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One thing that has taken hold throughout this historic campaign is the slow rise of political art. Remember the McCain earrings and all the amazing DIY that was found at the DNC?

Art has played a huge role in the president-elect’s campaign. You only have to look at Shepard Fairey’s now ubiquitous Hope poster to see the affect. Political art and craft is just one way to stump for a cause, or show support for a president-elect.

Obama paraphernalia has been popping up all over the city. It is mostly cheap t-shirts and buttons and pins with the likeness of Obama and his family. But, I happened across this great “That’s my DJ” t-shirt. It is hand printed and designed by Sound College.

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Nothing represents this dichotomy more than the mixed feelings I have about the election of Barack Obama.

I walk a fine line between radical and liberal—between wanting to smash a failed system and fix a broken one. I consider myself an anarchist, yet I proudly voted. And I voted for Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney, yet I fought back tears of joy as I witnessed Obama give his acceptance speech in person in Grant Park.

Obama has great potential to be the most liberal, open-minded president of the last century. Dare I say, he could be a catalyst for change.

What does this mean for those of us who view species extinction and global climate catastrophe as more than just back-burner issues? This represents an opportunity that the environmental movement has never seen, and we would be foolish to pass it up. So here are four steps to help ensure that Obama keeps his many bold promises to us.

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Yes, my guy won. Yes, the United States elected it’s first African-American president (and that’s an incredible step forward). Yes, the issues that matter to me (and likely to you) will receive much more attention than they have over the past eight years. All of these are reasons to celebrate.

But, even more important, and more critical to our near- and long-term future: hope won.

While that sounds like a nice, abstract, feel-good statement, I don’t think we can underestimate the notion that Tuesday’s election came down to a choice between hope and fear. Let’s face it: the choice of Obama to lead the country for the next four years was risky. He proved his intelligence, eloquence and resolve during the campaign, but he’s still a relative newcomer to the national stage. He faces Herculean challenges upon entering office: a financial and economic mess, two wars, and, yes, monumental environmental threats… to name a few of the most pressing issues. And, of course, he has critics ready to pounce hard on the slightest perceived misstep.

Americans knew these things as they entered the voting booths on Tuesday… and yet the majority still chose Senator Obama over the much better-known Senator McCain. And while we can parse decisions and actions made by each candidate and his representatives, I really want to believe that what Americans voted for wasn’t simply a man, a party, or a governing ideology, but rather the spirit embodied in the exclamation “Yes we can.”

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With Election Day less than 24 hours away, Leo wants you to know that now is your chance to vote (the environment).

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In an intriguing shift of tactics, the McCain campaign reminds the public that he has historically worked diligently to reduce global warming.  By using Barack Obama’s own praise of his past global warming proposals, perhaps McCain is trying to narrow the perceived divide among parties, on this issue.

In general it is thought that rural America feels more closely aligned with the Republican Party’s conservative social views.  However, right now it’s the Democrats who support the ethanol and subsidy policies that help so many farmers in the middle of the country to stay afloat.

Corn growers from across the nation are heading to the polls next week, and many are still feeling confused.

John Wallbrown owns a 2,800-acre farm in Portage County, Ohio.  He said that he has heard from peers who are upset with the Republican Party, and though he still plans to cast his ballot for McCain, he told the Beacon Journal in Ohio that:  ”McCain will probably lose some votes this year.”

Historically McCain and Obama have not agreed on the issue of farm subsidies.  Subsidies offer a financial safety net for farmers across the nation, whose livelihoods are very tied to the whims of nature.  McCain has been opposed to them, while Obama has offered support.

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Who do you want to be the next President of the United States of America?

(A) An unbranded cow.

(B) A politician who doesn’t listen to his/her associates (AKA “The Decider”).

(C) A tool of war.

(D) None of the above.

Image credit: maverick. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved October 28, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/maverick

I don’t know how much you know about the Law of Attraction or if you’ve ever heard of it. But surely you’ve heard of the phrase, ‘What you resist, persists.’ The more we don’t want something, the more it finds us. For example - the more we resist forming relationships with a certain type of person in our lives, the more we attract that same kind of relationship over and over again.  The more we resisted President Bush, the more he stayed in office.  I truly believe that the reason he won two terms as President is because everyone from all sides was so intently focused on him– Democrats with negative energy and Republicans with positive energy.

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As I’ve noted in previous posts, Red, Green and Blue has teamed up with social media start-up ReframeIt to bring a higher level of transparency on energy and environmental issues to the presidential election. With the recent economic turmoil, though, we quickly realized we needed to connect these ideas with the economic concerns so many Americans now have.  So, we’ve done that… and also added some financial incentives! Now, if you participate in the RG&B/ReframeIt scavenger hunt, you won’t just get a warm feeling from contributing to the stock of knowledge on both presidential candidates and their policy proposals — you’ll also have a shot at a $1000 grand prize, and a guest posting spot at RG&B.

For the latest details, check out yesterday’s post at Red, Green and Blue… and join us as we hunt for the information the next president will need to spur the transition towards a green economy.

Image credit: spaceodissey at Flickr under a Creative Commons license

Then the economy went to hell.

Well, OK, actually that’s been brewing for a while, but with the plunge in the stock market and the freezing up of the credit markets in the last couple of weeks, nearly all of us have our eyes on the economy now. With that in mind, we’ve decided to tweak this event to put it more in line with your biggest concerns leading up to the election.

First, we’re going to refocus on the candidates’ plans to build a green economy.

And secondly, we’re going to give away $1200 in prizes. The participant who builds the most impressive body of web finds and comments will receive a $1000 grand prize, the runner-up will receive $100, and we’ll also give away two $50 honorable mentions. Consider it our own little economic stimulus package. In addition, the winner (or, Election Transparency Guru, as we’ll name him/her) will receive a guest posting opportunity on Red, Green and Blue.

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Time Magazine reports that as Governor, Palin supported the direct export of enough clean natural gas to supply 1.4 million Americans for two years.

In early 2007, an Alaskan liquefied natural gas plant owned by Marathon Oil and ConocoPhillips requested Department of Energy permission to export some of the fuel. Palin entered the discussion in April, but only to ensure that Alaska’s natural gas needs would be included in the deal.

>>More on energy independence at RG&B

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John McCain and Barack Obama squared off in the second of three Presidential Debates this election season. Tell us who won and why?

Click Here to Answer the RG&B Poll Question: Who Won Tuesday Night’s Presidential Debate?

Guest contributor Pamela Price is the founder of

If you’re a regular Eat.Drink.Better. reader, then you’re probably familiar with the clever, non-partisan Eat The View initiative to put vegetable gardens in high profile places like the White House lawn.

With the economy and the forthcoming presidential election top-of-mind, a status report seemed in order. After all, we will very soon have an answer to just who may receive the petition to restore the White House victory garden at the very moment in which tens of millions of people may be thinking about gardening as a means of survival.

In short, we Americans need Eat The View to succeed!

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Click Here to Answer the RG&B Poll Question: Who Won Thursday’s Vice-Presidential Debate?

Image source: Biden and Palin via Wikipedia

From our friends at ZapRoot this week: Arizona tests artificial CO2 filtering trees. Sarah Palin loves oil. We help you find ways to get rid of your junk mail.

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Although the media reported on it earlier this year, on Sept. 18 the Government Accountability Office made public a March report finding a number of alarming shortcomings in the EPA’s system - the only nationwide system the United States uses to assess household chemicals. And it’s a system that’s already behind that of the European Union, which lists more chemicals as dangerous - meaning we may be putting on makeup and using household products made of substances banned for their toxicity by our counterparts in Europe. So, this report has some grave implications that go beyond merely pointing out flaws in the EPA.

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