4 more years....

Well, President Obama won.   This doesn't come as a surprise to me, I was going to be shocked if Romney won. (More on that in a few paragraphs)

Mr. President, while I'm not thrilled with your first term, you have been given a second chance.  A chance to finish what you started, to start the things you talked about, and generally work as best you can to help right the course for America.

You have a big job in front of you and I don't know if you can actually do it.  You're too beholden to the monied interests.  I'll be interested who you replace on your cabinet.  You don't seem to be dynamic enough in your leadership.

BUT, you don't have to worry about reelection now.  You have a slightly more accommodating Congress, one who might actually be willing to work with you now.  But you still must put forward some actual ideas, and ways to implement them.

I wish you luck in your second term, hopefully it will be the start of a new era for America.

Now, to those of you surprised by Romney's loss...why?  What made you believe he was going to win?

Was it his staunch beliefs?  Wait, I have no idea what he believes in because it changes, every single election.

Was it his proven governing power?  Oh, wait, he's had to disavow his biggest accomplishment as governor because it smacked of socialism to the far right.

Was it his likeable personality?  Not really, he's random rich old white dude.  You could insert about 50 other guys in his stead and they'd all be the same.

Maybe his proven record as a leader of a company?  Well, sort of.  His company made lots of money, but lots of that was made by buying and gutting companies and outsourcing jobs.  I understand that happens, and sometimes it should, but its not gonna win you votes.

Was it his appeal to others besides whites?  I can't even come up with something snarky to respond here.  Its just hilarious.

America, while still run by whites (look at congress), is slowly starting to show in their vote that "Hey, there are people of other cultures here, other backgrounds besides WASP or white catholic."  The Republican leadership, the Republican "base," and Republican news outlets like Fox News are scared to admit that and delude themselves into thinking that the changing face of America isn't happening or that it can be reversed.  No, it can't!

I've already read 3 or 4 blogs and articles just today from tea party people saying the reason Romney lost was that he wasn't far right enough!!!  Wait a second, you honestly believe that a Rick Santorum, or Mike Huckabee, would have fared better?  If so, good luck to you in 4 years because you're going to be sorely disappointed yet again.

Hopefully, the Republicans will embrace the changing face of America and revise their platform to be more inclusive and in doing so actually put candidates up for consideration that bring something to the table besides isolationism, xenophobia, and broken jokes of economic plans.

"F" is for Failure

About a month ago I posted on how the GOP is broken. At that time I commented on the failure of leadership shown by our President and our Congressional "leaders."

I'm going to take a moment to expound on that.

I've been disappointed in Obama since he appointed his cabinet. Yes, before he even was inaugurated. I saw who he was appointing and as one political hack after another got a post I realized it was going to be business as usual. Change was not going to occur.

I continued to be disappointed in Obama as he caved on every issue dear to his left-leaning base. Conservatives blast him as a "socialist" but that's mere name-calling. His policy suggestions have by and large been centrist if not blatantly right-wing.

*Consider the ill-fated "stimulus." It is essentially trickle-down economics. If we pump money into banks and insure that rich people's taxes stay low, well it will trickle down to job creation.

No, it won't. That failed when Reagan, yes, Ronald Regan about as far from a socialist as one can imagine, tried it. It has failed now.

Consider "Obamacare." While right-wing news attempts to paint it as a massive government intrusion into people's lives, essentially its a massive private company intrusion into people's lives. Granted the gov't says everyone has to have health care (a provision just struck down by a Federal Court, we'll see where this goes), but there was no public option. No alternative to the predatory practices of private health insurance companies that are crushing the American medical system. Obama essentially said to private industry "here, you take care of our health care problem" not a very socialist idea to me.

Also on taxes. Oh those darn "tax and spend" Democrats. Wait, hang on. Obama extended the Bush era tax cuts, and switched around other expiring credits so that they are credited on Social Security taxes. He hasn't raised taxes at all, but the spending that Bush started (and many administrations before him) started keep chugging right away.

Then we get to the national credit default. Obama displayed zero leadership. Well, let me give him his due. He appeared to be leading with the meetings with Boehner until the crazy anti-tax nuts got involved. Then he basically curled up in a ball and cried about those nasty mean ol' Tea Partiers spoiling the plan. A plan that already was essentially a centrist if not right leaning plan!

Did he go on the offensive? Did he instantly roll out a comprehensive plan showing what he felt needed to be done? Did he attack and show the American people he knew how to LEAD and that he wasn't going to let the Grover Norquist robots destroy America?

Nope. He said how upset he was and after a couple days the Democrats rolled out a plan. But honestly, you didn't have a contingency plan going on in case talks broke down? Really?

Obama is essentially Jimmy Carter. A nice, intelligent man who surrounded or allowed himself to be surrounded by party hacks who has NO idea how to lead. He focuses on one issue at a time, and even then not very well, and appears to have no plan, no ideas, no WAY to better our country.

It terrifies me because there is a distinct possibility a Michele Bachmann could end up in the White House.

President Obama, you have about 6 months to show America you know how to lead. You have 6 months until the campaigns kick off in earnest and actual governing falls by the wayside. All is not lost, but if any of that "Change" you talked about is going to occur, it needs to occur NOW.

You can't complain the GOP won't work with you. That's ok. You need to sell your plan, whatever it is, to America and let the American public see that you can lead us back to greatness. However, if you continue to cave, if you continue to waver, if you continue to believe in trickle-down economic policies, you will lose those who supported you in the past, you will not gain new supporters, and you could leave the country in the hands of some very disturbing people.

You have the power. Show us you know what to do with it.

*As was kindly pointed out to me by my brother, I was meshing TARP (which began under Bush, but did have Obama's tacit support during Bush's final days) with the 2009 Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

These are two very different stimulus programs that worked (or failed) in different ways.

I still hold that, as evidenced by Obama's support (or at least lack of will to fight against) for the Bush Era tax cuts, and how much of the stimulus came in the form of tax cuts/refunds/shifting money around etc. that he is far from socialist and often crosses towards the middle right in the policies he supports.

Is some of that pragmatism?

Possibly, but too much pragmatism is what keeps the status quo going.

Thanks to schmichael for pointing out my glaring error.

Opinion meet Fact

Just a nice article on the "massive spending" Obama has done. Well written, explains their methodology, good stuff.

You can read it here.

Flip Side: Obama admits he screwed up!

I lambasted the Tea Partiers, now I'll go the other way. Here is an article about Obama standing by hit policies, but saying he should have "sold" them more.

From the article: Campaigning in Seattle, he said: "We had to move so fast, we were in such emergency mode, that it was very difficult for us to spend time a lot doing victory laps and advertising exactly what we were doing because we had to move onto the next thing."

If he honestly believes this is why so many Americans of all stripes are disappointed in his administration so far then he is completely out of touch with reality.

We aren't upset about the bailout because he didn't sell it. We're pissed about it because it was bailing out many of the very people who created and exacerbated the crisis. We're angered because the version of bailout that went through helped the millionaires and billionaires and did next to nothing for the average American who is struggling with mortgages, finding work, and facing the future with retirement funds that were crushed during the crash.

Most aren't upset that you got health insurance mandated. (Some are, and that's fine too.) But many of us ARE upset about how you did it. You mandated everyone has heath insurance, but then gave them no competitive option to purchase it. You de facto handed ALL the power to the insurance companies while doing nothing or next to nothing to change how they operate.

This is on top of the graceless exit from Iraq, the continuation of many Bush era privacy invasions, your weak stance on off shore oil drilling, the continued debacle in Afghanistan, and on and on.

It was that you didn't sell your policies. Its that you didn't fight for them to matter. You didn't force the Democrats to not cave on a public option. You didn't fight to break up the biggest banks. You haven't fought for privacy rights. We're still embroiled in a nasty war with no end in sight.

Those are the reasons we are mad with you sir. Not that you didn't "sell" us on your polices. They just plain SUCK!

Nice summation

Yes, this is a blog, not a "hard news" report. However, its a great piece on why I am so unhappy with Obama's administration so far.

Really, its summed up by who he chose to help him lead.

Its why I was disappointed even before he was ever officially President. Oh well.


Yeah, you notice he made a few quick million on Wall Street too. Nice having that cushion to fall back on when politics gets old. Be a shame if any politician had to go back to a 9 to 5 job like the rest of us after they leave office or a post....

More Education Stuff

Here is an article summarizing OBama's grant plan for education.

I have a better idea. What if the money was given to the schools that needed it directly? Then they could fix up buildings, hire more staff, buy new books and other aids and possibly catch up with the funding the suburban schools get.

Wait, that wouldn't make sense.

It saddens me that the Democrats are just following along the Republican trail as far as education is concerned. Its not going to help. Not in the long run.

The brilliant thing is this is aimed at "stopping dropping out" but most of the money is headed to high school kids, some to junior high.

That's great, but the seeds of eventual dropping out are usually planted much earlier than even the 6th grade.

Can you tell I've been reading a bit on the issues and inequities of the American Education System lately?

Oh, and notice how I'm not saying "its cause the teachers suck!"

Rein in your morons

I like guns. They are fun to shoot. I believe they are something most people should legally be able to have. I think that the laws governing them should be logical (wouldn't that be nice?).

However, if you're pro-gun, maybe in the NRA, or just really like your guns, I have a suggestion. Attempt to rein in the morons on your side. Really. Please?

It might be legal to carry around assault rifles in plain view in Arizona. That doesn't mean it should be done (or legal, but that's a different discussion). If you value the right to bear arms, please, work hard to get idiots like these to STOP BEING MORONS!

The people who did this (and who incidentally were doing it as a radio stunt for what they believe) were merely a distraction. And a bad one at that. Its stupid, even if legal, to carry around heavy weaponry in plain view at a crowded event.

Especially one that will be highly politically charged anyway. Its not exercising your rights. Its a show of force.

Like I said, I like guns. But that doesn't mean I want to see heavy weaponry just carried around by anyone with a permit. Especially at an event where there are lots of people present. At a machine gun shoot, go for it.

So, what I'm saying is this. If the moron fringe (please tell me its a fringe) of the pro-gun movement keep this up, you're going to see the opposite effect happen as moderates like me on gun control get pissed off and start to vote more and more rights away.

Call it exercising your rights, I call it intimidation. And that always backfires. It really does. I would be intimidated by someone walking around at a large public gathering with an AR-15. That sounds like something that happens in Iraq, not the USA.

Can't we love our guns and not be stupid about it?

(Oh, and if you REALLY want to be scared, read the guy's quotes. It'll also point out why I don't care much for Jefferson. Oh, and here is a bit more about Mr. Creepy)

Good Luck President Elect Obama

We did it. We elected an African-American president. Wow. Our country still has a ways to go, but this is showing we're at least partway there. Now the hard work begins.

Mr. Obama, you have a nasty, hard job ahead of you. You're inheriting a country that is in many many messes. We're in two wars. Our economy is in the tank. Health care is messed up. Companies are bleeding red. The housing sector is a disaster. Oh, and don't even get started about our foreign policy messes.

Now, do I expect you to fix all this in a year? No. Here is what I do expect:

1). I expect you to work with Congress. Not to be a rubber-stamp like Bush was for much of his Presidency, but to work with them. Force them to make difficult choices, to write pointed legislation, to reign in earmarks. Help the Democrats to learn how to lead, not just try and force through their agenda.

2). Listen to opposing points of view. REALLY listen. Be open to the fact that the way you view something may not be correct. Our current President did not do this. It has harmed this country greatly.

3). Remember we are part of a global economy and a global community. Just because we're rich and powerful does not make us right. It doesn't make us wrong either. But throwing our weight around and ignoring the opinions of other sovereign countries has done us no favors.

4). Make the tough call. Whether this is in foreign policy, domestic choices, whereever. You will be asked to make hard decisions that may be unpopular. Make them. And answer for them. Our country needs a man who can make the difficult calls.

5). Don't stonewall the media. I know there will be spin. There always is. But please, don't lie to us. We've had enough of that. Transparency, as much as possible, is a good thing.

6). Go against your party. They aren't always right. Don't merely become a party hack. I don't think you will, but if you do, I will be sorely disappointed.

I helped to elect you and I will give you plenty of leeway. We have a long ways to go as a nation. But I will be sorely disappointed if things get bogged down halfway through your term because of lack of leadership.

We've had too many years of weak leaders. Both Bush and Clinton were not strong leaders. We need someone to LEAD this nation back to preeminence in the world, both economically and morally.

History is made...

Wow, it happened. We have our first African-American president. Pretty amazing how far we've come. Still have a long ways to go, but Dr MLK could only dream about this day. Barack Obama, with the support of millions of Americans of all races, made the dream come true.

President Elect Obama, please prayerfully consider how to move forward. This country needs strong, smart leadership.


(an observation to all FoxNews watchers: FoxNews is part of the mainstream media. Sorry to burst your bubble.)

The Fear is What Keeps Us Here

Besides being the title of Zao's latest (and final?) album, I think this applies to far too many Americans of the "Religious Right" stripe. Now, I tend to shy away from labels like that because they are too broad and inaccurately portray a large group of people as single-minded in purpose.

However, you know the person I'm talking about. They are currently terrified of Obama being elected. He's a: terrorist, Socialist, Muslim, who is going to: let Israel get destroyed, the tax rate will go up to 50% to support the jobless, Christians will lose their religious freedoms.

I'll be as polite as I can be. SNAP OUT OF IT! Are you a Christian first or an American first? Think carefully before you answer because that answer will affect how you view the situation.

There is such an immense amount of fear surrounding this election, and its sinful. Simply sinful. Do you trust in God? Honestly, truly trust in God? Because if you do, don't you think He can work in any situation? Don't you think that even if the most horrible things imaginable happen, God will still be God and still be sovereign?

Because the sheer amount of fear out there among certain groups of religious voters doesn't lead me to believe this is what's being taught. The wedding of too many Christian organizations to the Republican party has led us to this point. Its no longer "Trust in God." Its "We need a conservative Supreme Court because if we don't the bad evil liberals will steal away all our freedoms." WHAT?

God works in the world no matter who is in charge. Yes, He does.

If you are someone struggling with fear about Obama getting elected, please, pray about it. Lots. This doesn't mean that you can't disagree with his ideas! That's fine! Good even! I don't care if you want to vote for him or not.

I do care that you stop living in fear. God does not desire His children to fear anything but Him.

Socialism Deux

"schmichael said...
I think you just argued for Obama's tax plan (since we can't exactly mandate what people get paid, all we can do is tax the rich jerks more). :-)While I think Obama is pretty far from being Socialist*, I'm feeling pretty Socialist myself these days. I mean if we're all going to be ruled by a bunch of greedy rich old guys, might as well get to vote on which ones they are."

This is going to be a continuation, musing on, my previous topic and my brother's comment on it.

I agree with Michael's feelings. At heart, I'm a libertarian. I feel that minimal laws and minimal government interference are good things. Unfortunately, I'm also a realist who doesn't believe people are "naturally good." (Note, this does NOT mean I believe we are totally naturally evil, but look where our inclinations head.) I think the current financial crisis should be indication that a "hands off" approach of letting companies police themselves, doesn't work well.

I'm also, because of the current crisis, feeling a bit Socialist. There is apparently zero accountability at the top. You help run a company into the ground, you get bought out and have fun with your millions. You help drive the world economy into the tank, well, since you didn't technically break any laws, you take your money and run.

Now, the problem is, the government is notoriously inefficient at doing things as well. So, I'm not a socialist. I do think we need to find a more middle ground. I don't have a problem with people making lots of money. Especially people like doctors, engineers, etc. Even the financial guys to a certain extent. But, as the market bounces like a yo-yo run by a meth-freak I've pretty much decided they don't know much more than I do in practical terms. (Practical, not theoretical.)

I guess, I'm still in my multi-party mode. We need a couple of Socialists in Congress. We need some libertarians. We need some old school liberals. We need some old-school fiscal conservatives. BADLY!!! We need term limits. BADLY!!!

I suppose what I'm saying in all this is, while I don't think anything is drastically going to change, I don't see how giving the rich more money has helped us out much. I'd be willing to see a little more of the burden get shouldered onto them.

Am I a Socialist/Communist now?

Ok, thankfully, by next Wednesday all this will be done. Well, at least the election part. With any luck 50% of the country will do themselves in after the election and those of us with a brain will still be around. (Note, I hope this no matter who wins. Really, we could use about 50% less idiots right now.)

This rant is in response to the Florida anchorman who asked Joe Biden if Barack Obama was basically Karl Marx. I might be wrong, but wouldn't a little bit of redistribution be a good thing?

I mean, I'm not saying Communism here. But people, the bosses at AIG were standing to get 10s of millions in bonuses after running the company into the ground. Yes AFTER the bailout. Now, the government says, no, they can't have that money, but would those 10s of millions not be better spent investing in jobs for the average American?

They say its too expensive to make stuff here anymore. We can do it cheaper overseas. Well, how many Americans could we employ for $10 million dollars at a living wage? Lets see.

We'll make this simple math and therefore highly inaccurate, but just an idea. Thirty thousand. Multiply by two to county the costs of health insurance, taxes, etc. So, 60,000.

Ten million would be able to pay for 166 people's jobs at $30,000 a year. Before you go all nuts, I understand, that's just salary, but remember, that was just one guy's bonus too.

It is a problem when the top 1% controls 90%+ of the wealth. I'm all for redistributing some of that. Executive pay MUST start being tied to actual company production. Golden parachute plans need to be banned. Things need to start changing at the top.

I'm not saying we need to produce everything here. That would be silly. But we need to have jobs that produce a product. We must. And they need to pay a living wage. I'm not saying $30 an hour to put widget A on widget B. But $15-20/hour, plus health insurance? Yes, I think that could happen.

I don't know. Maybe we'll go Socialist if Obama gets elected. But after the way things have been run, I'm almost welcome to trying something completely different. The system is broken, and if anyone honestly believes the current people we are sending to Washington are going to change things, you're living in a pipe dream.

Until we have actual choice, more than just 2 canidates to chose from, things are not going to change. We need to break the 2 party system and the laws that make dissenting voices impossible to be heard at the polls. It really might be our only hope to stay a leading voice in the world.

More Great Links

What can I say about the "culture of hate" being promoted by the Republicans right now that this doesn't already say?

Or here?

Thanks to Brian McLaren for these links. It shows the McCain is still a decent human being and that he is slowly realizing what the road he chose to take is leading him towards.

If McCain 2000 was running, I'd vote for him in a second. He's still in there, but he sold his sold his soul to the current Republican party and their politics of fear and hatred. This is NOT Christian and not something Christians should support.

Oh, and in that 2nd article, Congressman Ray Lahood got it RIGHT-
'Veteran Republican Congressman Ray LaHood criticized Sarah Palin in particular, saying her rhetoric did not "befit the office she's running for."'

Thanks Ray! Wanted to point out something you got right!

A couple quick things

Short post today. Taking certification posts for work. Got these links from Brian McLaren's blog.

Pro-life and Obama? It can be!

Again, do I think Obama is the nation's savior? No. He still may not get my vote. I do know McCain/Palin will NOT be getting my vote.

Evangelical Christians desperately need to look past simplistic voting on issues such as abortion and gay marriage to the whole picture. Please. You might still come to the conclusion that the Republican platform is right. (I agree with them on some things.) I even more sincerely hope you come to the conclusion that the current system is broken and want to work to change it.

"Debate" "winner"

Yes, I put both words in quotes because there really wasn't a debate and how you pick a "winner" in those I'm not sure. However, throwing my hat in the ring, here it goes.

I didn't watch the debate. Oh, it was on in the background and I was listening some, but I wasn't following closely hanging on every word.

That said, I would agree that Obama "won." Why? Well, he didn't tell as many lies, untruths, distortions, call them what you will. Does that mean he didn't distort any of McCain's positions or put out numbers that aren't accurate? No. But he sure didn't do it as often as McCain.

It is sad. McCain's whole strategy seems to have become "Let's hope people never look at www.factcheck.org and get scared about Obama!" Really, that seemed to be it. The bald lie he said about how Obama was going to "fine" small businesses for not giving their employees health insurance was amazing! And, I give credit to Brokaw for not being partisan by not really letting Obama respond, since that was how the stupid rules were set up. (How you can debate without responding to your opponent's positions, especially when they have incorrectly characterized your's I'm not sure.)

So, in my world Obama was the winner. McCain came across, to me, as pandering, petty, and generally not a happy person (did you see him in the background sometimes?) while Obama was composed and poised and did pretty well for himself.

I don't see how anyone after a year and a half of this schlock can still be "undecided" and if they are I don't see how this debate would change things. But it went well for Obama, only a month to go!

It'll get worse before it gets better...

Yes folks, this campaign and economy are going to get much worse before it gets any better. Thank God the campaign only has a month left. The economy we're going to be stuck with for much much longer.

John McCain has given up in Michigan, citing the bad economy and his campaign's dwindling funds as reasons. He can now focus more heavily on other "must win" states such as Ohio.

Good luck with that John. If you're conceding Michigan because the spiraling economic climate is turning voters against you there, I don't think you'll have much more luck in Ohio. I might be wrong, but I don't see that changing. These economic woes have been building for years, but for 6 of the last 8 of those years the Republicans controlled both the legislative and executive branches. Oh, and remember that under Clinton (who carries some culpability as well) the Republicans had plenty of legislative power as well.

So, if you're McCain, you have to be concerned at this point. Who besides the party faithful are going to vote for you? What would lead anyone to think that the party you represent, the ideals you stand for, are good for the country? This is not because I think Obama and the Democrats have all the answers, I don't think they do. But it is obvious the Republicans have no answers at all.

Remember the quote "It's the economy, stupid?" Well, that's true again! And the stupid government with their stupid bailout have assured us that the American people will be paying and paying for years.

Does this mean I think a "bailout" wasn't necessary? No, I think something did need to be done to shore up the banks. Having one bank after another fail would be bad. Giving billions to people who already screwed up once, that's bad too.

At this point, I really don't know what the American people are to do. I suppose I could hope they will realize the 2 party system is failing this country. But they won't. I suppose I could hope they could realize that we desparately need term limits on our Congresspersons and a ban on working as a lobbyist for 10 years after leaving office. But they won't.

Why won't they? Because the parties won't let those discussions arise. They will put politics over the people and the people aren't smart enough to realize this. Where is the public outcry about the lack of true choice in our political system? Where are the news stories digging into how both the Republican and Democratic parties work together to insure that legitimate contending parties don't arise? You think it doesn't happen?

It takes far more petition signatures to get "independant" or "new party" canidates on the ballot. Don't believe me? Check out this, which breaks down the numbers necessary to get a candidate on the ballot. Now, I realize, we can't have 30 parties running for one seat. But it would be hard for lots of the little parties to get the 600 signatures anyway. What's wrong with have 5 people running? Is that going to break us? No. It wouldn't.

How does all this, McCain, the economy, third party ranting tie together? Its simple. The current system is broken. It is broken by the people we have entrusted to work within it. Republican or Democrat, it shouldn't matter. If you love your country you should want it's political system to work. It isn't working now. It is breaking our economy, our freedom, and many of the ideals America was founded on.

It's only going to happen if the people stand up and cry out. Vote for your party, that's fine. But let's get some real choice out there. Please?

I've been avoiding this.

I don't care. Honestly, I don't. Its sad but true. I have given up caring about this election! Don't believe me? Well, you're right. I do still care, but not in the traditional "I'm backing my guy" sort of way.

This political season has been frustrating me more than most. Last election (rich white guy vs. other rich white guy) was bad enough, this cycle is sinking to lows not seen since probably the 19th century when fact checking was non-existant.

Our country is in a mess and I don't see either party saying what actually needs to be done to fix it. We are spending ourselves to oblivion. We cannot keep it up. You know how if you run your credit cards up and eventually its all you can do to make the minimum payments? Yeah, we're nearing that point as a nation daily. But does either candidate say the hard truths? Nope. They have some nice ideas and such, but most of which will actually cost MORE money.

Oh, and Republicans, please don't delude yourselves this is the Democrats fault. You've had the White House for 8 years, a majority in Congress for 6 of 8 years, and you've successfully passed two of the biggest entitlement/spending programs ever, the Medicare pill plan, and No Child Left Behind. Oh, and got the country into a war that has cost about 2 trillion dollars so far, give or take a couple billion.

I'm not a Democrat. I might vote for Obama, I might not. Living in Illinois means I don't have to worry about it much. But McCain's choice of Palin frustrates me on a number of levels.

First, it was an obvious desperation move (which just might work). Up until a few days before the Palin choice McCain was still considering Joe Lieberman, an independant Democrat but the party hacks convinced him that would sink him. So he gives up on his principles for the party, like he as so much this campaign season. (Obama has too, but McCain has a much longer record to go against.)

Second, Palin is NOT ready to run the country should McCain die in office. Obama is new, raw and under-qualified in many areas so he picks a running mate with lots of experience to shore him up. Biden can give advice to Obama if he is the president and if Obama would die in office Biden would step in ably.

McCain has the qualifications sure, but if something happens to him we would end up with a President who knows less about foreign affairs than I do! That terrifies me! Sarah Palin is a smart capable woman who has shown herself to be a quick study. But the way she talks, and it is only talk, of going to war with Russia to defend our ally Georgia is insane! I mean, I could understand a couple of old guys at the local diner saying things like that, but a VP candidate? I realize, she's raw, she's new, and she should have time to learn. But we've had 8 years of a president learning foreign policy on the fly. And he didn't surround himself with trustworthy advisors.

This is such an important election, I'm sad that I don't care like I should. Part of it is the fatalism that comes from living in Obama's home state. My vote, should it not go to him, will not matter as there is no percentage breakdown of votes. (No people, we do NOT want a popular vote. Trust me on this.) But it is also having to suffer through another Karl Rove led Republican sleaze session, that honestly McCain is better than. Obama has attempted to take the high road, and his attacks back have been whether through design or lack of experience not quite as sleazy. I just wish we could have a campaign on the real issues and have "straight talk" about the hard work that is necessary to get this country righted again.

(Oh, just a note for any conservatives out there that are happy that Palin is staunchly pro-life. Bush is too. He's appointed one of the most conservative courts ever. Have you seen a single step forward in that area? Abortion is a tragedy of massive proportions, but it is not going to go away by electing a Republican. Karl Rove just knows how to play you for your vote. Keep that in mind. You are being used. You don't have to vote for the other guy, but don't delude yourself into thinking the pro-life side will make any real changes at all. They won't.)