What I'm Thankful For

First of all, I'm sorry we've slacked on the blog. Two words: school sucks. A real post will be up within the week guys. In the mean time, I want to say Happy Thanksgiving. In a world that is always changing, always giving us the unexpected, and always seeming to tell us we're inadequate, we still have so much to be thankful for. In the past week, I've been reminded of some of the things I've been blessed with and some of the things I need to be more thankful for. Here goes a non-exhaustive FiYaMaN top ten list.

1) That I serve an Awesome God, who made me and loves me no matter how much I've screwed up. 2) That I have a father who loves me in a world where many don't know their dad, that I have a mother who still calls me her baby boy, and that I have a big brother who is also one of my best friends. 3) That I've been blessed with a few great friends who are there for me even in the darkest times, one of them being the_idealist. 4) That I live in a country that rejected hate , division , and fear , in favor of hope , equality(that is, unless you're a homosexual in California), and the future. 5) That I live in comfort, relative safety, and prosperity when so many in this world are not so fortunate. May God put it on my heart to be Jesus to them. 6) That America has the finest troops in the world and that we can honor their service by bringing them home. Even though our leaders sent them on an ill-advised war, our troops proved again why America is the home of the brave. 7) That I go to the University of Georgia, one of the best schools in the country, and that they have yet to find out the rest of the kids there are so much smarter than me it is insane. 8) That for the first time ever in U.S. history, cancer rates are declining. Rest in peace Grandmama and Grandaddy. 9) Bass, Little Italy, Choo Choo Express, Eddie Bauer jeans, flannel shirts, Chacos, Southern Proper bow ties, coffee, sweet tea, pie, The Office, baseball, football, Pigeon Mountain, Cloudland Canyon, Rembrandts, and the CNN magic map. 10) That there are folks out there who care enough about what I think that you're still reading this. That may not seem like a lot, but I truly want to say thanks for supporting this effort and for listening. From the bottom of my heart- "May the Lord bless you and keep you. Keep on smiling, and everything's going to be o.k."

Which party is the Anti-God Party?

WARNING: This post has foul language - not my own, but copied and pasted from some friends' Facebooks. I left all words in their entirety to make my point. Please do not read if you will be offended by the words said below and do not comment on my posting of the words to this blog.

After being called a " traitor cock-sucking cunt whore" I felt compelled to author this post. I am just going to take some quotes from my (presumably) racist friends' Facebooks. They are as follows (most are status updates): "will not be voting for that islamic socialist terrorist known as Barack Hussien Obama, NOBAMA '08" "oh yeah, FUCK OBAMA" which was commented with an "Amen brotha" "A vote for Obama is a vote for Socialism...F**K Obama '08!" "is proud to be an American unlike that cocksuker Obama and his sluttin' whore wife!" "says TEAM OBAMA CAN GO FUCK THEMSELVES MCCAIN/PALIN '08" "Jim Martin, What a Douche" "you have disappointed me by supporting Obama, Jackson" "Obama is the Anti-Christ" "Barack Obama eats babies" "He kills babies" "He isn't a United States Citizen" "is a sick individual" ... 

But after all of this, most of which was said by one person, they then had the nerve to say this, "is watching the Anti-God convention in Denver" HA! The Anti-God Convention? It seems to me - after reading the above comments that these people have posted - that they should probably vote for that same party because NONE of those comments are 'Pro-God" are they? First of all, the freedom of religion means the freedom FROM religion, therefor it is ridiculous to legislate morality because we can't force people to be Christians just because they are Americans. Secondly, we talk about"that Islamic terrorist" "putting the Ten Commandments in public buildings" "killing babies" and "sick ass raping homo sex", but why not a push for the ban of foul language? Why not make a ban on all sin? After all, all sin is equal, none is greater than any other. Oh wait, we can't do that, because that might actually affect some of these people making the above claims. That might call into question THEIR character, THEIR judgement or THEIR lifestyle. They want to continue to condemn OTHERS, call OTHERS' character into question, call OTHERS' lives into question without considering THEMselves when they say things like quoted above? 

Give me a break. Jesus' teaching was about love; He said the greatest command was love. He said not to judge unless you wanted to be judge. He said that God is the one to give vengeance, not us. Where has Jesus' teaching gone when concerning "God's party" [the Republican party]?Where are the morals? Where is the party that should embrace ALL of God's teachings and not just the ones that are convient to them? When it comes to divorce and re-marriage, greed, lust or profanity they seem to push God away and out of government, only lobbying for things that are emotionally appealing to voters like abortion and gay rights.  If they are to make an appeal to make moral legislation, then they should push for them in ALL aspects of government AND their lives - showing God's teachings and morals and not just talking about them. They shouldn't speak of people as "Islamic terrorists" when that is clearly not true; they should not call people "cocksucking cunt whores" which is obviously not true as well. How does that embody Jesus' teachings? 

Should they just pick and choose what they want government to control because it doesn't affect them: abortion, gay marriage, displaying the Ten Commandments, welfare; or should they also include things like profanity, lust, greed, etc. which affect us all but are too 'holier than thou' to admit?  

 SO ... which party is the "anti - God party?" It seems to me that they both have their flaws; you make the choice. I doubt either are.

 

Can one be pro-life AND pro-choice?

A woman's right to choose is one of the most divisive political topics of the past quarter century. It has given rise to the modern religious right and groups like the National Right to Life and leftist groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL. It has caused the old "Southern Democrat" to be a thing of the past. It has sparked terrorist acts of bombing abortion clinics and the use of words like "murderer" or "slut" or "whore". It has caused Christians to condemn fellow Christians who choose to vote for a Democrat. It has fundamentally changed the way a President chooses a Supreme Court Justice. In short, Roe vs. Wade, for right or for wrong, has changed the topic of conversation of what Christians feel they should vote on, arguably, above any other issue in the country.

My hometown, Chattanooga, is in the middle of this struggle. Being in the Bible Belt, we're home to more Southern Baptists and little conservative churches than hairs on my head. We're notable for one more thing too though: Chattanooga is the largest city in America without an abortion clinic. Rossville, where I went to church, is home of a state representative who attempted, albeit an unconstitutional, to put a statewide ban on abortions in Georgia. When other Christians hear that I support Barack Obama for president, it never fails that I get a blank stare followed by rage about the issue of a woman's right to choose.

I've always been troubled by this point. I am pro-life. I believe God knew me before I was born and that if the law of our land wants to charge Scott Peterson with 2 counts of murder if he kills his pregnant wife then we should be consistent on intentionally ending a pregnancy. I also think that life is important after a baby is born though. As blunt as this sounds, its a heck of a lot easier for Sarah Palin's daughter, who has financially and socially stable mom AND dad, to make the decision to keep her child than it is for a girl from Detroit who has never seen her dad, has a mom who works two jobs and still can't afford health insurance, and can't even tell you the name of a college. Both made a mistake, but can we really judge these two girls equally? When Bristol Palin or Jamie Lynn Spears or whoever wants to finish up high school after having a child, they don't have a problem finding a babysitter. When the girl from Detroit is pregnant, she has to wonder how the food that isn't even enough to fill her own belly can be enough to fill another mouth (God forbid the baby be special needs or there are complications with the pregnancy, which adds even more costs). So what do I tell the girl from Detroit? Hang in there, if the Palins can do it so can you? Even if she were raped, do I hold her to the same bar of judgement that I do a girl from the 'burbs who decided that that abstinence only education class (another topic all in itself) wasn't worth it and didn't know about proper protection? This is where I found myself, pro-life but yet finding it difficult to tell a woman what she can do with her body with respect to the situations she finds herself in.

Here's where we get to the crux of the matter, to where we get to the motto of POLITIFIRE "common sense solutions." IN MY OPINION, the pro-life movement has focused itself entirely too heavily on overturning Roe vs. Wade and has lost sight of the real goal of minimizing the number of abortions in America, which pro-choice and anti-choice candidates can both agree on (that's why I refuse to label the right wing side pro-life and the left wing side pro-abortion). No one, even NARAL, thinks that abortion should be used as as a regular contraceptive for women. So let's look at the facts and see if we can discover 1) Why some women get abortions 2) How can we get them to choose another option

Here goes for NUMBER 1: Studies have shown that half of all pregnancies in America are unintended. Unintended pregnancies among poor women have INCREASED 29% and have DECREASED among upper class women 20% (a difference in abortion rate 4 times as much). So why do poor women get abortions? The most common answer given to clinicians a child would limit ability to meet current responsibilities and that they cannot afford a child at this point in their lives. This shows that poverty more than any other aspect gives us our answer to WHY.

Here goes for NUMBER 2: It is a tough answer, but let's look at why overturning Roe vs. Wade won't work for getting women to choose not to terminate their pregnancy. The lowest abortion rates of any place in the entire world might surprise you... it's in Europe... that's right liberal Europe where abortion is legal. The rate is less than 10 abortions for every 1000 women of reproductive age. Now that seems odd doesn't it? Europe has poor people too, right? Why would their poor women choose not to terminate their pregnancy? Answer: Poverty rates are much lower because of extensive social services provided to low income women. Even in America, states that have extensive WIC programs have a 37% LOWER abortion rate. Look at the other evidence of how poverty affects abortion rates: the HIGHEST abortion rates in the world are in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean (29-31 abortions per 1000 women) even though abortion rights are most strict here. So how do we get women to choose life? We attack the root of the problem: POVERTY.

I think the Democratic Party has made a lot of strides when it comes to this topic. Rather than hiding from this issue because they're scared of losing pro-choice support, the Democratic Party, at the behest of Barack Obama, instituted in their party platform for the first time a goal of reducing the number of abortions in America by 95% over the next 10 years. The Republican party has no such tangible goal. Check out more of what Senator Obama wants to do here to reduce the number of abortions in America.

Look, before I get angry responses from some of my Christian brethren, and I mean this with love, please consider this with an open mind. I AM PRO-LIFE, I HATE ABORTION! I want abortions in America to be so few and so far between that clinics have to close up shop because no one is coming. The reality is though, that this can't be done by simply overturning Roe vs. Wade. That would simply turn the decision over to states, and we all know left-leaning states like New York and California, where most abortions occur because of city size, would never overturn the law. This issue hits right at the heart of what the_idealist and I want to do with this blog: give common sense solutions with forward thinking ideas rather than settle for how things have always been. America CAN AND MUST reduce the number of abortions in America, but bickering over a court case for a quarter of a century has made us take backward steps. WE OWE IT TO UNBORN CHILDREN TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT MEANS BOTH SIDES WORKING TOGETHER TO CURE WHAT WE CAN AGREE UPON: TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS BY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Research this stuff for yourself guys, it's something I'm very passionate about as you can see. I'm frustrated at the arguing and at the lack of results. Let me know what you think. God bless and Go Dawgs

*Facts from this post were retrieved from www.prolifeproobama.com

Debate: Who Lost?

Who lost the debate last night? The American Public - that's who lost. 

        Where is the candidate who inspired so many people to register to vote? The one who encouraged more than just young people to register and be actively involved, but also middle aged Americans? Where is Barack Obama? At the same rate, where was the candidate who likes to buck his own party and tout bi-partisanship? Where was the one with solutions through his experience? Where is John McCain? Where are the two candidate that long ago promised a less contrived way of running for president? Are they both gone - lost to the envy of the presidency? 

        I heard amazing talking points last night, well up until about forty-five minutes into the debate that is. You see, I simply got up from my chair in the middle of about 200 people who had gathered on Lipscomb's campus to watch and went back to my dorm room. Once there, I put on my rain gear and went outside and played in the rain and stomped in puddles because I knew I would learn about as much outside as I would have watching the debate. When it comes to the economic crisis, the war, the war on poverty, healthcare and education the nearly 60 million people watching should have joined me because that debate offered no real solutions.  

        I know who I am voting for but I enjoy a good debate, therefor I watch them all. But last night was different; I couldn't bare to watch. With character assassinations and bringing up things from both men's past, I was DISGUSTED. What about those that are not decided? What did the people who are still looking for someone to lead them out of this economic meltdown, a war in Iraq and an ailing healthcare and education system learn from the debate last night? NOTHING, except for the fact that these two man can't stop throwing low blows to face the issues you and I face. Where is their dignity? Where is their pride in country? Where are the answers to OUR questions, not the questions each of them raise about the other? 

        It is far past the time when these men should stop attacking each other and start attacking the issues. If I hear the words: maverick, change, hope, Keating, tax-increase, angry-man, age, experience, celebrity, rock star, the one, that one - I think I will explode. I have never had such a feeling of disdain in an election. I love politics but at this point I am borderline apathetic because no one is answering the questions that face our great country in this truly troubling time. And for those of you that know me, if I am apathetic, I can't imagine what the rest of the country feels. 

        It is more than ENOUGH! I am so sick of hearing what their stump speeches are, what is written in the books they bring on the set, what the other person did in years past, what their records are; I want to know what they are planning to do NOW - NOW that our economy is falling apart, NOW that parents struggle to send kids to private schools because the public ones are failing all standards, NOW that we have killed 250,000 innocent civilians in Iraq, NOW that millions of people are left without the resources to pay for healthcare, NOW that the American dollar is worth its lowest since the depression. Not, THEN, I want NOW. Records are clear to us, we can check that; what isn't clear is what they want to do NOW. 

        If pressed, I would say that - while both did a horrible job in the debates, their commercials, mailers and web ads - Sen. Obama is the one with the most clear message. His is still muddled with attacks that Sen. McCain evokes from him. While neither men are clear in what they want to do, the one clear choice is Obama. I encourage you to do as I did and read Sen. Obama's site, his Blueprint for Change. There is where I found that his plans are what America needs in these tough times. He lays out exactly what he plans to do here, without the distractions from Senator McCain who knows his campaign is failed and is resorting to character attacks to garner votes.

See the Place that Gives Ms. Palin Foreign Policy Experience (and why it's not funny)

During Ms. Palin's recent interview with Katie Couric she reiterated the fact that being close to Russia and Canada gave her credible foreign policy experience. Now when she said this before, I honestly thought she had simply been caught off guard and slipped up. But she was serious. And then added Canada to the list. So now I guess the governor of North Dakota is an expert now too, oy vey.

So I figured hmmm, lets see where you can see Russia from Alaska, and I found it. It's a place called Little Diomede Island, population 150. Big Diomede Island, which is technically part of Russia, is 2.4 miles away. The primary industry on the island is carving ivory from seals and walrus tusks. There is no bank, no restaurant, and one store for supplies. The island has running water for only part of the year, then must melt snow. The first time in Alaska's 50 year history a state representative actually visited the island was in 2000 (Ms. Palin's never been). Mail is delivered to the island once a week and CNN reports that many folks on the island don't even know who the state governor even is (did I mention they don't have a television?). Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, THIS PLACE gives Sarah Palin foreign policy credentials.

This seems pretty funny at first, SNL thought so . I did too at first, but one thought keeps repeating in my head and it scares the daylights out of me. Only days after Franklin D. Roosevelt died, Harry Truman found out that the United States had atomic capabilities. Within 3 months, he pressed the red button. FOLKS THAT SHOULD SCARE YOU! The position of vice-president is no joke, especially when you're running with a 72 year old man who has had cancer 4 times and was tortured. I disagree with John McCain's politics, but I respect his ability to lead. This lady scares me though. SERIOUSLY, A TOWN OF 146 PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE NEVER VISITED GIVES YOU EXPERIENCE TO BE THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD?!?

I haven't even mentioned this lady's grasp(ish) of the economy, I think ya'll get my point. Folks, I don't support John McCain in this campaign, but I can't say that he is not qualified to be president. Sarah Palin, however, is NOT fit, NOT capable, and NOT knowledgeable enough to be the commander in chief at a moment's notice, and that's not a joke.

McCain wins debate before even deciding to attend?

Should we have expected anything else? It is now proven that John McCain doesn't use his once "maverick" approach to win votes, but instead is just more of the same. Taking time off from the campaign to fly to Washington to "fix" the economic crisis we are in, Senator McCain's staff was busy preparing an ad declaring him the victor of the debate he said he wouldn't attend until the crisis was over. Last time I checked, the crisis is still in full force, John McCain is now re-attending the debate and has released an ad before he even publicly announced he would be attending the debate "he won." 

How is this man fit for president? It was bad enough that he tried to fool the American public into thinking he was trying to fix the economic crisis by traveling to Washington (having not been in on the Hill to vote since April 10th), knowing the whole time he was the one who, as the Senate Commerce Committee chairman, pushed for deregulation of the industry; which most attribute to the crisis' start. Now he has lied again by saying his campaign was suspended, but in reality there have been numerous accounts of his ground campaign from state to state continuing from fundraising, to door-to-door, to phone calls, to sign placements (this was affirmed by one of my professors, Beth Harwell, who serves as the State co-chair for McCain and is the former TNGOP Chairwoman). Not only are the state levels active, his national campaign was active as well - making this ad declaring him the victor of a debate he wasn't even planning to attend; OR was he planning to attend and used the faux suspension as a political ploy? I am going with the latter and going to repeat it again, "John McCain is just more of the same."

(This was typed hastily in class, but had to get the news out there.)

The John McCain I Love(d)

They say admission is the first step toward healing, so here it goes: I am a recovering McCainiac. It's true, I used to love John McCain. The_Idealist and I both worked a fundraiser for Senator McCain last year and neither of us had shame about being the only folks in attendance to ask for an autograph. When getting our picture made, we told the Senator and his aide how we were willing to do anything we could to help if he decided to run for president again. I thought that man was great, a hero for common sense politics. But alas, my hero has gone M.I.A. So here's my plea and call for Johnny Mac to return...

I miss the John McCain who stood up for common sense immigration reform which doesn't make immigrants out to be vicious psychopaths hell bent on destroying America. This John McCain reached across party lines, a real maverick, who was willing to work with the likes of Ted Kennedy to get this bi-partisan bill up and have a fighting chance before extremists from both sides shut it down. NOW John McCain sides with those extremists who killed his own bill, and has even said publicly that if his own bill came up for a vote then he'd vote nay. And they said John KERRY was a flip-flop...

I miss the John McCain who wanted what was best for his country. Even when folks didn't agree with him, they knew John McCain wanted what was best for America deep down. He aligned himself with folks with the experience, work ethic, and willingness to leave America a better place, even if that meant working with like-minded Democrats . NOW John McCain has sold America out with his pick of Sarah Palin, a lady no one can argue has considerably less experience and record than any one else he could have chosen. By choosing this lady, John McCain sold America out to the right wing of his party to try to win an election, but not to lead a country. He sold America out by going against his morals of choosing a strong leader of foreign policy like Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman. Instead he chose a lady whose chief foreign policy credential is being able to see the outermost reaches of Russia from the outer most reaches of her state. As a Senator in the student government at the University of Georgia, I HAD MORE CONSTITUENTS THEN MS. PALIN DID 3 YEARS AGO! Ms. Palin only got her passport a year ago for crying out loud! How was she more qualified than anyone else in America to be a heart-beat away from the presidency?

I miss the John McCain who was too honorable to stoop in to gutter politics, using race and religion as a bludgeon. When Karl Rove and George W. Bush stoked rumors during the 2000 presidential race that McCain's adopted daughter (of Bangladesh descent) was actually an illegitimate child, Senator McCain did not respond with a cheap shot back. He was more willing to lose an election than sacrifice the honor he forged. NOW John McCain has hired Steve Schmidt, one of the same people on George W. Bush's crew who started that rumor 8 years ago about his daughter to be his day-to-day campaign manager. Senator McCain has rolled out ad after ad containing lie after lie during this election, so much so that even Saturday Night Live took note. Some other highlights include the Associated Press, CNN, and Politico running fact checks on him, decrying the honesty of his ads. CBS News, Fox News, and Fact Check.Com have all demanded that misleading ads containing their names be taken down. The Wall Street Journal, one of the most conservative editorial boards in America, called John McCain's comments "unpresidential." Even Karl Rove, the evil genius said that McCain's ads "didn't pass the 100 percent truth test." MOST DISGUSTING OF ALL THOUGH, is the ad in which Senator McCain accused Barack Obama of being a disgusting pervert wanting to teach Kindergarteners how to have sex. Senator Obama's bill was designed to teach young children about inappropriate touching and he knows it. This ad is disgusting and insulting to Barack Obama as the father of two young girls and is the same filthy tactics George Bush used against him. Frankly, John McCain should be ashamed of himself, I know I am.

I miss the John McCain who united the parties, not divided. The John McCain who put America first, not second to political ambitions. The John McCain whose principled leadership made up for the policy differences I had with him. The John McCain who, whether one agreed with him or not, took an open and honest stand for all to see. The John McCain who had the guts to vote against the George W. Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans TWICE, now wants to make them permanent because he's a line tower. The John McCain who bucked Republicans and Democrats for campaign finance reform, before voting in lockstep with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time.

THIS was the John McCain I loved, my hero, and I don't know where he's gone.

Taxes: We all hate them.... (even Democrats)

So we're hearing the old mantras from both sides again. Democrats are saying, "Those darn Republicans, giving tax breaks to the wealthy and not the working class." (Cue John Edwards and a story about veterans sleeping on grates) Then the good ol' Repubs are giving the "Democrats will raise your taxes, heck they'll tax oxygen!" speech again. This video, with numbers from the non-partisan Tax Policy Center will shed a little light in the muck. This video however will show you the future Heisman trophy winner flying... literally.

By the way, it's 9/11. If you haven't thanked God for the blessing it is to be alive or thanked a veteran for giving you the freedoms you enjoy, do it. God bless you guys and God bless America. And Go Dawgs!

Would Sarah Palin be an advocate for disabled kids?

So one of the few things we actually know about this lady who want to be vice-president is that she has a baby, Trig, who has Down's Syndrome. This issue is near to my heart because of a close friend I had growing up named Mark who had Down's whose love for life and people changed my life. Ms. Palin has not been shy about toting Trig around on stage and has used his birth to rally the anti-choice (as both parties now have in their constitution to reduce the number of abortions in America) crowd to her side since she did not have an abortion. Ms. Palin, who went back to work in the governor's office a shocking THREE DAYS after having Trig, remarked in her address during the Republican Convention that parents who have children with special needs would have a 'friend in the White House.' Let's take a closer look at the actual facts to see what kind of a 'friend' Ms. Palin was to children in need in Alaska.

To be fair to all sides, I'm going to clarify some rumors from the left. Rumors have been floating around that Ms. Palin cut funding to Special Education in Alaska by 64%. These cuts were a shift in accounting practices by the "Alaska Challenge Youth Program," a military program for high school dropouts (it kind of baffles me though that this type of program is coupled with developmental disorders for babies like Trig though). Anyway, this link will give you more info into that stuff. What I'd like us to notice is what kind of advocate Ms. Palin was for CHILDREN with Autism Spectrum Disorders, because a program for high school dropouts, while great and everything, just doesn't cut it for me.

A non-profit organization called The Commonwealth Fund, which studies health policy, recently conducted a state-by-state study of child healthcare systems. One would expect that the 'advocate for children' would have made her state rank near the top. However, Alaska ranked 42nd in measures of health care access, quality, costs, equity and health outcomes in children. Included in the study were several indicators that related directly to children with special health care needs. Of children aged 1-17 with an identified emotional, behavioral, or developmental problem, only 52% had received mental health care the last year (rank: 47). For children with special health care needs needing referrals to specialty care, only 23% got them (rank: 32). And while it doesn't apply specifically to children with special needs (but certainly affects their quality of care), only 38% of Alaskan children have a medical home (rank: 47). (These rankings were found first at THESOCCERMOMVOTE.COM. So let me ask the obvious, What in the world kind of advocate is that??? I think I would rather hire Phil Fulmer to be my advocate for why the Georgia Bulldogs are awesome or an apple farmer to tell me why pears are so delicious. So Ms. Palin.... YOU GOT SOME 'SPLAININ TO DOOOOOO!!!!!

On the contrary Sen. Obama has a stellar record as a champion of children with developmental disorders. As a state senator AND as a U.S. senator, Barack Obama championed bills that increased health coverage and health screenings for children with autism spectrum disorders. As President, he'll end the war on science that has been waged by George Bush and John McCain and free the greatest minds in the world to research how we can stop these genetic disorders in their tracks. If you want to see more of his positions and ideas, I highly suggest you check out this link, because I could go on about this for a while.

Folks, the fact of the matter is that while I praise Ms. Palin for keeping her child, it saddens me that as Governor of Alaska, she found time hire a lobbyist to go to Washington to secure an earmark to build a new hockey rink with heated seats so she could watch her kids play in Wasilla, but could not find time to improve the lives of children with special needs in Alaska. That's not the change we need, and that's no maverick, that's just more of the same.

Sexism

As much as I hate to say it, THIS CLIP is one of the only 'fair and balanced' ones you'll get.

Not issues, but composite view?

Laura Bush and Cindy McCain must read the Washington Post. In a recent interview, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis asserted that, "This election is not about issues. This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates." Heeding to his advice, the Bush-McCain ladies wore outfits totaling an estimated $313,000, according to a Vanity Fair article this week. 

I'm curious; I thought this campaign was about the issues. I thought McCain and the GOP establishment wanted 'substance' behind the 'empty rhetoric of change and hope.' I thought that this campaign shouldn't be about speeches and oratory skills, but rather substance and proven records. Well, at any rate, the women of the GOP made sure that they looked their best at the convention this week, taking Davis' advice; proving again that the McCain and Bush families are out of touch with the American public. 

Did I mention that $300,000 of the $313,000 was Cindy McCain's outfit alone? It comes as no surprise that Sen. McCain couldn't answer the question of how many homes he owns; according to the Census Bureau, Cindy's outfit alone could purchase a house at the national average in 2006!

Since when did the Grand OLD Party decide that they were the ones in touch with Americans and that Sen. Obama and the Democrats are 'elitists' - as Mitt Romney likes to put it. I guess they decided that before Cindy bought a $300,000 outfit; because I can guarantee you one thing, no middle class family - that does care about the issues, does listen to the speeches, does feel the effects of this real economic down-turn (as opposed to the 'mental' one that McCain's economic advisers suggest we are in), hurt when gas prices rise (and McCain's campaign war chest grows as a result) and that DO KNOW how many homes they own - is going to be able to buy a $300,000 outfit.

Well, after all, this election 'isn't about issues,' rather the 'composite view' of the candidates/ I would assume this same standard applies to the wives, so my apologies to the Bush-McCain families, they were just making sure that the convention viewers from Middle America took away a good view of their ladies, or should I say their Oscar de la Renta dresses and three carat diamond earrings. 

Who, exactly, is in touch with you?

A little humor to add to below post

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/4/112427/7366/516/586295

Sorry I don't know how to embed it directly yet. Cut and paste. It is worth it

Sarah Palin: Unfair Press or Actual Vetting Process

First of all, welcome to POLITIFIRE. Hopefully you'll enjoy the perspective and will help you come to practical, free-thinking perspectives on the world we live in. We'll delve into some tough issues about the future of our country and how we can affect it at a grass roots level.
Alright, on to the first post. The past half week has been dominated by the newest 'celebrity' (yes, pun intended) in this campaign, Sarah Palin. Governor Palin, who built a reputation as a reformer in her year and a half as the Governor in America's final frontier. Among the headlines the McCain camp attempted to push were that she was a whistleblower in her own party when she saw ethics violations as well pushed through a natural gas pipeline that has been holed up for many years Gov. Palin was introduced last Friday as a surprise pick to everyone, including many Republican insiders. Republican pundints are mixed, from Rush Limbaugh calling her a "home f***ing run" to Wall Street Journal commentator Peggy Noonan who called the pick "BullS**t." Certainly her pick has sent shockwaves down both sides of the isle: making James Dobson and his Neo-Conservative followers happy an anti-choice candidate was chosen, ACTUALLY making Glen Beck excited about this race, and causing silent giggles from Democrats who are giddy that John McCain has just tossed the experience card out of the 'Straight Talk Express.'
After the initial shock of pick and folks realized "Oh my gosh, he wasn't kidding," Americans were left this Labor Day weekend to find out who this kinda hot old gal was who wanted to be one 72 year old heartbeat away from being the leader of the free world. As we found out more about her, it became painfully obvious that John McCain's vetting process is about as stringent as public intoxication laws on Bourbon Street. Among other things, which we'll discuss in later posts, the media (whoever "they" are) had to do the job the McCain campaign didn't allow us to do earlier by not floating her name. So one of the first things we find out is that Gov. Palin is a mother of five and that the baby of the family has Down's Syndrome. Immediately John Roberts from CNN was lambasted by his own colleague Dana Bash, the McCain correspondent, with the charge that by inquiring about the amount of time it would take to take care of this young child and its affect of the vice-presidency, he was a sexist because he might not have asked the same question to a man. Later in the long weekend we find out that Gov. Palin's second oldest child, 17 year old Bristol, is pregnant.
Ok now for the meat of all of this. Is this relevant? Should Gov. Palin be dropped? Should UGA still be ranked #1? Sorry, I get carried away, but yes the dawgs still rule. Of course this stuff is relevant. Look, the extent of our knowledge of this lady was that she's a woman and that she's hot. We deserve to get to know her family. Didn't America think it was relevant to find out about Barack Obama's pastor? Or what about whether he was a Muslim? Or what about whether his wife loves America? Or what about if he went to a Muslim school or not? The media was not being racist were they? No, they were doing their job. This is not to say that political points should be scored by campaigns over a 17 year old. (Although I do find the irony that it is ok to question the honorable military service of John Kerry but when the tables are turned...) The Obama campaign has been careful to distance itself from this rhetoric. What is relevant about Bristol Palin is that her mom OPPOSES the same sex education in public schools that could have saved her and her boyfriend an unwanted pregnancy.(His words: I'm a F***ing redneck, I don't want no kids) Let's not forget, it was SARAH PALIN who thrust her daughter into the media spotlight, not the liberals at the Huffington Post. It was SARAH PALIN who made this young girl, like it or not, co-poster child for teen pregnancy with Britney Spears little sister. What should the media have done, ignored the story? Or better yet, take the National Right to Life's talking points and praise her for her "choice" (ironic they use the word choice when Gov. Palin wants to take that choice away) to keep the baby. No, the media is simply an easy target because 'media' is a general term and because they're an easy target since they won't defend themselves at the risk of sounding partisan. I'll talk more about Gov. Palin's capabilities in other posts, this is just to get us started. Disclaimer: PLEASE DISAGREE WITH ME!! THIS DESERVES DISCUSSION!