Every political pundit and commentator seems to think and are seriously debating that McCain is really contemplating getting rid of Palin as his running mate and essentially cutting his losses. Most opinions on this are based along the lines that it is too late for McCain to do this because he take just as big of a hit for unloading her as keeping her on the ticket. However, he has one last option especially is the House votes down the "sweetened" bill that the Senate passed (every senator should be ashamed for adding those sweeteners and making a mockery of this dire situation)
McCain and his campaign (I think he is still campaigning eventhough it doesn't seem like it) could have McCain state that the economy is in the worst shape since the Great Depression and that if he does not take immediate action it will be prolonged. At that point he could and should tap the man that should have been the VP nominee is McCain wasn't so worried about the Christian Right. Ladies and gentlemen...I give you....Mitt Romney.
Eventhough I am a democrat through and through, I like Romney. Smart, funny, good looking, and likeable. He should have been the nominee for either President or VP because in either case his ticket would be leaps and bounds ahead of Obama due to his expertise on economic issues.
This campaign will go down in history as the worst campaign of all time for just alone nominating Palin as VP, but this could save it...or at least keep the debate from drowning too quickly. The McCain campaign should be honored because they have done something previously thought to be impossible....run a campaign worse than Rudy Guiliani!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Voting Issues
It is unfathomable to me (I love that word) that there is a serious possibility that there may be another voting issue in the state of Florida. Ever election I have voted in which is probably about 12 or so looking at national, state, and local elections, there has never, ever been a problem. When using both the old crank-style machines and the new optical scanners there has never been a problem in the state of CT...or any other state for that matter. There are two possible reasons for this.
1. Florida voters can't figure it out
2. Florida is run by completely incompetent officials, politicians, and bureaucrats.
Ding, ding, ding we have a winner...#2 by unanimous decision. Even a person with very little intelligence can figure out how to fill in a circle with a #2 pencil so I do not believe that Floridians are that dumb. That only leaves the incompetent officials that we came to know in love in the magical election year of 2000. Give them credit though...at least this time they are making it publicly known that there will be a screw up instead of it being a surprise.
To be serious for a moment...it is time for Florida to figure this crap out. Stop trying new fang-dangled techniques that have not been proven effective and use the same methods all the other states have successfully used. If a screw-up happens again there needs to be a serious punishment handed out to those in charge and a full investigation needs to conducted by the FBI not another politician that was in the bag for Bush in 2000.
Oh, and by the way Florida. If you do screw up maybe you should make sure that the problems don't just happen in districts with high minority populations. You don't want to look like you have committed voter fraud and violated the 15th amendment and by doing so revealing your racism do you? Do you?
1. Florida voters can't figure it out
2. Florida is run by completely incompetent officials, politicians, and bureaucrats.
Ding, ding, ding we have a winner...#2 by unanimous decision. Even a person with very little intelligence can figure out how to fill in a circle with a #2 pencil so I do not believe that Floridians are that dumb. That only leaves the incompetent officials that we came to know in love in the magical election year of 2000. Give them credit though...at least this time they are making it publicly known that there will be a screw up instead of it being a surprise.
To be serious for a moment...it is time for Florida to figure this crap out. Stop trying new fang-dangled techniques that have not been proven effective and use the same methods all the other states have successfully used. If a screw-up happens again there needs to be a serious punishment handed out to those in charge and a full investigation needs to conducted by the FBI not another politician that was in the bag for Bush in 2000.
Oh, and by the way Florida. If you do screw up maybe you should make sure that the problems don't just happen in districts with high minority populations. You don't want to look like you have committed voter fraud and violated the 15th amendment and by doing so revealing your racism do you? Do you?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Crisis vs. Campaign
This post will be short and sweet. I believe that both presidential candidates need to reveal who their secretary of the treasure will be. With such a looming crisis and such a large check (supposedly not a black one) being written to this post, the American people deserve to know who their candidate will give that position to. Hank Paulson only has less than 4 months left at the head of the treasury department and we all deserve to know who will fill the position on January 20th.
A Blessed Sight
It's a joy, honestly, to see and hear that Congressional Republicans are doing something that I believe in. Putting aside their ideologies and party agenda and really focusing on the impact their legislation will have on their constituents. A thank you goes out to those GOP house members who decided that this problem is too large and too important to be solved with the first solution that comes to their desks. It is also quite a relief to hear soundbites from Republicans that show some care on their part for middle class families and not for CEOs.
When it comes to the other side of the aisle all I can do is the same thing that I did yesterday when the Mets blew it...just hang my head. Speaker Pelosi came out and said "the party is over". HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Joe Scarborough nailed it on the head this morning when he mocked Pelosi for saying such a thing and then signing over $700 billion to bailout financial institutions. The Democrats messed this one up. They tried to pass this too quickly and didn't really think about any alternative plans.
So far on the financial crisis scoreboard. Republican - 1, Democrats - 0
When it comes to the other side of the aisle all I can do is the same thing that I did yesterday when the Mets blew it...just hang my head. Speaker Pelosi came out and said "the party is over". HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Joe Scarborough nailed it on the head this morning when he mocked Pelosi for saying such a thing and then signing over $700 billion to bailout financial institutions. The Democrats messed this one up. They tried to pass this too quickly and didn't really think about any alternative plans.
So far on the financial crisis scoreboard. Republican - 1, Democrats - 0
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Debate winner
Last night's debate was for the most part all it lived up to be. To begin Jim Lehrer was a terrible moderator. He was far too concerned with how he looked and sounded and couldn't formulate questions that either candidate could understand or answer. Here is my scorecard as I watched it:
Economic Crisis - Obama
Favor the Bailout - McCain
Lead out of crisis - Obama
Taxes - Obama
Priorities Delayed - McCain
Healthcare - Obama
Alternative Energy - Both
Iraq - McCain
Overall Appearance - Obama
Final Score: Obama - 6 McCain - 4
McCain received low marks because he repeatedly went back to the fact that he wants to cut spending, but never really offered up any substance other than things that the government has to spend money on (Defense and entitlements). Obama was much better when responding to McCain's statements and was quick to say that something was just plain wrong and did it in a very respectful way. I though a key moment in the debate is when McCain summed up all of the alternative energy ideas in 2 seconds and glossed over them to get to something he saw as more important. He gets the point for the excellend job he did of giving an overview of how nuclear energy would improve the country's energy resources.
Although I think the overall winner was Obama there was one point of interest that stood out to me. McCain did an excellend job of telling the American people to forget the mistake that he and others made by getting us into the Iraq mess, but instead to look ahead to see and think about how we should manage Iraq in the future. If Obama and his campaign staff don't turn around and start talking about the future insteas of the past McCain could capitalize on this issue.
Lastly, here is what really matters...its called the Kennedy/Nixon rating. What this means is simply how each candidate came off to the American people and how we see the candidates in our minds. Obama looked like someone who was truly offended when things were offered up as fact when they were not true. He didn't come off as a scolding mother (Clinton) or a as a academic looking down on the American people (Gore), instead he made sure he kept mentioning "middle class families" and sounded presidential.
McCain on the other hand, came off as you old uncle Mort. I say this because he kept making snide references and bad jokes after which he would give us this weird, awkward chuckle that all old relatives make when they think something is funny and no one else does. The more important mistake that he made might have flown under the radar. He said at one point that Obama's tax cuts would exclude people "that made as low as $42000 a year." I hate to tell you John, but to many voters in this country that is a normal middle class salary. If any liberal media, other news outlet, and hopefully the Obama campaign pick up on this faux-pas it could really hurt McCain's numbers in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia.
Economic Crisis - Obama
Favor the Bailout - McCain
Lead out of crisis - Obama
Taxes - Obama
Priorities Delayed - McCain
Healthcare - Obama
Alternative Energy - Both
Iraq - McCain
Overall Appearance - Obama
Final Score: Obama - 6 McCain - 4
McCain received low marks because he repeatedly went back to the fact that he wants to cut spending, but never really offered up any substance other than things that the government has to spend money on (Defense and entitlements). Obama was much better when responding to McCain's statements and was quick to say that something was just plain wrong and did it in a very respectful way. I though a key moment in the debate is when McCain summed up all of the alternative energy ideas in 2 seconds and glossed over them to get to something he saw as more important. He gets the point for the excellend job he did of giving an overview of how nuclear energy would improve the country's energy resources.
Although I think the overall winner was Obama there was one point of interest that stood out to me. McCain did an excellend job of telling the American people to forget the mistake that he and others made by getting us into the Iraq mess, but instead to look ahead to see and think about how we should manage Iraq in the future. If Obama and his campaign staff don't turn around and start talking about the future insteas of the past McCain could capitalize on this issue.
Lastly, here is what really matters...its called the Kennedy/Nixon rating. What this means is simply how each candidate came off to the American people and how we see the candidates in our minds. Obama looked like someone who was truly offended when things were offered up as fact when they were not true. He didn't come off as a scolding mother (Clinton) or a as a academic looking down on the American people (Gore), instead he made sure he kept mentioning "middle class families" and sounded presidential.
McCain on the other hand, came off as you old uncle Mort. I say this because he kept making snide references and bad jokes after which he would give us this weird, awkward chuckle that all old relatives make when they think something is funny and no one else does. The more important mistake that he made might have flown under the radar. He said at one point that Obama's tax cuts would exclude people "that made as low as $42000 a year." I hate to tell you John, but to many voters in this country that is a normal middle class salary. If any liberal media, other news outlet, and hopefully the Obama campaign pick up on this faux-pas it could really hurt McCain's numbers in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia.
A sad, sad day
We need to take some time to recognize the passing of not just a movie legend, but a man whom all of us should strive to be. Paul Newman was an actor, and activist, a businessman, a provider of aid, and institution, and a saint. A man who has used his noteriety to create consumer products whose proceeds would go to noble causes like camps for underpriveleged children and children with terminal illnesses. The world has lost an icon, and a man you lived by the credo made so famous by John F. Kennedy, "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
Rest in Peace Mr. Newman...you will be dearly missed.
Rest in Peace Mr. Newman...you will be dearly missed.
I can't believe it!
Mark Friday September 26th on your calendar. For the first time in almost 2 years the Senate Majority leader Harry Reid finally took a stand and used his power in an appropriate manner. Day after day, month after month Reid did nothing but to let things slide, not hold Bush accountable for anything, and act like a junior senator. Finally he comes out on the airwaves and denounces a republican who hampered progress. He repeated during his press conference "the insertion of presidential politics into this process has not been helpful...it has been helpful."
Congratulations Harry Reid. You have finally started to act like the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, but its too bad that in less than 40 days that position will be taken away from you due to your lackluster 2 years in that position. Do I hear Senate Majority Leader Clinton?
Congratulations Harry Reid. You have finally started to act like the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, but its too bad that in less than 40 days that position will be taken away from you due to your lackluster 2 years in that position. Do I hear Senate Majority Leader Clinton?
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