U.S. Politics

Obama Launches Change.gov

2008-11-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

President Elect Obama, in an effort to set the stage for his presidency has launched a new website at http://change.gov. While typically, the Presidency has been flanked by yes-men, and decision making shrouded in skepticism, it appears that President Obama's legacy could very well be that of flanking himself with the electorate, decision making shrouded in veiled threats from that electorate towards those who would defy them. I think it's an idea whose time has come, but which will in cases of sensitive issue, cause as many problems as it solves. What do you think?

Sarah Palin Dissapointed by God

2008-11-05T15:50:00.001-08:00

With the ascension of Barack Obama to the throne of freedom, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska is taking the crushing defeat worse than just about any candidate in history. You see, when an evangelical like Palin, rises from absolutely nowhere to a prominent seat close to the halls of power, she begins to think herself appointed by God. She knew full well she had not earned the spot. Thus, her natural response, as a highly religious woman would be to give not only credit to her God, but to assume that despite the odds, God was afoot in the land of miracles.

It will hurt her for a long time, because unlike John McCain, who was ready to be disappointed by a nation, Sarah Palin was let down by her God. As for me, I enjoyed seeing her crushed. I can’t help myself. It is my fervent hope that as Sarah Palin moves forward, she will find reconciliation with her God, and that in so doing she will also find wisdom, humility and grace. God was humiliated by her behaviour on the campaign trail. May she learn from this experience and may she someday be a valid piece of the puzzle, as she so clearly wants to be.

Palling Around with Terrorists???

2008-10-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

Sarah Palin may be new to Washington D.C., but she’s a quick study and has already learned how to be as sleazy as they come. So much for that “new flavor” in Washington, that she and John have been selling like vats of snake oil to the witless and the inbred all over America.

The latest sleaze is Sarah Palin’s ridiculous assertion that Barak Obama pals around with Terrorists (due to his cursory affiliation with Bill Ayres) She basically tried to paint a picture of Obama sitting down for drinks with Al Zarkarwi and Bin Laden to discuss how much they all hate America. It’s ridiculous and a shameful assault on Barack Obama’s patriotism and she should apologize. She won’t apologize however, because the McCain camp, including the self proclaimed “Maverick” of the Senate, has decided to back her up.

Anyone who buys that Barack Obama is in favor of terrorism should seriously check themselves into mental health...or at least stay home on election day. Apparently it’s “Maverick” to discredit your opponent with unfounded and exaggerated accusations in a desperate attempt to win an election in which you are clearly on the wrong side of every issue. Yeah… that’s different… never seen a politician pull that crap before.

Sarah Palin and John McCain should be ashamed of themselves. To describe Bill Ayres as a "terrorist" would be to call George Washington a terrorist. In his late 20's, Bill Ayres was part of an activist group that advocated and used violence as a means of protesting the highly unpopular Vietnam war. The man was a misguided patriot... hardly a terrorist. More importantly, his illegal activity happened when Barak Obama was a prepubescent child. Sarah Palin's ridiculous assertion that Barack was "palling around with terrorists" is to attempt to create a ridiculous picture of Obama doing Yeager Bombs at Osama Bin Laden's surprise birthday party. The notion that Barack Obama is a traitor is as ridiculous as assuming that we should take military action on the campus of the Universtiy of Illinois at Chicago where Bill Aryes serves as a "distinguished Professor", on suspicion that the University is a terrorist training camp.

At this point, a vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin is clear evidence of a fundamental character flaw. I’m Harry the Hobo and I approved this message because this country needs real change, not some ridiculous promise of changing everything by doing everything the same as it’s always been done. Seriously Who votes for these assholes anyhow???

Questions I’d Like to Ask the Candidates of the ’08 Election:

2008-10-01T14:13:00.001-07:00

If I had my own town hall, and could ask the candidates some questions, unfettered here are some of the things I would ask them. Ladies and underdogs first:

Governor Palin- How do you plan to balance being a mother and being…. HAHAHA just kidding. I’m not that ridiculous. Real question; The PLO and the Israeli Government have come to you at Camp David and told you that if you can, without help from your staffers, or time to research the answer, give an accurate reason for the fight between them, including telling them approximately how long the fight has been going on between Arabs and Israelis, that they will stop fighting and do things your way. What would your answer be? (Relevance here: many evangelicals believe the history of the fight starts in their Bibles, when in actuality, the fight is 60 years old. Okay to me misinformed I guess... unless you are the leader of the free world)

Senator McCain- You seem to have adopted Senator Obama’s message that the Government needs change. So my question in this: Every major change to society in the history of mankind has taken place at the bequest and leadership of young people with a young leader. How then, can you, a senior citizen, affect the sort of revolutionary change required if America is to once again become that shining city on a hill? (Experience is nice...for those trying to maintain the status quo)

Senator Biden, You have a tendency to say things you mean in ways that are misunderstood. How are we to know that if you called upon to sit in the Oval Office, that we won’t find ourselves in hot water around the world because of something you said which should not have been said? If we find ourselves in that situation, will you be humble enough to admit wrongdoing and apologize? (The tongue is a 2 edged sword)

Senator Obama, How can we all be more like you? (just kidding again.. real question coming up) You have successfully perfected the art of selling hope in a way that gets you votes, but to date, in all honesty, you haven’t actually done anything of any value in your professional career that would tell us you have the stuff to be president. Voting for you is like buying a spec home from an untried builder. Maybe it will work out. Maybe it won’t. Why should we take that chance? (I'm voting for the guy, but it's a fair question to ask)

These are the questions I would like to know the answers to. I’ve heard that we are all connected by 6 degrees. You all know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone that knows each of these candidates. Maybe my readers can get me answers to these questions. Find out and get back to me if you will. Thanks!

John McCain Pulls Political Stunt by Suspending Campaign.

2008-09-24T12:42:00.001-07:00

John McCain, apparently mistrusting 98 other Senators and 435 other congressmen has suspended his campaign for the Presidency of the United States of America. In so doing, he has requested the same from his opponent, Senator Barack Obama, and has requested that the debate scheduled for Friday be postponed. In so doing, John McCain may have pulled one of the most political apolitical stunts ever.

The fact is that John McCain’s ability in a world where information travels at the speed of sound, to maintain his schedule and keep abreast of his job as Senator (something we would have expected from him anyhow… seeing as how’s that is his current job and pay source) should not be affected by the current crisis. Don’t think for even one moment that John McCain cares more about this current crisis than he does for the leadership of the free world and the crisis to follow over the next 4-8 years. This is not about doing his job or about suspending politics. It’s about handing Senator Obama a lose-lose situation in order to grasp for an upper hand.

If Senator Obama acquiesces and suspends his campaign, he will have submitted to the leadership of John McCain, and the GOP will spin it accordingly. If, on the other hand, Mr. Obama chooses to stay on the campaign trail, the McCain people will cry foul and claim that choice as proof that Obama is about Obama first and country second. His only choice is to get above the fray and to sell the package to the voters while McCain sidles up to his Washington cronies.

The fact is that this bailout package makes sense, SO LONG AS our money goes towards securing a long term investor’s stake. This crisis is big and it is immediate. There is no doubt about that. These two men, however, are asking us to vote for them to oversee all of the world altering situations of which we still have not so much as dreamed. Part of the job of the Presidency is knowing what to do and when. Now is not the time to mistrust the leaders in congress, but rather it is the time to sell the program to the American people in a way that will put pressure on the Congress to take care of it responsibly as well as now.

John McCain has pulled a political stunt…nothing more. Nothing less. Men and women wiser and more knowledgeable on economic issues than John McCain or Barak Obama are currently working on a bill. He has access to cell phones. He has access to the things he needs to stay abreast of the situation. There was no need to suspend his campaign, and frankly, shy of gaining my respect as he hoped, he has completely lost it. May the people of the United States Ordain and mandate Senator Barack Obama for the Presidency of the United States.

What CNN, Fox, and the McCain Campaign Have Failed to Tell you About Earmarks

2008-09-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

In recent days, a lot of attention has been given by the news channels and to the McCain campaign to the subject of earmarks. Sarah Palin has made a big deal about turning down the “bridge to nowhere” a 50 million dollar earmark attached to a ginormous transportation bill. I have been shocked by the Obama campaigns refusal to hit the issue hard, so I have decided to do it here.

Not all earmarks are bridges to nowhere. Some earmarks help single mothers, poor families, and forgotten pockets of people all over the country. Essentially an earmark is a rider attached to a bill for the purpose of securing the signature of a Senator whose state will benefit specifically from the given rider. So for example, if the Senator from Alaska is presented with a bill whose passage will neither harm nor help the people of his state, he might secure an earmark on the bill which will advantage the people of his state. Earmarks are of particular value in small towns where large infrastructure projects are impossible to fund on a local level. A project that might cost the citizens of Wasilla 10 Thousand dollars each, a total of 70 million dollars, would cost about 2.3 cents per American citizen if it were paid for by the federal government. Not all of the projects that get earmark consideration are worthwhile, but enough of them are that it’s worth considering each one on its own merit rather than lumping them all into a negative category associated with an unnecessary bridge in Alaska.

Here’s the kicker. Senator John McCain, in his attacks against Barak Obama regarding securing nearly 1 billion dollars worth of earmarks in two years, claims never to have secured earmarks for the State of Arizona. One might at first think that a noble gesture, but when re-examined, it’s obvious that Senator John McCain has clearly forgotten his job. He has clearly forgotten who it is that he answers too. The job of a United States Senator is to look for the best interest of the state that he represents in the United States Senate. His job as a Senator, in all instances, is to consider whether the votes he is asks to make are in the best interest of the state he represents.

Until the 1920’s the Senators of the United States were selected by State Legislatures. The reason was simple. The Senator’s job was to look after the best interest of the State Government, as the State’s Ambassador to Washington DC. That is still the Senator’s job, though the people of his or her State elect Senators directly. So, that begs a question: Is it truly in the best interest of the State of Arizona that John McCain reject earmarks for his State? Really? I think not. In 32 years of serving the State of Arizona, John McCain has represented the interests of America well, but in so doing he has failed utterly, in his arrogance to do his job. It is my job to look after my kids. If I step outside of that and begin looking after all of the kids in the neighborhood without being asked to do so, no matter how noble, my kids suffer and I fail to do my job.

Barack Obama has secured nearly a billion dollars worth of earmarks for the State of Illinois, a State with some of the poorest people in the country. He has done his job and he should be proud. The fact that John McCain and Sarah Palin are attacking the Senator from Illinois for doing his job is ludicrous, and I wish a media personality would pose that issue on a national level. I wish we could talk about real issues instead of misinforming the American people for the sake of political buzzwords. Won’t Someone please tell the truth? Won’t someone please point out that John McCain has failed to do his job for 32 years? If he can’t do his job in the Senate, you can bet your bippy, he will overstep his bounds as President. Count on that.

Obama is the Only Hero in the Race!

2008-09-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

A lot of talk has been going around about heroes lately, especially when it comes to Republican nominee John McCain. In the process, I think maybe the meaning of the word "hero" has been muddled. I'm a big fan of heroes. A hero is someone who purposely goes after helping others regardless of harm or loss to themselves. Barak Obama made a choice to give up the comfort of Wall Street for the rigors of life in the deep inner city in one of the worst communities in the United States, Chicago's South Side.

The other night, Rudy Giuliani mocked the record of Barack Obama as a "community organizer". My step dad is a community organizer and I can tell you, that it takes a lot of courage to stand in the face of some of the sorts of people that inhabit the nation's worst neighborhoods. He's had guns pointed at his face. He's stood up to those trying to take more aid than is their fair share. He's withstood threats, and he's gone to far too many hospital rooms, jail cells and funerals of those he has tried to help to little or no avail. My step dad is a hero and so, is Barack Obama. Given the choice between himself and others, he chose others, at risk to himself and for an unquantifiable net loss in "quality of life".

Contrast that with John McCain, a man dubbed "hero" for his service in Vietnam, service that ended 35 years ago. Now, pilots are a cocky sort. They fully expect to come back from every mission. Had John McCain been given the order to march into the Hanoi Hilton on foot, would he have gone? Not a chance! John did what was expected of a long line of McCain military personnel, and when he was shot down, he was beaten and stuck in a hole. He got mouthy with his captors, but my friends, he also eventually cracked. He broke! John McCain is no hero. He's a victim. Victims are not heroes any more than the word insurgent is the same as the word terrorist or the word Israeli is the same as the word Jew (Nor is the word Republican synonymous with "Evangelical Christian").

What happened to John McCain in Hanoi was horrible, but it was not heroic. His choice to be released in the order of capture comes close, but McCain himself admits that given the knowledge of how much longer it would be, he would have made a different choice. That's not heroism. John left Vietnam 35 years ago, and you would be hard pressed to say that it takes courage to be part of the aristocracy. When voting this year, consider who the real hero is. Even if you disagree with this analysis of heroism, you must, when all is said and done, look at John McCain and ask "What have you done for me lately?"