Carrying Guns To Town Hall Meetings

This is not an argument regarding whether or not citizens should be allowed to carry concealed weapons or not... however, I do find it intriguing that people have started bringing guns to Town hall meetings.

I find it even more intriguing that MSNBC has aired video of an anti-Obama protester who is carrying a non concealed gun to a public event.

From MSNBC:

Outside the event where President Obama will conduct his town hall, there is an anti-Obama protestor with a gun -- a pistol strapped to his lower leg.

The local police chief said it's legal for the man to have a registered handgun -- as long as it is not concealed. What's more, he is on private property, a church yard, which has given him permission to be there.

The loophole is, in New Hampsire, the church has given him permission to be there with his gun and he is within his rights to do so.

You would think, that in this day and age, crazed gun fanatics who are anti-Obama would not be allowed to be near the President of the united States! This is absurd!

How come these guys were not carrying guns to Bush Town Hall meetings and would they have been allowed to? Can you imagine a guy with a "Bush is a nazi" shirt being allowed to carry a gun while Bush was speaking at Town Hall event? I don't think he would be allowed to, so why are these people allowed to carry guns to public events like this?

What purpose does bringing a gun to a Town Hall meeting serve? Why would anyone need a gun at a Town Hall meeting?

It is intimidation, nothing more. No citizen needs firearms at public Town Hall meetings. The people encouraging this sort of violent intimidation are the people who want guns to be allowed to be carried by students in schools, in churches, and parks, everywhere.

It is hard to find reasoning behind this sort of thing, yet somehow it continues... America is just a word, but I use it.

I am not here to debate whether or not carrying a gun is legal, it most certainly is... however, you'd think when it comes to the safety of the president of the United States, there would be some kind of law on the books to stop people like this from getting within firing range.

What's next? More people carrying guns because cops cannot disarm them?

More and more people will bring guns to Town Hall meetings.

Crazy place that America....

In Effort To Not Be Racist, Americans Become Xenophobic

I cannot help but notice, and point out the irony of this situation. In an effort to not be seen as racists, Americans have become xenophobic! Allow me to illustrate...

In the article, White House 'Beer Summit' Becomes Something of a Brouhaha, Americans are not happy with the choice of beer chosen by the participants in the "beer summit" called together by Obama, which consists of him, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr and Officer Crowley.

How so?

The president's plan to toss back a few cold ones with some high-profile guests at the White House has the American beer industry hopping mad.

It seems people are upset the President and friends are not drinking, American beer.

Late Wednesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs hinted the presidential cooler will likely be stocked with what he understood to be the two guests' own personal favorites -- Red Stripe and Blue Moon.

"The president will drink Bud Light," Mr. Gibbs added.

The problem is that all three beers are products of foreign companies. Red Stripe is brewed by London-based Diageo PLC. Blue Moon is sold by a joint venture in which London-based SABMiller has a majority stake.

And Bud Light? It is made by Anheuser-Busch -- which is now known as Anseuser-Busch InBev NV after getting bought last year by a giant Belgian-Brazilian company.

Wo cares what kind of beer a guy drinks? Not everyone has the same likes and dislikes and when it comes to beers, that is every man's personal choice! There is no need to get xenophobic about it!

It gets better, look at these quotes:

Among rival brewers, the news fell flat. "We would hope they would pick a family-owned, American beer to lubricate the conversation," said Bill Manley, a spokesman for the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., a California-based brewer that happens to be family-owned.

Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer Co., which brews Samuel Adams, decried "the foreign domination of something so basic and important to our culture as beer."

I love the use of "foreign domination," it almost sounds like a war! Lubricate conversation? Is that what they call getting a buzz now? Alcoholics and those who promote alcohol use sure are funny when you don't drink.

Genesee Brewery, Rochester, N.Y., released a statement congratulating the president for having beer at the meeting but adding: "We just hope the next time the President has a beer, he chooses an American beer, made by American workers, and an American-owned brewery like Genesee."

Make no mistake, this is xenophobia at it's finest. A clear indication that America is still not only racist, but we still dislike foreigners! What a way to make even this event look bad. Embarrassing, but what do you expect from a bunch of alcoholics? if they act this way sober, you should hear what they say when they are drunk and behind closed doors...

But this is nothing new, even President Bush had names of desserts changed, what does old Bushy have against the French?

In general, the White House strives to showcase American food, wines and traditional concoctions at official meals and parties. Sometimes, even menu items with a foreign provenance are Americanized. In the George W. Bush White House, a favorite chocolate dessert was referred to not as a French-style soufflé, but as a "chocolate freedom."

Anyhow, a man's personal decision on what type of beer he drinks is his own business, and it is a shame that even in an event trying to bring people together and quell a bit of racism, Americans show their #1 characteristic, to hate and fear that what is different than our own. Which strikes at the heart of racism and xenophobia.

You people should be ashamed.

Boston Cop Calls Gates Jungle Monkey

Well, I guess it was bound to happen. Some dumb prejudice white cop had to open his mouth and no doubt will most likely end up being fired over an email rant where he calls Professor Gates a "jungle monkey."

A Boston police officer has been suspended and could be fired for a mass e-mail in which he used a racial slur to describe black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Commissioner Edward Davis put 36-year-old Justin Barrett on administrative leave pending a termination hearing after learning of the slur.

Like him or not, whether he is a race baiter or not (he is) the man does not deserve to be called anything but a man. Referring to Gates as a "jungle monkey" will only make you look like the uneducated, dumb cop you are, Justin.

A person with knowledge of the case who was not authorized to speak publicly about the details told the Boston Herald that Barrett, a member of the National Guard, sent the e-mail to fellow Guardsmen and to The Boston Globe.

Don't you love these guys? Not authorized to speak to the public? LOL Yet, they ALWAYS do...

Barrett called Gates a "jungle monkey" in the e-mail, according to a copy posted online at MyFOXBoston.com. Officials told the Herald that Barrett admitted writing the e-mail.

If Crowley thought he couldn't get the press of his lawn, something tells me this goofball cop is going to be the focus of the story now that Gates, Obama, and Crowley are planning to get together for a beer to work things out.

I will say this though, as recovering alcoholic, who is now four years sober, it does make me think isn't there a better beverage to drink than a toxin that results in the deaths of so many Americans per year? While I have nothing against beer, I think it sends the wrong message to America. Alcohol will not fix your problems, it will only make them worse.

Gates Arrest Audio Tapes

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to hear the Gates Arrest Audio Tapes! Whether they exonerate the officer and make Gates look bad, or not.

Judicial Watch has put in open request for the audio tapes, here is the pdf version of Request for Gates Arrest Audio and Video Tapes

People have tried to say the tapes would have been released already if they showed gates yelling, and things of that nature. The fact is, there is a process to getting things released to the public and now that an open request has been filed, let's see what happens. We know they won't release them on a Sunday, so perhaps early this week (the pdf file states they have 10 days to comply) we may get another glimpse into the minds of both the officer and Gates at the exact time of the incident.

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a Massachusetts Public Records Request with the Cambridge, MA, Police Department regarding the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates. Specifically, Judicial Watch seeks the following records:

Any audiotapes or videotapes recorded prior to, during, or after the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates on July 16, 2009.

On July 16, Sergeant James Crowley responded to a 911 phone call from a passerby reporting two men attempting to force open the door at Professor Gates' Harvard Square home. Professor Gates claims that he had just returned from a trip to China and his front door was jammed. He asked his driver to help him force it open.

According to Sergeant Crowley, after approaching the house, Professor Gates was belligerent and refused to provide identification when requested. Sergeant Crowley told the press he arrested Gates for disorderly conduct after the professor followed him outside the home "continuing [his] tirade even after being warned multiple times, probably a few more times than the average person would have gotten."

The Fraternal Order of the Police has expressed its support of Sergeant Crowley, who was previously selected to teach a course on racial profiling for a police training academy.

According to Professor Gates, Sergeant Crowley was disrespectful from the beginning, refusing to identify himself or his provide his badge number. Supporters of Professor Gates, including President Obama, suggested his arrest was racially motivated. The President, noting that he did not have all the facts, also said at a press conference that he thought the police acted "stupidly."

The disorderly conduct charges against Gates were dropped the day after the arrest.

"President Obama threw the race card on the table after the Gates arrest without having all of the facts. Uninformed, inflammatory comments on this matter by President Obama have widened racial division and undermined the rule of law. Judicial Watch seeks to help the public come to an informed opinion on the controversy," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

People should not let this incident bring out hatred or fear and racism... lets see what the tapes reveal and go from there.

President Obama Should Not Have Called Cops Stupid

While I will be the first to demand the police officers treat citizens with respect and dignity, I also believe the feelings must be mutual. With that being said, in America, when dealing with a police officer a couple things are known to be true.

1. never refuse to show a police your identification (especially if you are in a house that just had the cops called for burglary in progress)
2. never threaten a cop with words like "you dont know who you messing with" while continuously hurling charges of racism towards him as he is actually leaving your house and ending the matter"

This could have been ended fairly quickly and did not need to go down the way it did. However, I notice in most articles the writers are leaving out key components of this story. For one, witnesses that were outside the home (totalling from some accounts 7 - 10) actually made statements that back up the police in regards to how gates was acting when arrested! This is the most important piece of the story, yet to those like myself, who have read the police report, find the evidence against gates to be pretty clear cut.

He was in a home that the neighbor had reported a break-in. She claimed she saw two black males on the porch trying to break down the door. Then upon police arriving on the scene Gates refused to show his ID and became irate and began hurling insults towards the officer.

Gates could have ended this issue quickly if only he had done one single thing.

As soon as the cop asked for his ID, simply stated "Hello officer, I am Professor gates, this is my home, please allow me to get my ID and prove to you I am not entering my home illegally."

The officer would have checked his ID and moved on. But when you refuse to show your ID and the get irate and unruly, and start making phone calls telling the cop "you don't know who you messing with" and "you haven't heard the last of me" etc... you can expect to be treated a little different than the respectful law abiding citizen who addressed the officer with courteous reply and an immediate identification process.

Instead, gates was confrontational and wanted a racist even to promote his new documentary which he has quickly began promoting via the news reports. This professor should be ashamed of not only his behavior but the example he has set for those other black men who may find themselves in similar position. They too will become unruly, show no respect and most likely end up in jail... never once thinking it is their OWN BEHAVIOR that is putting them in jail.

Calling Gates “a friend,’’ and acknowledging he didn’t “know all the facts,’’ Obama said during a nationally televised press conference otherwise devoted to healthcare that he didn’t know whether race played a role in the arrest of Gates, who is black and a noted authority on race relations, by a white Cambridge police officer investigating a burglary report.

I am also amazed that Obama has claimed the cops were stupid for arresting hom. Gates and Obama are friends, this is a known fact that Obama has not denied and has stated himself. So it is no doubt that immediately, the black friend of the pres is right and the white officer is wrong.

“I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home;

he wasn't arrested for being in his home, he was arrested after continuing to follow the officer outside and berating him with accusations of racism even as he was leaving the scene! Including threatening the officer as he picked up his phone and made call to unknown persons claiming "you haven't heard the last from me." etc... this is not behavior of a professor, this is behavior with a confrontational, irrational racist black man looking for any reason to create confrontation to serve his purpose... selling his book/documentary.

Obama and gates should be ashamed of this racist behavior. Fact is, if any white man was caught in an upscale neighborhood pushing his way in a home and when asked for ID refused, he would be questioned and possibly arrested too!

Making this issue a race issue is exactly what these gates types need to promote their "blacks are victims" agenda, as i said, the professor is already making money off the event and will no doubt land an Obama interview in his upcoming documentary which I am almost ashamed to mention but feel it is my duty to point out those who profit from racism in America while trying to pretend they are not racist and simply use "black studies" as a way to promote "blacks are victims" mentality.

Gates is racist. period, and he is a loser here.

OBAMA WINS PRESIDENCY!

Well America, we did it.

Barack Obama wins the presidency

I posted this before: Barack Obama Wins Presidency And hoped it would come true... and it has.



The world will never look at America the same. Hopefully, this will take our country in a better direction. Other countries will see us different now. And we proved we can look past skin color and elect a president.

Say it, get used to it: President Barack Obama.

Congrats to the winners

Back From Voting

I just walked in from standing in line almost two hours to cast my vote on Election Day!

Here is a picture I snapped just a few moments after arriving.



The line went straight ahead and then curved around the school building. The line went from the voting machines, all the way to the street. People near us said they had been there earlier and the line was much longer, but went home and came back.

As I mentioned, the wait was over an hour and a half, but not quite two hours. From leaving the house and getting back home was close to two hours, as the drive was not that far.

And yes, I voted for Barack Obama.

Election Day

The day is here, it has finally come. It is time to elect a new President of the United States.

Who will you be voting for?

I do not consider myself a democrat, and although I can have some conservative thoughts when it comes to balancing the budget and wasteful spending of tax dollars, I am a Libertarian.

However, I have learned my lesson from the past and have decided to vote Democrat this go round and will be voting for Barack Obama. Why? If I went into some long diatribe about it, it wouldn't make a difference here, or anywhere. The reasons do not really even matter anymore.

The race is not just between Barack Obama and John McCain, but I really feel if I do not vote for one of those candidates I may be allowing a room for margin that would allow John McCain to snatch the Presidency, simply because of split and decisive voters placing votes for candidates who basically have no chance of winning.

At first I really thought I would vote for Obama simply because I felt he would do a better job than McCain. But after watching McCain's nasty election campaign, the way his party has used racist images and propaganda, I am now going to vote Obama, to vote AGAINST McCain. I place my vote with Barack Obama because I like him, but also because now I do NOT want McCain to win. I feel he will do more harm than good to this country.

At first I thought both candidates were running a nice campaign, but then McCain's advertising became so nasty, the local Republicans running for office started bashing Obama in their local ads and it just got worse and worse. That is not something that sways people like me to their side of the argument.

As I said, it's too late for reasons, it's time to vote. It's time to put your money where your mouth is and pull the crank. Flick the switch, pull the lever. Take the ride.

It's going to be a long day for some people, and I can't wait to see the results.

Meth Heads Plan Assassination

Here's a little advice for the meth addicts in the audience, next time you get high, don't plan to kill anyone.

This entry is about three idiots, who got high on meth, and then began planning the assassination of Barack Obama. Can you think of anything more stupid?

Times Online reports:

Three white supremacists with a sniper rifle and high on drugs who were arrested near the Democratic convention in Denver wanted to assassinate Barack Obama, US authorities said last night.

The FBI and the US Secret Service carried out an “intensive” investigation into the plot — in which the supremacists talked of shooting Mr Obama as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in an open-air sports stadium on Thursday night — but found insufficient evidence of a “true threat”.

One of the suspects, Shawn Adolph, 33, was connected to a high-velocity Ruger sniper rifle seized during a series of early morning arrests on Monday and had made clear threats and “racial slurs” against Mr Obama, Troy Eid, Denver’s US district attorney said.

Who would've though, a white supremacist with the name Adolf?

The spectre of assassination arose in May when Hillary Clinton had to apologise after appearing to suggest that the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968 during his presidential campaign was a good reason for her staying in the race. Mr Obama is often compared to John F. Kennedy. But it is his skin colour that has added to concerns in a country that has more than 200 million legally held firearms and 30,000 gun deaths each year.

Mr Eid said: “It is a serious federal crime to make a threat against a presidential candidate.” But he added that the three men arrested in connection with the plot had been abusing the drug methamphetamine when they discussed the possibility of killing Mr Obama.

“From a legal standpoint, the law recognizes a difference between between a true threat and the racist rantings of drug abusers,” Mr Eid said. “The alleged threat does not warrant charges at this time but we are keeping an open mind.

I am not sure I agree with the "true threat" theory though. If they had a plan, and had not executed it, yet, how does that free them from assassination related charges? I guess, when you're high on drugs, you can say anything or plan anything you want, including shooting someone? This is not just one drug addict ranting to himself in a room, these are three people planning a murder, nothing else.

The three men — Mr Adolph, his cousin Tharin Gartrell, 28, and Nathan Johnson, 32, have long criminal records for illegal gun possession, drug dealing and theft. There were multiple outstanding warrants for their arrest and all three were being held on drug and firearms charges last night.

The alleged plot received serious attention after an extraordinary jail-cell interview with local television by Mr Johnson, who said that his associates had planned to assassinate Mr Obama as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in the 75,000-seat openair Invesco sports stadium on Thursday.

Mr Johnson also told police that the plan had been to shoot Mr Obama “from a high vantage point using a rifle sighted at 750 yards”.

Due to their history of illegal guns, I think these guys should be watched a bit more, and not just released because they were high on meth when they stated their plans.

Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama

The moment many have been waiting for.

According to the BBC:

US President George W Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has endorsed Democratic election candidate Barack Obama for the White House.

He backed his fellow African-American over John McCain, the Republican Party's choice to succeed Mr Bush in the 4 November election.

He told NBC Mr Obama had the "ability to inspire" and was "inclusive".

"All Americans... not just African-Americans" would be proud of an Obama win, he argued.

He nails it. Barack Obama inspires people, can bring about unity and change. People are tired of the same old divisive politics in America.

We want to vote for someone who can help us get this country back on track.

As more news articles come out about this, we will get a glimpse into his reasoning behind this endorsement, but the certainly adds to the excitement of this election.

From CNN: Colin Powell endorses Obama

"I think he is a transformational figure, he is a new generation coming onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Sen. Barack Obama," Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"I think that's inappropriate. I understand what politics is about -- I know how you can go after one another, and that's good. But I think this goes too far, and I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for," he said.

"Obama displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge," Powell said.

"He has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president," he said.

Above are some quotes from Colin Powell about Barack Obama and why he endorses him.

What do you think of this highly public endorsement?

Obama Speaks To 100,000 In Missouri

Barack Obama gave a speech to 100,000 at a Saturday rally in Missouri. Marking the biggest crowd at one of his U.S. events.



Look at the size of that crowd! Amazing.

From WSJ Blog: Obama Rally Draws 100,000 in Missouri

The crowd assembled under the Gateway Arch on a sunny Saturday afternoon to hear Obama speak about taxes and slam the Republicans on economic issues.

Lt. Samuel Dotson of the St. Louis Police Department confirmed the number of attendees piled into the grassy lawn by the Mississippi River.

To be sure, big crowds don’t always signal a big turnout on Election Day. But Obama’s ability to draw his largest audience yet in a typically red state that just weeks ago looked out of reach, could signal a changing electoral map.

For months Missouri polls put Obama as much as ten percentage points behind Republican John McCain. It was widely believed that McCain’s pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate would have won over the state’s conservatives and boosted his chances there. So far, that hasn’t happened.

I think it says a lot about Barack Obama, that he is able to draw such large crowds and inspire so many Americans to actually get involved in the political process.

Many Americans have grown cynical towards politics, and many would rather watch sports than vote. But we are all working on changing that, and when elections such as this draw so much attention, it helps get more people involved, sometimes those who would normally be doing something else.

Chicago Tribune Endorses Obama

The first time it has endorsed a Democrat.

However this election turns out, it will dramatically advance America's slow progress toward equality and inclusion. It took Abraham Lincoln's extraordinary courage in the Civil War to get us here. It took an epic battle to secure women the right to vote. It took the perseverance of the civil rights movement. Now we have an election in which we will choose the first African-American president . . . or the first female vice president.

In recent weeks it has been easy to lose sight of this history in the making. Americans are focused on the greatest threat to the world economic system in 80 years. They feel a personal vulnerability the likes of which they haven't experienced since Sept. 11, 2001. It's a different kind of vulnerability. Unlike Sept. 11, the economic threat hasn't forged a common bond in this nation. It has fed anger, fear and mistrust.

On Nov. 4 we're going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose.

The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States.

Obviously the best part is the end, but its worth reading the whole thing.

The Tribune in its earliest days took up the abolition of slavery and linked itself to a powerful force for that cause--the Republican Party. The Tribune's first great leader, Joseph Medill, was a founder of the GOP. The editorial page has been a proponent of conservative principles. It believes that government has to serve people honestly and efficiently.

With that in mind, in 1872 we endorsed Horace Greeley, who ran as an independent against the corrupt administration of Republican President Ulysses S. Grant. (Greeley was later endorsed by the Democrats.) In 1912 we endorsed Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as the Progressive Party candidate against Republican President William Howard Taft.

The Tribune's decisions then were driven by outrage at inept and corrupt business and political leaders.

We see parallels today.

The Republican Party, the party of limited government, has lost its way. The government ran a $237 billion surplus in 2000, the year before Bush took office -- and recorded a $455 billion deficit in 2008. The Republicans lost control of the U.S. House and Senate in 2006 because, as we said at the time, they gave the nation rampant spending and Capitol Hill corruption. They abandoned their principles. They paid the price.

The give reasons why they do not endorse McCain.

We might have counted on John McCain to correct his party's course. We like McCain. We endorsed him in the Republican primary in Illinois. In part because of his persuasion and resolve, the U.S. stands to win an unconditional victory in Iraq.

It is, though, hard to figure John McCain these days. He argued that President Bush's tax cuts were fiscally irresponsible, but he now supports them. He promises a balanced budget by the end of his first term, but his tax cut plan would add an estimated $4.2 trillion in debt over 10 years. He has responded to the economic crisis with an angry, populist message and a misguided, $300 billion proposal to buy up bad mortgages.

McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate--but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country.

The Chicago Tribune also states why it has chosen Obama.

We do, though, think Obama would govern as much more of a pragmatic centrist than many people expect.

And a great ending

Obama is deeply grounded in the best aspirations of this country, and we need to return to those aspirations. He has had the character and the will to achieve great things despite the obstacles that he faced as an unprivileged black man in the U.S.

He has risen with his honor, grace and civility intact. He has the intelligence to understand the grave economic and national security risks that face us, to listen to good advice and make careful decisions.

When Obama said at the 2004 Democratic Convention that we weren't a nation of red states and blue states, he spoke of union the way Abraham Lincoln did.

It may have seemed audacious for Obama to start his campaign in Springfield, invoking Lincoln. We think, given the opportunity to hold this nation's most powerful office, he will prove it wasn't so audacious after all. We are proud to add Barack Obama's name to Lincoln's in the list of people the Tribune has endorsed for president of the United States.

Good job, and go Obama!

McCain RoboCalls

Have you gotten one of these McCain "robocalls" everyone is talking about? Things are heating up on the campaign trail. The McCain campaign is getting aggressive, more than ever.

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Rigel Anderson report: Embattled Republican Sen. Susan Collins is calling on Sen. John McCain to stop paying for automated phone calls which describe Sen. Barack Obama as having "worked closely" with "domestic terrorist Bill Ayers."

"These kind of tactics have no place in Maine politics," said Collins spokesman Kevin Kelley. "Sen. Collins urges the McCain campaign to stop these calls immediately."

We shall file this one under "propaganda."

Ayers is the former leader of the Weather Underground. To protest the Vietnam War, his organization ran a domestic bombing campaign which resulted in fatalities.

Obama, who was 8 years old at the time, has repudiated those acts as "despicable." Friday's statement from the Collins campaign came after Maine's Democratic Party issued a press release earlier in the day challenging the Republican incumbent to denounce what it called "blatantly false phone calls personally attacking" Obama.

Collins' Democratic opponent was not satisfied.

"If she truly feels that strongly about it," said Carol Andrews, communications director to Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, "she should resign as co-chair of McCain's campaign in Maine."

Here is the transcript of the McCain Robocall.

"Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home and killed Americans. And Democrats will enact an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the judgment to lead our country. This call was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee at 202-863-8500."

How effective are these types of things during an election?

Obama Bucks

Ever since Sean Hannity said that "no one in the Republican party had resorted to fear or race" in this campaign, I have made it my duty to document the blatant racist adverts being put out via the internet, by the Republicans. Here is the latest, sent out by official Republican mailing.

Obama Bucks

According to PE.com:

The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women's group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles.

The October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated says if Obama is elected his image will appear on food stamps -- instead of dollar bills like other presidents. The statement is followed by an illustration of "Obama Bucks" -- a phony $10 bill featuring Obama's face on a donkey's body, labeled "United States Food Stamps."

What about this image, doesn't contain elements of fear and race?

The GOP newsletter, which was sent to about 200 members and associates of the group by e-mail and regular mail last week, is drawing harsh criticism from members of the political group, elected leaders, party officials and others as racist.

The group's president, Diane Fedele, said she plans to send an apology letter to her members and to apologize at the club's meeting next week. She said she simply wanted to deride a comment Obama made over the summer about how as an African-American he "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

"It was strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of his statement. I really don't want to go into it any further," Fedele said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "I absolutely apologize to anyone who was offended. That clearly wasn't my attempt."

Of course she, "doesn't want to go into it further."

Fedele said she got the illustration in a number of chain e-mails and decided to reprint it for her members in the Trumpeter newsletter because she was offended that Obama would draw attention to his own race. She declined to say who sent her the e-mails with the illustration.

She said she doesn't think in racist terms, pointing out she once supported Republican Alan Keyes, an African-American who previously ran for president.

"I didn't see it the way that it's being taken. I never connected," she said. "It was just food to me. It didn't mean anything else."

Not only was this from a chain-letter already being circulated by Republicans, she decided to make copies and forward the propaganda to all her members. Who sent it to her originally? In addition, she doesn't think in racist terms? It's like the racism just goes over their head or something, like they don't even notice it... amazing.

But Black Republican members of the group noticed... and were upset by it.

Sheila Raines, an African-American member of the club, was the first person to complain to Fedele about the newsletter. Raines, of San Bernardino, said she has worked hard to try to convince other minorities to join the Republican Party and now she feels betrayed.

"This is what keeps African-Americans from joining the Republican Party," she said. "I'm really hurt. I cried for 45 minutes."

I can only imagine something like this would offend black members.

Acquanetta Warren, a Fontana councilwoman and member of the women's group, said the item is rude and requires a public apology.

"When I opened that up and saw it, I said, 'Why did they do this? It doesn't even reflect our principles and values,' " said Warren, who served as a Republican delegate to the national convention in September and is a regional vice chairwoman for the California Republican Party. "I know a lot of the ladies in that club and they're fantastic. They're volunteers. They really care -- some of them go to my church."

Warren forwarded an electronic version of the newsletter to the California Republican Party headquarters, where officials also were outraged Wednesday and denounced the illustration.

Hector Barajas, the party's press secretary, said the party chairman likely will have a conversation with Fedele, and Barajas will attend the statewide California Federation of Republican Women conference this weekend in Los Angeles to handle any news media there to cover the controversy.

Again, take notice that this is taking place in the liberal West, California to be exact, and this shows racism is everywhere.

Joe the Plumber

Things aren't looking so good again for McCain. A lot of news has been made about this Joe The Plumber guy. A citizen on the campaign trail, who got the attention of the media by posing a question to Barack Obama regarding raising his taxes. Come to find out...

According to Eisenstadt's blog:

John McCain did great tonight in the debate. But every time John mentioned “Joe the Plumber,” some of us in the campaign banged our heads against the wall. If Steve Schmidt had any hair left, I hear he would have been pulling it out tonight. He reportedly screamed at John’s debate prep team tonight (out of earshot of reporters, of course). “You idiots - he’s related to Charles Keating… of the Keating Five scandal!” They thought they had a real live Joe Six-Pack who’s spurned Barack Obama’s tax plan. But what they forgot to do was check on Joe Wurzelbacher’s background.

Turns out that Joe Wurzelbacher from the Toledo event is a close relative of Robert Wurzelbacher of Milford, Ohio. Who’s Robert Wurzelbacher? Only Charles Keating’s son-in-law and the former senior vice president of American Continental, the parent company of the infamous Lincoln Savings and Loan. The now retired elder Wurzelbacher is also a major contributor to Republican causes giving well over $10,000 in the last few years.

Barack Obama took the high road in the final presidential debate by not retorting with the Keating Five scandal when McCain brought up William Ayers of the Weather Underground. But now it (the relationship between Mccain, Keating, Joe the Plumber) will be out in the open even more now. Wonder what will the ads be like?

Word on the internet is, the guy isn't actually a plumber. A licensed one anyway.

A staff person with the Toledo Division of Building Inspection told On Call this afternoon that her division will contact Wurzelbacher to notify him that he can't work without a license.

"We're trying to track him down," she said.

In the meantime, the Democrat-friendly local plumbers' union is fuming.

"He has no license whatsoever with the city of Toledo," said Tom Joseph, the business manager for Local Union 50 of the Plumbers, Steamfitters and Service Mechanics, which has endorsed Obama. "He has no license in the state of Ohio. He has no contractor's license in the state of Ohio. He is not a plumber. He works for a plumber."

Never a dull moment in politics.

After The Final Presidential Debate

What I saw at the Final Presidential Debate was John McCain acting like a desperate old politician trying very hard to make negative attacks, the other candidate Barack Obama doing a great job at not letting the smear tactics get the best of him.

CNN says: "John McCain came out of the gate strong, but Barack Obama gained strength as the night progressed Wednesday in the final presidential debate where each candidate tried to convince voters that he is better equipped to steer the nation through these troubled times.

Hours before the debate, CNN changed its Electoral Map. The new estimate shows that Obama now has 277 electoral votes to McCain's 174. To win the White House, a candidate needs 270."

I liked the split screen moments, where we could see one opponent speak while watching the reaction on the face of the other. I liked that.

McCain definitely came off as sarcastic, I can't stand that hissing like tone in his voice at times, nor do I consider it presidential the way he turns nasty and you can almost see that fury bubbling to the top. I have heard of his temper tantrums before, and you can see, even from these debates, that McCain is a hot head. Barack Obama kept his cool, calm temper, while McCain went on the attack, and McCain's snake-like grinning while he tries to tie Obama to terrorism turns me off as a voter. Obama is not connected to terrorists, and to see McCain lie over and over again, makes me never want to see him in politics after this. When is his term up???

Barack Obama did a good job on trying to remain on the issues, on topic, and McCain seemed willing, from the start, to try and dodge an issue but come in with a negative attack. We are tired of this, we want answers to the problems facing America, not more of this political back and forth.

McCain didn't get his knockout, and Barack Obama made him look even worse by sticking to the issues and dodging the negative attacks. In this debate, Obama did the right thing by taking the high road and not being tricked into defending himself against baseless accusations. McCain did bring up Ayers of The Weather Underground, and Obama did the right thing by addressing it, but he did not stick on that topic for long and quickly moved to ACORN, and the next attack McCain tried to deliver. I was proud of Barack's focus, and would be proud to have this man as my President. For the first time in my adult life, I will actually ben not only fond, but proud of the leader of my country. President Obama, I look forward to your leadership.

The people who wanted to see McCain strike and attack, will be happy. Those that like the calm mannered Barack will say he did a great job at withstanding McCain's constant attempts at causing Obama to waste his time defending himself versus stating his position. Obama did a great job at not letting those attacks become the focus of the discussion, and kept pulling the debate back to the economic crisis and what is really facing America.

Off topic, but I wanted to mention this: ExxonMobil was the biggest advertiser for the post debate commercials! Those big meany oil companies and their profits!!! ;)

I thought it was highly amusing, that ExxonMobil came up in the debate, their tax breaks and higher fuel efficient cars. Why? Because this is the company McCain wants to give billions of dollars in tax breaks to. Barack Obama specifically named them in the debate, and their ad was for? None other than, those fuel efficient cars we've been waiting for. However, just as in the documentary Who Killed The Electric car, you can tell how the commercial was made not to promote the idea of hydrogen vehicles or biofuel cars, but to show the schematics for tiny box cars that have no room or power. Ads of this nature have been documented by all car advertisement watchers. I won't go into it further here, this is part of my lifelong study of ads, watch Who Killed The Electric Car to gain a further understanding of that I am talking about here. Researchers compare the commercials made for fuel efficient cars vs Hummers, Titans, and other gas guzzlers. You'll be surprised to see how one vehicle is marketed, while the other commercials have negative messages regarding the vehicle they show, to keep people wanting the gas guzzler and not the "tiny sized" hybrid cars.

In the end, to use a McCain campaign line, Barack Obama won... hands down.

Waterboard Barack Obama

As I sit here, reading the news, awaiting the final Presidential Debate, I felt the need to prove Sean Hannity wrong.

"Nobody in the Republican Party has resorted to overtones of "race and fear" in attacking Obama."

Not only has it been shown that high ranking Republican leaders are training vote recruiters in talking points, to smear Obama claiming he has ties to Osama Bin Laden, we can prove Sean Hannity wrong by simple showing a graphic used by the Republican Party in California, on their official website.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is how the Republicans plan on gaining votes... "Waterboard Barack Obama" ads.



This was used on the official Republican website, although since removed, it shows how far this political party is willing to go to try and make Barack Obama look bad by claiming he has ties to Osama Bin Laden, totally false.

Here is what FoxNews had to say about it...

A California county's Republican Party Web site encouraged readers to "Waterboard Barack Obama" and compared Obama to Usama bin Laden, drawing criticism on Wednesday from Democrats and Republicans in the state.

The Web site of the Sacramento County Republican Party posted five illustrations saying that the terrorist group Hamas supported Obama and that "the only difference between Obama and Osama is BS." Another attacked Michelle Obama, reading, "Hey Obama! Want to see bitter?"

The graphics were removed from the site by Wednesday, after the state GOP urged the local group to take them down.

The state Republican Party learned of the controversial content when it received a phone call from a reporter, said party spokesman Hector Barajas.

"I called the Sacramento county chairman and I had them remove it," Barajas said. "I also noted to them that this is a complete distraction from what we're trying to do, and that's elect John Mccain and Sarah Palin as the next president and vice president of the United States."

I also posted about the GOP leaders in Virginia, equating Obama with Osama, and training vote recruiters to use the talking point that Obama and Osama are friends.

Anyhow, back to the topic of proving Sean Hannity wrong for his comment that no one in the Republican party has resorted to fear or race in this campaign. As you can see that is plainly, not the case.

Official Republican leaders have used racist graphics, as well as, images that promote fear. Not to mention, not only does the "Waterboard Obama" ad insinuate he is connected to Osama Bin Laden, the ad encourages torture against a United States Senator. Before John McCain switched his stance on waterboarding, he was against it. He said it amounted to torture, and American military had no place in torturing people. He has since, flip flopped, changed his policy and believes in torture as a means to gather info. The old McCain would have shunned this type of advertisement, and it shows the length to which these politicians will go to gain a vote during an election.

Even though the "Waterboard Obama" ad has been removed, it still proves that Sean Hannity did a little more than stretch the truth by claiming no one in the Republican party had stooped this low. They have. Here's the proof, Seany Boy.

I would also like to take this time to prove yet another point I have tried to make before. Notice how these racist things happening on the campaign trail, are actually not in the South? Notice how people say "oh the South is so racist." As I look at the electoral maps today, I see Obama is making gains in Southern states, while not suffering the hateful rhetoric he is getting from other states!

The latest hate is in California, not the South! Imagine that...

Seattle Times reports...

The Sacramento Bee asked Craig MacGlashan about the content after seeking his reaction to hate-filled graffiti that was spray-painted over an Obama display on a fence in Sacramento.

In recent weeks, MacGlashan, an attorney, joined local Democratic party officials in condemning vandalism to political displays.

The vandalism to the Obama display appeared to have been done overnight Monday. A racial epithet, profanity, "KKK" and the words "white power" were clearly visible from the roadway. Six of the nine fence panels were defaced.

"What you are describing to me is not free speech, it's vandalism. We don't condone it," MacGlashan said.

Those people spraying "KKK" on signs, and "white power" are nowhere near the South. As a matter of fact, due to population, there are more registered hate groups in California than the southern states combined, believe it. California has more registered race hating groups, than if you combined all the hate groups in the south. And as the news reports, you can see where all the hate is taking place. Not in the South.

Using fear like this in an election campaign in the year 2008, amounts to terrorism in my opinion. Our political climate should be free of these types of advertisements coming directly from the Republican Party. Sure, some wackos will always make racist ads or propaganda, but to have it being shown on Republican party web sites takes it to a whole new level.

You are wrong Sean, your party has in fact, stooped that low.

Obama = Osama Bin Laden

What a very dumb thing to say, or think. You'd have to be a very uneducated person to say such a thing. But, wait. Isn't that what a leader of the Republican Party, a GOP leader, just said? Yes, yes it is. Although, now he wants to say it "was a joke."

Pay attention to how he says it, he is not joking. This was not a joke, nor was it ever intended to be... clear case of smear tactics being used by the Republican party.

In the Washington Post, ...

"It is just the hard facts. It's terrible that it can be said, but it can," Frederick said. "It's shocking. Here is a guy who is one step away from the presidency, who is one step away from being commander in chief, who has a friend who bombed the Pentagon. It's just shocking to me." He added, "And there is no denying that Osama bin Laden had a role in bombing the Pentagon."

Where, in the above, is the injected humor? Where is the funny part? He is making a propaganda statement, and releasing it to the public. This is not just some guy on the street the Mccain campaign can write off, this is a Republican leader.

Anyone with a brain can tell he was not joking, not in the slightest way. That was calculated, worded carefully, and presented to the media.



"Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick heads Virginia's GOP." A real winner.

This incident is just as bad, if not worse, than the Barack Osama ballots being released to voters. However, it serves the same purpose. Fear. To scare voters into voting one way. Barack Obama is not a terrorist. Stop trying to say he is. He is a United States Senator, and this shows how far these people are willing to go to make him look bad, just to win the election. It's been reported, that Frederick stood on top of a folding table, and announced this as the "talking point" to smear Obama. This is what is being told to people before they go door-to-door? Yes...

According to TIME:

With so much at stake, and time running short, Frederick did not feel he had the luxury of subtlety. He climbed atop a folding chair to give 30 campaign volunteers who were about to go canvassing door to door their talking points — for instance, the connection between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden: "Both have friends that bombed the Pentagon," he said. "That is scary." It is also not exactly true — though that distorted reference to Obama's controversial association with William Ayers, a former 60s radical, was enough to get the volunteers stoked. "And he won't salute the flag," one woman added, repeating another myth about Obama. She was quickly topped by a man who called out, "We don't even know where Senator Obama was really born." Actually, we do; it's Hawaii.

At this time, according to the Washington Post, even 40 year Black republicans are taking offense to this type of hatred in the election.

Donald Scoggins, a prominent African-American Republican in Prince William County, has condemned Virginia Republican Party Chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick for comparing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to Osama bin Laden.

Scoggins said he's been involved in the Republican Party for 40 years, but said Frederick's remarks are "totally unacceptable." Scoggins once headed Republicans for Black Empowerment, which sought to recruit more African-Americans Republicans to run for office.

"At this point in time, not just in Virginia, but all over, there needs to be a lowering of the decibel of hatred and that was very much uncalled for," said Scoggins, who has been in touch with other GOP activists and leaders this morning to discuss Frederick's remarks. "For him to equate (Obama) with someone as vile and destructive as bin Laden is just very much beyond the pale."

Americans need to realize, these type of people, harm our politcal climate more than encourage nonpartisan efforts to fix the problems facing this country.

Stop letting these racists scare you into voting for someone. This is terrorism, not politics. Using fear in an election campaign, is no different than using bombs. Wake up people. These GOP leaders want to scare you away from voting Obama because he is a terrorist? Barack Obama is a well respected member of the US Senate. Show some respect.

President Obama

Get used to hearing it, get used to saying it. "President Obama"

Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.

When I first started watching the political race for the presidency, to be honest, I'm not that big on Hillary Clinton. So I wasn't that excited or involved in the race. Then Barack Obama won the nomination... and while I do not want any more Republicans running the country, I'd rather place my vote for someone I believe in and not just to vote against John McCain. What do I mean? Let me elaborate for a moment...

When George Bush was running against John Kerry, I voted Kerry. Not because I liked him. In fact, I didn't. Still don't. But I voted for him anyway. I didn't vote for him, I voted against Bush. This time around, it will be different.

Instead of placing my vote, just so one party doesn't win, I will be voting for someone whom I at least believe is the best choice at this time. I can't stand watching Bush give an interview or a speech, on the other hand, when Barack Obama speaks, he draws me in and I want to hear more of what he has to say.

I want to place my vote for someone I believe in, someone who I feel will help lead this country. I don't want my country to be in such bad shape politically that the only person I can vote for President, is the guy with the less amount of scandal attached to him, or to cast my vote because I don't want the other guy to win. I like Barack Obama, although we obviously differ in some policy ideas, out of the two he is the best for the nation.

I'm not necessarily an "undecided," but I don't consider myself a Democrat, or a Republican, that's for sure. My views put me under the Libertarian umbrella when focused on the issues, but in this election, all I can do is choose between these two. John McCain or Barack Obama? I'm not sure why people feel the need to be Left or Right, this country needs more people in the middle, Centrists, whatever you call em today. Moderates?

Unlike many, I refuse to let religious matters get in my during an election, I do not "practice" any faith, and I exercise my right to remain, godless. I feel too many let religion cloud their judgment, and do more harm in politics than good. But enough on that, back to President Obama.

What other reasons would I vote for Obama?

I'm also tired of the war. Barack Obama says he wants to end it, come up with timeline for withdrawal, and execute the plan. John McCain has been quoted as saying, we will be in Iraq "for at least 100 years." 100 years? No. The American people need to stop these war mongers now. Obama voted against the war when it was started, and John McCain continues to support eh Bush policy of "keep sending troops to Iraq." It's time to stop.

I have, for years now, more than one family member serving in Iraq. Multiple tours of duty, and when you hear them ask questions like "why are we even over there?" It's hard to answer. There is no reason, we need to get out of Iraq.

I also think, Barack Obama will be the one to really help put all the past segregation and inequality questions to rest, finally. If America elects a racially mixed man for President, I really feel not only will America begin to look at itself differently, I feel the world will view us in a new light. Racism and inequality have plagued this country long enough, hopefully, under new leadership, Obama can help bring us together and lead our people into a new era of Freedom in this country. Sure there will still be racists, that's not my point, I am referring to those who are ready to move this land forward, and put their own issues to rest. The past is the past, it is time to go forward. When people born to an interracial family, single mother, can make it to the Oval Office, anything is possible folks. Anything.

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos reports: Going into tonight's third and final presidential debate Barack Obama leads John McCain 53 to 39 percent in support nationally, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll.

Among independent voters -- a crucial voting group in this election -- Obama now leads McCain by 18 points, according to the CBS/Times poll.

Go Obama!

Final Presidential Debate

Tomorrow is the big day, and for many Americans, this has been a much anticipated moment.

The Final Presidential Debate of 2008 is upon us. And remarks, made this week, by John McCain may indicate this could be the most exciting of the debates of this election. McCain has vowed to "whip Barack's you-know-what." How Presidential.



The final presidential debate airs at 9 pm EST, 6 PST. The run time is about 90 minutes, and will be aired on every major network. CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX and CNN etc...

According to Associated Press, and as I've mentioned previously by barack showing leadership on foreclosures, the two candidates will both try and show themselves as a leader in the debate.

Barack Obama and John McCain will both pursue the image of a strong leader in troublesome economic times as they meet Wednesday night for their third and final presidential debate.

Joe Biden says he will be disappointed if John McCain brings up William Ayers.

"In my view, the ads that are being run picturing Barack Obama and people saying 'known terrorist' -- I think that's over the top."

As he continued his two-day bus tour across the Buckeye State stopping at Lisbon's Steel Trolley Diner for lunch, Biden said "Barack Obama was eight years old when this guy Ayers was doing bad things."

Biden said he felt "good" about tomorrow's debate, expressing "total confidence" in Obama.

Biden warned that he would be "disappointed" to see McCain bring up Ayers in Wednesday's third and final debate, though McCain has threatened to do so in response to Obama's suggestion that the Republican candidate doesn't have the guts to raise the issue to his face.

All Obama has to do, Biden says, is "repeat the performance he's had the last two times out."

Biden said the debates have contrasted "a guy who’s confident and steady and a guy who's not quite sure of where he wants to take the country."

Accusations of voter fraud in battleground states are beginning to make the nightly news, and we just await election day. I plan on voting early, and so should you! And make sure you tune in for the final debate of the presidential election 2008.

Vote Obama

Really, it's okay. No one will be in the voting booth with you, no one will know. Follow your conscience, and Vote Obama!

This morning I am reading even more about conservatives and Republicans coming out in support of Obama. But do not allow this to ease the need to get out and vote. Keep the energy up, keep telling your friends to Vote Obama!

Although I disagreed, and often, with William Buckley, he said some things over the years that let me know he was focused on the issues, not just party lines. So here is his son, also conservative, going public with his Obama support. Christopher Buckley deserves as much respect as his father for this type of bipartisanship, when one deals with the issues you can see through the smoke clouds.

As for Senator Obama: He has exhibited throughout a “first-class temperament,” pace Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.’s famous comment about FDR. As for his intellect, well, he’s a Harvard man, though that’s sure as heck no guarantee of anything, these days. Vietnam was brought to you by Harvard and (one or two) Yale men. As for our current adventure in Mesopotamia, consider this lustrous alumni roster. Bush 43: Yale. Rumsfeld: Princeton. Paul Bremer: Yale and Harvard. What do they all have in common? Andover! The best and the brightest.

I’ve read Obama’s books, and they are first-rate. He is that rara avis, the politician who writes his own books. Imagine. He is also a lefty. I am not. I am a small-government conservative who clings tenaciously and old-fashionedly to the idea that one ought to have balanced budgets. On abortion, gay marriage, et al, I’m libertarian. I believe with my sage and epigrammatic friend P.J. O’Rourke that a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take it all away.

But having a first-class temperament and a first-class intellect, President Obama will (I pray, secularly) surely understand that traditional left-politics aren’t going to get us out of this pit we’ve dug for ourselves. If he raises taxes and throws up tariff walls and opens the coffers of the DNC to bribe-money from the special interest groups against whom he has (somewhat disingenuously) railed during the campaign trail, then he will almost certainly reap a whirlwind that will make Katrina look like a balmy summer zephyr.

Obama has in him—I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy “We are the people we have been waiting for” silly rhetoric—the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for.

So, I wish him all the best. We are all in this together. Necessity is the mother of bipartisanship. And so, for the first time in my life, I’ll be pulling the Democratic lever in November.

Wow, it must take a lot of courage to come forward with that, knowing everyone will bring up your dad and your conservatism. This is exactly the type of leader we need in office, someone who can bring us together and focus on the issues, not divisive rhetoric. He even calls him, President Obama. Nice.

Another, respected and well-known conservative to endorse Barack Obama publically, is Christopher Hitchens. He wrote a piece called Vote for Obama recently, too.

"McCain lacks the character and temperament to be president. And Palin is simply a disgrace."

Obama comes across as more presidential, McCain just doesn't appeal that way to most Americans. Obama is igniting hope and energy in the people, McCain is just talking about "deregulation." We need a leader, not four more years of the same failed Bush policy minded folks in office.

William Kristol is another who has called for McCain to "It’s time for John McCain to fire his campaign." As I've said, McCain isn't doing so good lately, and Obama is going to win!

Keep pushing hard for your candidate, and get the word out, Vote Obama! *thumbs up*

Barack Obama Shows Leadership On Foreclosures

This is what I like about Barack Obama, compared to John McCain. At a time when America needs some leadership during this economic crisis, Barack Obama is offering answers, or at least a plan, versus McCain's illusion of a campaign for presidency. McCain is trying to portray himself as "still in the fight," when America wants answers not campaign rhetoric.

From Barack Obama calls for moratorium on mortgage foreclosures

Democrat Barack Obama today called for a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures as part of a package of proposals to deal with the impact of the current economic crisis on voters, while Republican John McCain portrayed himself as a fighter who should not be counted out of the race for president.

That says it all. One opponent offering a plan, the other presenting an image of a fighter who hasn't been knocked out, yet.

With the troubled economy on voters' minds and polls showing Obama widening his lead with three weeks to go before election day, the presidential candidates fought in Ohio and Virginia, must-win states for McCain.

America has its mind on one thing right now, how can I afford the things I want to buy, as well as, keep up with the piling bills.

At a rally here, Obama unveiled four proposals to help people caught in the recent economic meltdown and gyrating stock market.

"We can't wait to help workers and families and communities who are struggling right now -- who don't know if their job or their retirement will be there tomorrow, who don't know if next week's paycheck will cover this month's bills," he told 3,000 supporters in a convention center in this northwest Ohio city. "We need to pass an economic rescue plan for the middle class, and we need to do it not five years from now, not next year; we need to do it right now."

"If Washington can move quickly to pass a rescue plan for our financial system, there's no reason we can't move just as quickly to pass a rescue plan for our middle class that will create jobs and provide relief and help homeowners," he said.

Now that Palin has cleared herself of any wrong doing in Troopergate, we can all sleep tight, casting our votes, and waiting until election day. Don't miss the final Presidential debate. They can also stop calling it a "rescue." we know it's a bailout.

Republicans Try To Punish Their Own

Republicans are trying to censure fellow Republicans who are supporting Senator Mary Landrieu in Louisiana. Landrieu supports Obama!

With more than two dozen prominent Republicans publicly backing incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu over her GOP opponent, state Treasurer John Kennedy, the state Republican Party is considering ways to discipline Republican officials who endorse Democrats, the head of the state party said Saturday.

When high-profile elected Republicans endorse Democrats, it "sends the message that we are not united," state GOP Chairman Roger Villere said. "It confuses the Republican message. . . . We are not looking to punish people, but we don't want this to develop into a trend."

Speaking with reporters after the quarterly meeting of the party's governing body, Villere said several party leaders want to adopt a formal mechanism to censure GOP officials who break with the party's candidates. He said passing a resolution "without teeth" simply to sanction a Republican who backs a Democrat, as party leaders have in the past, "doesn't make sense."

He would not elaborate about possible sanctions.

Any censure resolution or bylaws change, however, likely will have to wait until after this year's elections. The party's board, known as the Republican State Central Committee, is not scheduled to meet again until early next year, though a special meeting can be called sooner.

I watched the Landrieu vs Kennedy debates last night, and the way I saw Kennedy try and tie Mary to Obama was embarrassing. This is what Republicans try, when they have nothing else to stand on.

Several prominent Republicans -- including eight officials elected parishwide in Jefferson, St. Tammany, Plaquemines, St. John the Baptist and Lafourche parishes -- have announced support for Landrieu in the Nov. 4 contest. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain appears in a TV ad for Landrieu.

At least four other major GOP officials from St. Tammany, where Kennedy lives, also have backed Landrieu. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand, another Republican, joined the pack Friday.

Even Sheriff Newell Normand knows what is best!

As I said, the South Will Rise brothers and sisters! Get out and let your friends know, it is okay to vote for Obama in the South. It's time to change the image of the racist South, all these hateful comments at McCain rallies, aren't in the South, we are a peaceful people down here. We love Obama!!!

Send a message to the GOP, vote Democrat or Libertarian down the entire ballot. Let them know we mean business this time around, and will not let them "steal" the election this time!

Anyone else think this is to send a message to Republican voters in the state that voting for Obama is not right? I think it is. Keep up the good fight people. Voting for Obama is what a patriot would do today. Not stand with the same people who have helped the corporations get rich while you can't afford gas prices. Stop believing these Republican lies, and vote for the Middle Class!

Karl Rove: Obama Has The Electoral

Despite the excitement over Americans casting their vote for who they feel is the best President is the United States, the electoral vote is what actually elects the President. So how is Barack Obama doing in the electoral college?

Well, even according to Karl Rove, Barack Obama has the electoral votes to win! All you need is 270.

Republican strategist Karl Rove said over the weekend Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has clearly pulled ahead of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). But Rove also cautioned that the race could still drastically change, just as it has in the last two weeks when news of McCain's suspending his campaign, Congress' financial bailout package and the first presidential debate affected voters' perceptions.

Rove said on Sunday on his website that Obama had reached more than the 270 required electoral votes to win an election. Citing 39 new state polls in the first three days of October, Rove said the freshman Democrat now has 273 electoral votes while McCain has 163 and 102 votes remain in a toss-up.

LA Times has Obama at 277 electoral votes.

National electoral map: McCain gains Indiana while Obama holds 277

Nearly two dozen new state polls in recent days show the Democratic Party ticket headed by Sen. Barack Obama holding strong with 277 hypothetical electoral votes, 7 more than needed for election, but Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have regained traditionally Republican Indiana from the tossup category.

This according to the latest state-by-state poll research compiled by Karl Rove & Co. and published in The Ticket by permission every few days.

With Indiana's 11 electoral votes, the first time since early September that the Republican ticket has gained, McCain-Palin now hold 174 electoral votes while another 87 remain in the tossup category.

Barack Obama is outspending McCain, who is running 100% negative ads right now, that many feel is not helping his campaign.

Couple those factors with a massive spending edge for Obama on television, and it's not hard to understand why the Illinois senator sits above 300 electoral votes for the second week of Fix picks in a row.

And, even this map may undersell Obama's strength somewhat as his heavy advertising in places like Florida, North Carolina and Indiana -- 53 total electoral votes -- have turned all three states into true tossups. If Obama were to sweep those three states, he would stand at 364 electoral votes -- the most since Bill Clinton won re-election over former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole with 379 electoral votes in 1996.

While it is important that people get out and vote on Election Day, it is vitally important for Barack Obama to gain the "electoral vote."

Republicans Getting Scared, Court Obama Voters

Nice, you know things are getting bad when Republicans are starting to worry about their own reelections in parts of America.

The difficulties of the McCain campaign have led some Republican leaders to express concern that he could end up dragging other Republican candidates down to defeat. “If Obama is able to run up big numbers around the country,” said Mr. Anuzis, the Michigan party chairman, “the potential for hurting down-ballot Republicans is very big.”

One sign of that has emerged in Nebraska, where Representative Lee Terry, a Republican, ran a newspaper advertisement featuring words of support for him from a woman identified as an “Obama-Terry voter.”

The only way for things to get done is to finally come together.

After a turbulent week that included disclosures about Gov. Sarah Palin and signs that Senator John McCain was struggling to strike the right tone for his campaign, Republican leaders said Saturday that they were worried Mr. McCain was heading for defeat unless he brought stability to his presidential candidacy and settled on a clear message to counter Senator Barack Obama.

Republican leaders are worried the McCain campaign is heading towards defeat.

Tommy Thompson, a Republican who is a former governor of Wisconsin, said it would be difficult for Mr. McCain to win in his state but not impossible, particularly if he campaigned in conservative Democratic parts of the state. Asked if he was happy with Mr. McCain’s campaign, Mr. Thompson replied, “No,” and he added, “I don’t know who is.”

Many Republicans are unhappy about his recent negative ad attacks, and now at 100% negative ads running. Why?

In Pennsylvania, Robert A. Gleason Jr., the state Republican chairman, said he was concerned that Mr. McCain’s increasingly aggressive tone was not working with moderate voters and women in the important southeastern part of a state that is at the top of Mr. McCain’s must-win list.

“They’re not as susceptible to attack ads,” Mr. Gleason said. “I worry about the southeast. Obama is making inroads.”

Because right now the election is all about undecided voters, and moderate voters aren't responding well to the negative ads. Negative ads are put out so either sides supporters have things to "talk" about. Propaganda if you will. But negative ads don't really work to gain someone's vote.

“The main thing he needs to do,” said Vin Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota, “is focus on a single message — a single, concise or clear-cut message, and stick with that over the next 30 days, regardless of what happens.

“He’s had a lot of attack lines. But it’s time to choose.”

Vote Obama!

McCain going to whip Obama's what?

John McCain keeps saying the derndest thing, dontcha think?

Republican John McCain vowed Sunday to "whip" Democratic rival Barack Obama's "you-know-what" when the two presidential candidates meet Wednesday in their final televised debate.

McCain made that pledge as top advisers said he is weighing new economic proposals to help the nation weather the financial crisis. The Arizona senator refused to answer a reporter's question Sunday about what plans he might be considering.

Addressing several dozen volunteers at his campaign headquarters outside Washington, McCain promised some of his signature "straight talk" about the state of the race. National and many battleground state polls have shown him trailing Obama amid the deepening market crisis.

"We're a couple points down, OK, nationally, but we're right in this game," McCain said to cheers. "The economy has hurt us a little bit in the last week or two, but in the last few days we've seen it come back up because they want experience, they want knowledge and they want vision. We'll give that to America."

McCain said he and running mate Sarah Palin would continue campaigning hard in the three weeks left before Election Day, in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado. The two planned a joint appearance Monday in Virginia, a Republican stronghold turned battleground this time.

"We're going to spend a lot of time and after I whip his you-know-what in this debate, we're going to be going out 24/7," McCain said.

The two men will debate Wednesday at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y. CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer will moderate the 90-minute forum.

Still, McCain promised to run a "respectful" campaign in the weeks to come.

"I respect Senator Obama, we will conduct a respectful race and be sure everyone else does too. But there are stark difference between us," McCain said.

Looking forward to the final Presidential Debate and the election results.

Negative McCain Ads Reach 100% - Even Twitter

I noticed even the John McCain twitter ad in the election category, is negative! I heard that John McCain had stepped up his negative ads to 100% percent, but I didn't believe it until I looked it up.



Even on twitter, he is trying to make Obama "look bad," but not delivering any answers to the problems facing America. The Barack Obama twitter ad, on the other hand, links a positive event, a speech of Joe Biden and others, including Hillary Clinton, about the issues facing this country.

Negative ads will always be part of our political process, or circus. But how effective are they, at a time, when people are struggling, even to keep up with the current gas prices in America?

Joe Biden Speech

Just finished watching the live Joe Biden Change We Need speech from the Barack Obama site. The internet rocks for politics.



I like being able to watch live events and videos from all over the country, covering the election.

Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden stumped in his northeastern Pennsylvania hometown Sunday alongside New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton. (Oct. 12)

UPDATE: AP added this video so I thought I should include it.

McCain Not Doing So Good

Lots of people criticizing, not only McCain, but his campaign, trends in donation spending, and more.

In an article about Florida, Florida Republicans cast blame as McCain trails in polls, I read...

John McCain's plunging poll numbers in Florida have top Republicans second-guessing and starting to distance themselves from the campaign.

For the first time in more than a decade, Florida Republicans are considering the almost unthinkable: Their presidential nominee could lose the state.

The economy, an unpopular president, a strong opponent, and the inability of John McCain to reverse poll numbers despite repeatedly revising his strategy has top state Republicans looking for someone to blame.

When things get rough, the blame game begins.

No Republican has won the White House in modern times without carrying Florida. The last to lose the state was McCain's former colleague, Sen. Bob Dole, in 1996. Some Republicans say the state party hasn't done enough, while others blame McCain's national campaign.

Roger Stone, a longtime McCain supporter, said the state party and the national campaign bear almost equal blame.

''This effort lacks coordination and a cooperative spirit and it's showing,'' Stone said. ``But it's more than mechanics. The campaign has no consistent message.''

Over the summer, the Obama camp spent at least $10 million on Florida television ads -- 4,000 of the spots attacking McCain -- while McCain spent nothing.

The failure by the party and McCain's campaign to respond to an Obama radio ad in Florida that bashed McCain over embryonic stem-cell research was ''a perfect example of them not being on the ball in Florida,'' Stone said, echoing numerous Florida Republicans. But national campaign officials said McCain is within striking distance of Obama in the polls, has ample time to turn things around, and had a winning strategy until Wall Street's crash.

I always like reading about the amount of money being spent on the ads in elections...

Some Florida Republicans are concerned that state donors sent $34 million to McCain's national campaign, while only $14 million has been spent here. Meantime, McCain fruitlessly spent money in Michigan -- where he has now pulled out.

McCain's campaign expects to spend much more as the state becomes more competitive. Obama has boasted that he'll spend $40 million in the state. Moving into the final stretch, Obama spent nearly five times as much as McCain during the first week of October -- $2.9 million to McCain's $623,000, according to Data Source, a market-research firm.

Many have started to question McCain's campaign strategy.

From the start, there have always been two separate but equal questions about race in this election. Is there still enough racism in America to prevent a black man from being elected president no matter what? And, will Republicans play the race card? The jury is out on the first question until Nov. 4. But we now have the unambiguous answer to the second: Yes.

from The Terrorist Barack Hussein Obama

Could the old racial politics still be determinative? I’ve long been skeptical of the incessant press prognostications (and liberal panic) that this election will be decided by racist white men in the Rust Belt. Now even the dimmest bloviators have figured out that Americans are riveted by the color green, not black — as in money, not energy. Voters are looking for a leader who might help rescue them, not a reckless gambler whose lurching responses to the economic meltdown (a campaign “suspension,” a mortgage-buyout stunt that changes daily) are as unhinged as his wanderings around the debate stage.

To see how fast the tide is moving, just look at North Carolina. On July 4 this year — the day that the godfather of modern G.O.P. racial politics, Jesse Helms, died — The Charlotte Observer reported that strategists of both parties agreed Obama’s chances to win the state fell “between slim and none.” Today, as Charlotte reels from the implosion of Wachovia, the McCain-Obama race is a dead heat in North Carolina and Helms’s Republican successor in the Senate, Elizabeth Dole, is looking like a goner.

Americans are tired of the George Bush policies that have gotten us in this mess, and we won't let color of skin get in our way. Go Obama!

“I mean, when people are facing the challenges in their own lives they are facing, no one wants to hear that stuff. It’s dumb,” Ed Rendell Criticizes McCain Attack Strategy

Nailed it. Some have even called for McCain to tone down the hateful rhetoric being spewed at his political rallies across America.

According to Rep. Lewis Has Harsh Words For McCain:

The Georgia congressman wrote that he is “deeply disturbed by the negative tone” of the McCain campaign. He did not offer any examples, but recent press reports have detailed angry and hateful comments from some people attending McCain and Palin rallies. At a townhall meeting Friday afternoon, McCain himself called on supporters to be more respectful, though aides downplayed the effort and said McCain was acting as he always has.

Lewis was harsh in his assessment of the Republican ticket.

“What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse,” he wrote.

He went on to compare the Republican candidates to Wallace, who ran unsuccessfully for president.

“George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama,” Lewis wrote. “As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all.”

And according to Raw Story:

A conservative columnist called McCain's campaign "stupid" for continuing to run attack ads that criticize the character of Democratic opponent Barack Obama when "they haven't worked.

All these are signs that McCain is not doing so good. Let's hope Barack Obama continues to gain in battleground states and wins, not only the Popular Vote, but the Electoral Vote as well!

Coffee, Race, Fear, & Obama

Sunday mornings are the worst for political junkies, for lack of better term, because the news articles repeat, and the stories stay the same until Monday when the mainstream media gets back to work. However, in the blogosphere, on internet forums, chat rooms, even twitter, these things never stop. So I eagerly get up, get the coffee going, and jump on the 'Nets to see what's shaking.

I read this quote about Obama and it got me thinking:

"If he gets elected his brains will very likely decorate the back of whatever stage he's standing on at the time." a guy on a message board.

Is this just wishful thinking from another McCainiac, or is there more to it? Does it have to do with race?

Before I go into it, I will state that, I personally believe it to be more wishful thinking than anything else. But yes, it does have to do with race.

These are the same people shouting "kill him" at McCain events, or saying they are "scared of Obama" on television. I wouldn't call it "racism," but it definitely has to do with race. As McCain even stated, there is no reason to be afraid of Barack Obama. But this is how far his campaign has gone, playing on the fear, the fear of Obama, the fear of a racially mixed man in the White House.

Sure, there are going to be threats against Barack Obama, and especially if he wins the election. But what I see coming out of people's mouths online comes is the result of something deeper within the person. Something they were raised with, something they've felt since they were young. I was raised in the Deep South, I heard the N-word more than anyone growing up, not from my mother, but countless others, and countless times growing up.

As someone who grew up in an interracial family, I can say, these things are more visible to me. I look at what people are saying, and its fear bubbling to the surface, nothing else. The same fear of the Civil Rights years, and same fear being used to divide this country. And all they can do is go online and spread more fear. They have no answers, they have nothing honorable to say. Just more and more "Obama will be shot" thoughts. Listen, we can do without that. If you are not intelligent enough to look past the rhetoric and see that America is finally ready for a change, and all you can do is throw out wishful thoughts about threats against Obama, maybe you need another hobby?

The reason people say these things, is fear. But what I do not understand is, to me, the idea of Barack Obama getting shot, is much scarier to me than having a racially mixed person as president! Is America so unsafe, so hostile, so trigger happy, that even as we get ready to elect our next president, the thoughts are mostly, "will he be shot?" Why aren't we celebrating the fact we have such a great country, where elections like this, are even possible? No, that would be too humane for these monsters. These cowards, these hate mongers.

These people go online and run their mouth about death threats, but you never see them say anything honorable about race or America. You never see them say that an Obama assassination would be bad, do you? No, and that's why I continue to believe it is mostly wishful thinking.

The idea that America still has wackos running around claiming "God and Guns First," and that one of these are the exact type to actually try to hurt Obama, should scare anyone. This, my friends, is terrorism. Anyone who goes around preaching about how "if Obama gets elected, he's gonna be shot" is the terrorist, they are using terror and fear to forward their own agenda, or candidate.

I'm not afraid of a racially mixed man in the White House, but I am afraid America is still so divided, still has a large portion of racists, terrorists, and more. And the fact that they keep a portion of this great nation under siege, that even if the People did elect Obama, some psycho could still come along and take our President from us. That is scary. That is fear.

5 Barack Obama Quotes

Here are five Barack Obama quotes I put together today.



1. "It's easy to rile up a crowd by stoking anger and division," ... "The American people are not looking for someone who will divide this country, they are looking for someone who will lead it" - Barack Obama

2. "Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: 'Eight is enough.'" Barack Obama

3. "I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible." from Barack Obama speech on race

4. " It's the politics that uses religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon, a politics that tells us that we have to think, act and even vote within the confines of the categories that supposedly define us, the assumption that young people are apathetic, the assumption that Republicans won't cross over, the assumption that the wealthy care nothing for the poor and that the poor don't vote, the assumption that African-Americans can't support the white candidate, whites can't support the African-American candidate, blacks and Latinos cannot come together. We are here tonight to say that that is not the America we believe in." from Barack's "Yes we can change" speech

5. "Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America." from Barack Obama's Out of Many speech

The South Will Rise... & Vote Obama

As someone who is living in the South at the moment, although I have lived in California too, I am tired of hearing things like "oh those Southerners, they gonna vote against Obama because he is black." Give it up. There is huge support for Obama in the South, and its ignorant to state otherwise.

So I decided to make this image this morning.

The South Will Rise... And Vote For Obama!



There are lots of supporters in the South who are cheering on Barack Obama, and even though our electoral votes may go to McCain, that doesn't mean the entire South should be ridiculed for the ignorance of others!

Many of us want Obama to win, whether we are white or not, we are pulling for who we think is the best candidate for President of the United States.

If you think McCain is that choice, that is your right, if you support Obama, and you happen to live in the South, that is also your right. Why does it matter what part of the country you live in?

As someone who has lived in California for years and experienced the "liberal West Coast" and then moved back to the Deep South for a couple of years, I know the difference all too well. However, I've met many people who hold progressive and liberal views in the South.

To talk down the south is to show your own ignorance.

Anyhow, I love propaganda. No matter which side you are on. So I took the Confederate Flag (no disrespect to my Rebel Brothers and Sisters) and put Obama's face in the center and created the image above.

To get the best reaction out of someone, it is best to use power symbols in your propaganda. What symbol has created more controversy in this country, aside from the crucifix, than the Confederate battle Flag? Again, I mean absolutely no disrespect to the flag, but this image needed to be created and spread online.

Now I know there are many Southerners who would be appauled at this image. As someone who has had family living in the "South" since before this land was even called the United States, my family came here in the 1600's, I understand the historic value of the Battle Flag. I was raised being told I had family members who indeed fought as Confederates, so my family blood fought under that flag. I also know that the Civil War was more about State Rights, than slavery. But now is not the time to debate that...

Images like the above stir feelings and emotion among some, and cause laughter in others. It's time to put the feelings of the past behind us. It's time to move forward. Time to make the world proud of us again. Some of the worse things in America's history has been done over race, the color of skin, and religion. It's time to stop. It's time to bear no flag. Not even America's flag. Bear the flag of Reason over Division. Carry the flag of Humanity, not Nationality.

Imagine, just for a second, if the South rose up and voted overwhelmingly, for Obama. Can you imagine that? I can.

Get out and vote.

Obama Leads By 10 Points Or More

Depending what poll you look at this morning, it's no doubt though, after all this week's negative ads by McCain, Sarah Palin's abuse of power, and other factors, Obama still remains in the lead in public polls.

Barack Obama has a 51% to 41% lead over John McCain in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking report involving interviewing conducted Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.

Can't wait to see the next debate and if his popularity continues to rise amidst all the negativity from the McCain campaign.

The major news of the day is the economic crisis and its dramatic effect on the world's financial markets, which to some degree drowns out the typical campaign back and forth that characterizes the presidential race at this point. About half of Americans indicate in Gallup's economic tracking measures that they personally had worried about money the day before they were interviewed, underscoring the major impact the economy is having on Americans' lives and the degree to which their presidential choice may be filtered through the prism of economic angst. The next and final presidential debate will be held Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Hofstra University in New York.

I always like to look at the polls before the debates, and compare them to after. This week has been exceptionally rough, but as we move into the next debate and closer to the election, we can only hope for the best!



Not much of an increase since his 9 point lead, but at least it's going up.

According to AP:

Democrat Barack Obama opened a double-digit lead over rival John McCain in a key opinion poll on Saturday while investigators found Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had abused her powers as Alaska governor.

Just over three weeks from the November 4 vote, Obama leads McCain 52 percent to 41 percent among registered voters, according to the latest survey conducted by Newsweek magazine.

A similar poll a month ago showed the two candidates tied at 46 percent.

As many as 86 percent of voters said they were dissatisfied with the way things were going in the United States, and only 10 percent said they were satisfied.

With voters preoccupied by the faltering economy, Obama has broadened his base of support. According to the survey, he now leads McCain among men 54 percent to 40 percent and women 50 percent to 41 percent.

Even those aged over 65, a formerly solid Republican constituency, now back Obama over McCain 49 to 43 percent.

Even former Republicans are turning their support to Barack Obama.

McCain Supporters Are Scared Of Obama

I am afraid too. I am afraid I am going to have to order another Halloween mask. :(

Originally I ordered the John McCain mask, because I thought it was more creepy, and would make for a better "scare" on Halloween this year. But after reading this news article just now, I think I need to order the Barack Obama Mask instead. LOL

According to Wall Street Journal:

At the town hall meeting, one audience member said that he and his wife are expecting a child next year. "Frankly, we're scared. We're scared of an Obama presidency," the questioner said.

Really, I can't do anything except laugh. But the next part is the best.

Sen. McCain replied that of course he hopes that Sen. Obama is not elected but added: "I have to tell you he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared (of) as president of the United States." The crowd replied with a chorus of boo's.

And when another questioner said he could not trust him because "he's an Arab," Sen. McCain replied, "No, ma'am: no ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that's what this campaign's all about. He's not."

It's almost as if the propaganda has worked so good, too good, these people have forgotten that Barack Obama is a citizen of this country, he is a Senator, and he is some radical Muslim who we don't know anything about. Obama has books you can read to find out about his life, and there is no reason to be "scared of him." Geez.

If anyone should be afraid, it's Obama. He is the one getting the death threats, not making them!

At a rally on Wednesday with Sen. McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, someone yelled "off with his head." Later that day, a man at a rally held a sign that read "Obama, Osama." Speakers at events have increasingly been using Sen. Obama's middle name, Hussein. At a Monday event, someone shouted "terrorist!" when Sen. McCain asked rhetorically, "Who is Barack Obama?"

Those are the scary people. Not the U.S. Senator who is leading in the polls, gaining in battleground states, and going to win the Presidency. :)

McCain Priority "Protect Investors"

Protect investors? What about Americans!!!!

Everytime I read another article about John McCain, what he is talking about today, trying to find out his plan for this economic problem facing America, he proves to me he could not be more out of touch with the rest of us paying the current gas prices in America.

Barack Obama has said its time to focus on the people who are really feeling this, not jus the big corporations and companies who are responsible for this mess in the first place. In Ohio yesterday, Barack Obama stated that some Republican strategists have said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "If we don't turn the page and stop talking about this economic disaster, we are going to lose the election." Barack's response to that, is exactly what Americans want to hear, "McCain needs to start worrying about the people who are really losing, losing their house, losing their job, losing their retirements, during this crisis!"

he nailed it! McCain just keeps wanting to help out his investor friends, nothing to do with the rest of America.

McCain spends over $200,000 on maids and "household help" in a year, that is more than most Americans even make in a year. That shows how out of touch he is with the rest of us.

Here is what McCain has been focused on:

John McCain called for suspension of the requirement that retirees must begin liquidating their retirement accounts when they reach age 70 and a half, the latest economic policy rolled out by the Republican presidential candidate.

The Arizona senator announced the plan at a rally Friday morning in La Crosse, Wis. Buried a third of the way through his typical stump speech, McCain said his priority was to “protect investors – especially those relying on their investments for retirement.”

This guy is spending more time talking about things that affect 70 year olds, and not those of us who are still under half that age! What about us?

I know we are all investors, and I know we all have to plan for our retirement, but the only reason McCain is bringing this up is because it affects him. Notice he isn't talking about bringing gas prices down, or talking about ending the war in Iraq, just more and more junk about "investors" and "taxes."

Again, he is only addressing this because he is now over 70, and at 72 he sees a reason to change it.

The campaign’s economic policy director, Doug Holtz-Eakin, said the proposal is a temporary suspension. Holtz-Eakin said that when McCain, who is 72 years old, heard about the requirement to begin liquidating assets, he said, “We should stop that right now.”

We need change, not more of the same. But, at this time in his campaign, all McFail can do is intensify his negative ad campaign against Barack Obama and hope for the best.

McCain Camp Defends Kill Him! Crowd

I have already posted that I have started to view John McCain and Sarah Palin much differently after watching them ignore, although aware of, the hateful comments their supporters are shouting at their political speeches. Chants such as "kill him" when Barack Obama's name is mentioned, or words like "terrorist" or "traitor" and so on.

I feel that if they actually disapproved of such behavior they would have stopped speaking, and corrected the vulgar hecklers. But instead, they either smile or smirk, and look away, and continue their speech. Allowing their supporters to turn into a frenzied mob looking for blood.

In an effort to spin this, McCain's campaign has released statements, defending the supporters, and trying to twist it around to somehow make Barack Obama look bad. How could someone screaming "kill him" about a U.S. Senator, actually be spun to make the Senator look bad?

Here's how they tried... and failed.

McCain's Senior adviser Nicolle Wallace had this to say:

"Barack Obama's assault on our supporters is insulting and unsurprising. These are the same people obama called 'bitter' and attacked for 'clinging to guns' and faith. He fails to understand that people are angry at corrupt practices in Washington and Wall Street and he fails to understand that America's working families are not 'clinging' to anything other than the sincere hope that Washington will be reformed from top to bottom."

"Attacking our supporters is a new low for the campaign that's run more millions of dollars of negative ads than any other in history."

Please keep in mind, McCain's campaign is running way more negative ads than Obama. In fact, lets look at the negative ads.

According to the Chicago Tribune:

Yet McCain has outdone Obama in a negative ad war that has grown personal. McCain, who for some time has portrayed Obama as "dangerously unprepared" for the presidency, is questioning his very character. Obama, for his part, is painting a picture of an over-the-hill rival dwelling in the past.

Since the start, the Wisconsin Advertising Project at the University of Wisconsin at Madison reports that 73 percent of the ads McCain has aired and 61 percent of Obama's have been negative.

Don't you just love the spin? McCain's campaign has been much more negative, anyone who has paid attention to the election can see that.

Let's get back to the "defending McCain supporters."

McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers released this:

“Barack Obama’s attacks on Americans who support John McCain reveal far more about him than they do about John McCain. It is clear that Barack Obama just doesn’t understand regular people and the issues they care about. He dismisses hardworking middle class Americans as clinging to guns and religion, while at the same time attacking average Americans at McCain rallies who are angry at Washington, Wall Street and the status quo."

Grinning ear to ear, on video, while your supporters yell "terrorist" or "kill him" while a United States Senator's name is mentioned in your speeches, should not be defended. It's made America look at McCain and Palin much differently.

Barack Obama in Portsmouth, Ohio

I gotta admit, I enjoy seeing Barack Obama speak to audiences, I wish I could see him in person.

Here's a clip from a rally yesterday in Portsmouth, Ohio.



He talks about stopping at a diner and talking with people, taking pictures with employees and meeting the Republican owner and asking him "how's business?" You gotta see it!

The guy says "his customers can't afford to eat out right now."

Barack Obama is a much better speaker than John McCain. He knows how to talk about what matters to the people. McCain always sounds as if he is a grumpy old man talking down to his grand kids or something. When people hear Barack, they hear change. They see someone who wants to lead. Someone that will finally take this country in a different direction.

Obama does a great job at bringing up the fact that the economic issues facing our country right now is serious and at the top of most American's priorities.

He also very effectively, discusses how the Republican campaign advisers have stated that "if we don't turn the page and stop talking about this financial mess, we're going to lose." Barack takes a jab back, "its the people losing their home, losing their jobs, that McCain should be thinking about, not his campaign!"

Good stuff. Take a look if you have a second.

Obama Spelled Osama On Ballots

Hard to believe this was a "typo" considering the keys "b" and "s" are nowhere near each other on the keyboard.

From the TimesUnion:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's last name is spelled "Osama" on hundreds of absentee ballots mailed out this week to voters in Rensselaer County.

The misspelling, which elections officials on both sides of the aisle insist was simply a typo, is causing embarrassment for the county.

''No question this is an honest mistake innocently done,'' said Edward McDonough, the Democratic commissioner. ''We catch almost everything.''

''This was a typo,'' said Republican Commissioner Larry Bugbee. ''We have three different staff members who proof these things and somehow the typo got by us.''

Is it a Freudian slip, intentional act or a mistake? Voters are sure to have opinions, and one pol pointed out that the letters 's' and 'b' are not exactly keyboard neighbors.

So lemme get this straight, three different people who are supposed to check these things, missed a "typo" as blatant and offensive as "Barack Osama?" And a Republican telling us, it was just a typo. Sure, yeah I believe that! LOL

Officials say the flawed ballots were sent to approximately 300 voters. On row 1A Barack Obama's name is spelled Barack Osama.

Very hard to believe. Then again, not really. :(

So far three people have called to point it out, he said. Those people will get new ballots sent to them.

One Sand Lake resident who caught the misspelling, and who asked to remain anonymous, was skeptical.

''It's a little suspicious and at least grossly incompetent,'' the voter said, wondering ''if I crossed out the name and wrote in the right spelling my ballot would be invalid?"

At least some noticed.

SS Drops Obama Threat Investigation

Well, that didn't last too long.

I sure hope, for Obama's sake, that nothing happens to him. You would think that the Secret Service would do a more thorough investigation regarding someone shouting "kill him" about Senator Barack Obama. But, as it seems, the case has already been dropped, with the person responsible, never being found.

Who was it that screamed "kill him?" What if they are now plotting an attempt on our next President's life? Will the next person who scream it be taken seriously? This is serious stuff, and I am worried that this type of acceptance, when it comes to threats on Obama, will be overlooked from now on.

According to AP:

The US Secret Service has investigated an alleged death threat against Democrat Barack Obama shouted Monday at a rally for his Republican rival John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin, an agency spokesman told AFP Thursday.

The probe by the service that protects US presidents, past and present, visiting world leaders and US presidential candidates, stems from a report by The Washington Post about a shout, "kill him," heard during the rally when Obama's name came up.

The alleged threat was made when Palin was speaking of Obama's relations with former 1960s radical Bill Ayers, whose group "The Weathermen" carried out a series of attacks in protest against the Vietnam War.

"We take every threat very seriously. Every time we receive or are reported information like that, we follow up," said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan.

However, he cautioned that at the McCain rally, "no Secret Service agent overheard any threatening statement and no threatening statements were reported by law enforcement or the general public."

"We did make some inquiries after the Washington Post reported on Tuesday that a someone had yelled 'kill him,'" he added.

What irks me, is no Secret Service heard anything???

Donovan said it wasn't clear whether the threat was actually vocalized or, if so, if it was meant for Obama or even Ayers, both of whose names were uttered by Palin at that moment in her speech.

For those reasons, he added, the investigation was dropped.

Not vocalized? Then how did people hear it then?

I have begun thinking very differently about Sarah Palin and John McCain after this event. I have watched them give their speeches while people shout "kill him" and "terrorist" about Barack Obama, and they stand by and do nothing. How can John McCain sit there and raise questions about his "connections to terrorists" when Obama is a U.S. Senator, this isn't some new guy off the street? Barack has served this country as honorably as McCain has. Obama is not connected to terrorists, and by allowing their hateful mobs to rally and cheer on things like "kill him" at political events, its embarrassing to me, not just as an American, but as a human.

Rednecks For Obama

Some things just make ya proud to be an American.



This picture from Associated Press captures the moment perfectly. Americans in the street, showing their support, holding a "Rednecks for Obama" banner, being greeted by Senator Barack Obama.

When Barack Obama's campaign bus made a swing through Missouri in July, the unlikeliest of supporters were waiting for him -- or rather two of them, holding the banner: "Rednecks for Obama."

In backing the first African-American nominee of a major party for the US presidency, the pair are on a grassroots mission to bridge a cultural gap in the United States and help usher their preferred candidate into the White House.

Tony Viessman, 74, and Les Spencer, 60, got politically active last year when it occurred to them there must be other lower income, rural, beer-drinking, gun-loving, NASCAR race enthusiasts fed up with business as usual in Washington.

Viessman had a red, white and blue "Rednecks for Obama" banner made, and began causing a stir in Missouri, which has emerged as a key battleground in the run-up to the November 4 presidential election.

Being from the South, I grew up seeing a good bit of racism, some of it I will never forget, nor feel the need to go into here. However, when you look at stories like this, and understand that the New South, is not what it once was, you can see that fine thing that makes America what it is. People no matter the skin color, down in the South, learn that we are all in this mess together, and hating each other because of skin color will get you nowhere.

"I didn't expect it would get as much steam and attention as it's gotten," Spencer told AFP on the campus of Washington University in Saint Louis, the state's biggest city and site of last week's vice-presidential debate.

"We believe in him. He's the best person for the job," Viessman, a former state trooper from Rolla, said of Obama, who met the pair briefly on that July day in Union, Missouri.

The candidate bounded off his bus and jogged back towards a roadside crowd to shake hands with the men holding the banner.

"He said 'This is incredible'," Spencer recalled.

It's been an unexpectedly gratifying run, Viessman said.

Rednecks4obama.com claims more than 800,000 online visits. In Denver, Colorado, Viessman and Spencer drew crowds at the Democratic convention, and at Washington University last Thursday they were two of the most popular senior citizens on campus.

"I'm shocked, actually, but excited" that such a demographic would be organizing support for Obama, said student Naia Ferguson, 18, said after hamming it up for pictures behind the banner.

"When most people think 'redneck,' they think conservatives, anti-change, even anti-integration," she said. "But America's changing, breaking stereotypes."

A southern comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, defines the stereotype as a "glorious lack of sophistication".

Philistines or not, he said, most rural southerners are no longer proponents of the Old South's most abhorrent ideology -- racism -- and that workaday issues such as the economy are dominating this year's election.

"We need to build the economy from the bottom up, none of this trickle down business," Spencer said. "Just because you're white and southern don't mean you have to vote Republican."

Stories like this are great and should make us all proud to be American. I do not like reading the stories about hearing people shouting "kill him" or "terrorist" when Barack Obama's name is mentioned, things like this show us the side of humanity that is often loss in the negative campaigning and ads. I do enjoy reading stories showing everyday citizens doing something, getting involved, whatever they can do. That's nice. That's American.

The Rednecks for Obama are definitely winners!

How Can Anyone Still Be Undecided?

Last night was the first time I actually started thinking about people who are "undecided" in regards to the upcoming election. "How can anyone still be undecided?" I thought. And it still has me pondering. So I started to look up some articles about these undecided voters to see if I could understand why they are still debating which side to vote for.

Some undecided voters are leaning toward Obama.

With disgust dripping from his voice, Mr. Sullivan read aloud a story on page 4B of USA Today about how AIG agents had spent $443,000 on a week-long retreat at a California resort six days after the government bailed them out. When he came to the part about Joseph Cassano, the head of AIG’s finance division, taking home $34 million and then being placed on a $1 million-a-month consulting retainer in February, he smacked the paper.

“They should have had these CEOs in handcuffs yesterday,” he said looking at the accompanying photograph of two former AIG CEOs taking an oath before testifying to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “I would have liked to have heard someone say ‘Bailiff, bring the shackles.’ I want outrage, I want heads to roll.”

Mr. Sullivan does not believe either Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain is forceful enough to lead the country out of its current economic morass but he is increasingly convinced Sen. McCain is too tied to the special interests in Washington to be given a chance try.

I can understand the frustration this guy feels. All Americans should be upset about this type of stuff. McCain even corrected someone during the second presidential debates for calling it a "bailout," he said he calls it a "rescue." A fine example of how McCain is "out of touch" with ordinary Americans. Americans feels the way Mr. Sullivan does, not the way McCain does.

Watching the debate Tuesday night Mr. Sullivan said he was angered by what he saw as Sen. McCain’s vague promises.

“He said ‘I know how to get America working again,’ but he never said how,” Mr. Sullivan said. “Two weeks ago he said our economy was fundamentally strong, well that tells me for a man who is supposed to be in the middle of the action, his head is in the sand.”

When the debate switched topics to foreign policy, Mr. Sullivan’s interest waned.

“Our house is on fire here, I don’t have time to cut my neighbor’s grass,” he said. “We need a strong domestic economy before we can fix the rest of the world.”

Everyday citizens are worried more about gas prices in America, than about foreign policy.

“There is something fundamentally wrong with our system when I go to my local grocery store and the apples there are from China,” Mr. Sullivan said.

“I’m conservative, I don’t want to see the Democrats get into power and spend like drunken sailors, but the pendulum has swung too far to the right. It needs to be brought back.”

I think many, many, many of us feel the same way right now. Some voters say after the debates, neither candidate "delivered" or "got angry enough."

Are you undecided? If so, please tell me why.

Michelle Obama On Larry King Live

I was not able to watch Larry King Live last night with Michelle Obama, but thankfully the Internet allows me to watch the video this morning! If you haven't seen it, here it is... Michelle Obama on Larry King Live.



It's amazing at how much more intelligent she sounds when compared to Sarah Palin or Cindy McCain. Cindy McCain looks and sounds like she is on Vicodins and can barely stand up half the time, and Sarah Palin's Canadian accent gets under my skin. But Michelle Obama talks eloquently, and comes of as a warm and friendly person.

According to NY Times political blog, Michelle Obama is turning the other cheek to the sharp attacks on her husband, Senator Barack Obama, from Senator John McCain, his wife, Cindy, and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin.

No matter who wins the election, Mrs. Obama said, there should be no hard feelings.

“You can’t tear up the game so much so that, you know, you don’t leave people something to come back to,” she said. “You know, we’re going to need John McCain, we’re going to need Cindy McCain, we’re going to need independents and Republicans working hard to fix this crisis.”

Mrs. Obama also dismissed a suggestion from Mr. King that voters might vote against her husband on racial grounds. She said she did not believe in the so-called Bradley effect, which occurred in 1982, when voters told pollsters they would vote for Tom Bradley, a black man, for governor of California but then did not do so.

“If there was going to be a Bradley effect,” she said, Mr. Obama would not have won the nomination. Besides, she said, the Bradley episode was “several decades ago, and there’s been growth and movement.”

“Now, there will be people who will never vote for Barack Obama,” she said. “But there will be people who will never vote for John McCain either.”

She added: “I just believe that the issues are going to weigh in people’s hearts more so as they go into the voting booths this time around, than anything else.”

When I watch Sarah Palin speak, I almost have to bite my tongue, but I could listen to Michelle Obama go on for an hour and not feel bored... she did a great job on Larry King last night. She showed herself as a true American, and a winner. Not once does she get negative, not once does she lose her tact and charm. She is a class act, and would make a great First Lady. Congrats.

The world is watching and waiting for this great moment in history when America elects Barack Obama for president of the United States!

After Second Presidential Debate

Here's a brief look at some of the things that have happened after the Second Presidential Debate last night. Oddly enough, quite a few things have happened...

While clicking around on political sites and blogs today, I noticed a lot of Barack Obama ads, and I thought to myself, "he must be spending a lot on those." Well, I clicked around a little more and then I found this blog entry on a WSJ blog: Obama’s Big Day: $3.3 Million Spent on TV Ads

Barack Obama spent $3.3 million on TV ads on Monday alone—a remarkable one-day expenditure that more than doubled rival John McCain’s spending that day, according to the ad tracking firm, Campaign Media Analysis Group.

The Obama campaign has been ratcheting up its ad spending over the last month, increasing it by about 20% per week.

Wow, nice strategy, and very impressive.

In addition to referring to Americans as "my fellow prisoners" today, Cindy McCain also jumped into the negative campaign fun and had her own moment.

Cindy McCain got in on the attack action Wednesday while introducing her husband, Republican presidential nominee John McCain, at a rally here.

The mother of four, including two sons in the military, challenged Democrat Barack Obama to “change shoes” for a day. “The day that Sen. Obama decided to cast a vote to not fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body,” she said

McCain’s charge is based on a single vote Obama cast as a senator. Factcheck.org called the claim “misleading” based on the fact that Obama voted in favor of troop funding on 10 different occasions. The only time he voted against it was a vote in which President Bush vetoed a version that included a date for withdrawal.

So by that logic, George Bush is actually the one to blame for not funding her son. Barack Obama has voted 10 times to fund the troops!

Hey! Remember that Sarah Palin email hacker that busted Palin's use of multiple Yahoo accounts for government business? Well, he pleaded not guilty today.

Today, David Kernell, son of Mike Kernell, chairman of Tennessee’s House Government Operations Committee, pleaded not guilty in federal to charges that he intentionally accessed Palin’s e-mail account without authorization. He was charged under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

It's been an eventful day in politics so far, and it's not over yet! Let's see if anything else happens today/tonight. But what could top the "Kill Him" scandal?

After the debate last night, I really hope the final one is the best!

Secret Service Investigating Kill Him Shouting

Having just blogged about the Sarah Palin "Kill Him" rally scandal, I wanted to dig up a little more info on the subject.



This image is not intended to be humorous, I believe that when you actually see the words in an image, it sinks in exactly how hateful and real they are. Sarah Palin could have stopped herself and identified whoever it was that was screaming "kill him" about Barack Obama, and did not. Instead she kept on talking and said, "Boy, you guys just get it."

When you put those two quotes side by side, you can see how much of a threat these type of people are to freedom in America.

No one on either side of the aisle should want to see Barack Obama shot, and if that happened I don't think America would ever recover from the image of a nation so racist they shot the first racially mixed man running for Pres.

I am also glad to read that the Secret Service, according to RadarOnline, has started an investigation...

The Secret Service is following up on media reports today that someone in the crowd at a McCain/Palin event suggested killing Barack Obama, according to Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley. The shout of "kill him" followed a Sarah Palin rant on Obama's relationship with radical Chicagoan Bill Ayers.

Wiley says the Secret Service did not begin looking into the matter until press reports, namely Dana Milbank's article in the Washington Post, surfaced today, because no agents at the event heard anything. "The Secret Service did not hear any threatening statements directed at targets under its protection and no threatening statements were reported to us by law enforcement or citizens at the event," Wiley told Radar. Also unclear: whether the remark was directed at Obama or Ayers if the words were actually "kill" and "him."

If you don't take things like this serious, where do you draw the line?

McCain Supporters Threaten To Kill Obama

Under any normal circumstances, uttering the words "kill him" towards a Senator and especially someone running for president would be greeted by Secret Service members or at least Homeland Security. However, what we see from the John McCain campaign is exactly the opposite.

During a Sarah Palin speech, McCain supporters began screaming racial obscenities towards a black camera operator, and even "kill him" when she mentioned Barack Obama by name.

Although it is hard to make out, here is a video of the "kill him" rally:



According to The nation...

Sarah Palin was on the verge of inciting a race riot in northern Florida yesterday. At her rallies, the Republican faithful hurled a racial epitaph at a black sound man, and screamed "kill him" and "treason!" at Barack Obama.

"Boy, you guys just get it!" Palin responded. This reaction, presumably, was what Palin had in mind when she urged John McCain to "take the gloves off."

As a concerned citizen, I demand the Secret Service and whoever else needs to be involved, do some investigating and find out who exactly it was screaming "kill him" about a United States Senator and presidential hopeful, Barack Obama.

Here is a video of McCain supporters shouting "terrorist" when asked "Who is the real Obama?"



Notice McCain just smiles and does not correct this? I would not be surprised to find out if the person screaming "terrorist" was actually involved in the campaign to be honest at this point. McCain should have stopped his speech and corrected the heckler, instead he smiled and continued on. Eerily as if expecting it and knowing it was coming.

Like him or hate him, Barack Obama is a US Senator and is protected by Secret Service, no one in America should be screaming 'kill him" when his name is mentioned. This should be taken as a serious threat and should be investigated.

Key Moments In Last Night's Debate

Last night was the second presidential debate of 2008, and there is only one more remaining.

What I want to do is grab some quotes from various news articles this morning and point out some good moments in the debate:

A couple of things I noticed right off the bat, he did not mention Sarah Palin a single time, nor did he bring up William Ayers, as I predicted he would not. Had McCain mentioned William Ayers, the Keating Five would've been brought to light in front of millions watching! So McCain chose the coward route and kept his mouth shut.

According to NY Times...

John McCain on Alternative Fuels

Obama appeared well-prepared to parry Mr. McCain’s criticisms, matching him statistic for statistic as they argued over domestic and foreign policy.

“Senator McCain and I actually agree on something,” Mr. Obama said. “He said a while back that the big problem with energy is that for the last 30 years politicians in Washington haven’t done anything. What McCain doesn’t mention is he’s been there 26 of them and during that time he voted 23 times against alternative fuels.”

McCain constantly tries to cast himself as someone who supports alternative fuels, but his record speaks the truth. McCain has voted against alternative fuels throughout his entire career.


McCain stated Obama spoke too loudly when talking about taking out targets in Pakistan...

At another point, Mr. McCain criticized Mr. Obama as saying he would speak, without preconditions, to the leaders of countries like Pakistan, quoting Theodore Roosevelt — at first incorrectly — explaining the way he would deal with leaders of foes.

“You know, my hero is a guy named Teddy Roosevelt,” he said. “Teddy Roosevelt used to say walk softly — talk softly, but carry a big stick. Senator Obama likes to talk loudly.”

“Senator McCain suggests that somehow, you know, I’m green behind the ears and, you know, I’m just spouting off, and he’s somber and responsible,” he said. “Senator McCain, this is the guy who sang, ‘Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran,’ who called for the annihilation of North Korea. That I don’t think is an example of ‘speaking softly.’ ”

You could actually see McCain facial expression go from smiling to a more somber tone as Obama jabbed back effectively.

McCain tried to link Barack Obama to the current financial mess in America

Mr. McCain sought to blame Mr. Obama for the crisis in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac housing agencies, saying that Mr. Obama “and his cronies” had failed to speak out when the organizations began making the risky loans that he argued were at the heart of the financial crisis.

“Fannie and Freddie were the catalyst, the match that started this forest fire,” he said. “There were some who stood up against it. There were others who took a hike.”

Mr. Obama nodded disapprovingly. “Now, I’ve got to correct a little bit of Senator McCain’s history, not surprisingly,” he said “Let’s, first of all, understand that the biggest problem in this whole process was the deregulation of the financial system.

“Senator McCain, as recently as March, bragged about the fact that he is a deregulator.”

This should not be overlooked, McCain's deregulation is what helped the Keating Five scandal continue for years after it should have been stopped, and his deregulation attitude is exactly what has helped fan the flames of the current financial crisis in America.

From Washington Post Blog...

When asked if health care is a right or responsibility

One moment struck me as particularly unfortunate for McCain: When Tom Brokaw asked whether health care was a privilege, a responsibility or a right. McCain said it was a responsibility, but left unclear whose responsibility it might be. Obama said he believed it should be a right, and talked about how his mother, who died of cancer at 53, had to spend the last months of her life arguing with insurance companies. Pretty powerful, I thought.

As usual though, not much of a debate. The structure won't allow for one, and even when you could tell one of the opponents wanted to continue, time limis and no follow up questions continue to make these "debates" look more and more scripted. Full of rehearsed one liners and talking points and no real substance. Despite those feelings, I think Barack Obama Won Again.

Hopefully the final debate will be the big finale!

Barack Obama Won Again

Face it, you can't debate it. Barack Obama won again tonight.

I think it was more than obvious that often John Mccain kept using his same distortions as fact. Such as trying to twist Obama's comment about attacking Osama Bin Laden if he were in Pakistan and the government there was unwilling or unable to deliver him, should we take him out?

McCain sought to make it sound as if Obama wanted to attack Pakistan and not just the terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

That's just one example, but enough about McCain, let's talk about the man who did a great job at delivering his points instead of a plea for presidency.

What I saw in Barack Obama was someone who was ready to lead, who cares about America's reputation among the world, and a genuine patriot.

There were a few times where I wanted him to attack and I applauded Obama's insistence to do a follow up retort to McCain's mud slinging regarding the Osama-in-Pakistan comment. However I did cheer out loud when McCain was served and owned on that forced follow up...

McCain wanted to paint Obama as "talking too loud" about what he would do in regards to military force, he even cited Teddy Roosevelt about "talking softly but carry a big stick."

Well, Barack Obama responded with a great reply like, "John, aren't you the guy who was just singing Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Iran?" He did a great job at showing how McCain will condemn Obama while consistently doing something even worse.

McCain talked a lot about "cronyism," but it is his cronyism like with the Keating Five that got us into the financial mess we are in right now.

America needs change and we need to put an end to the Republican policies that McCain has voted alongside Bush and supported.

I also get tired of hearing John McCain cheerleader for "lots of nuclear power plants" even saying "build a bunch of em, they are safe and clean." Is this guy going senile already?? We need energy independence in this country, but we don't need to destroy our land with nuclear reactors and nowhere to put spent fuel that will contaminate our rivers and be around for 10,000 years.

I also thought it was hilarious that McCain mentioned eBay and how many people are doing business on the site, but he left out the fact that eBay has just laid off 1,000 employees... this really shows how out of touch he is with the rest of us. Why? One of his advisers is ex eBay executive Meg Whitman. The people at the top are doing great, but the people who just lost their job aren't doing so well, but McCain will try and make it look like eBay is doing great and everyone is happy. Not the 1,000 who just got laid off.

I watched the second Presidential Debate tonight, and I think Barack Obama won.

Republicans Pay "Terrorist" To Speak At School?

When Sarah Palin accused Barack Obama of being pals with terrorists, I bet she had not thought the comment out too far. In a classic retort to such hateful association attempts, Obama's brilliant campaign has sought to bring to light the fact that Republicans may have actually paid William Ayers (the guy they claim Obama is friends with) to speak at the University of South Carolina.

According to an article I just read from the Associated Press...

Barack Obama's campaign is citing the University of South Carolina's speaking invitations to William Ayers and Republican Gov. Mark Sanford's role as school trustee to counter GOP efforts to link the presidential candidate to the 1960s radical.

The governor dismissed the effort as "totally bogus" and said he never heard of Ayers.

If Republicans really consider Ayers a terrorist, why is this school paying him to fly there and speak? Wouldn't that mean Republican Governor Mark Sanford is in fact, "paying terrorists to speak at a school?" And, according to Palin's logic, "pallin' around with terrorists?"

In an e-mail to reporters, the Obama campaign said Ayers is a "distinguished scholar" at the University of South Carolina, where Sanford serves as the ex-officio trustee while governor.

"By Governor Palin's standards, that means Governor Sanford shares Ayers' views," the e-mail read.

Something tells me if John McCain even hints to this in the debate tonight, it could be the breaking point where one of the opponents must overcome the other verbally or lose control and get "erratic" the way McCain has been since the current financial crisis.

the campaign did not back down, saying the connection in both cases is equally tenuous.

"The point is that by Sarah Palin's logic, serving on a board with someone establishes an association with them," said campaign spokeswoman Melanie Roussell. "Obama has served on the board but did not have a relationship with William Ayers. He only met him a few times.

"If her logic is to stand, it could be said that Gov. Sanford has been palling around with William Ayers," she continued.

I would say, paying a "terrorist" to speak at your school would make you more of a pal to a terrorist than being 8 years old and having no connections to Ayers while he was committing crimes.

When will the Republicans ever learn that this stuff will only backfire on them?

Obama 9 Point Lead Before Debate

I wanted to see what the polls were looking like before the Second Presidential Debate even begins tonight. Right now, from a Gallup poll taken over the last few days, Barack Obama has a nine point lead over John McCain.

The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking poll shows registered voters preferring Barack Obama to John McCain for president by 51% to 42%.

This is an increase over his recent 5 point lead I posted about during the last presidential debate.

The nine percentage point lead in Oct. 4-6 tracking matches Obama's highest to date for the campaign, and the highest for either candidate. Obama led McCain by 49% to 40% near the tail end of his international trip in late July.

Obama has now held a statistically significant lead since Sept. 24-26 polling and has not trailed McCain since Sept. 13-15, roughly coinciding with the intensification of the financial crisis.

I'd like to wish both candidates luck at this time, and I must be honest, I cannot wait to see this go down!

I wanted to document the polls before, as well as, after the debates to compare Barack's popularity as it either increases or decreases after the debate tonight.

Obama Gains In 5 Battleground States

According to CNN, Barack Obama is gaining in five battleground states. Hopefully after he does a good job in the Presidential Debate tonight, his popularity will continue to rise.

Polls in five key battleground states in the race for the White House released Tuesday suggest that Sen. Barack Obama is making major gains.

The CNN/Time magazine/Opinion Research Corp. polls of likely voters in Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin reflect a significant nationwide shift toward the Democratic presidential nominee.

Obama has made significant strides in New Hampshire, the state credited with reviving Sen. John McCain's Republican primary campaign in both 2000 and 2008.

Fifty-three percent of New Hampshire's likely voters are backing Obama, while 45 percent are supporting McCain. Obama held a lead of 5 percentage points in the last CNN New Hampshire poll, taken in early September.

Four years ago, Sen. John Kerry narrowly carried New Hampshire -- a one-time GOP stronghold. George W. Bush squeezed out a slender win by 1 percentage point in 2000.

Areas that once belonged to George Bush and the Republicans, are now voting in support of Barack Obama!

In North Carolina, the two major party nominees are locked in a dead heat, with McCain and Obama each claiming the support of 49 percent of likely voters.

"Obama's strongest region is in the Raleigh/Durham area," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director. "McCain does best in Charlotte and the surrounding counties."

In Wisconsin, which hasn't voted Republican since 1984, Obama is holding a 51 percent to 46 percent lead among likely voters.

"Obama continues to maintain a 'home field advantage' in the southern Wisconsin counties that border Illinois," Holland said. "He has nearly a 30-point lead in the city of Milwaukee, although he loses the Milwaukee suburbs by nearly as large a margin."

CNN is shifting North Carolina from leaning toward McCain to a tossup. CNN is moving Wisconsin and its 10 electoral votes, and New Hampshire and its four electoral votes, from tossup to leaning toward Obama.

Finally, CNN is switching Michigan and its 17 electoral votes from leaning toward Obama to safe for Obama. The McCain campaign announced last week that it was shifting its resources out of the once hotly contested industrial state, instead intensifying efforts in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

With these moves, CNN estimates that if the presidential election were held today, Obama would win states with 264 electoral votes and McCain would carry states with 174 electoral votes, with 100 electoral votes still up for grabs. To win the White House, 270 electoral votes are needed.

Tune in to the debate tonight and see history being written.

Second Presidential Debate

The second Presidential Debate of 2008 is tonight at 9 PM EST and will be televised from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., according to the Commission on Presidential Debates.



The candidates will debate in a town meeting forum, answering questions from the audience and the Internet.

With the excitement of this Presidential Election building, are you going to watch the debate tonight?

After tonight, there is only one more Presidential Debate before the election.

The next Presidential Debate is scheduled for Oct. 15 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

Palin Terrorist Comment Backfiring On Campaign

Sarah Palin's recent claim that Obama is friendly with terrorists may be the beginning of the end for the McCain campaign. Americans are tired of this type of gutter politics... Obama is not friends with terrorists, and as the Associated Press has said...

By claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering campaign.

And though she may have scored a political hit each time, her attack was unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret.

Let's get to the facts here... Obama was a child when these events occured and he had no connection to the people who perpetrated them...

But Palin's reference questions Obama's associations and thereby his character. And her context is inaccurate.

She is referring to Obama's relationship with William Ayers, a member of the Vietnam-era Weather Underground, was exaggerated at best if not outright false. No evidence shows they were "pals" or even close when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a political event for Obama early in his career.

Obama, who was a child when the Weathermen were planting bombs, has denounced Ayers' radical views and actions.

Therefore, Palin's about how he is pals with terrorists is so far off base that it is a blatant lie, not just a distortion of facts.

Most Americans are tired of this type of behavior coming from our elected officials trying to use fear and terrorism as divisive campaign tactics.

Obama Not Connected To Terrorists

McCain and Palin have decided to step things up and make their last month of campaigning nasty, aggressive, and generally what is called "gutter politics."

Reuters has said...

"There is a time when it's necessary to take the gloves off and that time is right now," Palin told thousands of supporters at a rally in a sports arena in Carson, California.

Earlier at a fundraiser in Englewood, Colorado, she departed from her usual speech to question Obama's character.

"Our opponent though is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough that he is palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," Palin said of Obama, also calling him an embarrassment.

Her use of words like "palling" instead of "friendly" clearly means this is a calculated and thought out quote being used to further the idea that Obama is somehow connected to terrorists. This man is a Senator and has worked for this country his entire career, Palin's connection him to terrorists is very negative and definitely gutter politics.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin accused Democratic candidate Barack Obama on Saturday of "palling around with terrorists," marking a shift to a nastier tone in the White House race.

The remark was dismissed by Obama as "gutter politics" but appeared to reflect an effort by Sen. John McCain's campaign to target Obama's judgment as the Illinois senator solidifies his national lead and gains an edge in vital battleground states a month before the November 4 election.

It came shortly after McCain's campaign called Obama a liar and just days after both candidates urged Congress to set aside partisan politics to pass a $700 billion financial rescue package in a bid to revive credit markets.

The tougher tone comes as McCain struggles to move the theme of the election away from the economy, an issue that has helped Obama build leads in key states, including several won by Republicans in the last presidential election in 2004.

Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said, "Today, the McCain-Palin team took their discredited, dishonorable campaign one desperate step further, announcing that they were going to try 'turning a page on this financial crisis' and launching more personal attacks on Senator Obama."

"Instead of offering solutions for working Americans and families struggling through a failing economy, they have offered more gutter politics and false attacks," he said in a statement.

First off, the same article Palin used to say Obama is "friendly with terrorists," concluded he has no ties or connections to ANY TERRORIST. But does that stop Sarah Palin from claiming the opposite? Of course not... when you have nothing else to hold on to as you are falling, you can always call your opponent a friend to terrorists. This is fear mongering and definitely not worthy of a Presidential Election campaign.

Again, the article Sarah Palin used as "proof" of terrorist connections, concluded he in fact, had none...

Palin cited a New York Times story on Saturday that examined Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers, a former member of the Vietnam War-era militant Weather Underground organization who is now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Times concluded they were not close.

Palin is clearly trying to spread lies as truth and scare the American public away from voting for Obama based on phony terrorist allegations.

Presidential Debate Schedule 2008

There are many people out there who do not know when the Presidential Debates are on.



Each debate begins at 9pm EST, 6 PST. Run time 90 minutes. The debates will be aired on every major network such as CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX. Of course you can see them on CNN, MSNBC and other cable network news channels.

September 26, 2008: Obama/McCain debate at University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

October 2, 2008: Palin / Biden Vice Presidential debate at Washington University, St. Louis, MO

October 7, 2008: Presidential debate in town hall format takes place at Belmont University, Nashville, TN - Submit a Question

October 15, 2008: Presidential debate taking place at Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

Be sure to tune in and see how your candidate feels about certain issues facing America today.

Now what? After the VP debate

Now that the smoke has cleared, the excitement and anticipation depleted, now what?

We know Sarah Palin can hold her own in a structured format of debate which doesn't allow for much interaction between candidates for vice president. We know Palin knows how to win a crowd, but what will she and her party do that will differ from the last eight years we've had with George Bush. We also know that the McCain campaign's attempt at smearing Gwen Ifill prior to the debate, was a sad ploy of worried political strategists trying to invoke intimidation into the process. Gwen Ifill did an excellent job at moderating the event, and showed absolutely no bias.

Listen folks, we need change, we need something new. Someone who will lead instead of follow the same game plan that has gotten us eight years of failure. McCain has voted over 90% of the time right along side Bush and all his policies. He supported and has no end in sight for the War in Iraq, and has admitted his own lack of knowledge when it comes to economics. Iraq is costing us $10 Billion dollars per month, while Iraq has over 80 Billion in the bank! Let them pay for their own "liberation." We've lost like 4,000 soldiers as of right now...

Constantly trying to paint herself as "like the rest of Americans" will backfire on Palin. One thing that annoys me is when someone like Sarah Palin tries to claim she is anything that resembles a "hockey mom." Compare the size of her house to yours, calculate how many days of the week her husband actually "works" and isn't riding around town with her in big tax payer owned SUVs burning up $4 a gallon gas. She wouldn't wanna be in the same shoes as the rest of America if her life depended on it.

At this time in our nation's history we do not need the "mom next door" running this country. We need someone who understands foreign policy, the threat of terror, economics, and a wide variety of complex issues that many feel Palin is out of her league in regards to what would be expected of her should the aging John McCain have a heart attack or something. It worries me, that presenting Palin as "the everyday mom" is the Republicans focus. It should worry all Americans. We need and deserve more than that.



Sarah "I can see Russia from my house" Palin is nothing like the rest of America. She is connected to the Big Oil companies that are squeezing out every nickel and dime they can out of the American people. In fact, no other Governor in America is so connected to the oil companies. McCain and Palin plan on reducing taxes for these very companies that are making record profits, meanwhile normal everyday American people can barely afford to put in $30 at the gas pump, let alone fill up.

I promise you, Sarah Palin, does not have to worry about filling up her gas tank. Her gas is most likely continuously paid for by the tax payers in America. She rides around on the taxpayers dime, and is as out of touch with American's as "I can only count up to 7 when it comes to how many houses I own" McCain.

McCain is not like Americans either. This guy flies around on his own corporate jet, he has never ran his own business, he has lived off the tax payer dime since he was born (not in this country.) Yes, McCain was not born in the US, he was born in the Panama Canal Zone which was never considered a part of the United States. Some even question his "natural born citizen" status, having never been born on U.S. soil, he may be a citizen, but not "natural born." McCain was born into a family living off the taxpayer, and lived a privileged life, never really having to stand on his own. Ultimately he was shot down in Vietnam after only 20 hours of combat time, and this one event is what is used most effectively in his campaign.

We all know John McCain served in Vietnam, I have an uncle who fought in 'Nam and spent a lot more time in combat than John McCain did, but what does that mean in regards to running America? McCain has no real plan for America, and is out of touch with those of us who actually have to pay bills and share finance with our wife or husband. McCain is in a prenuptial agreement, and married into his wealth. His name isn't on anything he owns, and both he and his wife owe their entire fortune to her father who is a large distributor of Budweiser.

Listen, we cannot afford another four more years of the same. McCain just wants to sell as much beer as he can, cut taxes for the rich and wealthy, and continue to siphon revenue out of every pocket in America by being "in bed with the oil companies" of his running mate Sarah Palin.

We need a change, and even though I am not a Democrat, I will vote for Barack Obama to help assist that change of direction in this country.

Barack Obama Mask

While I am sitting here waiting for the vice presidential debate tonight between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, I started looking for Halloween masks since it is October and my favorite holiday is coming!

Look what I found, the Barack Obama Mask.



While obviously not "scary" like the John McCain mask, the Barack Obama Costume Mask could make a great addition to anyone's political mask collection!

Learn more about Senator Barack Obama as he makes his bid for the Presidency in 2008.

If you want one, you can order your Barack Obama Mask here.

McCain's Blame Game

We all know politics is sometimes the art of saying one thing and doing another, but nowhere is that fact more prevalent than in John McCain's call for no finger pointing during the current financial crisis, while pointing the finger at Barack Obama and blaming him for it.

McCain's latest ad even claims Democrats and Senator Barack Obama are to blame for blocking reforms that would have stopped the financial crisis from happening! But he wants the world to believe he is not casting blame on anyone. He has formally denied any blame game, however interviews illustrate this falsehood blatantly. Using his own words against him, reporter after reporter has shown he uses blame in many of his ads and speeches, and in the same paragraph will point the finger and cast blame on anyone except the actual people who helped cause the financial crisis, the banks, the people who fought for less regulation of financial institutions and policies.



McCain has proven himself to be quite the flip flopper during this campaign. Often saying one thing and doing another, or in this case, hypocrisy of placing blame on your opponent for doing exactly what you are in fact doing. The McCain Blame Game started long ago, and he uses it to great effect in the media, however reporters are pointing out his lies as the election continues.

McCain has also tried to use his "campaign suspension" to his advantage, when many in government feel his efforts actually slowed down and hindered the process. Again, in the same breath trying to paint himself as someone who was assisting the bailout effort, while in fact hindering it and aiming to cast blame on Barack Obama.

“He certainly did nothing for the first few days," McCain added. "I suspended my campaign, took our ads down, came back to Washington, met with the House folks and got on the phone, and also had face-to-face meetings.”

Let's not forget he cancelled his David Letterman interview to "catch a plane to Washington," but was in fact just a few blocks away having makeup put on to do another interview, and was actually not on his way to the nation's capitol.

McCain began introducing partisanship into the process of government as soon as he "suspended his campaign." That effort alone hindered and slowed down the actual work being done on negotiating the bill. "More harm than good" comes to mind. He sought to dominate news coverage, and in the end it backfired on him and made Barack Obama look good for wanting to continue the first Presidential Debate rather than avoid it.

One thing he cannot deny is Obama's recent surge in popularity and approval ratings in the polls. And McCain's latest quote buzzing around the internet news sites and blogs may be his best.

When asked why Obama is doing good in the latest polls McCain answered: "Because life isn’t fair.”

Obama vs McCain Website Fight

I decided to take a look at both presidential candidate websites today and give a quick summary of my thoughts on each.

First I typed in JohnMcCain.com and let the page load...



First off, upon site load I was taken to a video intro page and was greeted by an annoying clip of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. Aggravating. But I did in fact enjoy the stars and the design layout of this page...

I could do five things. I was asked to put in my email and zip code and "sign up to join the team." I could "Learn more about why to vote John McCain" I was also given the opportunity to "recruit friends" and "take action." Or I could click the back button on my browser and get the aggravating video of Palin's voice to STOP! Finally I clicked "continue to www.JohnMcCain.com" and so I went...

The website is obviously very well designed, great use of the three predictable colors of red, white, and blue. Lots of things to click around on, and various entertaining photos, and ads.

On I surfed to BarackObama.com to compare...



I was glad to not be greeted with a Senator Biden video! Instead I was taken to a very informative page showcasing his stance on various current events and topics ranging from the financial crisis, breast cancer awareness, and even a clickable map so I could find local events to get involved in to help out. Immediately the difference I could see felt as if I was being offered info rather than Republican talking points. Obama's site used the word "learn" when illustrating an opinion compared to McCain's site presenting the info in more of a "watch this" style of presentation of media.

The Barack Obama site was easier on the eyes and had a much nicer design. The graphic elements were very nicely balanced and the fonts were legible but not distracting. I also really like the glow effect used in the site design.

McCain's web site had an annoying stretched looking font and felt as if I was browsing a military site. He even wanted me to join a "Catholic Coalition" if I wanted, and had a pull down menu of dozens more to choose from, including "bikers, lawyers, and veterans." LOL I came to his site to learn about him as a candidate, not join a religious coalition.

Both sites are encouraging viewers to register to vote, so that is good. Clearly each candidate will be asking for donations, even via the internet, so that is to be expected. However, I think people are also looking to find more info about the candidate and looking to know where they stand on certain issues.

Obama's site seemed to invite me in for a look around, whereas McCain's site seemed as if I was watching a bunch of commercials and an artificial approach to being welcomed. Overall, I think Barack Obama's site wins.

Barack Obama Wins Debate & Gains Popularity

After the first Presidential Debate this past Friday evening, many of us were eager to see who would come out as the victor, not only regarding the debates, but to see the surge in popularity afterward. What we see from the latest polls is that Barack Obama not only won the debates, but has now gained an eight point lead over McCain in the latest Gallup Poll.

"Barack Obama leads John McCain, 50% to 42% among registered voters in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday -- just one point shy of his strongest showing of the year."



In another Gallup poll, released by ABC News, when asked which candidate offered the best proposals to solve the country's problems, 52% said Barack Obama and 35% chose McCain.

Many Americans were impressed with Barack Obama during the debates, while McCain came off as grumpy, negative, and repeating the same old tired Bush plans as what America needs.

Can't wait to read the headlines: Barack Obama Wins Presidency

Barack Obama Wins Presidency

That is what the newspaper headlines would say if the election were to mirror the results of the latest Gallup poll regarding Barack Obama & John McCain. I guess maybe some would word it differently, such as "Barack Obama Is President," and dozens of more variations... either way the latest polls show Barack with a five point lead.



"Barack Obama leads John McCain, 49% to 44%, when registered voters are asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, according to the latest Gallup Poll."

With Barack's performance in the first round of the Presidential Debates being favorable and with the way debates can shape elections, hopefully these positive poll results continue to increase as his popularity grows towards the election.

Why I Stopped Watching Television

People often get a puzzled look on their face when I tell them I have not "watched television in years." As of right now, it's been over three, however last night considering the "Presidential Debate" was set to air at 9 pm EST, I debated with myself whether to watch it on traditional television or simply broadcast it from my laptopto my HDTV.

After taking my shower I had approximately thirty minutes until the debate was set to begin. "Time to make the popcorn," I shouted to my wife. "Since it's the presidential debate, maybe I'll just watch it on the HDTV instead of streaming it online tonight," I thought to myself as the popcorn began to pop. I grabbed the remote and flicked the television "on."

What popped on my screen was a television show called "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" THIS is what is on until the debate? It got me thinking about the intelligence of those who would be tuning in. The people glued to the tube for this show actually vote??

Without going too deep into it, a few ironic facts came to me as I sat staring into what would be a moment of clarity that would help to explain my against-the-grain mindframe when it comes to sitting in front of a television.

The first thought that popped into my head was, "how did you might be a redneck if Jeff Foxworthy land this job?" This guy has spent his entire career dumbing down the same rednecks who actually buy into his humor, now he gets to host a show that basically touts 5th graders as smarter than the average mom or dad who attempts at outsmarting the kids on this show.

The second was the first and only question I could actually sit through before flicking the "input" selector button on the TV remote to "PC" so I could stream the debate via the internets.

The question was: "If you are in Mexico and you begin walking West, which body of water will you encounter?"

The dad looked as if he was just asked the hardest question in the world, the kid at the other podium simply wrote down a single word answer and looked forward toward the camera. "Dad" sat there puzzled not knowing what to do, or what to answer... "Pacific you idiot!" I shouted at the television.

The dad chose not to answer the question and instead pull one of his lifelines, a "cheat" which allows him to see the kids answer and if he agrees with the child, he can use the answer as his own. Needless to say, the kid wrote down "Pacific" as his answer and the dad was forced to swallow his ignorance before the audience and even Jeff Foxworthy looked puzzled that anyone could not know which ocean is on the west of our country. However, this is exactly the intelligence quotient of the people on this show, and no doubt of those who actually watch this type of garbage.



Do yourself a favor, don't waste any more of your life watching these shows, stop watching reality television (it's not real anyway), and please make your children go outside and play instead of watching this stuff. I know it's hard to get kids to read books, but try to find creative ways to stimulate your child into cherishing their education more than entertainment.

Shows like this are the exact reason I stopped watching television so many years ago. I will admit that after being forced to mandatorily evacuate for Hurricane Gustav I had to watch the weather forecast and location of the storm as it hit our area causing much damage, but I would consider that a permissible wavering of my "no television" diet. We were without electricity for almost a week, and I had no choice but to follow the news to see what was happening in regards to the storm, the internet was down long before the power went out. But other than that, I really do not watch television at all. It has been years and everytime I catch a glimpse of the programming I am reminded as to why I stopped watching television and now spend all my personal entertainment time online.

The debate turned out to be somewhat entertaining, a bit of a let down as I expected a bit more one on one. Hopefully in the next debate they will direct answers and rebuttals to each other instead of addressing the moderator as much. But overall, I feel Obama made the best showing, McCain was condescending and came across as a grumpy old man casting blame and accepting none as the Bush policies he has backed are somewhat responsible for the state of our country instead of listing examples of answers to our problems.

Obama also addressed McCain as "John," while John referred to Obama as "Senator Obama." McCain did not make eye contact with Barack, even as Obama continuously looked in his direction.

Barack Obama vs John McCain

Now that Mccain has asked to suspend the first Presidential Debate because of the economic crisis facing Americans in the form of a $700 Billion Dollar Bailout, everyone must accept one simple fact: If Mccain was a boxer and he asked to postpone a fight for a bogus reason, he would be disqualified and he would default to loser status.

The fact is McCain has been in politics for almost 30 years, if he has not done anything by now to help the economy how does he plan on fixing it over the weekend? To many of us Americans this is a clear attempt at postponing a moment we have all been waiting for, and we know political tricks when we see them. As someone running for President of this great country, McCain should be able to at least trust his "campaign" to his running mate Sarah Palin. Is she not fit to handle the reigns? We all know these two are not the ones "running their campaign" anyway... they just show up and are handed talking point printouts and asked to shake a lot of hands. This is why they employ "campaign managers, directors, and planners."

He has made himself look very bad by doing this, compared to Bill Clinton and his winner style of doing things.



From the latest polls it looks as if Obama is leading the race and considering his response to McCain's calling for postponing the debate was along the lines of "a president needs to be able to multi-task, you can't just stop things like this" Obama clearly set himself apart from the McLoser way of doing things by calling for a timeout.

Despite McCains attempt to postpone this great debate, we all are on the edge of our seats waiting for the moment we get to see them square off face to face, one on one, mono y mono... whether you are for McCain or for Obama, this has turned out to be a great campaign on both sides.

I recommend McCain read some of the Books For Winners before he starts making any more choices regarding his campaign.