With the arrival of Super Tuesday the political landscape will change again. Winners and losers will have to reconcile their performance and move on. One thing that concern me is that we need change and with each passing week change seem a more and more distant possibility. That, frankly, scares me to death. As a father with children in the mid teens to early twenties, the thought that this country could get worse scare me to death. We need a different direction, we need real change, not more of the same, but that is what it looks like we will get.
On the democratic side, things are scary. I was thinking about it the other day and suddenly the math rang through. If Senator Clinton wins then that means that we will have had the presidency confined to two families for twenty years and possible nearly a quarter of a century. I'm not one for term limits, but surely we can do better. I support Barack Obama because he does represent change. To me, he is one that can inspire us to do better. Senator Clinton is simply the democrats version of Bush. I wonder if her appeal to some harkens back to the better days of her husbands administration? If she is elected, she will be the boss, not Bill. It won't be the same, but it will be more of the same. Senator Clinton will energize the GOP base and provide the impetus to get the fund raising machines moving at warp again.
I think her biggest supporter is Rush. After eight years of apologizing for Bush, he will have pages of new material. He can get back to his old tired message. The sad fact is that message will work and we will be back to more of the same again. There is too much that needs to be fixed in this country to waste another four years.
One the GOP side, everyone is trying to out Reagan Ronald Reagan. John McCain is a disaster. He started out as his own man, but after loosing to Bush, decided to become just like him instead of keeping his independence. His new found friendship with the religious wing of the party demonstrates he will sell out to anything to win. We don't need that kind of President. Romney is just like McCain and will say anything to get elected. The really sad part of it is that he believes what he says and doesn't see a problem. He would be easier to accept if he didn't complain about others doing the same. Mike Hackaee is just plain scary. We already have one religious nut job in the White House and don't need another, especially one that would make Bush look smart.
The best choice for the GOP is Ron Paul. He seems to be the only one who can spell TRUTH and use it in a sentence correctly. From what I have seen he has a good grasp of the facts. I don't agree with him, but at least he is wanting to deal with the same problems that this country is.
The bottom line is think before you vote. If you want to vote for more of the same, then don't complain when you get just that.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
We Need Bobby
We are all blessed with 20/20 hindsight. Sometimes though we know or understand that something that is happening will change everything. We don’t have to wait for it’s conclusion to know that we have the chance for something better. That happened in 1968 and was snuffed out before it’s preferred conclusion.
Have you ever stopped to think about what would have happened if Bobby Kennedy wouldn’t have been shot after winning the California Primary? A good case could be made that he would have beaten Richard Nixon which would mean that “Watergate” would just be the name of a hotel or a salad. Without Nixon, Gerald Ford would have probably finished his career as the Senator from Michigan. Jimmy Carter would have just been a governor from Georgia instead of the great ex-president he is today. The outcome of the Vietnam war would be different, there would not have been an Iranian hostage crisis that helped usher in Reganomics.
Bobby cared about everyone in this country especially those who didn’t have a champion like the poor and minorities. Bobby was trying to show us that we could be better than we were. In 1968 we were embroiled in the Vietnam war. American soldiers were fighting and dying in a war that seemed to have no end. At home there was unrest in many areas of life and it seemed like the fabric of society was not just fraying at the edges but would tear into pieces. Bobby saw these events and believed that we could do better and so he jumped into the race ultimately paying with his life. He believed in hope and reconciliation, “I run for the Presidency because I want the United States of America to stand for hope instead of despair, for the reconciliation of men instead of the growing risk of world war.”
Where are we at today? I believe that there are a lot of comparisons to 1968. We are in a war without end. There is unrest at home, not to the degree that there was in 1968, but it’s still there. Look at how polarized our politics have become. Look at the red states and the blue states. We have issues with crime and punishment. We have civil rights issues. We have an unpopular president and the need for change.
Change may come if we give it a chance and support it. The election of 2008 could be the watershed event that 1968 might have been. To me that change come in the form of a former state senator from Illinois. A man that believes that our best days are ahead of up. A man who doesn’t see red states and blue states, but the UNITED STATES. That person is Barack Obama. I believe that he embodies those beliefs that Bobby Kennedy brought to the table in 1968. He is that instrument for change. He inspires hope and faith that things will get better. Through him everyone will have a seat at the table, not just the wealthy or well connected.
Barack Obama demonstrates how far we’ve come since 1968, but better yet, inspires us for the journey ahead. He has already changed the debate over the future and now needs our support to rally the country. Every now and then you get a chance to fix what is broken and hence make our country better than it was. We need to grasp this chance in both hands so that we can nurture and protect it. Bobby Kennedy didn’t get to finish what he started. We need to make sure that Barack Obama gets that chance.
Have you ever stopped to think about what would have happened if Bobby Kennedy wouldn’t have been shot after winning the California Primary? A good case could be made that he would have beaten Richard Nixon which would mean that “Watergate” would just be the name of a hotel or a salad. Without Nixon, Gerald Ford would have probably finished his career as the Senator from Michigan. Jimmy Carter would have just been a governor from Georgia instead of the great ex-president he is today. The outcome of the Vietnam war would be different, there would not have been an Iranian hostage crisis that helped usher in Reganomics.
Bobby cared about everyone in this country especially those who didn’t have a champion like the poor and minorities. Bobby was trying to show us that we could be better than we were. In 1968 we were embroiled in the Vietnam war. American soldiers were fighting and dying in a war that seemed to have no end. At home there was unrest in many areas of life and it seemed like the fabric of society was not just fraying at the edges but would tear into pieces. Bobby saw these events and believed that we could do better and so he jumped into the race ultimately paying with his life. He believed in hope and reconciliation, “I run for the Presidency because I want the United States of America to stand for hope instead of despair, for the reconciliation of men instead of the growing risk of world war.”
Where are we at today? I believe that there are a lot of comparisons to 1968. We are in a war without end. There is unrest at home, not to the degree that there was in 1968, but it’s still there. Look at how polarized our politics have become. Look at the red states and the blue states. We have issues with crime and punishment. We have civil rights issues. We have an unpopular president and the need for change.
Change may come if we give it a chance and support it. The election of 2008 could be the watershed event that 1968 might have been. To me that change come in the form of a former state senator from Illinois. A man that believes that our best days are ahead of up. A man who doesn’t see red states and blue states, but the UNITED STATES. That person is Barack Obama. I believe that he embodies those beliefs that Bobby Kennedy brought to the table in 1968. He is that instrument for change. He inspires hope and faith that things will get better. Through him everyone will have a seat at the table, not just the wealthy or well connected.
Barack Obama demonstrates how far we’ve come since 1968, but better yet, inspires us for the journey ahead. He has already changed the debate over the future and now needs our support to rally the country. Every now and then you get a chance to fix what is broken and hence make our country better than it was. We need to grasp this chance in both hands so that we can nurture and protect it. Bobby Kennedy didn’t get to finish what he started. We need to make sure that Barack Obama gets that chance.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
On to New Hampshire
I was pleased with the results from Iowa. It was interesting to see the media coverage leading up to the caucuses. All the polls I saw with the exception of the Des Moines Register poll showed a dead heat which is not how it turned out. Barack beat Senator Clinton by nine percentage points. Everyone wants to little deal that point, but the facts are that nine points is a huge margin especially given the size of the field.
The other factor that was telling was the demographics of the results. The only group that Senator Clinton carried were the older voters. Granted, the are the most likely to vote, but they can’t continue to carry the day. Barack brought in a lot of NEW caucus participants. Couple his with with the turnout and a much different picture appears. People are excited about Barack and rightfully so considering three years ago he was a state senator.
Many knock him on experience, but if you look at the current administration, experience doesn’t equal quality. Bush has some extremely experienced people in his administration but look at the results. We now have a secretive government that appears to be corrupt. We have a war that is about something and that something changes almost weekly. This has to end. Experience is not the end all. With experience should travel integrity, currently though it seems this is lacking.
Super Tuesday is coming and we need a change. We need someone who wants to re-establish the rule of law. We need transparency in our government and we need to stop using the supposed end to justify our means. We need to be better than the rest of the world. We need to be more honest. We need to treat people better. We need a lot of things that we don’t currently have.
I’m willing to bet the farm on Barack Obama. He will make mistakes. The difference will be how he deals with his mistakes. I think he will deal with them honestly and with honor. I may be disappointed, but I’m willing to give him a chance. I don’t see those qualities in the rest of the field.
The other factor that was telling was the demographics of the results. The only group that Senator Clinton carried were the older voters. Granted, the are the most likely to vote, but they can’t continue to carry the day. Barack brought in a lot of NEW caucus participants. Couple his with with the turnout and a much different picture appears. People are excited about Barack and rightfully so considering three years ago he was a state senator.
Many knock him on experience, but if you look at the current administration, experience doesn’t equal quality. Bush has some extremely experienced people in his administration but look at the results. We now have a secretive government that appears to be corrupt. We have a war that is about something and that something changes almost weekly. This has to end. Experience is not the end all. With experience should travel integrity, currently though it seems this is lacking.
Super Tuesday is coming and we need a change. We need someone who wants to re-establish the rule of law. We need transparency in our government and we need to stop using the supposed end to justify our means. We need to be better than the rest of the world. We need to be more honest. We need to treat people better. We need a lot of things that we don’t currently have.
I’m willing to bet the farm on Barack Obama. He will make mistakes. The difference will be how he deals with his mistakes. I think he will deal with them honestly and with honor. I may be disappointed, but I’m willing to give him a chance. I don’t see those qualities in the rest of the field.
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