Cross-posted from ProgressiveHistorians

 If you want to understand President Obama's soul, read his books.  But if you want to understand his beliefs, read John Rawls.  The Harvard academic, who died in 2002, was the most important philosopher of liberalism in the twentieth century, mostly because, in so many ways, Rawls' ideas describe the world we live in.  That has never been more true than today, when our President has, consciously or unconsciously, exalted Rawlsian ideas to the position of the greatest possible good.

Care to hear more about this explanatory model that is so central to Obama's thought, whether he acknowledges the influence or not?  Read on.

A week ago, I told you about Energize Clinton County, a grassroots organization run by two recent college graduates (Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert) who want to turn their economically devastated community of Clinton County into a Green Enterprise Zone (an idea created by Obama green jobs czar Van Jones).

Mark and Taylor's non-profit organization is currently one of ten candidates for five $10,000 Energize Your Community grants administered by Mountain Dew.  They have one week left to win this grant, which is awarded based on which of the ten community organizations get the most online votes.  I'll let Taylor and Mark take it from here, from an e-mail they sent me this evening:

It's been a few months since I brought you the story of Energize Clinton County, a grassroots organization in Wilmington, Ohio, dedicated to rebuilding the economically devastated town by turning it into a federally-sponsored Green Enterprise Zone.  The group's founders, recent college graduates Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert, deferred their Peace Corps service indefinitely to focus on giving back to the hometown.

Here's Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown talking about how impressed he is with Mark and Taylor:

Last week I held a conference call in my office with two very impressive young men who are a testament to what the Serve America Act is all about. Their names are Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert. ... In the midst of an economic disaster in their community, these two young men, Mark and Taylor, decided to serve. They are examples of what inspired this bill and what service to our country is all about.

Now, there's something new you can do to help Energize Clinton County in a big way.

Tonight, the TV newsmagazine "60 Minutes" did a story on the economic crisis facing Wilmington, Ohio, a town of 12,000 people nearly all of whom are being laid off by freight corporation DHL.  If you missed the heartrending segment, you can watch it here.

Here's what Scott Pelley of "60 Minutes" didn't tell you: there's a promising local effort to help the people of Wilmington -- and there are a few things you can do to help their plan become a reality without getting up from your computer.

On November 21, I introduced you to Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert of ENERGIZE Clinton County -- two ambitious recent college graduates with a bold plan to revitalize their hometown's bleak economy by turning it into a Green Enterprise Zone.  Today, I'd like to update you on the most recent developments of this inspirational project.

Before I get to that, though, I'll throw this out there right up front: You can now donate to ENERGIZE Clinton County to help fund their green revitalization campaign.  Please follow the link and give whatever you can spare -- $5, $50, $500, or anything in between.  Help make this a happy holiday season for Clinton County and Wilmington, Ohio residents by showing your support.

More new developments and ways you can help, and a recap of the history of this project, over the flip.

In Wilmington, Ohio, Sherry Barrett is crying.

Like many areas in the United States, Sherry's hometown of Wilmington, Ohio has been devastated by the economic meltdown.  Local employer DHL Express will close its factory on January 30, laying off 8,200 workers like Sherry.  In a city of 12,000, with thousands more in the surrounding area, you can bet Sherry isn't the only one crying.

But if you don't enjoy watching Sherry and other Wilmington residents cry, you're not alone -- two recent college grads from Wilmington don't much like it either.  Their bold solution: ENERGIZE Clinton County, a bold plan to revitalize Wilmington by recruiting green businesses and turning the county into Ohio's first "Green Enterprise Zone."  Over the flip, I'll tell you how they plan to do it, and what you can do to help.

[Cross-posted from ProgressiveHistorians.]

My new hero, Melissa Harris-Lacewell, advances one of the most interesting arguments I've seen on why Obama is so equivocal in debates.  Unlike most supporters of Obama, Harris-Lacewell has been following and supporting the Illinois Senator since he was elected to the State Senate nearly twelve years ago.  According to Harris-Lacewell, Obama's rhetoric has changed because of the difficulties Obama faces in attempting to talk across the black-white divide:

Barack has already laid down what will be remembered as some of the most important pieces of American rhetoric in the 21st century: his "Joshua Generation" speech in Selma this summer; his triumphant victory address on the night of the Iowa caucuses; and his inspirational "Yes We Can!" speech on the night of the New Hampshire upset.  While these moments of Barack's scripted voice are both authentic and inspiring; his debate voice is cautious, halting, and decidedly uninspired.  I think it has everything to do with race.

[Cross-posted from ProgressiveHistorians.]

Daily Kos has recently been abuzz with speculation that the coming Presidential election will play out similarly to that of 1932 -- a dramatic realignment election that puts Dems on top for a generation.  DHinMI advanced this argument in a very good three-part series last month.  Today, New Deal democrat provides more evidence of this phenomenon by pointing out that economic conditions were similar in some ways then to how they are now.

It's an interesting, if optimistic, argument, but I disagree with one of its underlying assumptions -- particularly if Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee.  In that eventuality, I think Woodrow Wilson's campaign in 1912, rather than Franklin Roosevelt's in 1932, is more likely to serve as a useful model for the 2008 election.