TPM Café allows a very eclectic mix of writers and bloggers. We have the “front pagers,” those established writers who bring solid writing to the table, have the experience and expertise to put weight behind their arguments, and generate good discussions. Then we have the “reader bloggers,” those who have their own experience and expertise, but don’t have the name recognition or clout as the “front pagers.” These bloggers bring in a wide range of topics; with some good writing and some bad. You’re general proletariat of the Café. Then you have the “back-benchers,” those readers who generally comment often, and are on the site for the social aspect.

All three are really required to make TPM Café a great site. But, we’ve just gone through a major transformation. There are some great features planned for the site, including reader blogs on the front page, rotating recommended blogs, and integrated user profiles across the TPM Empire.

There are also some features that are either lacking, or broken. Tracking new comments are lost, there are some glitches with the Reply link, the Recommend This link doesn’t work, and the time-frame to update posts and comments are a little long. Most of these can be fixed, though. And when they are, I think people will be greatly pleased with the new site, and will forget about plans to leave.

My feelings of Barack Obama mirror my feelings of TPM Café. His message of hope and change definitely resonates with a significant portion of the American populace. He seems to transcend Democrats and Independents, red states and blue states. African-Americans are obviously pulled towards him, as he provides the best chance so far to break the political racial ceiling. And I offer a heartfelt congratulation to his recent Super Tuesday successes.

Here’s where I throw in the “but.”

But, I can’t offer my 100% support to him yet. There are a few things I would like to see him tweak first. He has a great interface, but his applications don’t necessarily match my presidential wants and needs. Here are a couple of upgrades that I would suggest:

Gay Marriage – Why should we support a “separate but equal” policy in the Democratic party? Why was Dennis Kucinich the only Democratic candidate (that I could see) who supported same-sex marriage? I understand there is a religious component to the argument, but we’re supposed to be moving away from religion in politics, especially after the Bush years. If you are unwilling to give same-sex couples the same equal treatment (including terminology) then I would suggest repealing tax benefits for married couples. Something, anything to give same-sex couples the same benefits, yet remove the “separate but equal” stigma.

The Environment – I understand that Barack supports a cap-and-trade system. So do I… when it has teeth. Europe’s system is in a shambles, and is nearly useless. Yes, make pollution more expensive, make gasoline more expensive (to meet with similar costs in Europe, for example). The problem is, we need more than that. These measures are all reactionary, and incur negative costs to companies. So, of course big business is going to be against them. Instead, reach into your message of hope and change, and offer something positive regarding the environment and energy. Sometimes he mentions this, but I don't think he voices it loudly enough. Push for more alternative fuel development, make it into a positive business model that will help grow the economy, not restrict business.

Education – Repeal “No Child Left Behind.” Don’t try to fix it, don’t try to amend it; just trash it. It doesn’t work, and it’s fundamentally flawed. We need a fundamental shift in the type of teaching we have in school. The current system is based on scanned tests and rankings. Is it any wonder that the quality of our schools continue to deteriorate? Teachers are teaching only to the tests, and not how the children learn best. There should be a higher focus on emergence and interactive learning – basically, the NAEYC model. State that you will focus on early childhood development, and actually provide funding.

There are some other, minor technical glitches that I would like to see changed in your campaign style and in your supporters’ dialog, but those are minor to me compared to the few I listed above. Change, or expand, your policy position on those, and I’ll be happy to sign off my user acceptance, and implement my vote in your favor.  I also think you’ll find an expanded user-base to include the front pagers, reader bloggers, and back-benchers of the American citizenry.