Last of Our Kind

Alaska’s largest newspaper, The Anchorage Daily News, just endorsed Senator Barrack Obama for President. Not only did the newspaper say Barack Obama is the better choice, but it actually said Sarah Palin was “too risky” to be VP, and therefore one heartbeat away from the Presidency.

I know Barack Obama will not win the state of Alaska and its 3 electoral votes. However, to the Republican Party this has to come as a shock and definitely has to be seen as a slap in the face to Sarah Palin. Not to mention this is yet another blow to an already shaky (and some would say finished) campaign.

We are in the final week of this election and the candidates can not afford any negative press, or any mistakes. And yet here John McCain has ANOTHER one.

It seems like from day one (at least day one from picking Governor Palin) he can not get a break. Now, as a supporter of Obama I think this is good news, but it almost makes me feel sorry for the guy. He truly loves this country, I don’t doubt that, but his party is so far to the right that he never could run the campaign or make the decisions that he actually wanted to. The Daily News clearly chose not to endorse McCain because of his VP choice, a choice that many think (especially as the two running mates begin to tear each other down) was not his first pick.

Conventional wisdom says John McCain really wanted to pick Joe Lieberman as his VP. That choice would have shaken things up for the Republicans. The problem is that they as a party are so conservative that McCain would have been skewered had he had made such a controversial decision and asked a “liberal” to join him.

I also believe that John McCain could (and should) have picked Mitt Romney as his VP. Looking at how horribly McCain handled the economic mess we are in, Romney certainly would have helped. However, he is a Mormon, and would that have really appeased the Christian Right? I don’t think so. Had they been able to accept his religion would they get over the fact that he once supported abortion and that he is from the “Elitist Territory,” Massachusetts? This man says no.

So how does this fit in with the endorsement for Barack Obama? As I said before I think it’s great for the Democratic Party, and great for the nation that a progressive man with good ideas will finally be able to lead. It is important however, to say that we are also at a moment of great division. If we don’t learn to come together and support our new President, we are doomed to fail as a nation. We will be destined to take huge steps back in everything that we have fought for. And that is what we must realize going forward.

We have come to a place now, where our division is no longer helpful. It does not allow for discussion and debate, but only gridlock and fighting. We have to stop arguing about the legality of abortion and focus on prevention, education, and the safety of Women. We have to stop arguing about Gay marriage and focus on equal rights for everyone (which is what this nation truly stands for).

America, it is time we turn the page past partisanship. We have to, or else we will never move forward again.

There is so much at stake in this election. I think everyone has figured this out by now. This is the election of a lifetime. It presents us all with a choice between two very distinct candidates, and two very distinct ideas about the proper course for this country. I think everyone who is paying attention, and anyone reading this, probably knows the particulars of which candidate stands for what. And if they do not, I think most people are doing what must be done to learn the facts. At least I hope that is the case.



Unfortunately, I still see and hear from so many people out there that for some reason still think Barack Obama is a Muslim or a terrorist or both. Friends I thought I knew, TV personalities, radio personalities, pundits, bloggers, and even young people…people that I thought would not be taken in by the lies and distortions of the republican machine and the McCain Smear-Talk Express. I have some news for everyone…we have a little thing called freedom of religion in our country. That freedom covers everyone in our country, and any religion they care to practice, including no religion at all. You know what that means? It means our president is NOT REQUIRED to be a Christian. Now, I know Christianity is the major religion in the United States, and for that reason, people elect leaders who most closely reflect and embody their beliefs and values, but nowhere does it say it has to be this way. What “values voters” seem to forget is that there is much more at stake in this election than someone’s Christian beliefs. I am not advocating for any particular religion or non-religion here. I am not saying we should have a Muslim president, and I am not saying we should have an atheist president. I am, however, saying it should not matter. I am saying that I want a president that is going to address the major issues facing our country in both the foreseeable and unforeseeable future. I want a president that is going to address our strained relations abroad by communicating and using…uh…what is the word I am looking for…must have forgotten…oh yeah…DIPLOMACY. I want a leader that will recognize climate change and global warming for the problems that they are, and do something about them (because they are NOT a myth). I want a new president that is going to change our energy policy, take us off foreign oil, invest in clean renewable energy sources, and commit to increasing fuel efficiency standards. I want someone who will do something about the failed economic policies of the last eight years, someone who will cut taxes for the middle-class (the word middle-class does not exist in McCain’s lexicon). And I do not care if that president needs to ask himself, “What would Jesus do?” or “What would Allah do?” or Vishnu or Buddha or Confucius or logic or reason, before making a decision, I just care that he makes the right one. The right decision for you, for me, for your children, your grandchildren, and so on and so forth.

Guess what? The Muslim religion is not synonymous with terrorism, and being a terrorist does not automatically mean you are a Muslim. I know…I know, that was a bit repetitive, but I have to think, no, hope that…maybe if we repeat things enough, it will get through the thick skulls of the ignorant bigots who actually believe it. Once more for those with small-minded proclivities: NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS and NOT ALL TERRORISTS ARE MUSLIMS! Anyone who is still clinging to the idea that Obama is either a Muslim or a terrorist or both, is either not paying attention, brainwashed by all of the Republican fear mongering paranoia, or just too ignorant to care.



I am sure some of those bigots out there will say, “Well he did associate with that terrorist Bill Ayers!” And to you I say what everyone already knows…Obama was EIGHT YEARS OLD when The Weather Underground was active. Which is kind of like saying, “You are a Christian, and therefore you are responsible for the Crusades of the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries.” I digress, perhaps that was a stretch, but you see my point. Obama served on a bipartisan education board with Ayers. It was a committee that was funded by Walter H. Annenberg, a well-known philanthropist and education advocate, and friend and advisor to Republican icon, President Ronald Reagan. Some people will say he was raised Muslim. So what if he was? It does not mean he is still a Muslim. Besides that…all of this is making me stray from my main argument: It should not matter one-way or the other. That is why we have a little thing called Separation of Church and State.

Now we are all entitled to our opinions, I will not deny that. However, a right to your own opinion does not make it a good opinion. I am sure everyone who still thinks Obama is a Muslim, still believes it, and thinks that my opinion is a bad one. That is fine. I do not expect to change your mind today or tomorrow or maybe even ever, but I have said what I believe to be true, and call it a hunch, but I think there are a few others out there who would agree with me.

I will let you all be the judge. Tell us your thoughts.

Until next time,
Your trusty neighborhood-misguided-idiot-liberal-nutjob-anti-American-socialist-communist-(insert Republican talking point insult here)
-LoOK

Post Script
Colin Powell on this issue from Meet the Press this last Sunday:

"I'm also troubled by - not what Senator McCain says - but what members of the Party say, and it is permitted to be said: such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is he is not a Muslim. He's a Christian; has always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, "What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?" The answer's "No, that's not America." Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be President? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own Party drop the suggestion he's Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery. And she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards - Purple Heart, Bronze Star; showed that he died in Iraq; gave his date of birth, date of death. He was twenty years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross. It didn't have a Star of David. It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Karim Rashad Sultan Kahn. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey, he was fourteen years old at the time of 9/11 and he waited until he could go serve his country and he gave his life."

In our last post I talked about the endorsement of Barack Obama by General Colin Powell. I said somehow the right would find a way to spin this, and I hinted to it with rush Limbaugh’s reaction. Today he made himself even clearer on where he stands on this endorsement:



I know starting a feud with Rush Limbaugh is pointless. I know there are a million blogs out there in this world that bash him every day. I also know there are a million out there that praise him all the same. But today, after his latest remarks I have had enough.

However, I am perplexed at where I should start. Should it be with the “genital” comment or his blatant form of racism?

To call a true American war hero, a man who understands how to wage battle in times such as these more than anyone, a man who we need around to get advice from "Genital Powell" is disgusting. Tell me Rush, how is it that you sleep at night? Are you still popping those pills? Is that it? It must be.

Rush, I am sure you have supported Colin Powell in the past. I am sure he was one of your favorite guys when he was advising Reagan, or when he was George Bush’s Secretary of state. The truth is, when General Colin Powell saw how “his party” was evolving into a majority of nutcases he took a step back and said “Wait a minute, this isn’t the party I want to associate myself with.” When he said that, you sir, decided to throw him under the bus. You threw him to the dogs and I am sure your listeners ate him alive.

Now, to say that General Colin Powell chose to endorse Senator Barack Obama based only on the fact that he is black is disturbing. To say that implies that it had nothing to do with John McCain’s lack of leadership during this campaign, or his recent condoning of tactics such as calling Obama a terrorist and being proud of supporters who chant, "Kill him!" However, according to you these reasons have nothing to do with the endorsement because Powell and Obama are both black.

It has nothing to do with the reality that John McCain chose an inexperienced running mate based solely on the fact that she was a woman. Forget the fact that General Colin Powell said Governor Palin is not ready to be president of the United States. Forget that General Powell is disgusted with the overall tone of McCain’s Campaign. General Colin Powell’s endorsement has nothing to do with the fact that John McCain’s campaign is being run by lobbyists or that John McCain thinks the "fundamentals of our economy are strong." According to you Rush Limbaugh, General Colin Powell chose Obama because he is black.

John McCain lost all three debates as determined by every poll I saw. He was not strong on issues both foreign and domestic. He does not have a plan to solve the healthcare crisis or a plan to help the middleclass at all. He wants to give tax breaks to the rich and raise taxes on the poor (he plans to tax benefits), but none of this had any bearing on General Colin Powell’s decision, because both he and Barack Obama are black.

And if you truly believe that then you are in fact still on drugs. You must be, it is the only reason I could even begin to comprehend your rationale or lack thereof. Of course who am I kidding. You are Rush Limbaugh, bloated talking head for all those who are too stupid to know better, or too ignorant to change. You spew hate because that’s your job. You are paid copious amounts of money to vomit over the airwaves because you have a following that will eat it up.

The truth is, this time Rush, you will not win. The American people will no longer be fooled by your words, or afraid of your tactics. John McCain is not going to win this election. I know part of you is excited. You will have high ratings for eight years declaring how horrible Obama is as President. But the truth is you are weak, and weakening. You and your faithful will fight against a leader who stands against everything you are, and I am sure that terrifies you. So enjoy this moment while it lasts, because it won’t be this way forever.

I won’t be directing a post to Rush very often, if ever again. I won't waste my time. I know he won’t listen. He’s paid not to.

Just finished watching the debate. Did anyone do a count on how many times McCain rolled his eyes? How about failed jokes? How about showing his angry side? How about how many times he tried to distract us all from the issues?

Just like the VP debate and Sarah Palin, expectations were extremely low for John McCain. I think we need to hold our candidates to a much higher standard. Simply because McCain was able to attack Obama and distract voters, the media claims that he shined and put forth his best performance. I am not convinced. He did more than he did in the last two debates, but was it really all that strong? Was it very substantive? It seemed like a lot of distractions and attacks from an angry man who shows clear disdain for his opponent.

Did McCain ever repudiate those in the audience who cried for Obama's death? That he was a terrorist? I never heard that. And somehow, McCain spun that around and tried to claim Obama was calling his supporters bad people. Seriously? Are we supposed to be that gullible?

More later...when we have more time to digest this all.

-LoOK

The eleventh reason Senator Barack Obama is winning is...

Fareed Zakaria. In his latest column in NEWSWEEK, Fareed Zakaria said:

"Can we now admit the obvious? Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president. She is a feisty, charismatic politician who has done some good things in Alaska. But she has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start."

I want to know if McBush actually believes the spin that emanates from his campaign on an hourly basis. In the last week we have seen McBush:

· “Put country first” with a faux suspension of his campaign
· Continue to run campaign ads despite his suspended campaign
· Refuse to debate until a deal had been reached on the bailout plan
· Debate when there was no deal on the bailout plan
· Inject presidential politics in a national crisis
· Put his political campaign above the American people
· Claim that his leadership convinced Republicans to vote for the bailout
· Fail to convince even his own Arizona republican colleagues to vote for the bailout
· Blame the democrats and Obama for the failure of the bailout
· Accuse Obama of “phoning it in” on the financial crisis
· Phone it in on the financial crisis
· Assert that this is not the time for blame
· Then blame Obama for the failure of the bailout
· Attempt to make us believe that he would ride into Washington and save the day
· Ride into Washington and watched the bailout fall apart
· Claim the fundamentals of our economy our strong
· Claim that this is the most significant financial crisis of our lives

Do I really need to go on? I could fill this post with pages and pages and pages and…well you get the idea. So my question is: Does McBush actually believe the assertions he is spewing forth? Or is he just hoping that all of us are stupid enough to fall for this ridiculous political spin factor?

In a previous post, I mentioned that it is my belief that McBush’s campaign is attempting to make us all just a little more unintelligent with their tactics. That if they shift positions and present enough contradictions we will all forget what they were talking about in the first place. If they talk politics enough, and attack Obama enough, we will forget that McCain rarely speaks about the issues. That if they lie enough, and with enough fervor, we will all forget what the truth actually looks and sounds like.

McBush’s tactics look incredibly un-presidential. In a time of crisis, the American people not only need, but also deserve a leader that does not panic and add to the chaos. The president cannot act erratic and unpredictable in times of crisis. I do not believe that the recent tactics of the McCain campaign have anything at all to do with our country and the American people. I do not believe any of the spin and lies spewing forth from the McCain campaign. How many times in the next week will McCain change his views? How many contradictions will come from his campaign before this election is over?

I just want to know…Does McCain really believe all of the lies, contradictions, and distortions coming from his campaign lately? If he does believe it, then he is even more out of touch than I ever thought possible. If he does not believe his own lies, then how can he continue to claim that he is here to “put country first?” I’ve said it before, and I will say it again…Congratulations McBush, you have officially made me stupider.



During all of this, what was Obama doing? He was working behind the scenes, trying to prevent presidential politics from poisoning the financial crisis. He was steady and sure of himself. He did not make any rash decisions. He did not exhibit erratic behavior. He did not fall into the political trap McCain set for him by suspending his campaign. Now McCain has to eat crow. Now who looks inexperienced? Now who looks unprepared for the job?

Wake up Senator McCain…your actions actually do have consequences and no amount of spin is going to change that.

I will leave you with some random thoughts:

• Has McBush un-suspended his campaign?


• Will he re-suspend his campaign now that the bailout has failed?


• Or is it still suspended? I can’t tell the difference


• When did McCain decide that he is a political martyr?


• His antics make me feel like I am watching a Mel Gibson flick


• SNL’s parody of Palin’s Couric interview lifted, verbatim, so much from the actual interview that it’s scary


• Biden has debate experience dating to 1972…Palin was in 2nd grade


• Thursday night’s debate should be deliciously entertaining
  

How many lies does it take to get to the center of...?

-LoOK

Manipulations of the American People:

1. The politics of fear. The attempt by the Bush administration to convince the American people and its leaders that they must support and hastily approve a $700 billion bailout. (Who’s the Socialist now?) The Bush administration is trying to scare us all into signing a blank check for Wall Street. They are trying to scare us into this in the same exact way they scared us into a war in Iraq under false pretenses. This financial crisis was created by the Bush administration, and now we are supposed to trust them to fix the problem? McCain represents, and has supported, the same failed policies of this administration and we are supposed to elect him to office? We are supposed to believe he is going to bring change to Washington? If that is not manipulation, I have no idea what is.
   



2. McBush’s decision to suspend his campaign, postpone the presidential debate, and “put country first” in this time of financial crisis. This is the most thinly veiled political move I have seen since…well…the last mass distraction concoction of the McBush campaign. This political move was purely designed to either cast Obama as a follower of the “true” leadership of McBush if he agreed, or cast him as the candidate that does not put country first if he does not agree. Fortunately for us all, Obama refused to interject presidential politics to the proceedings at Capitol Hill. He held a short press conference and refused to create yet another distraction from the issues. McBush has suddenly decided that this financial crisis is serious enough to suspend his campaign. Quite the erratic shift from “the fundamentals of our economy our strong.” And where is his running mate in all of this? Desperately attempting to add foreign policy and international relations credentials to her resume.
   


3. Proposing the use of taxpayer money to bailout corporations whose CEO’s make more in a month than the average American. Need I say more?
   


4. The No-Talk Express. The continued media isolation of Sarah Palin by the McBush campaign. Finally, the mass media is beginning to show some anger over the refusal of interviews. They are finally starting to question exactly what it is that Palin is hiding. Could it be her complete and utter lack of experience? Perhaps it is her lack of interview experience (spectacularly showcased in her interview with Charlie Gibson)? Or maybe, just maybe, McBush realized that his campaign should have more thoroughly vetted this purely political choice for VP. Maybe he realized that Palin is actually more like Bush than himself. Maybe McBush realized that his running mate is thoroughly unprepared to stand up to real media questioning, and in so doing, would expose herself as evidence of his irresponsible and erratic behavior.
   

Road to Nowhere:




5. The No-Talk Express using sexism to prevent any and all questioning of Palin’s qualifications. Never you mind the actual Alaskan road to nowhere in Ketchikan that actually leads to a non-existent bridge, is used by no one, and was built while she was governor, yet she still claims to have opposed the bridge to nowhere. Never you mind the trooper-gate scandal she is refusing to cooperate with. Never you mind her not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is. Never you mind that she has no foreign policy experience. But for some reason, if we ask these questions, if we examine these issues, we are sexist. Never you mind…you sexist.
   


6. McBush’s continued insistence that he is a change agent and a maverick. Erratic and irresponsible behavior does not make you a maverick; it makes you a bad leader. McBush has proven time and again that his reckless behavior does not put country first…it places politics first. Politics as usual. Pick the running mate that will create the most buzz and surprise. Suspend a campaign to appear “presidential.” Distract everyone from the issues using bona fide lies.
   


7. Claiming to put “country first,” and then choosing a highly unqualified running mate. Claiming to put “country first,” but refusing to attend a debate and inform the public of your policies. Claiming to put the “country first,” but distracting us all from the financial crisis to discuss your political acrobatics. Claiming to put “country first,” but hiding your running mate from the media, and flat out refusing interviews. I could go on forever…
   


8. The attempt to convince us that drilling for oil will make a difference in the price of gas and energy in the short term. This is preying on the American need for instant gratification. If you convince enough people that drilling will ease the strain on their pocketbooks two years from now, of course they will jump on the bandwagon. The crude oil from drilling on US oil will not reach refineries and become actual fuel for at least ten years. This is a ploy by big oil companies and corporations to get you to agree to destroy our planet so they can reap the profits.
   


9. The American Express Business credit card commercials that imply you are a threat, and will be apprehended by airport security if you do no use their card.
   


10. My use of the name McBush to remind you all that McCain will continue to enact and carry out the same failed policies of the Bush administration.

Still pissed off...still paying attention,
-LoOk