Debate

Well, amid all of the turmoil surrounding the first debate of '08, John McCain decided he had made a political blunder in saying he wanted to postpone the first debate. I believe everyone, including repubs will see this for what it truly was, a political stunt. I believe David Letterman said it best when he emphasized that even if there were a crisis, you don't 'suspend' your campaign, rather you allow your VP running mate to handle the campaign in your absence. I guess he truly doesn't believe her to be as 'qualified' as he would have us believe.

Now about the debate. I have tried to look at this through a bipartisan lens. I'm willing to put aside my biased feelings for a moment and say what I saw to be true. Obama looked like a calm, familiar, intelligent leader. McCain looked like a man who DESPISES Barack Obama, and frankly the middle class. (Not one mention of the middle class from Mc in this debate). Did anyone notice that as the moderator kept pressing to have them speak to each other, McCain NEVER would look at Obama. Even after the debate, when pictures were snapped of the two shaking hands, he was not looking at Obama.

Mr. McCain seems like a man mired in the past. He holds relentlessly to the Iraq issue, regardless of American opinion. (Sound familiar) As we have seen over the last weeks, the trickle down economic theory does not work, and yet he holds to the idea that if we make the rich richer, it will help the economy. He clings to the Bush ideals of foreign policy, that we need to ignore our enemies instead of holding dialogue. It seems to me this is how our world standing has slipped over the Bush years. I don't profess to know if Obama is right on every issue, nor if he will make a great president. I do know, however, that this debate was supposed to be McCain's strongest area, and he and Obama showed equal poise under the pressure.

OIL

Alright Republicans, the Democrats in Congress have agreed to allow a 25 year ban on offshore drilling to lapse next week. So, the GOP, or Grand Oil Party as I like to call them, will get their wish. Now the claim has been for several months, even years, that this drilling in the United States will drive down the price of oil and, therefore, our energy costs at the pump. Personally, I don't see it happening. I think we will see these oil companies race to get to the oil, destruct our environment, and continue to post record profits as the middle-class continues to struggle.

If you listen to the science behind the actual offshore oil reserves, there is a tremendous amount there. The real question, though, is will putting up thousands of oil rigs really make a difference? Some say that it could take as long as seven to ten years before any of these rigs even produce a drop. Personally speaking, I hope it does make a difference, and that these companies environmentally are responsible in their drilling. On the contrary, I think we definitely need to expand our alternative fuel options and leave oil all together.

Sign me up for the Chevy VOLT!

OBAMA has all the ideas

I'm sitting here watching a McCain speech in Scranton, PA. If it weren't for the horrible oration, I would swear it was Barack Obama standing and talking in front of those people!

The GOP leader of 'Deregulation' is standing there talking about how we need much more oversight in the way that Wall Street moves forward. (Even though Phil Gramm, the man who passed through the deregulation in 2000 that helped with this fiasco, was his economic advisor for much of his campaign).

He talks about how there should be NO golden parachutes for CEO's who show failed growth and economic prowess in their corporation. (Even though Carly Fiorina, the ex-CEO of HP that was FIRED but received $42 Million, is now giving him economic advice).

He stands there and says he understands the plight of the middle-class, even though he owns 7+ houses and 13 cars. Of which, not all of the cars are even American built!

Be afraid people....This party stands for NO ONE but the rich. They are not interested in our plight. They only keep us around because we do the grunt work while they sit around and sip mojito's!

OBAMA/BIDEN '08

Democrats and the Economy

What is it about the Republicans that people always seem to think that the party stands up for them? Again this year, the GOP has stood up for those in America who are making 250K + per year. Depending on what report you read, this equates to representing the top 2-5% of the electorate. Now why does anyone truly believe that the Republicans work for them? As much as I wish I did, I make nowhere near 250K per year, nor do I know anyone that does. Now if you're talking about debt, with the house and educational loan bills, I guess that's where that is!

So now how about the Dems? Why do they continue to let the GOP rake them over the coals about being the party that is behind raising EVERY ONE'S taxes. This is fundamentally false. The majority of people that the GOP supports, the top 2-5%, would see a tax increase. But the GOP does not explain that part of the equation. Yet the democrats continue to allow them to make our party out to be the tax and spend liberals. When will the rest of the nation realize that the GOP does NOT support them or stand for them?

Economy- Wow I'm Depressed!

It seems there has been another hit to the American economy. This morning, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy protection and Merrill Lynch had to be saved by Bank of America. Since the beginning of this year, 3 out of 5 investment banks have failed. To me, that is a 60% failure. What does this say about our economy?

After hearing of this news, McSame continued his pledge that the economy is in good shape, and that we are on the right path. Can anyone really believe this? I may certainly not be an economist, but I tend to take some real concern in this news. This is reported to be the worst news on Wall Street since the Great Depression. I personally don't want to relive those days.

Voters need to really take a look at their votes. Determine who is the best candidate for the economy. It seems one side is willing to admit there is a problem, while the other stays with this out of touch surrealism.

BARACK the Vote!

Obama needs to FIGHT BACK 'McCain on the View'

Had a chance to watch McSame on the View this morning. What a joke!! He said that his campaign has not put out false or demonstrative ads regarding Obama. Now we all saw the comment about the lipstick on the pig. There is no way that the comment can be construed as a slap against VP candidate Sarah Palin, yet the GOP camp is sticking to that tired old line. They seem to think that she should not be pushed on her views and that everything said about her is a sexist rant. Let's look at how the GOP has treated Hillary for years. I guess the tough, fighting, reformer of a 'Hockey Mom' can't stand up to the tree-hugger crowd. How's she going to do with these world dictators....hmmm, let's bake some cookies or something!?!

The other commercial deals with Obama supporting legislation to teach sex-ed to kindergartners and how repulsive that is. In fact, the commercial is aimed at keeping children safe from predatory pedophiles, (who generally are NOT from the gay community, but from the GOP...priests, scoutmasters, congressmen....etc). I think I see the tide turning back a bit. I'll give it to the GOP, they can certainly stir the pot. They've done it for two elections now. But they can't seem to come up with anything new this time. All they want to stick with is that Sarah Palin is this delicate flower and nobody can say anything against her without it being a sexist attack. People will realize.......won't they?

The Liberal Press?

A question of free press is more than evident in recent days since the end of the RNC, that question would have to be, 'Where is the press'? Pity-poo, the Republicans called us 'Liberal Elitists', does that mean we stop covering the story on its merits and just report the way the GOP wants us to? I can remember a time when it didn't, but it seems in this election that the idea of a free and balanced press has been taken off the table. Those of us who are political junkies will look up the information for ourselves, but why isn't the press doing their jobs? We certainly know now that McSame never really vetted Sarah Palin, so why isn't the press bringing the real truths to light? One can only guess, maybe they want the election to be a knock 'em down fight so that they can garner huge audiences? That is my take.

In the short time since McSame made his VP pick, we have learned a tremendous amount about this radically right wing Governor from Alaska. While the press has given us the tip of the iceberg, as it were, they're failing to give us the whole story. It is painfully obvious that the GOP continues to LIE, on the record, and yet there is no media source willing to call them out on the falsehoods that they repeat over and over. Let's take a look at just a few examples:

1. In daily stump speeches McSame talks about the now infamous 'Bridge to Nowhere' and how Sarah Palin stood up and refused the bridge. This is an absolute lie. She is seen on video promoting the bridge in her run for Governor, and people in Alaska have backed that fact. Interestingly, when the bridge fell on unpopular opinion, she changed her stance and said Alaska didn't want the bridge. It is reported that she never returned the money for the project, however.
2. We hear how they are Mavericks and have stood up to the lobbyists. McSame's campaign is being run by lobbyists, and Palin hired a lobbyist to garner funds for her small town associated with the now convicted Jack Abramhoff. It is reported that Alaska gets the most pork money per capita in the US. Now there's change, huh?
3. They frequently talk about that jet and ebay. The jet was listed on ebay, but never sold. McSame said it sold for a profit, yet another fallacy. It did sell for $600K less than it was purchased and was sold through a broker.

There are many more inconsistencies, but too many to list. The question is why isn't the press exposing all of these facts when the pundits debate and the Republican supporters spew these facts out daily, not to mention their candidates.

Dems Must Fight Back.....

The GOP has once again traveled down the path of 'Karl Rovian' politics. McSame has decided to give up everything he stands for in order to please the ultra-right wing of his party. Typical really, we've seen this in the last two elections. Fire everyone up with talk of abortion and gay marriage. That will surely scare all of the zealots out of their homes and into the voting boothes! In the beginning we all thought that John had lost his mind, who on earth is this person and is he crazy? Then the facts of the matter started to come into play, the 'Maverick' had been neutered by the same old politics. Instead of choosing a viable, experienced running mate, he went with the same old story. Bring in someone with socially right wing ideals and please the base.

The problem with the Dems right now is that they seem to be reacting to the GOP in the same way they did in the last two elections. (Well I do take that back, in 2000, the election was stolen by a group of judges who 'leigislated from the bench' -- HMM, sound familiar). However in 2004, Rove drove the political 'wedge issues' down our throats and the GOP rallied on the fear monicker. Dems took a back seat and played defense in the weeks leading up to the election. While it is early in this race, the same thing seems to be happening. McSame played his trump card, and he has taken over the offensive side of the campaign, (and dare I say, OFFENSIVE in more ways than one)!

Now is the time for the Dems to hit back and hit back strong. If we are to win this election, we cannot be playiing defense from now until the election. Sure the Palin effect should wear off in time, but is that going to leave enough time for the Dems to repair the damage? Only time will tell.....