beamed directly into rooms sparse with furniture and peeling pain on the wall..
it is possible to have the utmost respect for someones work and i’m certain steve knows his style and position well.. so i don’t think it’s a harsh thing to say. the tibetan study disappointed me a little, because i knew the subject very well.. his afghan work is on another level and he knows that work perhaps better than anyone.
i’d buy him endless beers to hear his perspective on tibetans in exile..
GLENN
thanks mate.. Tor Capa is going to be into whatever he chooses to be into.. just as yours and everyones will be.. isn’t it just about the best trip available? endless surprises and moments of such sheer joy that defy explanation.. i’m writing to friends in long term relationships with the hope of inspiring them..
marcin
i’m just over the moon.. thinking on bulk film loaders, which i have not for a decade, has enabled a way for me to afford-ably shoot film again.. in norway to scan and dev 1 film is around 30 usd.. in the uk i was used to paying around 6 (while getting a couple of unexposed rolls thrown in free).
i saw an M8 today for 8000 USD in a camera shop.. they had a 2nd hand eos1 for 300 USD
i was buying chemicals and paper…
DB’do you have any developing tanks?’
PS’nope’
DB’a thermometer?’
PS’may be try a chemist?’
unreal.
and if i photoed obama i’d like to catch the light just as well as david mc..
where is he?
patricia, marcin -
Re: DAH on McCurry: cutting, for sure. not wholly untrue – mr mccurry’s work is graphic and often straight-ahead, none of the harvey/allard silhouettes in the foreground, none of the ultra low light interiors, no drama on the edges… but still, his pictures are consistent and show us places we wouldn’t otherwise see…
wonder what the backstory is?
Id like to photograph both for different reasons.
Obama is a going to be a great man.
McCain for the great fall a man can take. This used to be the straight talker unafraid to tell the truth. Now he’s a pathetic liar and a race baiter to boot. A pathetic fall.
I dont think its going to be close. Nationwide polls dont matter but even still Obama has an 8 point lead. In a country so deeply polarized this is as big a lead as you should really expect. But the important thing is the states and Obama is now leading in pretty much all the swing states, and even some red states are going in his ledger. What started as a trickle has recently turned into something more. Watch it to be a flood by November. My prediction is that Obama gets over 330 electorate votes which will be a blowout.
David, take a look at a little set I did last weekend at a lantern festival in my wife’s home town.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/sets/72157607762150085/show/
Maybe, the way I phrased it myself, Patricia, once again. By popular, I certainly did not mean most relevant. I mean, for ex., Mozart is not as popular as Britney Spears nowadays….
One thing about Steve McC, and I did not have time to ask him last June (because some idiot came right over and just cut us off with the ubiquitous “Steve, we met 10 years ago….”) is that he seems to be recycling his archives a lot. I never get the sense anything he publishes was done, or striven for, recently. Yet, I remember a youtube video where david says he’s the hardest-working guy of them all. And David knows, he himself is no lazy bum!!! ;-), so: ?!?!?
I do not like his small portraits books. Exotism strung like beads on a necklace. Steve is a fine man, and did not mean it that way, but it ends being a bit exploitive, once marketed. It does sell! Maybe the money goes to a foundation?
I could not ask… French people are so rude! :-))))
I could not ask… French people are so rude!
__________
laughing..
I do not think DAH comment about Steve was cutting. Our thoughts, experiences and opinions of a photographer like McCurry is much different than David’s or another colleague. I doubt there is a back story to David’s comment – just may not be his usual tone.
Erica, i’m loving your 40 days photos. just gorgeous.
Kerry–whaat? you’re moving to New York? I’m writing you an email right now to find out more. I missed all the fun Saturday!
I think my answer to the poll is obvious by the stupid sh*t eating grin on my face:
http://www.jenniferchasephoto.com/misc/obama.jpg
true story…this photo was taken by the long haired guy from the black eyed peas. then Obama offered to take a picture of me and the peas. could care less about that one.
Mc Cain: The guy is a decent man, I wish him no ill, even I find myself a bit sectarian as DAY E approaches. If he knew how to really play the hate game, he’d do better in the polls.
did anyone see the clip with the lady calling O an arab (I am sure she was about to say black and found the next best “worse” label), and Mc cain booed for showing decency:
PATRICIA….
my comment about Steve was not intended to be “cutting” at all…i was asked a straight question and i gave a straight answer…and , also i was writing in haste, with no time to elaborate or put it all into context….again, this is just like our critique and the critique here about critiquing in general…at Magnum, and my whole life since a student at the Univ. of Missouri ( the REAL school of tough tough critique) we talk straight up with each other….when we are with each other and looking at everything from book layouts to exhibits we tell each other straight up what we think…i honestly think the work of Steve is very straightforward , very clean, and he certainly has the most famous picture of all time, the Afghan woman….a picture that is in my personal collection of prints and collected worldwide ….there are , however photographers that i admire more from a purely photographic standpoint..photographers who pique my imagination much more…i am sure there are photographers he admires more than me as well…yet, surely we will still always enjoy each other’s compay socially..
however, what i do admire about Steve is his indefatigable ability to do what he does despite the fact that he works with only one good hand….
he has gone into combat, survived months in Afghanistan under grueling conditions, and always comes up with strong strong pictures under conditions that i would not even go into in the first place…
it is not a put down in my world not to be a “fan” of someone’s work..it has absolutely nothing to do with liking them as a person…but, it obviously seems like that to you…and i can understand your point of view since you are coming from a completely different place in your work and in your nature of criticism…but, please try to understand mine without seeing a critique as an “attack”…
and Patricia please do me one favor…look at Steve’s work..then look at say Alex Webb’s work….both color..both contemporaries …can you not see why i might like Alex over Steve??? but, that does not mean you have to agree with me, but you might see why i would prefer one over the other….or, maybe not..and that would be fine too, because your opinion is just as valid as anyone’s..mine included..
cheers, david
MARTIN BRINK…
we have had some tech problems getting going, but it really should be up by tomorrow…keep checking..there will be glitches at first, but hopefully smooth out as we go along…thanks for asking..
cheers, david
JENNIFER CHASE
i meant to ask you the other day – do you live in DC? nice pic with Obama!
3 DIVERSIONS..pick your poison
#1 Mr. Lee’s Cat camera http://www.mr-lee-catcam.de/cc_index_en.htm
#2 Giant Girl Doll
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1522158746296131750&hl=en
#3 Recording of Koudelka’s talk at Aperture
http://maxpasion.com/koudelka_talk.mp3
DAVID
I have absolutely no problem with your preferring one photographer’s work over another’s. My god, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? My response was not to your preferences, but to how you’d put it. Saying someone is popular with the “masses” rather than the “astute,” is to me a pretty good put down.
As you say, you were rushed and didn’t have time to explain what you meant. I was just surprised because it didn’t sound like you. Thanks for taking the time to make your point more specifically. Now I understand what what you were trying to say.
And yes, I’ll look at Steve’s work next to Alex’s and see what I think.
Patricia
thx david for enunciating / clarifying the mccurry comment. it’s clear now. cannot wait to see your family work that you hinted about posting soon.
jeff
Greetings everyone.
I have recently started a new web site called The37thFrame.org.
The 37th Frame’s purpose is to bring readers the best of the photojournalism on the internet. I decided that since I spend a lot of time surfing the net for great photographic work, I may as well keep a record of what I find and share it with others.
In a short time, the site has received a lot of attention including a mention on the Photo District News blog. Readers are encouraged to email me with link suggestions to share with the rest of our community. Hopefully there will be comments and discussion on the posts.
One of the goals of the site is to highlight work that may be off the radar and not being seen.
I brought up the idea to David about inviting readers of this blog and all of his emerging photographers to participate. David thought it was a great idea.
If anyone is interested in participating, please send me a link to an image, series of images or story that you would like me to highlight.
I would only ask that the link take the reader to an easy to navigate site that first showcases the intended work. Of course then the reader will be able to explore the remainder of your site. I just feel for the best experience that the reader not have to search for what they were interested in seeing.
Some links will appear in the main featured section and others will simply be posted on the home page.
Regardless of how they initially show up on the site, they will all be grouped under a special section on the home page. (The position that is currently called Media Storm in the middle of the page.)
I am also thinking of having the photographer provide the initial comment on the post where they can talk a little about the work. This will help get a dialog started between readers and the readers and photographer.
I hope all this makes sense. This is still a site that is evolving, so nothing is set in stone. Suggestions are welcome.
Please feel free to email questions for me to petemarovich@the37thframe.org.
Please address all submissions to: submissions@the37thframe.org
Thanks to everyone in advance, and most of all to David.
Herve: in the same vein but even worse check out this billboard in Missouri: http://current.com/items/89393772_racist_obama_billboard_causes_outrage?xid=216
can you imagine having to drive past that every day?
Gina- yes I’m in DC. Are you nearby?
I think Alex Webb’s work seems to be more “spontaneous”, for want of a better word. That’s not to denigrate Steve McCurry’s work (who am I to criticise the work of a master), it’s just different.
Also, I find my tastes change as I chug merrily along life’s path too. For instance, I once couldn’t see the merits of Matin Parr’s colour work. But now a few years later I “get it” better. It’s not the style of work I could do but I can better appreciate it. Horses for courses I suppose.
I think any criticism/critique on paper or web screen can look harsher than in reality. I have to be really careful if I querying a slip up in magazine payments. A casual inquiry can seem like an angry demand because they can’t hear my “tone of voice”. The same way that a text can be totally misconstrued when read without the context in which it was sent.
David: A couple of questions about you current families project…..
You mentioned that you were using both b&w and colour, how would that work in a book publishing situation? I can see it working in a gallery presentation. I’ve discovered a great location here at home to begin a long project on & am shooting both b&w and colour, but unsure if I’m better to stick to one or the other.
The project revolves around a small remote fishing/holiday settlement and I will be able to pursue while doing other jobs-a la “stay another day”. I needed another project to get my teeth into because I won’t get back to Timor until the New Year now.
Also…. What was the reason for using medium format too??? Thanks
Cheers
JENNIFER – yes, i am in DC too. i live in dupont and work at NG at 17th & M. i leave tomorrow for frankfurt – but we should get together when i get back. my email is: gmartin@ngs.org
DAVID
Yep, I get it!
Alex Webb takes me places I don’t expect to go, shows me the world through eyes that look INTO not AT people & places, finds perspectives that I could never have imagined existed. He’s a true original. Steve shows me what I would probably have seen myself if I’d been there. Good photos but only rarely does he make me catch my breath in surprise. Thanks, David, that was a good teaching.
ALL
I discovered another good teaching tool today–”An Inner Silence: The Portraits of Henri Cartier-Bresson” by Agnes Sire and Jean-Luc Nancy. I bought this book because I could see that HCB knew how to find the “innerness” of the persons he photographed. Part of his gift was in letting their surroundings act as keys to their personalities. I was often surprised by where HCB placed his subjects in the frame, and of course his use of ambient light was masterful.
HCB’s lessons are just what I need as I continue to work on my African American Elders project. I’ve been photographing at this Detroit senior center twice a week since mid-June and am becoming ever more intrigued by the individuals themselves rather than the activities in which they engage. I just want to show the dignity, humor, wisdom, suffering and joy I see in each. In time I’ll share some pics but not yet. I feel as though I’m just beginning to understand what this work is all about.
Patricia
Patricia.
Have you seen HCB’s “The Europeans”? I think that’s his best work. It may be heresy to say so, but I think his French/European work is miles stronger than his foreign work.
Cheers
ALL.
I had the pleasure of meeting Fazal Sheikh tonight. He gave a lecture and slideshow. If you’re not familiar with him please get to know him! Brilliant, soft spoken, handsome Princeton graduate…Kenyan father,white American mother…he actually reminds me quite a bit of a young Obama!
I tried to encourage him to “join” the photographic community and show his work in Perpignan or the like and he said he does not consider himself a photojournalist. His bio calls him an artist/activist. Perhaps his technique of B/W portraits is not complex enough for many here but the years he has spent in refugee camps combined with the letters he reads written by his subjects and their beautiful portraits earned him my greatest respect.
He publishes his entire books online so you can see them here…
http://www.fazalsheikh.org/
I loved so much of what he said…a couple of tidbits…
How some photojournalists come on the scene already “knowing” what they are going to shoot, knowing the story they want to tell before they even arrive and how different that is from sticking around and letting the people reveal the story they want told.
Here is someone who goes deep. The photos are the icing on the cake but he knows each subjects name and full story and includes it all. He goes for the big picture. His work is like an “old school” multi-media presentation.
PATRICIA…
thanks mi amiga …. one should never write in haste any more than speak in haste…i have made both mistakes more than once in my life…hey, i ain’t anywhere close to perfect!!!!
hugs, david
DAVID
I sure hope this blog community doesn’t expect “perfection” from any of us. And I also hope we’ll always feel comfortable questioning one another when we feel something just ain’t quite right. As we all know by now, online communication is a tricky business, full of possible misinterpretations and misreadings. Calling for and receiving clarification can save us a lot of grief…
Patricia
DAVID…What?
You.. No perfect????
Fuck it.. I’m leaving the blog..
BY THE WAY…
Fuck the Rolling Stones..
Too perverted..
VIVA THE BEATLES…safe and cute..
Jesus saved me..
And by the way..
Someone said I’m a democrat??
Fuck Obama too..
I’ve had it..
No respect in here..
I’m saved ..
I’m reborn..
ERICA
GREAT LINKS !!!!
thanks very much.
I was just passing, sneaking a peak here and followed your links.
Cat Cam is very cool, if I show my daughter Uma she’s going to want to put one on her pet rabbit for sure! (could be interesting… hmmm…)
maybe David B could fit one on Tor Capa!!!!! (when he starts to crawl) never to early to start!
The Giant Girl Doll is quite amazing, didn’t watch it all ( as yet), my connection ain’t too fast. But wow… what a concept
I’m gonna check the koudelka talk latter as i’m running off to college now. end of my term break, back to reality…
A BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE
being here this past week or so has provided me with some sort of balance, or perspective… anyway gotta run….. grab that uniform, shit, I still can’t believe what i’m doing…
Sam
Oops..
Someone said : ” never write in haste..”
What the fuck is “haste”???
Again… Fuck Obama!
Who wants to play???
Step outside!
hey panos..
can i email you? (it’s not about politics — i promise..). lol.
~alicia
really…
I’m hurt..
I’ve seen the true colors of
“emerging” photographers…
How about emerging BITCHES…
Who wants to argue with
The emerging tow truck driver??
.. About Steve Mc Curry..
I love him.. Met him in C/ville..
Awsome guy..
His work???
Boring postcards..
Ok.. Cmon who wants to play…???
Panos relapsed…
And you people definitely don’t help…
Kissing ass don’t help..
Last year someone threatened me
That if I’m not respectful ,
NatGeo or magnum or David or
The lurking editors will not give me
any work..!
Fuck it …
David never promised me ANY WORK..
That’s why I stick with my guns…
Fuck promises…
DAVID IF YOU HEAR ME…
Shut this fucking blog down..
They ( WE) ain’t getting it..
Nietzche said once..
” the crowd.. they will put you in a pedestal
, as high as possible so they can enjoy
YOUR FALL AND CRASH …more…
Fuck it…
Alicia , go ahead..
Even call me
310425 9298
Please do!
hehe.
calling the man himself.. hmmm… that sounds almost dangerous when you are in a ranting mood? ;)
it’s just about a possible project of sorts..
~a
Alicia …
please email me or call..
People that really really know me
well.. They know I’m in a great mood..
Listening to “sonic youth” right now..
That’s all..
;-))))
.. I was about to post some Venice
Shit tonight.. But who cares..
Let’s keep kissing Steve Mc Curry’s
ass…
i have no doubts.. really.. hehe. i’m just playin’ u.. ;)
innerspacecowpanos@mac.com
Alicia go ahead!
Give me a chance;-)
:)
I drove 111 miles from big bear
to Venice ..
102 miles from Venice to the Indian
Reservation in temecula..
Towed 11 cars to 29 palms for the marines..
And all that for what???
For who???
LOTS OF DISRESPECT IN HERE..
“Lightstalkers” style…
It’s not just SAD, it’s “GAY”..
And I don’t mean gay in a sexual way..
Y’all know what I mean..
I know you do.. Or if you don’t..
How about crucify me..
Just like DAH…
It’s just takes four nails..
That’s all it takes.. Four ( maybe five )
Nails.. For real..
TRY IT:-(((((((((
oops. i scared off panos. lol. see, this is why i email before i call.. or maybe i should think of easier questions.. hehe. (not likely)..
Patricia, HCB. Remember he was a master of timing, a genius, the part where it is way to fast to think. I think he said that himself, think before, think after, but never as you shoot. Some masterpieces, but I am not all taken up by all his portraits work, psychology wise (he was too much of a loner to be totally emphatic….Maybe? His freinds, he caught nicely) but even there, it is never still, he never stops time, just catches it on the run….Life!
Talking about Henri (it’s my middle name, he is HCB, I am HHB, ahahaha!), Cathy, Fazal Sheik was the first exhibit I saw at the HCB’s foundation in Paris. His work on destitute and martyrised indian women. 50 million women missing in India, from infanticide, selective, family-coerced abortion, dowry murder…. It’s getting worse, as India gets richer and dowry can mean bankruptcy. Not an old tradition anymore, a scoure of modern Indian times.
a scourge of modern Times.
PS: Strong mushrooms, Panos, tonight? ;-)
… HHB…
really…???
don’t i make any sense to you tonight…?
think about it…
does this sound like a “shroom” talk to you???
for reals????????
do i really need to be more “specific” ??????
do i??????
… another thing….
“two faced monkey syndrom”…
S.Freud, talked extensively about that syndrom…
or the opposite of being MONOGAMOUS…???
it is POLYGAMOUS… !!!!
or fear of commitment….!!!!
or being a “LIGHTSTALKER”… BEING A STALKER IS CREEPY
ENOUGH… BUT BEING A “LIGHTSTALKER”….???????
oh i see…
i make no sense… i really do…make NO sense…
but not for all of you…
right?
PANOS…
crashing hard! blog shuts down January 1…magazine starts…no moss on this “rolling stone”…
cheers, David
David,
Are you serious about this blog shutting down? And whats this talk about a magazine?
David B
I have a non-photo conference all week, what bits of Brest do you reccommend? I have the camera, of course!
…… great ,,…. at least someone listens to my prayers….
fuck this blog… FUCK ALL BLOGS…
January 1??????
how about tomorrow????????
…again…!
…. people…..!…
… in greece we ( still ) say:
” you do not appreciated it … UNTIL you lose it…”
and you know what ??????
YOU JUST LOST IT… YOU HAD IT , BUT YOU THREW IT ALL AWAY…
ALL OF YOU ( US )…
nothing but ARROGANT bitches….
still make no sense huhhh!…
someone is trying to help you…
SOMEONE IS GIVING YOU A HOME …a voice…
but you all love shitting all over the place…
ok… but dont start calling and begging when the rain starts to
fall…
“… and its a hard rain , … its A HARD RAIN’S A GONNA FALL
by for now…
…im really hurt tonight..
listen to my song please…
i mean no harm… really
LETTER TO ALL…
Subject: Again… ALL…… IM ON YOUR SIDE..but..
.
The end of the blog is A FACT..
I’m not doing this to support you..
Not at all… I love you ..
And I RESPECT DAVID … but he also deserves peace of mind..
We ( all of us) like VAMPIRES drinking
from his blood the whole year..
All of us trying hard to be SOMEONE
but we are really destroying the ONE
that really is SOMEONE .. and that
is David.. Let’s face it..
David wasted his time with us…
Please let’s give him respect..
You know me ALL BY NOW.. I’m a punk..
I’m an asshole.. I’m ugly ..
But , DAVID??? David ..!!!??
No… He is getting fucked, exposed
and crucified for no reason…FROM US..
ALL please help me out here..
David never ignored anyone
Help me out here.. Really..
I believe that your frustration is
temporary..
But even if it’s not… Reconsider..
Call me.. Let’s talk it out..
Call David .. Talk it out..
EITHER WAY , I feel that the blog
is ruined, not JUST by you.. BUT By all of us..
ALL ………….. if I was David…!
I wouldn’t even bother with any of us..
We fucked up.. We ruined his privacy,
We tore him apart.. We molested
His blog.. We dissed him..
ALL OF US..
Fuck us all.. Me included..
I feel sad..
David doesn’t deserve that shit..
He really doesn’t…
Please consider my thoughts..
Please… All he wanted to do is help
us find and discover ourselves ..
That’s the motherfucking thanks he gets?????????
Please ALL… I beg you…
Think clear.. I’m 40 years old..
I have good judgement.. I hope..
Seen a lot of phonies…
DAVID IS AN OASIS IN THIS ( PHOTO ) HELL
WE ARE LIVING IN..
Let’s not pee on the pure drinking
Water.. Pleaaaaaaaase!
Sent from panos’s iPhone.
Thank you for visiting:
http://www.panosfotografia.com
Please email:
Innerspacecowpanos@mac.com
call: 310-425-9298
PETE MAROVICH
hey i really dig the new site.. http://www.The37thFrame.org what a great idea.. thank you for setting this up, i will check it often!
also, have you all seen http://www.thedailybeast.com/ it’s Tina Brown’s new project.. there is a lot to keep up with if you so desire!
Blog shut down?
Magazine arise like phornix reborn from the ashes.
Good. Progress. Foward.
I just would like to e-mail from time to time to many of you with short words “What’s up”.
David B — still here. :)
Eric E — I didn’t tell you I was a republican — I said republican sympathizer — I don’t want to completely alienate myself from this forum! :)))
Actually I don’t think politics has to be such a taboo subject in circles like these. If there’s one thing we can learn from politicians here in the US, it’s that while they passionately argue their ideologies on the floor of the house and senate, they tend to all be friends who play golf, go sailing, and bbq on the weekends.
Here’s the short on being fiscally conservative: I believe that if you keep taxes low, including taxes on (evil) corporations, you enable them to provide jobs, to bring business back to the US, and create a broader base of tax payers that actually increases revenue. It seemed to work for Gulliani in New York, and I always favored him over McCain. While there were prosperous years under Clinton, recessions have a way of coming around in cycles, and there was a short-lived recession at the end of Clinton’s last term, that was staved off by Bush’s tax cuts. But of course, he sunk the country into an unnecessary war and never developed an energy plan, spending more reckless than any president in history, etc, etc.
I bring up fiscal conservatism because we absolutely cannot tax our way out of a recession. They’re trying to do it in Michigan, and it isn’t working:
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081011/OPINION02/810110310/-1/NEWSFRONT2
Michigan is an excellent case study of an economic black hole that the rest of the country could be following. This is one reason I’m not on the Obama bandwagon—he’s campaigning around the magic number of $250k, saying he will not raise taxes on people making less than that; that’s fine, but he says that most small businesses will be protected, because most gross less than that, but that’s simply not true. While there are any number of mom and pop shops with a few employees, $250k is a really modest number for billable hours or sales for true small businesses.
The Small Business Administration has various classifications for what qualifies as a small business, some with as many as 500 employees or billings up to $30 million. When Obama asks “how many out there are making more than $250k?” that has a nice campaign ring to it, but if taxes go up drastically on true small businesses, it ends up being worse for the recession when they have to start compromising employment. And that’s exactly what they do—businesses are handed a number by the government (tax %) and they hand that number right back to the consumer with increased costs of goods or services, or laying off employees. It’s the dirty little crime of living in the land of opportunity—CEOs rarely have to take a hit.
It’s starting to feel, despite Obama’s keen sense of articulation, that too many promises are being made, and someone is going to have to pay for nearly a trillion dollars of new spending. This could be a bad time for that to hit the backbone of the States.
I understand how Obama caries that air of clarity and hope in his polished and well marketed presentation, but it’s completely legitimate to question his experience. When you spend four or eight years in the Senate and actually develop a transparent voting record, associations with folks like William Ayers, Tony Rezko, and Rev. Wright tend to go away. By the way, you dems have Hillary to thank for those names coming up. But when you don’t spend that time developing a political path, you realistically are the riskier candidate, and I’m not going to be distracted by form. It might be glib of me to say so, but Obama has spent fewer days in the senate, prior to campaigning, than is required by McDonald’s employees to be a manager. :)))
In some commercials, Obama speaks of a responsible end to the war, but out on the stump he’s preaching to his crowds as if we’re going to be pulling out on day one. No matter how we got in, we cannot leave that country a mess. Within the last month, Al Qaeda insurgents were tipped off to a raid by Iraqi police, and they killed about 35 men. That doesn’t sound like a country that’s ready to stand on it’s own, and I don’t think Obama should be romancing the base with talk of a pull-out, when our responsibilities might have us there a lot longer than anyone wants.
I think a system of checks and balances with mixed parties better reflects the will of the public, which we won’t have with a single party majority in the house, senate, and presidency. Plus with the deer-in-the-headlights congress with Nancy Pelosi at the helm, who couldn’t see the Freddie and Fannie bus coming despite warnings from both sides, there could be a disastrous handling of the recession. Or with too much power, congress could implode, like it did with Carter.
So yes, even though he wasn’t my first choice, my scorecard does favor McCain on experience, national security, responsibilities in Iraq, and fighting a recession by lowering corporate and capital gains taxes (though that scorecard is a lot closer than you may think.) I rail against McCain too. It gets very confusing for me. McCain’s health care plan sounds like such a mess, I doubt that it would even get signed into law. Plus for someone campaigning on earmark reform, he had the opportunity to vote No on the $700B bailout that ended up being strapped with earmarks, almost as if congress saw fit to negotiate with the taxpayers money, during the time of the worst economic crisis ever. But he didn’t do it. To politically risky, I guess. I also think it’s a shame he can’t articulate his plan very well, to the degree that it seems he has no plan, when in fact it could be very effective.
Just so this is clear to everyone, my highest hope, no matter who is elected, is that prosperity is restored, their policies work, our workforce is replenished, and peace and dignity are brought back to our highest office. I’d much rather be wrong in a meaningless rant, than to tow a party line. And just a really minor note, I don’t think it’s very becoming for a peace-loving forum to suggest that a war veteran being thrown down the stairs is a good photo op, nor do I think Obama’s middle name reflects any of his policies or judgment.
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So back to the question—I’ve already photographed Obama. McCain probably isn’t coming back to Michigan. I’d have to shoot video to capture a good Biden gaffe. So I guess I’d really just like to photography Palin for G. Gordon Liddy’s “Stacked and Packed” calendar.
Photography before politics forever!
http://www.humanfiles.com/journal_galleries/obama_calderplaza.htm
PS Be sure and pay attention to Anderson Cooper’s “Ten Most Wanted: Culprits of the Collapse” on CNN. Good stuff!