Shut Up Already

Apparently, I just am full of it today!

Here is a fun Web site to help you determine your political leanings (in case you weren't sure).

www.electoralcompass.com

You Say It's Your Birthday

A big 'ole happy 67th to our VP Darth Vader. Hope you have a great day—now isn't it past time for you to retire?

The "Sunshiney" State

In honor of my son who says it is "sunshiney" when the sun is out . . . more about Florida's primary.

Personally I wasn't that surprised that McCain took it, although I know some have thought that Romney had a chance to take it as well. From what I have read about McCain's victory speech, his language hinted at the fact that he thinks he has the nomination locked up now. Of course that technically remains to be seen, but I know that idea has a lot of conservatives freaking out this morning. Callers into CSPAN this morning were saying that if he was the Republican candidate they just wouldn't vote—ditto on Fox radio (info courtesy of my husband) in addition to one Fox radio caller who described McCain as abandoning the Republican party.

Please feel free to correct me on this one (anon–are you out there??) but it seems to me if might just be the other way around. My basic understanding of what the Republican party stands for is: State's rights (the individual states making as many of the calls as possible in terms of the laws that will govern their residents—i.e. no federally mandated rules like Roe vs. Wade); fiscal responsibility (balanced budgets, limited or no deficits); and smaller government (less programs like Social Security and Welfare). Nothing too dark or nefarious there, just not my personal bag. The problem, again as I see it, is that the GOP has strayed from that—mostly in regard to the latter two. Our deficit is bigger than ever (and this tax rebatey thing ain't going to help that a bit) and government has only grown under Dubya's reign.

Now I know the religious right has issues with McCain, but once you get past them I have to admit that I don't get why the majority of the conservatives don't like the guy. Yes he has crossed party lines and co-sponsored several bills with Dems (most notably McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform). Isn't that what Dubya and all the others are always yacking about—bipartisanness? Don't we want the two parties to work together to get things done? And heck, can't we all agree that things like the way people donate money and influence our politicians via money need to be reevaluated?

This brings me to something that has been noticed quite a bit in my household of late and I am curious if others have seen this as well. The rightwing pundits, as well as politicians, seem to not just be slowly backing away from Dubya, but are full-tilt running for the exits. None of the GOP presidential candidates ever mention him, tons of sitting House and Senate members have already said they aren't running for re-election, and even the pundits have started bad-mouthing the president. What happened to the days when you were labeled "unpatriotic" for daring to even question any decision by Bush?

As Tears Go By

Rumors are swirling that Edwards will drop out of the race. If you have been reading you know of my affection and respect for the man and the ideals he has been promoting.

I need to go sit quietly somewhere and mourn now. More about Florida and some other thoughts that I have had percolating (courtesy of my husband) later.

Dare Ya

First, the political updates, then on to the fun stuff. 

• Didn't watch the State of the Union. I know what the State of the Union is and I know that Dubya would even mess up telling us what it is. Plus I can barely stomach reading the quotes from the man on my Out of Office Countdown Calendar, I just couldn't sit through a whole speech. (One aside, Pell Grants for Kids???? Say it with me folks, that is just school vouchers in a shiny new coat.)
  
• Today is Florida's primary. So if you are a Florida Republican, go vote for Ron Paul. More on that tomorrow.

The February issue of Vanity Fair had this great list of Valentine's Dares. They made me laugh out loud several times and I thought were quite worthy of sharing. Enjoy!

1. In your workplace, distribute Necco Sweetheart candies custom-inscribed MITT '08.
2. Tell your girlfriend that you've planned a romantic night in—and upon her arrival, start up a DVD marathon of Judy at Carnegie Hall, Liza with a "Z," and Yentl.
3. Book a coveted table for two at the most romantic restaurant in town, show up with a buddy, and engage in a loud argument over who is the better guitarist, Joe Satriani or Steve Vai.
4. Stand outside the home of your beloved with a boom box and re-enact John Cusack's arms-aloft "In Your Eyes" scene from Say Anything—only with the boom box playing "Movin' On Up" from The Jeffersons.
5. Every time you see a couple kissing, lean into them and say lasciviously, "Hey, lemme get some of that."
6. Using a vacuum cleaner with the floor-brush attachment removed, give yourself a conspicuous hickey. Then strut around the office saying "Who's the man!" while shooting "double pistols" at colleagues with your index fingers.
7. Ask your clergyman if he has plans for the evening, making air quotes around the word "plans" and thrusting your pelvis.
8. Stand outside the most romantic restaurant in town with your young children, holding up placards that say SINNERS and screaming, "Re-pent, for-ni-cay-tors!" at couples as they enter and exit the restaurant.
9. Feigning Canadianness, insist to your co-workers that February 13 is Canadian Valentine's Day. On that day, present a knobby parsnip to an attractive colleague and say, "This is how we show our love up north."     

Now go out and show your love . . .

Rudy, Tooty, Fresh and Fruity

Looking forward to Tuesday in Florida:

Giuliani has put all his egg's into Florida's pan handle (yes that metaphor just really broke down) and it is looking more and more like those eggs are going to end up fried (yep, there we go back on track).

Frankly, I couldn't be happier. Between the dude's heavy eyeliner in a recent interview with George Stephanopoulos (check it out for yourself—click on the Watch Political Videos near the bottom of the page) and his general desire to scare the beejeesus out of us with threats of terrorists around the corner, I will be altogether too happy to see the man go back to his bat cave.

If Florida finishes off Rudy, that leaves us with Romney (used car salesman), Huckabee (religious freak) and McCain (Bush lapdog who just Sunday warned us that "There's going to be other wars . . . I'm sorry to tell you, there's going to be other wars. We will never surrender but there will be other wars." Oh goodie—promise??). My apologies to the supporters of Ron Paul, but me thinks the boy doesn't stand a chance. I guess McCain is the best of the bunch, although his war stance and his abortion statements make me rather twitchy.

Looking back to Saturday's primary in South Carolina:

Congratulations to the democrats in South Carolina. Not only did you come out and vote, you came out in record numbers. The state Democratic party estimated that more than 530,000 people voted. The previous Saturday's Republican primary only drew 445,000. Not too shabby my neighbors to the south, not too shabby.

Now I have to take a moment to lament the third place finish of my favorite John Edwards. I know that he is not leaving the race, but the odds of him being the candidate are truly slipping away. As my favorite, that really makes me sad.

However, like others whose follow-up commentary I have been perusing, I am very excited by the fact that Obama so soundly won. I know that seems contradictory considering the previous paragraph, but what I mean is that it is nice that there is no way to "parse" the victory. Obama simply won. Hands down. End of story.

And if you missed Obama's victory speech, have a listen. I know some of you have mentioned that you don't like/trust Obama for different reasons, and despite my admiration for Edwards, dang can Obama give a speech! My fave part is the end—it gives me chills—when he says, "Don't tell me we can't change; yes we can!" The audience chants "Yes we can!" behind him, it is truly something.

One more caveat though: regardless of Obama's resounding win, you can't count out Clinton or Edwards for sure yet. To win the nomination, the candidate needs over 2,000 delegates. So far Clinton is in the lead with just under 250 delegates. That is a long way off from 2,000. There is still much up in the air in this race.

And as Dubya prepares for tonight's State of the Union (the last of his presidency) I wish I could save his time and our ears by just having him say "Shitty" and end the whole thing early, but I guess that is not in the cards.

So instead I will leave you with this quote from our "feckless" leader which offers all the more reason why he needs to leave the Oval Office—

"See, one of the interesting things in the Oval Office—I love to bring people into the Oval Office—right around the corner from here—and say, this is where I office, but I want you to know the office is always bigger than the person."

In this case, Mr. President, the office is WAY bigger than the president and it is my hope that you won't be "officing" in it much longer.

Show Me the Money

First, a little reminder for my South Carolina readers (you know who you are);

Tomorrow is the Democratic primary. Get out and let yourself be heard. Take your kids and show them democracy in action. It will be good for them.

Now, I wasn't able to watch the last Republican debate before the Florida primary last night, but I had my own husband debrief me on his opinions this morning (for the parts he stayed awake through—sorry people, we are not night owls).

The best part according to him was Huckabee questioning the reported tax rebate that is currently in the works. Hey—I love money as much as the next person and God knows I could always use a bit more, but this idea is about the most hare-brained I can think of.  Here is a link to his exact words, but to paraphrase he said where are we getting the money, probably from borrowing from China and then what are people going to do? Go out any buy Chinese-made products. So who exactly does that benefit, economy-wise? Not the American people.

The man may be a religious whack job, but he made a sound point there.

And for my Florida readers, your day is coming next Tuesday, February 5, although since the democrats are blowing this off due to Florida's monkeying with the date, maybe you'all should just stay home. Unless of course, you are voting for Ron Paul! Poor dude only got a few minutes of air time in comparison to the other conservative blowhards.

Cali's Goin' Courtin'

Here's another environmental/political clash I wanted to draw people's attention to. A friend and I were discussing this over the phone last night (Thank you Ms. Jones) and I think this is all pretty amazing and just goes to illustrate how little the current administration is interested in doing when it comes to our environment.

California has sued the U.S. Government over their recent rejection of an emissions curbing law the state wanted to enact. Fifteen other states have also signed on.  You can read details from this piece in the LA Times or here at CNN. Looking for something with a bit more international flair? Read the BBC's take on the whole thing.

The nut-nut is that under the federal Clean Air act, California is allowed to enact stricter standards than the res of the country as long as the EPA gives them a waiver. They applied for the waiver, which would wanted to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in vehicles over the next 8 years. Over the last 30 years, about 50 waivers have been allowed and have lead to things like catalytic converters and unleaded gasoline. The EPA said no.

I just don't get it. California wants to do something to not only better their own state's climate and the health and well-being of its residents, but this will have an impact on the rest of the country and even the world as well. Explain to me how that is a bad thing? 

Today's Funny

I had to pass this on. A video clip of John Edwards on David Letterman this week. Really funny and worth watching to the end.

Rest In Peace

I have plans to post about something else more politically based later, but I couldn't let this go by. As you are well aware I am sure, the young actor Heath Ledger died on Tuesday. The death was sudden and shocking to those of us who admired his acting ability (and yes, admittedly his attractiveness) and we are still searching for answers. I particularly loved him in the revision of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew—Ten Things I Hate About You.

I have no love or respect for Fox News, but this time they have really out down themselves. One of their anchors, John Gibson, on his radio show repeatedly mocked and disparaged Ledger, calling him a "weirdo" and referencing his incredible role in Brokeback Mountain by saying "Well he found out how to quit you." (The line from the movie is "I wish I knew how to quit you.") If you would like to listen for yourselves to the appalling spectacle, Think Progress has the audio link.

Email Fox (I did) and express your disgust if you think that this behavior is wrong and inhuman. Apparently they are too chicken shit to have an actual email for each show or anchor, so you have to use this general email: Myword@foxnews.com.

Three for the Road

I am a bit delayed in commenting on the Democratic debate Monday night. I only managed to stay awake for the first half of the debate—despite the mudslinging, I started snoring promptly at nine p.m. Yes I am getting old.

Part of the reason I didn't post about it yesterday was because I wasn't sure what to say about it or if I even cared. I definitely had some moments during that hour of viewing where I winced at the snarky jabs coming from the candidates. But my major thought was that I was really kind of glad my state's primary is so late in the game, and will most likely not "really" make a big difference in determining who gets the nomination.

Why you ask? Because I honestly don't know that I want a say in determining which of the Triumvirate gets the nod. There are aspects of each that I really like and there is really nothing that I totally hate about any of them. In my current dream world I wish we could just mush them together like three different colored balls of Play doh and create a "Super Candidate."

Well you get the idea.

Anyway, since that isn't going to happen I will just continue to take the wussy way out and be grateful that more than likely by the upcoming Super Tuesday, the rest of America will have made the decision and I won't have to make a stand. So unlike me I know. Also, I know that just reinforces many people's belief that their vote doesn't count. I don't think you can ever really say that though. It is the whole butterfly effect argument. You may not realize the impact your small actions have on the greater world, because if we all truly did nothing, then that would be what we get, nothing.

Enough of that. So as you probably are aware now, Clinton and Obama got into, needling each other as much as two people who differ on very little actual can, while Edwards fought to stay relevant. And I hate that. I think he has some great things to say and contribute to the campaign and is just as qualified for the job as the other two, but of course the media has already decided that he is no longer viable and is really just a bystander. Despite this, once he was allowed to speak he made an excellent point, that the squabbling between the candidates wasn't going to solve any of the problems the country is facing. And boy do we have some doozies coming down the pike. I don't get the whole stock market thing, but I know that financial types are freaking out right now. Something tells me that there is more to come.

Finally, in regards to Anon.'s comment about electability on a previous post. I'm not sure I have an honest answer for that one. I do believe that many of the so called "electability" issues are things that the media has created just to insure they aren't bored in their reporting. Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek, admitted as much in a recent A Daily Show episode.  At the same time, while our country has come a long way in terms of racism and sexism, we aren't there yet. In honor of the recent celebration of the birthday of the late Martin Luther King Jr. I think it makes sense to reference his thoughts: "I have seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land." That statement rings true for women and blacks. The United States isn't there yet, sexism and racism are still out there. Someday, I wish in my lifetime, we will get to the point where those isms are negligible in our society. But we still have a ways to go.

A quote that I like even better is this one from Letter from Birmingham Jail, 16 April 1963:

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people."

That silence comes in many forms—not voting is just one.

363 days left. In keeping with the current concern over the U.S. economy, this Dubya gem from January 2000:

"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."

Yeah Baby!

Now that is what I am talking about! Some back and forth! I LOVE it!

By all means anonymous (and yes I know who you are, but I won't "out" you—continue to speak your mind. Can't promise I will agree, but I enjoy the sparring. And try not to be so thin-skinned ;) I thought you GOPer's had a tougher hide than that (aren't we liberals supposed to be the emotional, whiny ones? Teehee!)

So everybody—keep the comments coming. Even if you disagree. Now I can't promise I will always be level-headed and not run off at the mouth, but then if you wanted that you would be reading another blog.

Oh yeah, for those of you who were hibernating from the cold this weekend, McCain took the South Carolina Republican primary, Clinton won the Nevada caucus for the Dems (Although apparently there is some debate ongoing about whether she or Obama got the most delegates. Guess I have to read my CNN link to figure out how the heck that can happen!) and Romney walked away with it for the Republicans. Hat trick.

Does this mean that Fred Thompson will take his truck and trophy wife and go home now??

Meanwhile, I froze my butt off on Sunday to rally in support for Roe vs. Wade. The real anniversary is tomorrow, January 22. Celebrate choice people!

Handy, Dandy Reference site

This link from CNN gives great concise information on the presidential candidates, the upcoming primaries and caucuses, the number of delegates each has already and much, much more!

I know you are all as excited by this as I am. (Thanks Wes!)

State of the Blog

I have had a couple of recent dissenting, anonymous comments that I wanted to address for all to see.

The first was in reference to my Holy Shit post that commented on Mike Huckabee's interest in amending the Constitution so that it reflected the Bible and God's word. The comment begged to differ with me on the basis that we were a country founded on religion, as evidenced by the phrase "one nation, under God."

Listen close people, you are going to have to do your homework a bit better than that to try and argue with me. First, the phrase "one nation, under God" is from the Pledge of Allegiance. Not the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, that part of the Pledge was added in 1954 by then-president Dwight Eisenhower in reaction to the increasing anti-Communist thinking that was sweeping the country at the time. So it was not a part of the original Pledge, which itself was not something our Founding Fathers created. The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by a staff member of The Youth's Companion, a Boston-based children's magazine. (Read more here.)

So far as the documents that our Founding Fathers did play a role in: the Declaration of Independence makes two references to God or our creator. The first references the "separate or equal stations" afforded to us by "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and the second deals with the rights our "Creator" has "endowed" us with. Read the whole she-bang for yourself here. (Some of us could use a bit of a refresher course I am gathering.)

Next, let's look at the U.S. Constitution. If you are interested, you can read the whole document here. God is NEVER mentioned in the Constitution. If you doubt me, read it, I dare you. 

Hopefully that cleared that up. I don't doubt that many of the Founding Fathers had a strong faith and did in fact believe in God. But I also know that it was extremely important to them that our government be focused on governing in a democratic way and that religion not play a part in that.

Now, the second comment I wanted to address was in reference to the On Such a Winter's Day post. Yes, China and India are dramatically increasing their demand for energy, ergo oil. Those numbers are not going to decrease, only increase. I am realistic about that. What I refuse to be "realistic" about is that we have to kill off every living creature so those demands can be met. There are things we can do, in the United States, to not only reduce our energy/oil usage, but to create new forms of energy and in the meantime set an example for the rest of the world. If our government is so anxious to export our brand of governing to other countries, shouldn't they be just as anxious to insure that our country and the rest of the world is in existence to reap the benefits of democracy?

Back to what the anonymous commenter said about the Holy Shit post. Yes, what makes our country great is that we are able to disagree and freely voice our differences. And I support that, but I will NOT support the efforts of this administration or a subsequent one to take away my rights or to make my life worse than when that administration came into office. Dubya has made our lives worse: through the economy; through this senseless war; through his inattention to the environment; and his lack of interest in being a participant in the global stage that we now live on.

On Such a Winter's Day

I am not dreaming of California however. As my little slice of the world experiences its first winter weather of the 07/08 season (thank you global warming!), here is real evidence that not only is there something seriously wrong with our climate, but something is even more seriously wrong with our current administration.

According to scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, two-thirds of the number of polar bears walking the earth today will be gone in 42 years. So by 2050, in my lifetime presumably, the number of polar bears will be drastically reduced.

It might seem a bit disingenuous to show a picture of a fluffy cute baby polar bear when in reality these are not pets or toys, but I am not aiming to be fair here. The Bush administration certainly hasn't been. Even though the polar bear is facing incredible dangers due to the melting of their habitat, our current government has not even added the bear to the threatened list, much less the Endangered Species list. 

In fact, as with most things, Dubya and his buddies have the worst record in terms of their protection of endangered animals. In seven years, the Republican-run U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has only added 58 animals to the list and NONE of those were added voluntarily. All were listed after a court order or a petition from citizens. 

Today, the House Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming is holding a hearing about handing out oil and gas leases in the polar bear's habitat. So basically Dubya and the boys are attempting to sell this animal out for the monetary interests of the oil companys (god knows they need the money . . .). If you are interested in reading more, check this article out. 

I think this is a perfect example of how little the Bush administration has done for our country and our future. If the man and his cronies care so little about an animal whose world is literally melting around them, what do these people care about you and I? What have they ever done to make life better for us? They certainly aren't interested in making life better for the polar bears.

A Fairy Tale

Gather 'round dear readers and let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time three people vied for the love of a land. One was young and full of hope, one was experienced and disciplined, and one was fiery and righteous. They came together to tell everyone in the land why they were the best, the most worthy, the one who would make things better. Their words words were inspiring and the people of the land were moved.

Ok, so that is the way the debate SHOULD have been last night, but it didn't completely live up to the fairy tale described above. The Triumvirate was out last night in Nevada and all were rolling the dice (ha! aren't I clever with my gambling metaphor . . .) to see who could get a leg up in the upcoming Nevada and South Carolina primaries. They were given two hours and the questions were directed by Brian Williams and Tim Russert. So far so good.

And then, Williams and Russert did exactly what I was bitching about in my Charts and Graphs post. They asked questions, but nothing that allowed the candidates to focus on what they would do. And I actually got the sense that the candidates really wanted to focus on policy and actions, because they kept trying to sneak in statements. Maybe I am just being naive (yesterday seemed to be my day for that!), but that was the sense I got. Instead Williams and Russert kept going on and on about the whole race/gender thing that the President of BET (whose name now escapes me) kicked off when he alluded to Obama's teenage drug use during a recent introduction of Clinton at a rally in South Carolina.

Finally one quarter of the way into the debate the two moderators started asking some substantive questions that allowed the candidates to talk about their positions and things they would do. They touched on the recent sub-prime mortgage crisis, with Clinton mentioning her plan to freeze the interest rates for several years and halt foreclosures for 90 days. Edwards strongly opposed nuclear power as an alternative to the current energy crisis. Obama struck out about the politics of fear that have ruled our lives in the last seven years. And all, once again, reiterated their respective stances on when and how they would get troops out of Iraq.

Of course, all three candidates stressed that they were different from each other. Certainly they are, but for me the difference in terms of what they would do policy-wise is miniscule. Feel free to disagree with me, but I really do believe it largely comes down to which candidate you like best. Yes, this is a high school-esque popularity contest. Even though it kept me up past my bedtime (shocking!) the 8.30 to 9.30 hour of the debate I saw was exciting to see because it gave the candidates a chance to really tell the American people what they would do and what they believe in. Even without charts and graphs. And that, dear readers, is no fairy tale.

Holy Shit

Please tell me this scares everyone as much as it does me. My eyes are still bugging.

Huckabee has explained his support of Constitutional amendments banning abortion and same-sex marriage as being an easier change to make than changing "the word of the living God." He goes on to say that it is easier to amend the Constitution to reflect God's standards than it is to change God's standards.

Alrighty then. Listen, I do have my own personal, religious beliefs. But whether or not I believe in a higher power, be it God, Allah or the ancient Druid tree in my back yard, this is not what America was founded on. We were trying to ESCAPE religious persecution. Our founding fathers wanted to SEPARATE church and state.

Do we all need a refresher course on the Constitution? Perhaps a civics class needs to become required in school again?

I have actually had some slightly warm, somewhat fuzzy thoughts about Mike Huckabee, at least so far as I am capable of for a Republican. But this is scary, scary stuff. Americans need to think long and hard about what is important to them in terms of the future of our country. Do we want to live in a place where the government tells us how to live and what to do with our bodies, our free time and our lives? Or do we want to continue to have the self-determination that men like Jefferson and Madison believed would make our nation great (and has)?

Charts and Graphs

I have been puzzling on what to discuss today and I finally decided on this topic after a conversation with the spouse last night. We were both confused about upcoming primaries and events. I thought that if we were confused about that, what is going on with the rest of America? After all the husband watches more CNN/MSNBC/CSPAN (and a snippet of FOX for kicks and giggles) along with listening to Air America than any sane human should indulge in. So if he has questions something is missing.

(FYI—the Nevada Democratic debate is Thursday, January 17. The Nevada primary is Saturday, January 19 and the South Carolina primary is Saturday, January 26.)

Which brings me to today's topic—how the media is reporting on this whole shindig. I have touched on this before in various ways, mostly on the press's slamming of Clinton for not just being a woman, but being a Clinton too. But I want to go broader than that. I think that the press is doing a big disservice to the country by allowing themselves to get distracted by the minutiae of the political mudslinging (Did Hillary show cleavage? Did McCain make nice with evangelicals? What does it mean that Obama did cocaine? Did Guiliani wear a dress?).

I want them to tell me what the candidates believe (of course the candidates have to help with this by believing in something other than their own rhetoric). Give me bullet points, charts and graphs. Whatever it takes so I can be informed. Isn't that the job of the news—to give us the days events? It is harder and harder to find that amidst all the opinions. And hey, I like opinions as much as the next person, obviously, because here I am sharing mine with you. But when I turn on the TV or go online I want 75% of the news I see to be news. Not the beef Chris Matthews has with the Clintons. Or whatever issue Steve "Douchebag" Doocy is up in arms about this week.

How did we get away from our news telling us the days events without judgement or editorial commentary? And why did we get away from that? What was wrong with it? There is certainly a place for that sort of thing, that is why there is an editorial page or section in papers. But that is a section, a page, not the entire thing. While we are demanding more from our candidates, maybe we also need to be demanding more from our media.

371 days left. Here's Dubya on why we can't find Bin Laden (talk about stating the obvious)—

"Because he's hiding."

Electoral College Dropout

So for those of you who paid attention during the disastrous 2000 election, you may have heard a little bit about the so-called Electoral College (here's Wikipedia's dissemination on the subject for those who care to be "informed."). Frankly, I am not sure I completely understand all the ends and outs of it.

The nut-nut of the thing is while many of us might have held on to the naive notion that we "elect" a president, that is not in fact actually true. Generally the popular vote (what you and I say) does match with the electoral college voting. But occasionally it doesn't and of course the Gore/Bush 2000 smack down is the most obvious and recent example of this. 

This has led many people to wonder why we continue this fun little tradition. With that in mind, several states have started passing legislation to possibly torpedo the whole she-bang if enough states agree (ha! majority rules!). New Jersey is the latest to jump on board.

I actually, despite the prevalence of a lot of STUPID people in America, like the idea of the voters really picking the president no matter what. Let's take our chances, after all if "we the people" had actually decided the outcome of the 2000 election, Gore may not have a Nobel Prize, but we also wouldn't be in a senseless war, with a tanking economy and a world-wide reputation as a nation of lazy, fat asses who could give a shit. Pardon my French (and pardon me for even mentioning the French!). Although if there is some way we can go back and sue the electoral college that selected our current commander and idiot than I am all for that as well.

And in other news, some awards were handed out and no fancy dresses were worn and a bunch of celebrity types gave birth. Mazal tov!

Quotable

"Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing."

William James, older brother of novelist Henry James

Rainy Days and Fridays

So I am not feeling particularly loquacious today, but I want to insure the faithful feel loved.

No I did not watch the republican debate last night. There were actually new episodes of My Name is Earl and 30 Rock. (Can I BE Tina Fey in my next life?) So I opted for humor that uplifted me and not just the opportunity to laugh at the mentally challenged. Sue me.

And it is a good thing, today's news shares with us that consumer confidence has hit a record low. Wohoo! Something tells me that Fred Thompson not acting like he is in a coma would not help me digest that news any better.

It is also raining, which I can not complain about due to the fact that my area of the state ended 2007 about 11 inches below normal rain fall levels.

BTW, Reagan's name was only invoked 34 times last night, but that should have been plenty of times to get you good and liquored up if you were playing my GOP debate drinking game.

375 days left . . . the infamous Florence, SC quote from January 11, 2000—

"Rarely is the question asked: 'Is our children learning?'"

Tracks of my tears

I want to get back to the crying incident. Much has been made of the "humanizing" effect that Clinton's tears had on voters. That red-headed demon, Maureen Dowd even devoted a column to it. (BTW can someone give Dowd the news flash that she isn't exactly helping the democrats these days? I think she may really be Coulter in a wig.) Maybe it did sway voters, showing them a side of Clinton they didn't think existed or as some have been saying, The ice queen melted a bit.

The sexism and pressure that is evident around the idea of a woman running for president is amazing to  me. Romney has cried THREE times now, just again Sunday on Meet the Press. Someone get the man stock in Kleenex. Listen, I think our president should be able to show emotion, whether it be a she or he. I don't want an automan running our nation. But let's not hold the woman candidate to a different standard. When the chick cries, she's weak or in Clinton's case many believed she was faking it. But when the dude wells up, that's ok, he's just showing his softer side, etc. Come on people!!!

I personally don't believe Clinton was faking. I do think that she is living under way more pressure than any of the male candidates however simply by trying to do this as a woman, when so many people are tripping over themselves to tear her down. Maybe the voters of New Hampshire are like me, sick of seeing her get destroyed just because she has a Y chromosome and that is why they voted for her. We can't know. But as the democratic side settles into the Triumvirate that we always knew it would be (goodbye Richardson, we hardly knew ya!) I still believe the race is too tight to discount anyone. Tears or no tears.

In other news, Bloomberg is still evidently considering a run, despite what he says. Well, duh! I honestly don't know much about the man at this point, although I do know that there has been talk of Chuck Hagel being his running mate should they opt to run a third-party campaign. The Hagel thing bodes well in my opinion. The man may be a republican, but he seems level-headed and straight-talking. I have read numerous things about him that I think recommend him, especially in regard to his stance on the Iraq fiasco. This quote alone, says volumes.

However, while in a perfect world I support the idea of the US having more than a two-party system, having lived through what havoc Nader wrought in 2000, (Yes I am one of those Democrats who believe he shares some blame for the disaster we have lived through for the last seven years.) I don't know that I am interested in playing that little game as of yet. If nothing else we have learned during the Dubya era just what kind of damage our president can do not only within our own country, but around the world. After all, communism doesn't sound half bad in print, but in reality . . . .

376 days left. From the man who pledged to bring "morality" back to the White House, from a speech in January 2005—

"Who could have possibly envisioned an erection—an election—in Iraq at this point in history?"

The Comeback Kids

I apologize for the late posting—I usually try to speak my piece early in the day, but I am afraid real life (ala work and the family) interfered. I can't believe they expect me to actually DO something to earn that paycheck!

But I digress. SO the people of New Hampshire have spoken and thrown a bit of a lifeline to the Clinton and McCain campaigns. What does this all mean? Frankly, from what I can tell, it means that it is still anyone's game. John Edwards is right, there are still 48 states to go. Although not all of those state's primaries hold as much weight, but there is clearly not a front runner for either party at this point.

I do take a bit of glee over the fact that so many of the pundits out there (yeah I mean you Chris Matthews continue to be such asses when it comes to the idea of a female candidate. Because let's face it, that is what is going on here, the fact that this female candidate is a Clinton, just makes it easy for them to browbeat her without appearing sexist. It isn't like Hillary is my first choice, I have made my love of Edwards plain (see my first post An Illustrious Kickoff), but I do support the idea that she is just as capable, just as intelligent as the remaining candidates. So her husband is a he-ho. Most of the Republican candidates are on their second or third marriages. Hillary and Bill at least stuck it out through thick and thin. (Isn't that what marriage is about?)

Frankly I am feeling a bit weary of it all at this point, but I am sure my interest will bounce back soon. After all, we have less than four weeks left until Super Tuesday (Feb. 5) when the real decisions will be coming down the pike.

On that note, here's a reason to get excited: Only 377 days left until Dubya is gone, the man who said, "It's about past seven in the evening here, so we're actually in different time lines." I wish that man was in a different space/time continuum. 

Notch-urally

So Dixville Notch has given it to Obama and McCain. There are 17 votes. Will the rest of New Hampshire say the same?

On a somewhat lighter note, last night marked the return of my beloved Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Those of you who know me, know that my bedtime hovers around 9pm, so I thank God daily for the bounty of my DVR.

That being said, I managed to watch the opening section of A Daily Show (no that is not a typo, you will understand if you watch the episode) while spooning in the oatmeal. Jon Stewart is a funny man who has amused me for years and has gotten a somewhat bad rep as an actor (check out Playing By Heart, not only does he do well in the small part, you get a glimpse of early Angelina Jolie—but moving on). As funny as the man may be, he needs some writers. So for the love of GOD resolve this damn writers strike.

And then napalm the set of American Gladiators.

Debatable

Well it was quite the weekend for debates. While I must admit, like Ron Paul I skipped the Fox News debates yesterday (I was too busy being a raging feminist rabble rouser) I did watch most of the ABC back-to-back debates Saturday night.

Several things struck me. First the GOP debate, and then there were six:

One, the Republicans can't even insult each other with any panache. McCain was all in Romney's business, (the swipe was about Romney being the "candidate of change" I believe in reference to his many changed stances) which is fine, but he tried to land this one zinger, and not only does he have NO comic timing, I swear he sort of sniggled at the end of it like the cartoon dog Muttley. McCain's delivery was actually more painful than the insult.

Second, did my ears deceive me or did those fools actually try to argue that inflation was the cause of our current healthcare crisis? I know all these guys are loaded, heck you have to be to even run for president in this country, but could they at least PRETEND to get what it is like for those of us who don't make six figures? There are many things affecting our healthcare system in America, but I don't think inflation even makes the top five list of what is wrong. And yes, America may have the best healthcare in the world, but if everyone can't afford it or doesn't have access to it, what good is it doing? Do we really want to be a nation of elites?

Final Republican comment—I want to start a drinking game where you take a shot every time one of them mentions Ronald Reagan or 9/11. Of course, if Guiliani gets shut out of the campaign, my game may fall apart. But unless you have an amazingly high tolerance, I guarantee you will be wasted before the first commercial break.

On to the Democrats, and then there were four:

Let's start with poor, poor Bill Richardson. While it has always been painfully obvious that the news people (and most everyone else for that matter) considers this to be a contest between the Triumvirate, it was never more clear than watching him on the stage. On a side note for his handlers—dear god, tighten the man's tie! The multitude of chins, already make him look a bit schlumpy, but having his tie not meet his collar doesn't help. Did anyone think he was being awfully nice to Hilary? Maybe he is hoping to be VP on her ticket? It would be a nice balance, him being from the southwest. On top of the bonus of his experience and the Hispanic vote he would presumably bring.

Second, building on that prediction, any thoughts on a pairing of Edwards and Obama? For either of them to be the second in command would not be shabby. If luck held and the presidential candidate had 8 years, neither would be too old to consider a run of their own again. Just a thought.

You can definitely see that Edwards and Obama are combining forces to gang up on Clinton. And dang it if they didn't really get under her skin at one point. I can't decide if her showing a flash of anger like that is a good thing (illustrating her ability to fight back) or bad (her losing her cool). My bet is it will be perceived as bad, but who knows.

Finally,  I know that no politician every answers a question as explicitly as I would like (hello, charts and graphs please!), but I can't help feeling that the Democratic candidates actually did provide some answers as to what their specific policies would be. Details were given about healthcare and troop redeployment in Iraq. But the Republicans? Pour me another, I think I heard 9/11 reference! (Maybe ole four-eyed Charlie Gibson—could he have channeled Ben Franklin anymore peering over those spectacles—just asked the Dems better questions??)

Discuss . . .

A melody and some goose bumps

Yep, there it is a glimmer of a song and a definite chill. I stand corrected on my previous post.

Hear Obama's "victory" speech from last night to hear yourself (warning it is about 13 minutes long). THIS is a man on fire. A man to support. A man to inspire. A man who can be president.

A snippit from the end:

"This was the moment when we finally beat back the policies of fear and doubts and cynicism, the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up . . . Because we are not a collection of red states and blue states. We are the United States of America. And in this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again."

And the Fat Lady Sings, but not my Heart

Well folks, the votes are in. Let me preface this by saying I was lying in bed last night mentally writing the perfect post, but was of course too freaking lazy to get up and actually type it in. So you will just have to trust me that it was extremely insightful and erudite and what I recreate below will have to do.

I have tried not to read or hear too much about the results prior to writing this because I wanted to focus on my gut reaction and not be infiltrated by a bunch of punditry. First of all I don't really consider Huckabee's win a surprise at this point. He had massively pulled ahead of late and it seemed pretty much a lock. The problems for him will arise in New Hampshire. While his "positive" message may still hold him in steed, I think his religiousity will bite him in the butt so to speak with the liberal northeasterners of that state. I did hear something this morning that said something like 20% of N.H-en's identify themselves as evangelical (frankly I am stunned the percentage is that high). But enough about the GOP, you know I don't really care about them anyway.

On to Obama. I confess, I am a bit surprised that he took the lead in Iowa. I have said all along that between the three front runners, I would be happy to have any of them. But as I have already confessed a warm spot for Edwards, he was certainly my fave (although I secretly flagellated myself for taking the white male candidate as my chosen one—apologies to my white, male readers, of course—why oh why, can't it be Elizabeth Edwards running so I would have one less thing to feel guilty about). And then of course the feminist in me couldn't not hold a corner of support for Hillary Clinton. No matter what you feel about her or Bill, the woman is BRILLIANT and certainly just as worthy as any other candidate on the stage so far. But she does have some baggage.

That all being said, I liked Obama. I was certainly impressed by his message at the last democratic convention. You felt that the guy had something. And of course there is the Oprah support. Hard not to respect the power/voice of O. But I haven't found myself wowed by Obama during this campaign. I have seen the debates, and I know the man has the brains, but nothing has blown me away. Now, Michelle on the other hand I have been very impressed by. (Can we have the spouses run???)

Recently I read a piece on Salon that dealt with how many writers/pundits/talking heads are describing the differences between the democratic triumvirate (Clinton, Edwards, Obama) as boiling down to style basically, that substantively they were mostly the same. And more than likely that is the case. So the style thing, for Obama, is about hope, pardon me, but a very MLK, Jr. kind of thing for lack of a better example. And I get that. God knows America needs that. But if that is Obama's shtick, he needs to bring it home. It isn't enough to say it, you have to make me feel it. And right now, I am not feeling.

None of that is to say that I wouldn't support Obama 100% should the nomination end up being his. But I want him to make my heart song if that is the case. And right now, that muscle ain't carin' a tune.

382 days to go . . .

At the dedication of his gubernatorial portrait, Austin, Texas January 2002:

"I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to come and witness my hanging."

I dare to dream, W. I dare to dream . . . do they still hang for war crimes? Could we make an exception in his case?

Caucus Primer

For those that wish to understand more, a few explanations:

Freezing Over

Hell may not be freezing over, but Iowa is. According to the Des Moines Register, "At 5 .a.m, today it was partly cloudy and 11 degrees in Sioux City, clear and 6 degrees in Des Moines, clear and 10 at Fort Dodge, clear and 3 at Ottumwa and clear and minus 2 in Dubuque."

It's a good day to caucus. More to come later I suppose.

One shout out of good news: We are but four nights away from the return of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. And frankly it isn't a moment too soon. Damn writer's strike! (although I can't fault them for wanting their due and sticking it to the man.) It will be interesting to see how Stewart and Colbert handle the show writer-less, but watching them without a net is better than listening to W. anyday, both feet on the ground:

"We need to apply twenty-first century information technology to the healthcare field. We need to have our medical records put on the I.T."

Yep—go ahead and put them on the I.T. Mr. Bush. I'll wait. Only 383 days left . . .

P.S. Thanks to all those who have initially read and shown their support to this opinionated little endeavor. Hope you stick around.

The illustrious kickoff

I had all these grand intentions to post my first blog entry on the first day of the year—to be all-symbolic and that sort of thing—but frankly I was just too lazy. So already you have some insight into what to expect from me in the future.

My goal with this thing is to mostly address topical stuff, particularly politics or anything female-related, sprinkled with a dash (just a dash, ok maybe a dollop of personal opinion) and a couple of rants or whines about daily life as I see fit.

So there you have it. My manifesto as it stands now. Feel free to chime in as you see fit.

Time to pay attention to Iowa

Things should get exciting soon. The Iowa caucuses are tomorrow. It is interesting to me that there is so much up in the air about this contest on both sides. I think that is a good thing in a lot of ways, and not just because it seems to be driving the talking heads insane. Although it does make me cringe even further at the whole idea of 24 hours news because there so isn't enough to say about this nonsense for 1,440 minutes a day. But of course they do anyway.

I will be up front and admit I have a secret warm spot of longing for John Edwards. I can't help it, I saw him speak back during the previous run for election in 2004 and the man is just moving and charismatic and inspiring. I like his voice in the wilderness for the little people shtick. I like to think it is sincere. But regardless of who comes out on the democratic side in Iowa, I think it will be ok. (Dennis Kucinich, not withstanding - although apparently my beliefs line up more with what he spouts than any others, go figure.)

On the Republican side, I am frightened at how often I either agree with or can't cringe at what Huckabee says. Because I do think the man has issues: EVOLUTION!!! Monetary impropriety while governor of Arkansas and the idea of a preacher as prez gives me the heebie jeebies. Otherwise, Ron Paul says some good things, but as a believer in the power of govt to do some good, his wanting to dismantle the whole she-bang is a tad off-putting. The rest of them, scary and scarier.

I will leave you with a quote from my George W. Bush out of office countdown calendar (from 1.1.08 - 385 days to go):

"You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on."—2001 Gridiron dinner