Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Top Reasons Why John McCain Lost
I'm a politics junkie so I've been reminiscing about the 2008 presidential campaign which culminated a week ago with the election of Barack Obama over John McCain as our next president. Yay! As a huge Obama supporter I could give you 1000 reasons why he won. However, as a fed up liberal, I think that it's much more interesting to look at the top reasons why John McCain lost:
6. George W. Bush
- Worst president ever
- abysmal approval rating
- McCain voted with Bush 90% of the time = NOT a maverick
- McCain had no clear policy differences from Bush
5. Economic Crisis Response
- "The fundamentals of the economy are strong."
- suspension of his campaign (didn't really) political gimmick
- despite his intervention, House Republicans first voted against bailout (no leadership by McCain)
- uninterested and uninvolved in White House meeting
- Republican economic theories of deregulation and trickle-down economics mostly to blame
- didn't look presidential
4. Debate Performance
- won't look Obama in the eye
- won't say the same smears as on campaign trail to Obama's face (until 3rd debate and then it just came across as mean)
- "That One"
- erratic
- no clear difference from failed Bush policies
- poor temperament
3. Dishonorable Campaign
- originally promised he wouldn't then blamed Obama for it
- "Change" (stealing Obama's slogans / message)
- "Obama wants kids to learn about sex before learning to read."
- "He'll raise your taxes"
- "Lipstick on a pig"
- "Pals around with a terrorist"
- "Real America"
- "Obama is a socialist"
- "Barack Hussein Obama"
- rally attendees yell hate speech
- had to defend Obama from his own crowd members
- Joe the (fake) Plumber (plant / wingnut)
- lost credibility
2. Sarah Palin as VP Choice
- completely unqualified (Foreign policy, Interviews)
- obviously not a "Country First" decision by McCain
- McCain lost "experience" attack on Obama
- not a true reformer (Wasilla left in debt, bridge to nowhere, ethics violation)
- national joke (SNL - Tina Fey, late night comics, etc.)
- hypocrite ("Hockey Mom" vs. 150K wardrobe, bridge to nowhere, "reformer")
- kept away from media
- no credibility
1. Barack Obama
- terrific candidate
- Democrat after 8 years of Dubya (R)
- great VP pick (Joe Biden)
- true message of change
- more presidential
- bipartisanship
- better policies
- better campaign
- better temperament
- hope
I will never doubt that Obama was the better choice no matter what McCain might have said or did but, after listing all of these negatives against McCain, it really shows just how bad the Republicans have to be to be able to get a Democrat elected president (let alone the first black one ever). I think if McCain had just been more positive, effectively outlined his different vision for the future separated from Bush, and if he had made a responsible and not political choice for his VP, this could have been a much closer election, and he might have even squeaked out a win (even with Bush on his back). I believe this could have been possible only because of people's instinctive reaction to reject change, especially in a time of hardship and while we're in two wars. I also think that it's possible that, no matter how McCain ran his campaign, Obama's message was so strong that he was able to overcome this obstacle.
If you want to succeed in politics then you have a great blueprint with Barack Obama's campaign but Democrats should watch out because they better believe that some Republicans will be smart enough to learn from McCain's mistakes. Hopefully that will mean the end of the nasty and divisive tactics they've been using to scare people for votes. If that is the only outcome of this election for their side, then I'm proud to help them out by listing exactly how John McCain totally blew it. Besides, it feels good to gloat a little after all that us liberals have been through over the past decade. When Barack Obama is sworn in as our 44th president it will be a new day for America and, if they truly want a better way forward for our country, then Republicans should also learn from his successful campaign and his examples through leadership in the years to come. If we can just go back to who has the best ideas and policies no matter what political party they belong to, then I believe we will all be better off.
6. George W. Bush- Worst president ever
- abysmal approval rating
- McCain voted with Bush 90% of the time = NOT a maverick
- McCain had no clear policy differences from Bush
5. Economic Crisis Response
- "The fundamentals of the economy are strong."
- suspension of his campaign (didn't really) political gimmick
- despite his intervention, House Republicans first voted against bailout (no leadership by McCain)
- uninterested and uninvolved in White House meeting
- Republican economic theories of deregulation and trickle-down economics mostly to blame
- didn't look presidential
4. Debate Performance
- won't look Obama in the eye
- won't say the same smears as on campaign trail to Obama's face (until 3rd debate and then it just came across as mean)
- "That One"
- erratic
- no clear difference from failed Bush policies
- poor temperament
3. Dishonorable Campaign
- originally promised he wouldn't then blamed Obama for it
- "Change" (stealing Obama's slogans / message)
- "Obama wants kids to learn about sex before learning to read."
- "He'll raise your taxes"
- "Lipstick on a pig"
- "Pals around with a terrorist"
- "Real America"
- "Obama is a socialist"
- "Barack Hussein Obama"
- rally attendees yell hate speech
- had to defend Obama from his own crowd members
- Joe the (fake) Plumber (plant / wingnut)
- lost credibility
2. Sarah Palin as VP Choice
- completely unqualified (Foreign policy, Interviews)
- obviously not a "Country First" decision by McCain
- McCain lost "experience" attack on Obama
- not a true reformer (Wasilla left in debt, bridge to nowhere, ethics violation)
- national joke (SNL - Tina Fey, late night comics, etc.)
- hypocrite ("Hockey Mom" vs. 150K wardrobe, bridge to nowhere, "reformer")
- kept away from media
- no credibility
1. Barack Obama
- terrific candidate
- Democrat after 8 years of Dubya (R)
- great VP pick (Joe Biden)
- true message of change
- more presidential
- bipartisanship
- better policies
- better campaign
- better temperament
- hope
I will never doubt that Obama was the better choice no matter what McCain might have said or did but, after listing all of these negatives against McCain, it really shows just how bad the Republicans have to be to be able to get a Democrat elected president (let alone the first black one ever). I think if McCain had just been more positive, effectively outlined his different vision for the future separated from Bush, and if he had made a responsible and not political choice for his VP, this could have been a much closer election, and he might have even squeaked out a win (even with Bush on his back). I believe this could have been possible only because of people's instinctive reaction to reject change, especially in a time of hardship and while we're in two wars. I also think that it's possible that, no matter how McCain ran his campaign, Obama's message was so strong that he was able to overcome this obstacle.If you want to succeed in politics then you have a great blueprint with Barack Obama's campaign but Democrats should watch out because they better believe that some Republicans will be smart enough to learn from McCain's mistakes. Hopefully that will mean the end of the nasty and divisive tactics they've been using to scare people for votes. If that is the only outcome of this election for their side, then I'm proud to help them out by listing exactly how John McCain totally blew it. Besides, it feels good to gloat a little after all that us liberals have been through over the past decade. When Barack Obama is sworn in as our 44th president it will be a new day for America and, if they truly want a better way forward for our country, then Republicans should also learn from his successful campaign and his examples through leadership in the years to come. If we can just go back to who has the best ideas and policies no matter what political party they belong to, then I believe we will all be better off.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Alabama vs. LSU Now the Most Dangerous Rivalry
Hey, I'm a huge Bama fan since birth, but this is ridiculous.According to the Mobile Press-Register:
An Escambia County couple died Saturday after an argument over the Alabama/LSU football game ended in shotgun blasts, according to Conecuh County authorities.
The shooting allegedly occurred about 7 p.m. at the home of Michael Williams near the Owassa community in Conecuh County, Chapman said.
Investigators said witnesses told them that Dennis Smith, an LSU fan, called Williams, a fan of the Crimson Tide, after the game Saturday evening and an argument ensued.
Officers said Donna Smith was a relative of Michael Williams' girlfriend.
Soon, the Smiths arrived at Williams' home and the men wound up in a physical altercation, officers said.
Smith retrieved a pistol from his vehicle, and threatened Williams, who armed himself with a shotgun and fired two blasts, striking and killing Dennis Smith, officers said.
Donna Smith then threatened Williams, who shot and killed the woman, they said.
It looks like Williams may have a case for self-defense (at least how this article is written) and, of course, alcohol was also involved but it is so sad that people would take something as trivial as a disagreement over a football game to the point where guns are brandished and lives are taken. I recall someone getting stabbed at a recent Alabama-Auburn game, but this is the first time I've ever heard of a death as a result of a sports rivalry. It's nothing to be proud of for sure...
Believe me, I completely understand how emotions can be on high over sports, and especially with heated SEC football rivalries. However, people need to remember that in the end it is just a game. Sports are suppose to build community spirit, not be the motivation behind murder.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
The Clanton Advertiser Continues to Deny Reality
Recently I pointed out how my hometown "newspaper" The Clanton Advertiser endorsed John McCain based only on a falsehood about Barack Obama. After repeated requests and a angry phone call, they have yet to even acknowledge that they got a basic fact about Obama wrong, and they refuse to print a retraction, correction or even my letter to the editor addressing this matter.
I will admit that this is personal for me. I delivered the Advertiser to over 70 households all over south Chilton County six-nights-a-week for over a year. I was not fired or laid-off but simply had to quit the job after gas prices increased to the point that I could no longer afford to make deliveries for their organization. Also, my father was the co-founder of the original newspaper that was bought in 1975 and became what is now The Clanton Advertiser. I am a long-time reader and resident of the small Alabama town that this organization is suppose to serve. On top of all of that I've been engaging in discussions on their new website which now allows people to comment on articles. There I've encountered the most disgusting opinions imaginable about Barack Obama and I'm proud to say that my participation has tamped down the fear-mongering and hate-filled rhetoric from those on the 'right' who used to be able to post without being challenged by anyone.
After sending yet another email demanding an answer for their irresponsible journalism, I received the following response from Managing Editor Brent Maze:
Not only does he try to cover the fact that they plainly got it wrong about Obama's legislative record by giving a weak excuse for how badly the article was written, he is now parroting more Republican talking points about Obama!
I've removed part of his email dealing with one of my comments that was deleted since that issue has been resolved, but here is the rest of Maze's response:
For the record, I was not bullying anyone. I simply let him know that there would be consequences if they refused to correct their mistake such as my writing on this blog and my canceled plans to advertise in their "newspaper." This is something that I'm sure they're not use to at all: accountability.
Of course I had to reply and included his boss as a CC, but my emails were 'bounced' back to me. Because the emails were bounced back to me, not at the same time but an hour apart, I'm pretty sure that they read my response and just bounced the emails so I'd leave them alone. How sneaky and dishonest is that?
Here is my reply to Mr. Maze (with a paragraph pertaining to my deleted comment removed):
I know that The Clanton Advertiser is a small town paper whose priority is obviously (based on their name) selling advertising and that they are probably used to operating without scrutiny, but this kind of irresponsible and sloppy journalism should not go on anywhere without some kind of accountability. As an ardent Obama supporter, I am sick and tired of the falsehoods being spread about him, and the fact the the Advertiser refuses to even admit their mistake shows their obvious bias and a complete lack of professionalism. Just because they are located in a very pro-Republican county in a very pro-Republican state does not give them free reign to mislead their readers and never set the record straight just because the fact they got wrong was about a Democrat.
They truth is obvious: They lied about Obama and will never admit their mistake. Due to their lack of any published response, I now believe that it was their intent to deliberately mislead their readers about Obama's record. Because of this and their recent inclination to censor comments on their website for no good reason, I will no longer be participating on their website, will never advertise with their organization, or even read their sorry excuse for a paper.
I encourage anyone who reads The Clanton Advertiser to take everything they publish, regardless of who it may favor, with a huge grain of salt. If you truly care about a news organization getting the facts correct and fairly representing all political candidates (especially when it's something as important as a presidential election), then I suggest that you cancel your subscription, refuse to advertise with them and boycott anyone who does buy ads in The Clanton Advertiser. This is the kind of accountability a dishonest and irresponsible news organization deserves.
I will admit that this is personal for me. I delivered the Advertiser to over 70 households all over south Chilton County six-nights-a-week for over a year. I was not fired or laid-off but simply had to quit the job after gas prices increased to the point that I could no longer afford to make deliveries for their organization. Also, my father was the co-founder of the original newspaper that was bought in 1975 and became what is now The Clanton Advertiser. I am a long-time reader and resident of the small Alabama town that this organization is suppose to serve. On top of all of that I've been engaging in discussions on their new website which now allows people to comment on articles. There I've encountered the most disgusting opinions imaginable about Barack Obama and I'm proud to say that my participation has tamped down the fear-mongering and hate-filled rhetoric from those on the 'right' who used to be able to post without being challenged by anyone.
After sending yet another email demanding an answer for their irresponsible journalism, I received the following response from Managing Editor Brent Maze:
First of all, that one reason was not the only reason for endorsing McCain. It was the prevailing reason, and as I have said the factual inaccuracy you have numerously repeated on our site was probably just a poor choice of words. When you have limited space to put an endorsement in the paper, we can only limit our reasoning to that space provided. The reason why there hasn’t been a retraction or a correction is because we felt there was none needed, and yes this was discussed with our news staff. I seriously doubt that we changed anyone’s mind, and the question of Obama’s experience is a valid question. I’m not sure that four years of serving in Washington is enough time to learn what he needed. I’m not sure anyone truly knows what kind of legislation Obama will propose with the exception of his “redistribution of the wealth.”
Not only does he try to cover the fact that they plainly got it wrong about Obama's legislative record by giving a weak excuse for how badly the article was written, he is now parroting more Republican talking points about Obama!
I've removed part of his email dealing with one of my comments that was deleted since that issue has been resolved, but here is the rest of Maze's response:
I do not have a problem with you calling us out, but I do not appreciate being bullied by you or anyone else. You were trying to do that in a phone call earlier this week. Because of that reason, I have chosen not to run your letter to the editor. You or anyone else will not make threats about doing something if we don’t do the thing you demand. The only one that has the right to tell me how to do anything is my boss.
For the record, I was not bullying anyone. I simply let him know that there would be consequences if they refused to correct their mistake such as my writing on this blog and my canceled plans to advertise in their "newspaper." This is something that I'm sure they're not use to at all: accountability.
Of course I had to reply and included his boss as a CC, but my emails were 'bounced' back to me. Because the emails were bounced back to me, not at the same time but an hour apart, I'm pretty sure that they read my response and just bounced the emails so I'd leave them alone. How sneaky and dishonest is that?
Here is my reply to Mr. Maze (with a paragraph pertaining to my deleted comment removed):
What matters is that the only reason you gave for endorsing McCain in that article was based on a falsehood about Obama. What your staff really thought or were limited by space to print is irrelevant when what you actually published was plainly wrong. Whether it was a poor choice of words or not, you did indeed get an obvious fact wrong and I would think that as a journalist you would care about that. However, now that you are repeating more Republican talking points about him, I have a better idea of where you're coming from.
I do apologize if I came across too harsh in my phone call to you, but I was understandably upset and may have been a bit tense on election day for obvious reasons. Not only is it important to me that people get the facts right about Obama, it is just as important that a news organization presents both sides in a fair and balanced way. Unfortunately, you failed to do this and apparently are still unwilling to set the record straight. That is your right too, but with all due respect, it speaks volumes about your organization's journalistic integrity.
I'm willing to let this go now, even though I am not satisfied at all by your lack of an official response in print. I will hope that in the future you will take your responsibility to your community seriously and get the facts correct no matter what the subject or who it may favor. That's what journalists are suppose to do.
I know that The Clanton Advertiser is a small town paper whose priority is obviously (based on their name) selling advertising and that they are probably used to operating without scrutiny, but this kind of irresponsible and sloppy journalism should not go on anywhere without some kind of accountability. As an ardent Obama supporter, I am sick and tired of the falsehoods being spread about him, and the fact the the Advertiser refuses to even admit their mistake shows their obvious bias and a complete lack of professionalism. Just because they are located in a very pro-Republican county in a very pro-Republican state does not give them free reign to mislead their readers and never set the record straight just because the fact they got wrong was about a Democrat.
They truth is obvious: They lied about Obama and will never admit their mistake. Due to their lack of any published response, I now believe that it was their intent to deliberately mislead their readers about Obama's record. Because of this and their recent inclination to censor comments on their website for no good reason, I will no longer be participating on their website, will never advertise with their organization, or even read their sorry excuse for a paper.
I encourage anyone who reads The Clanton Advertiser to take everything they publish, regardless of who it may favor, with a huge grain of salt. If you truly care about a news organization getting the facts correct and fairly representing all political candidates (especially when it's something as important as a presidential election), then I suggest that you cancel your subscription, refuse to advertise with them and boycott anyone who does buy ads in The Clanton Advertiser. This is the kind of accountability a dishonest and irresponsible news organization deserves.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Barack Obama is the man, and now "The Man"
click for full size image
Illustration by Patrick Moberg
And no white folk, Obama is NOT your worst nightmare come true:
For those still pinching themselves: Yes we did!
Election Night 2008 Highlights
Illustration by Patrick Moberg
And no white folk, Obama is NOT your worst nightmare come true:
For those still pinching themselves: Yes we did!
Election Night 2008 Highlights
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Countdown to Change
January 20th, 2009 will certainly be a day to celebrate for two big reasons. President Obama and no more Bush!
My girlfriend whipped up this video today to celebrate.
For inspiration until then: Obama's election night speech.
My girlfriend whipped up this video today to celebrate.
For inspiration until then: Obama's election night speech.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
State Education Grades Compared to 2008 Presidential Election Results
It seems the best excuse people on the 'right' can come up with today for why John McCain lost to Barack Obama is that people were uninformed or mislead by the "liberal media." Or, in other words: They are stupid. This is a ridiculous argument. I'm not saying that all Obama voters are smarter than all McCain voters, but let's look at a comparison of the education system for states and how they voted in the 2008 presidential election.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness .
And, according to the final electoral college map from MSNBC.
7 of 10 states with a "A" rating on academic achievement voted for Obama-Biden:
Massachusetts- Obama
Minnesota- Obama
New Hampshire- Obama
Vermont - Obama
New Jersey- Obama
Connecticut- Obama
Kansas - McCain
Washington- Obama
North Dakota - McCain
Montana - McCain
7 of 10 states with a "B" rating on academic achievement voted for Obama-Biden:
Ohio - Obama
Virginia - Obama
South Dakota - McCain
Pennsylvania - Obama
Wisconsin - Obama
Maine - Obama
Wyoming - McCain
Colorado - Obama
Nebraska - McCain
Iowa - Obama
8 of 10 states with a "D" rating on academic achievement voted for McCain-Palin:
Arizona- McCain
Tennessee- McCain
Georgia- McCain
Kentucky- McCain
Arkansas- McCain
Rhode Island - Obama
Alaska - McCain
South Carolina- McCain
Florida - Obama
Missouri- McCain
States with a "F" rating on academic achievement were split evenly 5 for Obama-Biden and 5 for McCain-Palin:
District of Columbia - Obama
Mississippi - McCain
New Mexico - Obama
Alabama - McCain
Louisiana - McCain
Hawaii - Obama
Nevada - Obama
West Virginia - McCain
California - Obama
Oklahoma - McCain
States with good educational systems overwhelmingly voted for Obama-Biden and states with poor education mostly voted for McCain-Palin. This comparison clearly shows that better educated people voted for Obama and poorly educated people voted for McCain. It is more likely that well educated people made an informed decision and were able to seek out the truth. It is also more likely that poorly educated people did not make an informed decision. So, maybe we can put this pitiful excuse that Obama voters are uninformed or were fooled by the media to rest now that we know the facts.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness .
And, according to the final electoral college map from MSNBC.
7 of 10 states with a "A" rating on academic achievement voted for Obama-Biden:
Massachusetts- Obama
Minnesota- Obama
New Hampshire- Obama
Vermont - Obama
New Jersey- Obama
Connecticut- Obama
Kansas - McCain
Washington- Obama
North Dakota - McCain
Montana - McCain
7 of 10 states with a "B" rating on academic achievement voted for Obama-Biden:
Ohio - Obama
Virginia - Obama
South Dakota - McCain
Pennsylvania - Obama
Wisconsin - Obama
Maine - Obama
Wyoming - McCain
Colorado - Obama
Nebraska - McCain
Iowa - Obama
8 of 10 states with a "D" rating on academic achievement voted for McCain-Palin:
Arizona- McCain
Tennessee- McCain
Georgia- McCain
Kentucky- McCain
Arkansas- McCain
Rhode Island - Obama
Alaska - McCain
South Carolina- McCain
Florida - Obama
Missouri- McCain
States with a "F" rating on academic achievement were split evenly 5 for Obama-Biden and 5 for McCain-Palin:
District of Columbia - Obama
Mississippi - McCain
New Mexico - Obama
Alabama - McCain
Louisiana - McCain
Hawaii - Obama
Nevada - Obama
West Virginia - McCain
California - Obama
Oklahoma - McCain
States with good educational systems overwhelmingly voted for Obama-Biden and states with poor education mostly voted for McCain-Palin. This comparison clearly shows that better educated people voted for Obama and poorly educated people voted for McCain. It is more likely that well educated people made an informed decision and were able to seek out the truth. It is also more likely that poorly educated people did not make an informed decision. So, maybe we can put this pitiful excuse that Obama voters are uninformed or were fooled by the media to rest now that we know the facts.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
President Barack Obama!
I am so proud of America for rejecting the politics of divisiveness and fear-mongering and making a intelligent choice for the change our country desperately needs by electing President Barack Obama! Make no mistake, this landslide victory is a clear mandate by the people to finally have a government that effectively works for all of the people and to take us all in a bold new direction with a new leader who offers common sense solutions and an ability to unite our country like never before.
For those whose night didn't go like they had wanted it to, I hope you'll respect our democratic process and the majority of Americans who voted for Obama. I encourage you to support our new president in the difficult times ahead. There is no doubt that we will all need to work together to truly bring about positive change for everyone. If you believe in the spirit of our country and the principles on which it was founded, you will join us in celebrating this historic moment. This is not about one man or one political party, this is about all of us. One of my favorite patriotic phrases could not be more relevant than today: "United we stand, divided we fall."
To the many who have negative opinions about Obama I can promise you this: You will be pleasantly surprised. This will not be the partisan politics of the past. He will appoint those with differing political views to his cabinet and you will see that his policies are what's best for everyone without harming the principles that make our country so great. You will also learn that he is a decent and fair man whose judgment will protect us and our interests around the world. Mark my words, Barack Obama will be a terrific president.
Obviously I am an ardent Obama supporter but, believe me, I will to hold him just as accountable as I hold all of our elected leaders. The promises candidates make on the campaign trail are important, and I will expect him to follow through with all of his proposals to the best of his ability. This will be a difficult task, but I am confident that he will work with the brightest minds available to find the best way forward for our great nation. We can overcome the partisan gridlock in Washington. We can end the influence of corporate lobbyists and government corruption. We can turn our economy around and create new jobs. We can have affordable healthcare. We can reform our education system. We can responsibly leave Iraq in victory. We can destroy the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. We can end our dependence on foreign oil and protect our environment. We can have liberty and justice for all. We are the greatest country on Earth so, yes we can!
For Obama supporters, now is the time to celebrate! Relish in this watershed moment and enjoy yourselves. You deserve it, and we all deserve the real change that is coming for the United States of America.
For those whose night didn't go like they had wanted it to, I hope you'll respect our democratic process and the majority of Americans who voted for Obama. I encourage you to support our new president in the difficult times ahead. There is no doubt that we will all need to work together to truly bring about positive change for everyone. If you believe in the spirit of our country and the principles on which it was founded, you will join us in celebrating this historic moment. This is not about one man or one political party, this is about all of us. One of my favorite patriotic phrases could not be more relevant than today: "United we stand, divided we fall."
To the many who have negative opinions about Obama I can promise you this: You will be pleasantly surprised. This will not be the partisan politics of the past. He will appoint those with differing political views to his cabinet and you will see that his policies are what's best for everyone without harming the principles that make our country so great. You will also learn that he is a decent and fair man whose judgment will protect us and our interests around the world. Mark my words, Barack Obama will be a terrific president.
Obviously I am an ardent Obama supporter but, believe me, I will to hold him just as accountable as I hold all of our elected leaders. The promises candidates make on the campaign trail are important, and I will expect him to follow through with all of his proposals to the best of his ability. This will be a difficult task, but I am confident that he will work with the brightest minds available to find the best way forward for our great nation. We can overcome the partisan gridlock in Washington. We can end the influence of corporate lobbyists and government corruption. We can turn our economy around and create new jobs. We can have affordable healthcare. We can reform our education system. We can responsibly leave Iraq in victory. We can destroy the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. We can end our dependence on foreign oil and protect our environment. We can have liberty and justice for all. We are the greatest country on Earth so, yes we can!
For Obama supporters, now is the time to celebrate! Relish in this watershed moment and enjoy yourselves. You deserve it, and we all deserve the real change that is coming for the United States of America.
Election Day Playlist - VOTE OBAMA-BIDEN!!!
Here's some great music for Election Day.
Jimi Hendrix - The Star Spangled Banner
Jay Jay French and Friends - I Want Barack
Blind Melon - Change
Bruce Springsteen - This Land Is Your Land
Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
David Bowie - Changes
Elvis Costello - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
Yes We Can
U2 - City Of Blinding Lights
John Lennon - Power To The People
Jimi Hendrix - The Star Spangled Banner
Jay Jay French and Friends - I Want Barack
Blind Melon - Change
Bruce Springsteen - This Land Is Your Land
Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
David Bowie - Changes
Elvis Costello - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
Yes We Can
U2 - City Of Blinding Lights
John Lennon - Power To The People
Monday, November 3, 2008
Obama Hater's Reckless Endangerment Possibly Results in Obama Vote
I live in the heart of red-state Alabama so it was no surprise when our regular vinyl and wire Obama-Biden sign was stolen after only being up in front of our house for just over a week. However, what happened Saturday crossed way over the line. In broad daylight someone dragged our homemade Obama-Biden sign out into the middle of a busy highway recklessly endangering the life of anyone driving by at the time who could have either hit the sign or would have had to brake suddenly or swerve to miss it. Who would have known that the end result would be a undecided voter possibly making up their mind to cast their ballot for Obama?
First, this isn't any regular sign. It is fashioned from a large piece of plywood about four feet wide and has 2x4s on either side as a base so it will stand up straight. There was nothing controversial painted on my homemade sign, just the words Obama and Biden in blue and a big red check mark all painted on both sides over a white background for maximum visibility. Some free-speech hating coward thought it was perfectly okay to just drag it off our property and out onto a busy two-lane highway where the speed limit is 55 mph. Someone could have easily been killed in a automobile wreck if they had hit the sign or had to try to avoid it.
We live on the top of a hill overlooking a busy highway in a rural part of the state. I knew that putting out an Obama-Biden sign was risky since, not only are we vastly outnumbered here by Republicans, but the only location where it would be visible from the road is about 50 yards from our house so it would be easy to steal without us noticing. After our regular Obama-Biden sign was stolen last week my girlfriend and I decided that putting out our only remaining sign would be too easy for someone to grab so we created our own and we made it practically un-stealable. We painted a large and heavy piece of plywood about four feet long and created a stencil for the words Obama and Biden and a large check mark. My girlfriend is an artist so it was no problem for her to also create a stencil for Obama's logo in the "O" of "Obama" and we were proud of the result. So the plywood would stand up, I attached 2x4s on each side that were cut to the same length of the plywood. I'd guess that the entire thing weighs over 50 pounds so nobody could easily snatch it and run away. Our homemade sign had remained down by the side of the road for almost a week without incident.
All day Saturday I had been extra nervous about the sign since the election is drawing near and (if the polls are correct) it is apparent Obama will win. It was around 6pm when I heard a loud noise outside so I leaped off of the couch and looked out the front door to see my sign was now out in the middle of the road. I immediately went outside but I didn't see the creep who did it - only their car which was parked up the road a bit and unfortunately my view was obstructed. I yelled as loudly as I could for them to "get off my property you *expletive deleted*!" By the time I could grab a baseball bat for self-defense and run down our gravel driveway they were gone. I would have pursued them in my car but I had to drag the sign off of the road before some unfortunate passerby hit it. When I had completed doing this it was too late to go after them to try to get a license number. I was understandably furious. Not only was someone trampling on our freedom of speech, they were willing to put people's lives in danger at the same time.
The last thing I wanted to do is give in and remove my sign, but the next day I decided it wasn't worth it to keep it by the side of the road where any anti-Obama idiot could drag it out into the highway and possibly kill someone just because they disagree with my political beliefs. I moved it up on the hill where it is not as visible, but can still be seen. I've been warned by the authorities that I should watch out on election night and in the days following for more acts of vandalism now that our home has been marked as supporting Obama. I am not afraid because those kind of people that would do such a thing are nothing but cowards and they should also know that Democrats have guns too!
I am so disappointed that this is what it has come to in our society that people will do such despicable acts just because of our differing political views. I believe that this kind of hate is a direct result of the inflammatory rhetoric from the McCain-Palin campaign that has stirred up their supporters to believe that anyone who supports Obama must be an anti-American terrorist supporter. All of America should hold John McCain and Sarah Palin accountable for their divisiveness and fear-mongering on election day.
And now for the happy part of my story. As I did when our original Obama-Biden sign was stolen, I called the County Sheriff, not because I thought they could catch the perpetrator, but so they'd know what was going on and would look after the house when they could. The deputy that came out was an extremely nice fellow and we immediately got into a conversation about the election and he claimed that he was still undecided. His concerns about Obama were the tired old falsehoods that he won't respect the flag, etc. so I quickly set him straight by explaining Obama's reasoning for sometimes not wearing a flag pin, and I made sure he knew that Barack's grandfather (who helped raise him) was a WWII vet so there's no way he could have been brought up to hate America. We talked about the economy and I explained how Obama's plan favors the middle-class much more than McCain who wants to give more tax breaks to huge corporations and will leave out over 100 million tax payers. He indicated that he had heard the charge that Obama might be a socialist, and I dispelled this as typical fear-mongering from Republicans and proved how ridiculous a claim that was based on his tax policy and if you simply read the definition of the word it is just not true. We talked about Iraq, and even though he thought it was right for the US to go in there in the first place, he agreed we should now leave. I explained that McCain has no exit strategy for Iraq and Obama will bring home our troops responsibly. The deputy also agreed that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned and I made sure that he knew that McCain has said his Supreme Court nominees would definitely have to agree that it should be overturned and that Sarah Palin believes abortions should be illegal even in the cases of incest and rape. I also told him that by looking at how each candidate has run their campaign you can get a good idea of how they'll run the country. I explained how Obama's pick of Joe Biden for VP was a true country first decision in comparison to McCain's choice of Palin and how their campaign of divisiveness and lies about Obama has been dishonorable.
In the end the Sheriff's deputy gave no clear indication which way he'd vote, but I felt good about setting the record straight about both candidates and discounting the smears about Obama that he was concerned with. It was good to know there are some in my area who still have an open mind and aren't just blindly buying into the propaganda from the right. Will he vote for Obama? I don't know, but I will hope that this ugly incident will turn into a positive with the possibility of one more vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
First, this isn't any regular sign. It is fashioned from a large piece of plywood about four feet wide and has 2x4s on either side as a base so it will stand up straight. There was nothing controversial painted on my homemade sign, just the words Obama and Biden in blue and a big red check mark all painted on both sides over a white background for maximum visibility. Some free-speech hating coward thought it was perfectly okay to just drag it off our property and out onto a busy two-lane highway where the speed limit is 55 mph. Someone could have easily been killed in a automobile wreck if they had hit the sign or had to try to avoid it.
We live on the top of a hill overlooking a busy highway in a rural part of the state. I knew that putting out an Obama-Biden sign was risky since, not only are we vastly outnumbered here by Republicans, but the only location where it would be visible from the road is about 50 yards from our house so it would be easy to steal without us noticing. After our regular Obama-Biden sign was stolen last week my girlfriend and I decided that putting out our only remaining sign would be too easy for someone to grab so we created our own and we made it practically un-stealable. We painted a large and heavy piece of plywood about four feet long and created a stencil for the words Obama and Biden and a large check mark. My girlfriend is an artist so it was no problem for her to also create a stencil for Obama's logo in the "O" of "Obama" and we were proud of the result. So the plywood would stand up, I attached 2x4s on each side that were cut to the same length of the plywood. I'd guess that the entire thing weighs over 50 pounds so nobody could easily snatch it and run away. Our homemade sign had remained down by the side of the road for almost a week without incident.
All day Saturday I had been extra nervous about the sign since the election is drawing near and (if the polls are correct) it is apparent Obama will win. It was around 6pm when I heard a loud noise outside so I leaped off of the couch and looked out the front door to see my sign was now out in the middle of the road. I immediately went outside but I didn't see the creep who did it - only their car which was parked up the road a bit and unfortunately my view was obstructed. I yelled as loudly as I could for them to "get off my property you *expletive deleted*!" By the time I could grab a baseball bat for self-defense and run down our gravel driveway they were gone. I would have pursued them in my car but I had to drag the sign off of the road before some unfortunate passerby hit it. When I had completed doing this it was too late to go after them to try to get a license number. I was understandably furious. Not only was someone trampling on our freedom of speech, they were willing to put people's lives in danger at the same time.
The last thing I wanted to do is give in and remove my sign, but the next day I decided it wasn't worth it to keep it by the side of the road where any anti-Obama idiot could drag it out into the highway and possibly kill someone just because they disagree with my political beliefs. I moved it up on the hill where it is not as visible, but can still be seen. I've been warned by the authorities that I should watch out on election night and in the days following for more acts of vandalism now that our home has been marked as supporting Obama. I am not afraid because those kind of people that would do such a thing are nothing but cowards and they should also know that Democrats have guns too!
I am so disappointed that this is what it has come to in our society that people will do such despicable acts just because of our differing political views. I believe that this kind of hate is a direct result of the inflammatory rhetoric from the McCain-Palin campaign that has stirred up their supporters to believe that anyone who supports Obama must be an anti-American terrorist supporter. All of America should hold John McCain and Sarah Palin accountable for their divisiveness and fear-mongering on election day.
And now for the happy part of my story. As I did when our original Obama-Biden sign was stolen, I called the County Sheriff, not because I thought they could catch the perpetrator, but so they'd know what was going on and would look after the house when they could. The deputy that came out was an extremely nice fellow and we immediately got into a conversation about the election and he claimed that he was still undecided. His concerns about Obama were the tired old falsehoods that he won't respect the flag, etc. so I quickly set him straight by explaining Obama's reasoning for sometimes not wearing a flag pin, and I made sure he knew that Barack's grandfather (who helped raise him) was a WWII vet so there's no way he could have been brought up to hate America. We talked about the economy and I explained how Obama's plan favors the middle-class much more than McCain who wants to give more tax breaks to huge corporations and will leave out over 100 million tax payers. He indicated that he had heard the charge that Obama might be a socialist, and I dispelled this as typical fear-mongering from Republicans and proved how ridiculous a claim that was based on his tax policy and if you simply read the definition of the word it is just not true. We talked about Iraq, and even though he thought it was right for the US to go in there in the first place, he agreed we should now leave. I explained that McCain has no exit strategy for Iraq and Obama will bring home our troops responsibly. The deputy also agreed that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned and I made sure that he knew that McCain has said his Supreme Court nominees would definitely have to agree that it should be overturned and that Sarah Palin believes abortions should be illegal even in the cases of incest and rape. I also told him that by looking at how each candidate has run their campaign you can get a good idea of how they'll run the country. I explained how Obama's pick of Joe Biden for VP was a true country first decision in comparison to McCain's choice of Palin and how their campaign of divisiveness and lies about Obama has been dishonorable.
In the end the Sheriff's deputy gave no clear indication which way he'd vote, but I felt good about setting the record straight about both candidates and discounting the smears about Obama that he was concerned with. It was good to know there are some in my area who still have an open mind and aren't just blindly buying into the propaganda from the right. Will he vote for Obama? I don't know, but I will hope that this ugly incident will turn into a positive with the possibility of one more vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
My hometown paper endorses McCain, gets fact wrong about Obama
The Clanton Advertiser has endorsed John McCain for president. I have no problem with that, but their primary reasoning for why Obama is not their choice is just plain wrong.
The Advertiser has the right to endorse John McCain but they owe their readers to at least get the facts right!
Their primary reason for why Barack Obama does not get their endorsement contains the following factual inaccuracy:
Barack Obama has indeed been able to get legislation passed in Congress since he became a US Senator. In fact, 16 bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Obama have became law.
Here is a list of some of the legislation that is now a US law thanks to Obama:
The Lugar-Obama Non-Proliferation Act
S.2590 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006
S.2125 The Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act
S.2488 OPEN Government Act of 2007
S. 2803 Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006
S. 707 PREEMIE Act
S. 906: Mercury Market Minimization Act of 2007
S.2617 Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2008
S.2135 Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2008
S.1760 Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2007
S.1492 Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act
S.1276 Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2008
S.793 Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2008
S.431 KIDS Act of 2008
I don't know how the Advertiser got this easy-to-confirm fact wrong but anyone can learn the truth about Obama's record of passing bills into law by doing a little research online.
The Clanton Advertiser is being irresponsible by publishing this falsehood about Obama and I demanded that they print a retraction before election day. If they have any journalistic integrity at all they will do so as soon as possible.
McCain has shown that he has the experience necessary to get legislation passed in Congress. Obama hasn’t. In the years he has been in office, Obama hasn’t been able to get any legislation passed into law. If you can’t get any bills pushed through Congress to become law, then you can’t produce any change.
This is the reason why we believe McCain is the best man to lead our country for the next four years.
The Advertiser has the right to endorse John McCain but they owe their readers to at least get the facts right!
Their primary reason for why Barack Obama does not get their endorsement contains the following factual inaccuracy:
In the years he has been in office, Obama hasn’t been able to get any legislation passed into law.
Barack Obama has indeed been able to get legislation passed in Congress since he became a US Senator. In fact, 16 bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Obama have became law.
Here is a list of some of the legislation that is now a US law thanks to Obama:
The Lugar-Obama Non-Proliferation Act
S.2590 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006
S.2125 The Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act
S.2488 OPEN Government Act of 2007
S. 2803 Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006
S. 707 PREEMIE Act
S. 906: Mercury Market Minimization Act of 2007
S.2617 Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2008
S.2135 Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2008
S.1760 Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2007
S.1492 Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act
S.1276 Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2008
S.793 Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2008
S.431 KIDS Act of 2008
I don't know how the Advertiser got this easy-to-confirm fact wrong but anyone can learn the truth about Obama's record of passing bills into law by doing a little research online.
The Clanton Advertiser is being irresponsible by publishing this falsehood about Obama and I demanded that they print a retraction before election day. If they have any journalistic integrity at all they will do so as soon as possible.
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