Friday, October 24, 2008

Tsunami Alert


From Newsweek:
The country seems poised for another "wave" election, where the close seats fall in one direction. "We've not had a leader elected in this kind of environment in our lifetime," said Greenberg. You have to go back to 1930 and 1932 to see two wave elections in a row. At the National Press Club, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer was asked what would happen if the Democrats "only" picked up seven seats, and fell short of the nine they would need for a filibuster-proof Senate. (The Dems currently have 49 seats plus two independents that caucus with them). "Only seven seats!" Schumer exclaimed. "We haven't had that many seats since 1979!"

Now..(ahem)..allow me to humbly review comments made by an astute local observer last May 16:
I just don't get the doom and gloom about November. Because it's getting clearer and clearer that whoever the Democratic candidate is, they are going to win an overwhelming victory...

And again on June 1:
It's going to take a tidal wave of epic proportions to wash away the stench of the past eight years, but that's exactly what's coming: A great big Democratic wave.

"A great big Democratic wave"...Coming your way in just over a week.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Who's "Palin" around with terrorists?



From the Sept. 3 L.A.Times:


[Sarah Palin] has cheered the work of a tiny party that long has pushed for a statewide vote on whether Alaska should secede from those same United States. And her husband, Todd, was a member of the party for seven years.

"Keep up the good work," Sarah Palin told members of the Alaskan Independence Party in a videotaped speech to their convention six months ago in Fairbanks. She wished the party luck on what she called its "inspiring convention."

Friday, October 3, 2008

Great story from Abington

Barack Obama visited Montgomery County today, and thousands showed up to greet him and be inspired by him as we kick the campaign into high gear for the last month leading up to Election Day on Nov. 4th.

This story from today's rally, posted by Kelly of PA on DailyKos, really moved me, as I hope it will you, too:

This picture is of my Pop-Pop. He was born in raised in the segregated south, and served in a segregated Army. Pop is a veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam, in which he lost a leg and suffered near-fatal injuries. In the past few years, Pop has suffered heart attacks and a stroke, fell down a flight of steps and broke his neck, and has lost his remaining slivers of eyesight. Life has become quite difficult for Pop-Pop, and following the campaign of Barack Obama provides him with much needed hope and joy.

Today, we took Pop-pop to Senator Obama’s rally. We wheeled him to the front of the section designated for handicapped individuals, and he patiently waited for two hours in his wheelchair to hear Barack Obama speak. After his speech, Senator Obama came down the steps and walked over to Pop-pop. He gestured towards the Purple Heart and Silver Stars that were pinned to his cap, and thanked Pop for his service and for taking the time to come to the event. I could see the tears welling up in Pop’s eyes as Barack spoke. Obama spent a few moments with my Pop-Pop, shook his hand, hugged him, and then moved along to greet other supporters.

As we made our way towards the parking lot, tears continuously slid down Pop-Pop’s face. He was very emotional. He could barely speak. "I just touched the next President of the United States" was all he could say; he repeated that phrase over and over again. The entire encounter between the two of them lasted no more than thirty seconds, but to a man who’s lived through segregation and racism, being able to meet the first viable African American candidate for POTUS was the experience of a lifetime. The joy that Pop felt meant more to my family and I than words can explain.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

What if McCain quits the race?

I know he doesn't sound like he's even thinking of it.

But it's clear that his campaign is in a shambles. He's got a VP who is woefully unqualified, and he must know that by now. He has a staff that has come up with only one strategy -- lying. His reputation has been shredded. And he is on his way to losing by huge, overwhelming margins in states that were once solidly Republican.

I don't see McCain as the 'Happy Warrior' type guy who'll just take one for the team, he's never been much of a team player. He's not Bob Dole.

I'd say there's a chance that he could simply announce that his health will not permit him to continue.

Slim chance, I'll grant you, but it could happen.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Saturday, September 13, 2008

"He can't use a keyboard"


Somebody please, tell me this is just a very bad dream or an incredibly over-the-top farce. This cannot be a real, "your-future-is-on-the-line" Presidential race, can it?

First, the Obama campaign puts out an ad that points out -- correctly, I'd say -- that any Presidential candidate who can't be bothered to learn how to use a computer or send his own email is...how to put this politely?...a complete dumbass illiterate loser. In case you're wondering, this was in reference to the admited fact from the McCain camp that John McCain does not know thing one about using a computer.

Then, once this hits, we find a report (via a link on Drudge, naturally) that poor old Mr. "Lived in a Box for Five and a Half Years" can't use a computer because...(wait for it, you've never heard this excuse before)...he was a POW. From a 2000 Boston Globe article:

...McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes...

I'm sorry, call me insensitive, but I'm not buying that. Not even a little bit.

And the reason why is the guy pictured above, a man who suffers far more than John McCain from the nerve deadening effects of Lou Gehrig's disease: world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking.

Somehow, even though he has no control at all over his arms, his hands, or his entire body from the neck down, Hawking has figured out not only how to use a computer, but how to write emails, write entire books and, in short, be a fully functioning citizen of the 21st Century.

I don't know about you, but I'm looking for a President who doesn't use his disabilities as an excuse; I'm looking for one who has found a way to overcome his obstacles and move ahead.

Say, a candidate who started off dirt-poor, lived in a one-parent home where Food Stamps were needed to make meals. Somehow made it into an Ivy League school and then the top Law School in the country, where he became the first person of his race to be President of the Law Review.

And yes, somewhere along the line, he also learned how to use a computer.

That's the guy I want calling the shots next year. Not the one whining because it's too hard.

The Choice

Here are words I never thought I'd say:

The McCain campaign really does offer us a clear choice.

You can choose to side with John McCain, who is showing all you need to know about who he is by running the dirtiest, most dishonest and lie-filled campaign of any Presidential candidate in modern American history.

Or you can choose Barack Obama, who has continued to address issues, talk directly to the voting public about the important differences between himself and Sen. McCain, and has refused to get down into the mud and go negative in the same way that McCain has done.

Here's what one Republican campaign observer had to say about McCain's mudslinging (click here for the full article on MSNBC.com):

Mr. Sipple, the Republican strategist, voiced concern that Mr. McCain’s approach could backfire. “Any campaign that is taking liberty with the truth and does it in a serial manner will end up paying for it in the end,” he said. “But it’s very unbecoming to a political figure like John McCain whose flag was planted long ago in ground that was about ‘straight talk’ and integrity.”
It's a simple choice, really - you either support McCain and his campaign that's based on lies and attacks, or you realize that Obama is the only candidate acting like a grown-up you can trust to run the country.

And in the end, I really don't think too many adults are going to choose the McCain mudslinging over Obama's high standards.

Most of us quit playing in the mud once we got out of grade school. Too bad John McCain hasn't learned that lesson.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Let's get it on

Good Lord, I know I'm going to regret this.

This blog is now open for business. Duck & cover.

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-- MPD