June 2008 Politics update

There is so much going on in politics right now that it is difficult to keep up.  This is when I miss Tim Russert.

Between the supreme court rulings on guns and child rape, to congressional votes on oil drilling, to Hillary and Obama uniting, to John McCain pandering, to the latest “polls” showing Obama up in every state against McCain.  It is so difficult to get a feel for the what is really going on.

My opinion is that Obama is very popular.  I think to some degree he is trying his best to bide his time and McCain and friends are doing their best to tear him down in the meantime.

I believe that Obama, at this point, will do anything, and say anything to put out fires at every turn, and rightly so.  We are at a point in the election year where the kitchen sink is being thrown at both candidates.  Realistically, we could hold the election today.

There isn’t anything we are going to learn between now and November that will help us decide for whom to vote for President.  There will be mudslinging, character assassinations, outright lies, attack adds from 527 organizations.  But all this will simply distract us from the issues.

If you want to make abortion and gay marriage an issue, go ahead.  You know, when you think about it, how many Americans deal with abortion and gay marriage as a daily issue in their lives.  OK, like about 7 people out of the over 300 million that live in this country.

The things we all care about are the economy and the war in Iraq (they go hand in hand right along with the price of gas and groceries).  But more importantly this election is about ethics and integrity.  It is about improving our lives, our country, and improving the way the rest of the world looks at us.

Having said that, in my mind, there is only one clear choice.  And if you take even one moment to scan the world media and find out what they are thinking you will see that choice too.

Lindsey Graham and Joe Biden on Meet the Press

While I certainly will forever miss Tim Russert on Meet the Press, my interest this week in watching was simply to catch up on the issues.  Brian Williams did a great job, I suspect in part due to the research that Tim Russert had already done.  Williams said so himself in the introduction to the show.

Lindsey Graham doesn’t even know where the U.S. oil reserves are and said he was for off-shore drilling.  Then Williams threw up a quote proving that Graham was against off-shore drilling in favor of tourism.  This was prefaced by Graham saying he couldn’t believe a man “as talented as Obama” could fall so hard so fast.

What the hell is that hayseed hick of a South Carolina Senator talking about? 

I think McCain picked the wrong “Lindsey”.   I think Lindsay Lohan was the one they meant to send on Meet the Press.  She could have done a better job of defending John McCain’s positions.  And I’m not sure if Lindsay Lohan even knows who McCain is.

Now, let’s talk about preparation.  Joe Biden showed up prepared, with notes, and cut off Graham at every pass.  Graham showed up with bags under his eyes and a snarl on his face.  Watching him was was like watching a sand castle try to survive the incoming tide.

Thank god the interview with those two didn’t last the full hour or McCain might have resigned this afternoon.

On to campaign financing.  What the republicans are trying to make a “big deal” about is something that they simply don’t understand.  Barack Obama signed a form that said he would “discuss and agree upon with the other candidate, the right kind of campaign finance reform”.  The goal of reform is to get PAC money and 527 money out of the campaign.  So McCain may want to stand on his holy soap box and try to make a big deal about this but the bottom line is that McCain intentionally did not decide about public financing until about two days ago and on that same day said that Barack Obama did not keep his word.  But the bottom line is that Barack Obama stumbled upon a new, fair system of public financing.  Use the Internet to get your donations and keep big business and lobbyist dollars out of it.  So the part that Republicans can’t seem to understand is “thinking outside the box”.  The can hold up some piece of paper and claim that Obama didn’t keep his word.  But as for really reading that paper and seeing what Obama wrote in himself, further, and beyond the Yes/No question, was his intent.  Intent is nine tenths of the law.

Does right wing media hate or love John McCain?

I’m getting very confused.  Months ago, when the GOP race for the nomination was still going on, right wing media like Mike Gallagher, Laura Ingraham, and Rush Limbaugh debased John McCain with such degrees of hatred, you would have thought he was a Democrat.

Now that John McCain is the only thing they have to hold on to their war and tax cuts for the wealthy, he is the Messiah.  Now, it is strange that I just typed that word because that is the word the Neo-Cons use to make fun of the Obama movement.  They demoralize supporters of Barack Obama; convincing their listeners (and I use that term loosely because if they were really, really listening, they would turn it off) that Obama supporters have been brain washed, or are just plain stupid for supporting him.

I don’t understand why the liberal media doesn’t just lay out all of the comments word for word that right wing media has said about McCain both before his nomination, and after.  Maybe somebody has and I just missed it.  But to me, the contrasts are startling.  In just one example I can remember, because I wrote about it, Laura Ingraham, in February of this year, berated John McCain, stated she was voting for Romney in the primary, and anyone who wasn’t going to vote how she was voting, is destroying conservatism at its very core.  She continued the very next day with her hatred of McCain calling him an out and out liar.  She commented on human psychology and explained that when you tell a lie over and over again, just look into the camera or talk into the microphone and lie over and over again, if you say it enough times, people will believe it, and she found that to be repugnant. 

I must say that many liberal media outlets participate in this sort of behavior.  Many, many cable and radio talk show discounted and made fun of most Democratic candidates including Hillary Clinton.   But the difference is, the liberals got it right, and rightly so (no puns intended).  Liberal media understood Democrats and their ideals and knew that the right choice was Obama. 

So to your right wingers, explain this to me.  How can you hat McCain one day, and then when he’s all you’ve got, exalt him to the highest.  What is your explanation for this.  What is it you are afraid of; that America will become an upstanding, honest, caring nation again.  That the next President won’t lie his way in to a War.  Are you afraid that poor people might get some help from the government and maybe, well, I don’t know, move into your neighborhood?  You’d rather stick up for a man you despised than admit you were wrong.  Wow, it’s like a junior high school class treasurer election all over again.

McCain the Maverick – what exactly is a maverick?

I honestly don’t know if John McCain associated himself with the word “maverick” or if it was the Press, or some other person or group.  But what I do know is that whenever John McCain is discussed on TV News, or Talk Shows, radio or television, his supporters (which I think at this point is limited to”Fox News”) refer to him as a “maverick”.  I decided to dig a little bit deeper into what “maverick” really means.

In the southwestern United States (including, obviously, Arizona from which John McCain hails one of two U.S. Senators) the word “maverick” means an unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf) that belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it (American Heritage Dictionary).  Or, in other words “a bullock or heifer that has not been branded, and is unclaimed or wild” (according to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary).

An alternative definition (from Dictionary.com) when referring to politicians is “a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates”. 

Well, John McCain servers the public (his constituency) just as all of the other U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives in the Legislative branch of the government.  It is their collective duty to have open, robust discussions; entertaining ideas and solutions from a broad range of perspectives and then making decisions, as a collective unit, about how to move forward.  In our two party system, there is obvious disagreement among the Legislators of the Land.  But, they must operate a a cohesive group, even with all of the disagreements, to pass any legislation.  Therefore, they are all his associates.  So how could McCain be a political maverick when any one of his supposed independent views is certainly in line with at least one other Senator or Congressperson, whether Republican, Democrat, or unaffiliated.  You can’t be a maverick when other people agree with you, even if the people agreeing are not the ones you want to agree with you.

So what we have left is an “unbranded range animal … that belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it”.  So in the State from which John McCain hails, a maverick is defined as somone who has not been officially affiliated with any one person or group, but is available to the first bidder, or highest bidder.

I”m just saying….

I just don’t understand Lou Dobbs

I have tried for year but I don’t understand Lou Dobbs.  I don’t watch his show often because for the most part, I just can’t follow what he’s for or against.  And or the most part, I see him as nothing more than a curmudgeon.

Bill Schneider from CNN was talking with Lou Dobbs on his show yesterday.  Schneider referred to Obama’s campaign as a “movement”.

Dobbs, in his usual grumpy old self, someone who hates everybody and just generally seems like he hasn’t has a bowel movement in weeks, said “well for us mere mortals, we thought this was a “Campaign”, as opposed to a “Movement”.

Well Lou, you can suck it.  If after everything that has happened and with all of the information available to you, you don’t understand that Barack Obama’s race for the Presidency is a movement and not just a campaign, then why do you have a show on television where you are, or pretend to be, and expert on anything and so very plugged in to American culture.

Anybody who can bring about this much enthusiasm for politics, can bring this many people to their local town hall to register to vote, and can just generally give people hope again in our country, is part of a movement, not just a campaign.  If Barack Obama’s platform included shutting the borders and shipping back all of the Mexicans (and I don’t have a position on that one way or another) Lou Dobbs would speak of him as if he were the second coming of Christ.

So that’s right Lou.  Suck it. Go get some Metamucil, sit on the toilet for a while, and maybe, just maybe some day, you can get that twisted, scrunched up, bowel-obstructed half-smile off your face.

Scott McClellan testifies before Congress, finally

I heard some of the pundits today, as I was channel surfing not long enough to care who said what, say they hoped that Scott McClellan thought it was worth “selling out his president” for a few shekels, obviously referring yet again to the Judas comments made about him a month or so ago.

Let me tell you, Scott McClellan wanted to make a few “shekels” he could have written any book.  And I mean any book about how wonderful and patriotic and “American” the President and his goons are and have been for protecting this country, for the “surge” working, blah, blah, blah.  And Fox News would have held him up, covered him in gold leaf, and exalted him on high.

But he didn’t.  He decided to take the risk, take the hit, and tell the truth as he knows it.  And for the record, he didn’t make a lot of money off this book.

So you Republican congressmen who brought him up to the hill to testify, only to dismiss him and refer to him as nothing more than a “book club”, don’t deserve to serve this country or represent anybody.

And while I”m at it, the democrats are cowards.  There is more than enough information available to impeach George Bush and to indict most of the Bush Administration.  But they are too afraid to make waves in an election year.

 

Laura Ingraham is the ultimate Republican whore OR License Plates in S. Carolina

I couldn’t decide on a title so I went with both.

South Carolina recently launched a Christian-themed specialty license plate.  The governor allowed the plate to be put into use without his signature, leaving it to the motor vehicle department to use its discretion.

The plate motto is “I believe” with an icon of a gold cross over a stained glass window.

I don’t often watch Fox News, because I can’t stand it for long, but I watched as Laura Ingraham, the ultimate Republican whore, defended this action saying things like “oh come on, it’s not like this license plates are going to “make” people go to church” and “why not just leave them alone, it isn’t hurting anyone”.

 

 

OK, now while Fox News, the Bush Administration, and Laura Ingraham herself refuse to admit that the U.S. Constitution exists (it does, I’ve actually read it), there is an ideal discussed in that menial, unimportant document upon which our country was founded called “Separation of Church and State”.  And I believe, in this case, that South Carolina is a State.  I know that from the history book who referenced the Civil War as the “war between the States” where South Carolina was fighting for the right to shackle and whip Africans into forced labor for years on end with no civil rights of any kind.  But I digress.

If Ms. Ingraham can not see the basic premise that putting religious emblems on government issued registration devices is the simplest form of overriding the church/state LAW, then she needs to just hang it up, and NOW.  And I would call on Fox News to fire her.  Would you hire someone to work at your company who simply couldn’t read (in this case a document called the Constitution).

If South Carolina, and its governor who funded the original project with his own 4 thousand dollars, produced license plates with every single religious denomination in the world and made them available to every South Carolinian, then maybe I wouldn’t have a problem with this but I think even then I would see it as a sparation of church and state issue.  But do you really think that South Carolina would allow license plates that say “I don’t believe, I’m an Atheist”?

The Governor of South Carolina, Fox News, and Laura Ingraham should have reacted to this the way that the rest of us Consitution believers did – if you wan’t to profess your faith, get a bumper sticker.

A Tribute to Tim Russert

When I was a kid growing up in the television generation, I must admit I watched a lot of TV.  I still do.  I can remember channel surfing back then.  It’s not like now.  You didn’t really surf as much as stick your toe in the water; there were only about 4 channels.  But when I came across a show like “Meet the Press” I would quickly skip by it thinking “who would sit and watch this stuff”.

But, as we all know, things change as you get older.  You think differently, look at the world differently, and somewhere along the way you find your own voice.  I don’t think we go through this process alone.  We learn a little bit from each and every person that crosses our path.  Everyone we meet, see on TV, pass by on the street, every single one of them affects us in some way whether or not we know it.

I just heard that Tim Russert died.  I was shocked at first and it is not until I sit down to write these words that I am overwhelmed with emotion; and the tears come. 

I admired Tim so much.  In the last five or six years, he was one of the biggest reasons that I got interested, and involved, in politics.  He had a unique style.  He was in some way just an average man.  But he was an average good man.  He was polite, classy, extremely intelligent, and knew exactly what it meant to be a true journalist.  His passion for politics, in many ways, sparked mine.  And in these last few years, I would sit down on a Sunday morning and watch Tim on “Meet the Press”.  After all these years, I am the kind of person who would sit down and watch this stuff.

He was so proud of his father, his mother and wife, especially his son.  He would always have a twinkle in his eye and a beaming smile when he talked about his family, however rare, in public.

I truly mourn the loss of Tim Russert, a class act all the way and someone I will truly miss seeing on Sunday morning.  I actually started taping “Meet the Press” a few months ago because I realized I just couldn’t miss it.  And I was thinking that if I feel this sad about Tim, and I never met him, and knew so little about him, I can only imagine what his family, friends, and peers must be going through right now.

What I will miss the most about Tim Russert is the truth.  I knew that whatever was happening in the world of politics, which in many ways affects our world of economics, our sense of citizenship, the context of war and so many other things, Tim Russert would tell the truth in a way that was fair, understandable, and kept us all in the right perspective.  In a time when journalism is defined increasingly by entertainment value, Tim knew that “news” was about getting to the truth by looking at all sides.  He wouldn’t tell you what to think, but in his own way, taught us how to think for ourselves.  I never knew sho Tim Russert voted for and never heard even the hint of an agenda.  Who else in journalism, on television in general, or even of all the people you know, can you say that about.

Here’s to you Tim; you are truly one of a kind.

And to his family and friends, my thoughts are with you and I hope that you find peace in remembering the wonderful things about Tim Russert and peace in the unprecedented outpouring of grief from everyone around the country and around the world.

The 2008 Presidential Election – Where we stand right now.

Hillary Clinton finally conceded on Saturday, June 7.  I was a bit skeptical at first since she started her speech with “This isn’t the kind of party I wanted to throw…” and continued to bring up the 18 million voters who supported her in the primary; historical by her standards but you first need a classs in ”Hillary math” to understand it all.

She first needs to stop her surrogates like Governor Rendell of PA, and Terry McCauliffe, her campaign manager, who continue to say things like “Barack Obama will make a good President but Hillary Clinton is still very popular”.  If they are truly dedicated to winning the 2008 Presidency, they should just shut up.

Finally, this election is not about Hillary, it is about Barack Obama.  In listening to the cable talk shows they keep bringing up the fact the Hillary captured the white female vote and that Obama will need her as VP to garner those voters.

I don’t think so.  Surprisingly enough, the white women I have talked to don’t think highly of Hillary Clinton and don’t see her winning or losing as a social commentary about what Americans think about women in positions of power.

The one most recurring theme among the women I have talked to is first, they don’t trust her, and second, how could she have stayed with such a slime ball of a husband just for her own political gain.  That disgusts them.  The Democrats need to consider this, and deal with it.  As much affection as people may have for the Clinton’s, there are just as many that are completely turned off by them.  In my opinion, Obama should operate as if Hillary just wasn’t an option and move on with the VP selection process. 

I was truly shocked.  I honestly had no idea that woman felt this way about Hillary.  Every time I saw a Hillary rally, I saw many, many white women clapping in the background.  Was this a well choreographed television stunt, done over and over again?  I don’t know.

The bickering continues about Vice President and it must stop

I realize that Hillary Clinton needed to make a graceful exit from the official Presidential campaign.  And although her concession speech on Saturday afternoon was a great speech, it still, in some way, continued to draw attention to the one and only Hillary Clinton.

Her staunch supporters like McCauliffe and Rendell are running the talk show circuit and are saying “well, Barack Obama will make an excellent President”.  But it all sounds so insincere. If you read between the lines, and based on their body language, they are still pissed off, trying to be manipulative, and not helping the situation at all.

McCauliffe and Rendell, and Ickes (yup he’s still around) are still bucking for a job somehow.  Now, Rendell doesn’t need one, he’s the governor of Pennsylvania.  But who knows what his agenda is.  The others don’t have a career right now.  They felt as entitled to a position in Hillary’s administration as she felt about being President.

Obama’s supporters who were part of his campaign are also on the talk show circuit.  And if you really listen to what they have to say, (I’m talking about people like Wexler) they don’t think that Hillary is the best choice for Vice President.  Many democratic strategists are saying the same thing.

So everybody is walking a fine line.  Support Obama. Support Hillary’s concession but keep her name in the air for Vice President.

Everybody, including Hillary, needs to take a break.  Obama needs a vacation.  It’s going to be a long summer if we argue all summer about whether or not Hillary should be the V.P. candidate.

Let Barack have some time, let his team do their job and give everybody a chance to take a deep breath before the bickering tears the party apart just like the Republicans want.  Stop playing into their hand.  Have you learned nothing.  Hillary, herself, pointed out how few democratic Presidents have been around lately.  And the reason is the disorganization of the Democrats.  So just stop it.