BOO!

Scared you, didn't I?

Happy Halloween!

7-0!

Well, if I failed once again to pick a Presidential winner, perhaps I can be comforted by the fact that my hometown football team, the Tennesse Titans, are currently the only undefeated team in the league after beating the Colts 31-21 on Monday night!

Who would have ever thought TN would have the best record in the league? With our back-up quarterback moving into 1st string to boot? Looks like all of the Pacman bad karma is behind us and we are ready for another Superbowl season!

Trader Joe's is almost here!

If you live in the Nashville area....our new Trader Joe's will be opening in the former Wild Oats Green Hills location next Friday, Nov. 7th! Can I get a WOOOO!

Unfortunately, I'll be in Knoxville for a site visit with work but I hear they are giving away lots of free stuff on opening day! I can't wait to check it out-I love Trader Joe's! If anyone checks it out before me please let me know so I can be jealous and listen to you tell me how great it was.

And I thought 2 jobs was bad...

There was a story this morning about a single mom who works 5 jobs-FIVE-to support herself, her two children (one in college). Robin and Diane called her a hero. Someone making their kind of salaries would see it that way, I guess.

I was horrified. Sure, I admire the fact that she will do whatever it takes to stay afloat, but DAMN, life should not be that hard for anyone! 5 jobs and still living paycheck to paycheck-this is so wrong. So unfair.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=6127217&page=1

Here you go.

So, this post has been a long time coming, partly because I had a hard time figuring out where to even begin. I'm not sure I can find anything to say to endorse Barack Obama that hasn't already been said more eloquently by someone more famous (or perhaps Republican-thanks Colin!). In the interest of full disclosure, I do consider myself a Democrat, a Christian, and I voted for Hillary in the primary. I have voted for Republicans in the past, but not often. And, I’ve usually come to regret it, but that is another blog perhaps. Anyway, I voted on Saturday for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and now I would like to tell you why.

I could sit here and rattle off to you a list of Obama and Biden’s achievements, my support for their policy positions, or sum up the Democratic Party Platform. But you can look up all those things on the internet yourself. Perhaps I have even pointed some of them out in previous blogs. At this point, you either agree with that stuff or you don't. I could have rattled off those things 4 years ago when I voted for Kerry, or 8 years ago when I voted for Gore. But this vote is different for me. I am voting for Obama and Biden for their platform, for their accomplishments, and because I think their policies will better serve the majority of Americans. But I am also voting for Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden because they inspire me with their vision for what America can be and should become-something I've never felt before when casting my ballot.

This is my third presidential election to vote in. I’ve never picked a winner. Third time’s a charm, I hope. Back in 2000, Bush proclaimed himself a "uniter, not a divider" but ultimately divided our country bitterly for the better part of his 8 years in office. Bush did this by following his “gut” rather than the experience and intelligence of his own advisers, by lacking the intellectual curiosity to explore opinions other than his own and ignoring facts, and by acting impulsively rather than thoughtfully in foreign relations (thereby entangling us in two wars, one extremely unpopular). After 9/11, we had the sympathy and support of the world-if this could happen in America, it could happen anywhere, and certainly the world was willing to come to our defense, in part to defend themselves as well. But our choices as a nation eventually led this goodwill to sour.

“We’ve been in the mountain of war. We’ve been in the mountain of violence. We’ve been in the mountain of hatred long enough. It is necessary to move on now, but only by moving out of this mountain can we move to the promised land of justice and brotherhood and the Kingdom of God. It all boils down to the fact that we must never allow ourselves to become satisfied with unattained goals. We must always maintain a kind of divine discontent.” –Martin Luther King, Jr. (“Keep Moving from this Mountain” sermon, 1965 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlktempleisraelhollywood.htm)

It is time to move on. Republican or Democrat, most agree that change is essential. President Bush failed to meet his goals-we got distracted from Afghanistan by invading Iraq; education reform was implemented with No Child Left Behind, but not fully funded; 40 million people cannot afford health insurance; just to name a couple. I agree with Hillary Clinton when she said: “Choosing a Republican to clean up this mess is like asking an iceberg to save the Titanic." I respect John McCain’s military and public service; I always thought he was a pretty reasonable Republican up until a few months ago. But the type of campaign he has chosen to run (nasty); his complete flip flop on a host of issues, including tax breaks for the wealthy; and his selection of Sarah Palin, a skilled politician but clearly polarizing in her rhetoric and disturbing in her lack of interest/understanding in national and world issues; prove that he does not represent the type of change that America needs to restore its position in the world. The Presidency is not a reward for past service; it requires future-oriented qualifications. Leaders should be role models who symbolize what their nation can become.

Barack Obama is exactly what America needs. He also promises, much like GWB did in 200, to be a uniter. I believe he will be. I’ve had people argue with me on this-you know, the “talking point” that Obama has no history of reaching across the aisle (untrue; google Tom Coburn and see what you find) but here is why I am convinced that he will successfully unite Democrats, Republicans, and Independents: Obama understands that even when you disagree, you can acknowledge that the other side may have a point (he discusses this in his book The Audacity of Hope). He taught constitutional law for 10 years at the conservative University of Chicago law school, and the study of law is all about being able to see both sides of an issue clearly, and being prepared for the arguments of the other side-Obama won’t ignore dissenting opinions, he will seek to understand each side of an issue and make the best decision for our country as a whole. He has shown, through a nearly 2 year campaign, that he does not make impulsive decisions and that he is a careful, thoughtful decision maker. And as you saw if you watched the debates, he is a master of “disagreeing without being disagreeable” and keeping emotion and tension low are the keys to successful compromise.

I believe Obama is what America needs during these times of great turmoil. His election will not erase the damage done by eight years of neglect and reckless behavior. Our economy will still be in tatters, our civil liberties at risk, and out electorate deeply divided, and serious problems will remain in the Middle East and beyond. We need solutions. Not finger pointing. Obama has been a calm, steady leader, reassuring, and successful in giving Americans what they need most right now-HOPE that things can and will turn around, that we are better than the last 8 years, and that together, as one united country, we will be OK. We will find solutions. We can do it. We might have to make sacrifices (yeah, you, making 250K, you’re going to have to suck it up and pay a little more taxes; yeah, you, who doesn’t care about your carbon footprint, start conserving; yeah, you, who wants help to pay for college, you can have it, but you are going to have to do some volunteer work to earn it). But in a country as prosperous as ours, the disparities that exist in education, health care, employment opportunities, and housing are shameful and unjust. What hope can we give to future generations if we don’t try and improve upon these things RIGHT NOW? This is not socialism; it is ensuring that ALL Americans-regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, or anything else-each have the same chances, the same opportunities to make their own way or squander their chances. THAT is what I believe our Founding Fathers envisioned for America, it is what I envision for America, and what I believe Barack Obama envisions for America-each person getting an equal chance to make something of themselves, whether they grow up in a mansion in Bel-Air or public housing in the inner city. We must have that divine discontent that Dr. King spoke of, we must keep pressing on toward the goal of forming a more perfect union. We don’t have to settle for an Average America if we can be Great. Again, in the words of Dr. King:

“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.” MLK Jr. (Memphis 1968, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop Speech)

In the end a vote for President is more than a vote for a single person - it's a vote for the America we want to be: a choice between one that strives to be more inclusive, more just and more compassionate or one that celebrates the individual above all else and divides us into red and blue, city and country and, in the end, into winners and losers. I believe that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the right leaders for our country. I am prouder to have cast my vote for these two men than I am for any other vote I’ve ever made. It wasn’t a vote for a lesser of two evils, it was a vote for two candidates that I believe in, that I trust, and that I think will have the ability to transform our nation into something better than what we are right now.

One More Day....

"Together, we cannot fail. Not now." -Barack Obama to a crowd of over 100,000 in Denver, CO

I've been working on it for a day or two, and tomorrow you will wait no more....my long promised "Why I Voted for Barack" blog will go live!!!!

P.S. Are yall going to be glad when I go back to talking about American Idol and country music or what??????

John McCain, Good Ol' Days

There is a great YouTube compilation of John McCain opposing tax cuts for the wealthy over the last 8 years-at one point, he actually says, "When you reach a certain level of comfort, there is nothing wrong with paying somewhat more."

Fast forward 8 years, and the same principles are now "tenets of socialism" and "redistribution of wealth." This is why McCain is so hard to swallow these days....back in 2004, I believe he would have been called a flip-flopper.

It was nice to see the old JM, back when he had good sense. And more hair. WOW, he's aged these last few years. Just sayin'.

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/10/zomfg-john-mccain-is-a-sociali.html

2012

SO you've heard those rumors that Sarah Palin doesn't really care if she and McCain lose this time around, as she's just getting ready for her OWN run for POTUS in 2012 (you know, one not dirtied by association with eight years of failed policies)? Well, considering she showed up at an event today wearing a scarf that says "Vote" and is covered in DONKEYS-she might be trying to tell us something. The scarf does not have ELEPHANTS on it, as a good Republican should be wearing, but donkeys-the symbol of the DEMOCRATIC PARTY!!!! (Presumably from her fancy new $150,000 wardrobe courtesty of the RNC-http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/but-wait-until.html)

Sarah Palin wants you to vote for Obama!!!! I don't know about yall but I do everything Sarah Palin tells me to......

The Home Stretch

So here we are, 2 weeks and 1 day out from one of the most critical elections in our history. 2 wars, a stained reputation around the world, economy in crisis, health care costs growing 5 times faster than our wages, the number of uninsured Americans nearing 40 million, costs of essentials-gas, food, housing higher than ever, and 2 very different choices for President. Both promise change. But both are promising very different kinds of change. And I can hardly keep up with the rush of information these days!

So many things going on today! But for the news that made my life, yesterday Ret. Gen. Colin Powell (a Republican I would have voted for in a heartbeat should he ever have run for public office) endorsed Barack Obama on Meet the Press yesterday. Despite his longtime friendship with McCain, like so many Republicans, Powell is disappointed by the lack of judgment McCain showed in choosing Sarah Palin, his erratic handling of the economic crisis, and the nasty campaign that has been hateful and has no place in American politics. He has been impressed with the superior intelligence, calm and comforting demeanor which Barack has exhibited over the past several weeks and believes that he will best handle the mounting number of issues the next President will have to deal with, and you all know I totally agree! But if you missed MTP, PLEASE go read the transcript or watch the video-did I mention I love Colin Powell???? He made a simple, straightfoward, and thoughtful endoresement for Barack, and also for a return to better politics in general. It was LOVELY.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27266223/

So of course, the McCain campaign must try to minimize this.....remind everyone of the 4 former Sec's of State that DO support him (never mind that none of them are as relevant right now as CP), and generally try to make everyone forget about the mass number of Republicans who are jumping ship faster than you can say "DRILL BABY DRILL!" (a good list of Republican ship-jumpers is here: http://www.jedreport.com/shipjumpers) And the ones who are still willing to stay on the sinking ship are going to try and convince you that Powell has a grudge against the Republican Party, doesn't want to be tied to another awful administration, and/or is supporting Obama because they are both black. See case #1 here: http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/The_Powell_move.html?showall

But others are acknowledging how important this endorsement is, and First Read has a roundup of the major newspapers thoughts here:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/20/1570501.aspx

And another scandal has emerged regarding Freddie Mac and sister company Fannie Mae, this one involves a secret plot to kill the regulation bill by REPUBLICAN lobbyists. This is interesting because John McCain regularly used his support-and Obama's lack of it-for the Fannie/Freddie regulation bill as evidence of the Republican party's superior economic intelligence-i.e., we knew it was going to crash and the Democrats killed our efforts to prevent this crisis. But this article at MSNBC today paints a very different picture of the Republican party's relationship with Fannie and Freddie, and it appears that they are just as culpable for this mess as anyone else (and includes evidence that John McCain also has major ties to F&F, even though he's tried to distance himself publicly from the troubled mortgage company) .
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27266607/

And finally, Sarah Palin and her doppelganger, Tina Fey, came face to face briefly for the first, and I suspect only time, if Tina has her choice. Palin appeared on SNL Sat. night in two sketches and apparently got SNL its highest ratings in 14 years. I thought it was pretty lame. I'll take Tina's Sarah over Real Sarah any day. Judge for yourself.
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/

What YOU can do

Today is "Blog Action Day" in the Catholic Charities USA's Campaign to Reduce Poverty, a campaign to cut poverty in half by 2020. While I'm not Catholic, I support this effort and got a little email today asking me to join with other bloggers in a unified voice to talk about poverty today.

37 million people in America live in poverty. What can you and I do to help cut this number in half in the next 12 years?

Get involved! Find an organization in your community that reaches out to those in poverty. Volunteer for events at the organization, to do office work, or sort donations. Donate old clothes, household items, and food to organizations that will distribute them to those in need. Many churches have food banks and clothing banks. Non-profit organizations like Catholic Charities often have "wish lists" posted on their websites of items they need. Your local newspaper may also have a community section where needed items are listed.

But perhaps you can help closer to home-you might have a friend or family member who you know has been struggling, due to loss of employment, health issues, or the general economic pinch we've all been in lately-buy a pack of diapers for a friend with a baby if you see them on sale. When Publix has buy one get one free sales, give your "free" items to a neighbor. Clean out your closet for a friend who is about the same size if she needs clothing for work.

In such uncertain economic times, it is more important than ever to make sure we are fighting to reduce the number of families living in poverty, rather than allowing more people to join the 37 million already in need of hope for a better future. If we each donate our unwanted goods, our time, our skills, and our compassion this campaign will succeed-but we have to work together.

If you'd like more information on how the campaign plans to accomplish its goals, check out this:
http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=1029

If you'd like to read about other ways you can reduce poverty, check out this list here (including links to more facts and statistics about poverty):
http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=571

What do you want to bet this guy is voting for "that one"?

Interesting tidbit from Oliver Clark, one of the question-askers at the debate...apparently a lot of folks reached out to him via his Facebook page (ah, the age of the internet) and asked him a few questions....click the link below to see all of his Debate Insider Q&A, but here he describes how he felt about Sen. McCain's response to his question....hehehe.

How did I feel about Sen. McCain stating “You probably never heard of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac before this.”Well Senator, I actually did. I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent person. I have a bachelor degree in Political Science from Tennessee State, so I try to keep myself up to date with current affairs. I have a Master degree in Legal Studies from Southern Illinois University, a few years in law school, and I am currently pursuing a Master in Public Administration from the University of Memphis. In defense of the Senator from Arizona I would say he is an older guy, and may have made an underestimation of my age. Honest mistake. However, it could be because I am a young African-American male. Whatever the case may be it was somewhat condescending regardless of my age to make an assumption regarding whether I was knowledgeable about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/09/1523335.aspx

So I know I have not mentioned the debate.....it was fine, I thought Obama did well and that McCain did better than he did in the first one, but there were no game-changer moments on either side in my opinion. The "that one" comment sure didn't help McCain either-its obvious he despises Obama for ruining his last chance to be President, which has obviously been a lifelong ambition. The whole tone of the argument he was making when he said it was so childish too-he was acting like a 4-year old. Not very presidential, Johnny.

I thought Barack's strongest moment was when he was talking about health care. He was able to weave in more of his personal story and include his mother's experience with insurance companies when she was dying of cancer, and his statement that health care is a right made me want to cheer. I think a every uninsured American that heard that had to be happy! And who hasn't been screwed by an insurance company-so relatable. Plus, his plan is far superior to McCain's-his plan scares the bejesus out of me. I work in nonprofit and if my employer stops offering health care, I will have neither the time to go hunt my own NOR will I have the money as I don't think a $2500 tax credit is going to cover it, and I doubt my salary increase would make up the difference (in fact, I just heard on NPR this morning that health care premiums increased about 40% faster than salaries-so yes, your health care costs are rising and your salary can't keep up).

I don't think either candidate pulled too many undecideds to their side, but McCain didn't gain any momentum so I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

What Happened to "Raisin' McCain"?

Now he's made the Foo Fighters mad.

Add them to a list of artists including Heart, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, and Van Halen that have criticized John McCain for using their songs during his campaign without permission (and they all say that if they had been asked, the answer would be no anyway).

What I don't understand is why John's not using the song that Nashville's own John Rich wrote specifically to be his campaign song......you mean, the Foo's "My Hero" is better than "Raisin' McCain"? Poor John Rich.....no one in Nashville likes your music, and neither does John McCain.

On a related note, Rich did perform the snubbed song on CBS's the Early Show from Nashville yesterday, and a rabid Obama supporter jumped on stage and danced alongside him with her Obama sign. Hehe. Gotta love live TV....apparently they managed to edit most of it out with camera angles, but my coworker was there and said it was hysterical.

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b33028_foos_fighting_with_mccain.html

Quote of the Day

Do your best to make these things real. Opportunity, equality, social and economic justice, a fair shake for all of our citizens, the American idea, as a positive influence, around the world for a more just and peaceful existence. These are the things that give our lives hope, shape, and meaning. They are the ties that bind us together and give us faith in our contract with one another. –Bruce Springsteen

Anyone else think Obama-Springsteen would have been a fun ticket? (No offense to Joe Biden-really, no one can compete with the Boss. Nothing personal.)

Nashville is on FIRE

So I'm not writing this from work, I'm writing this from home, but I have a meeting that will keep me actually WORKING for most of the day, and I wanted to make sure that I blogged about how awesome it is to be a Nashvillian right now!

Seriously, the stars have all aligned in our favor, Irish eyes are shining, and all of those tacky cliches-it is kind of magical around here right now.

Why are we smothered in fairy dust right now? Don't know, I guess God just loves us best.

But we'll take it-Our Titans are 5-0, for the first time EVER in franchise history, and Vanderbilt beat Auburn this weekend as well, ALSO going 5-0 in, well, the first time since the ice age, basically. (We won't talk UT, however-the obviously don't have the Nashville Magic on their side.)

And to top it all off, we are hosting a Presidential Debate at Belmont University's Curb Center (you know, the place where we have the Country Music Awards, too! We're soooo diverse!) and its been one big ball of energy and excitement around the city lately. Apparently, McCain already arrived about 45 minutes ago, not sure when Obama is scheduled to touch down in Music City.

Anyway, I'm super excited about the debate, and all the famous media who will be here-it will be so cool to watch all of the news channels have their shows live from Nashville! One of my coworkers is going to the CBS Early Show taping near Belmont in the morning-if you see a cute redhead, she works with me! I doubt I will see Katie Couric or Tom Brokaw just hobnobbing around town, but you never know....I do work within a pretty reasonable distance from Belmont, and I'm definitely not above stalking, so I will keep y'all posted!

Go Obama!

Taking Off the Gloves

So, big news in politics over the weekend....McCain/Palin's campaign admits that it will fail if the focus remains on the economy, so instead, they'd like to make this campaign about character.

It is almost unbelievable-except, it is plastered all over the news. I'd never believe that John McCain, a respected Senator and Veteran, who pledged to run a respectful campaign, who condemned those during the democratic primaries who used Barack Obama's middle name, Hussein as a scare tactic to mislead voters about his religion, as well as those who tried to misconstrue comments made by Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright (See my old blog about that if you are not familiar) and condemn him for that association-that same man, John McCain, apparently did not give that memo to his running mate Sarah Palin. Guess he did not feel that strongly about running a clean campaign-or he would have told her to knock it off after she said the first time that Obama "pals around with terrorists." But then she repeated that claim-another association, proved during the primaries to be much ado about nothing-over FOUR times since first mentioning it on Saturday. WOW.

Not only that, she told commentator Bill Kristol that SHE thinks the Rev. Wright card should be played again. (Which makes sense, considering its obvious she paid no attention during the primaries or she would have known that these "associations" are old news, and the public has determined as much or nearly 20 million people would not have voted for him to be the nominee.)

Not only that, but John McCain, at a rally today, asked the crowd, "Who is the real Barack Obama?" When someone shouted out "Terrorist!" McCain raised his eyebrows. And he said....NOTHING. My friends, that is despicable. By saying nothing in response, John McCain has told me everything I need to know about his integrity.

I am truly outraged at what an ugly person John McCain has proved himself to be.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/06/1499935.aspx
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/06/1498235.aspx
http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/mccain-does-nothing-as-crowd-member.html

So in response, the Obama campaign has brought up one of Sen. McCain's less-than-desirable associations-one that the Obama campaign had previously insinuated they would not bring up as a campaign issue-the Keating 5 Scandal of the late 1980s. At first, I was a little upset that the campaign appeared to be participating in this little tit-for-tat game, because Obama has stated-repeatedly-that this campaign is about issues that affect Americans, not smear tactics. But, I also understand his need to defend his personal integrity, and I do remember that not fighting back to smear tactics is probably a large reason why John Kerry lost in 2004. Unfortunately, negative campaigning is a nasty part of politics, but everyone has the right to defend themselves. I certainly would!

The other side of this issue is that while Palin is trying to push a story with no merit, the Keating 5 scandal is actually a well-documented part of history, and almost derailed McCain's political career (he was a Representative, not a Senator, at the time). Cliff's notes version: McCain and 5 other Senators were investigated for their relationship with a corrupt businessman named Charles Keating (who gave over $100,000 to McCain's campaign alone, and paid for several McCain family vacations), who asked McCain and the other Senators for favors to get the feds off his back when his Savings and Loan bank crashed (costing the gov't around 2.5 billion-seems like small potatoes now, huh?) and while McCain was exonerated of any illegal activity (he attended 2 meetings, but did not act on Keating's behalf) he was declared to have shown "poor judgement," an assessment in which he AGREED with, and in 2002 in his autobiography called it "the worst mistake of my life" (apparently not his biggest regret-that, as we all know, is the "failure" of his first marriage, when he cheated on his wife repeatedly before meeting Cindy and then marrying HER 6 WEEKS after his divorce was finalized...yeah, sounds like he was real sorry about that).

What is most interesting about this scandal is that in short, McCain has led us to believe all these years that this was the turning point in his career-he felt so ashamed about his involvement-that he would dedicate himself to a mission of campaign finance reform as a form of penance to society, and hence the "maverick" was born out of this mess.

Problem with this NOW? Just today, McCain's lawyer said that the Keating 5 scandal was an attempt by the Democrats of the 1980's to smear McCain http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/mccain-now-saying-keating-five-scandal.html.

Um-excuse me? So now, nearly 30 years later, he is not only going back on everything he's ever said-that while he may have not done anything illegal, it was wrong to have been involved with Keating, that it was the "worst mistake of his life"-now he's saying none of that is true? He was either lying to us then, or he's lying to us now....either way, he's a liar. And if he is telling the truth NOW, then his whole "reformer" image has just gone down the drain.

I say...make up your minds on your own. Some recommended reading:
http://www.keatingeconomics.com/
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1989-11-29/news/mccain-the-most-reprehensible-of-the-keating-five/1 (A fascinating article....you could almost believe it was written today, and not in 1989)

Now...so no one can say I ignored this issue....the association that Palin is hell-bent on sticking Obama with is that of Bill Ayers. Look him up on wikipedia. Bill Ayers used to be a radical opponent of the Vietnam War, and committed a series of violent attacks as part of his protest and participation in a slew of anti-war groups. He was, at one point, labeled a domestic terrorist. Obama was 8 years old when these things happened.

Fast forward FORTY-40-count em-FORTY years into the future, Bill Ayers is not a respected member of the Chicago community, has raised three children, and is now a distinguished professor of education who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in early childhood education and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction. He and Obama have both been involved in community projects together and live three blocks away from each other. Are all of Ayers' students "palling around with terrorists?" Are the other professors who sit in staff or department meetings with Ayers "palling around with terrorists?" Is every single person who has served on a community board with him left-wing radicals who wish to do our country harm? OF COURSE NOT. Come on-this is a ridiculous attempt to distract from the real issues of the campaign, which McCain/Palin clearly don't have a clue how to handle.

Expectations of Excellence

OK. So we moved offices last week and were without internet for a week, so y'all know I was going crazy not being able to keep up with the polls and stuff! But now I'm back up and running, and once again, not really sure where to start with SO many things going on that I could blog about. I mean, there's the economy crashing down around us, Sarah Palin's Katie Couric interview, the debates, and I keep promising to share with you all why I am voting for Obama-Biden in clear, sensical terms (you know, instead of pointing out the evils of McCain/Palin and their policies....actually sharing why Obama/Biden is better).

But before I get to all that, I want to mention that in all of the "my candidate is better, my candidate is smarter, more experienced, went to war, whatever" I think we are forgetting one thing. We are supposed to be electing the PRESIDENT and VP. The 2 people who are going to represent our country to the rest of the world. We should expect these folks to not only be able to deliver a great speech with a teleprompter and some prep time, but to be able to speak off the cuff, to be one of the smartest, most-well educated among us, since we are hiring them to speak for us. We want them to know what they are talking about it and to say it well. They don't have to be EXPERTS in every issue from economics, to foreign policy, to health care. But we expect that they have THOUGHT about it. We expect they have read about issues, or been briefed by experts in the field, that they have taken time to not just memorize talking points but to have thought about each issue in a critical way. We have a right to expect EXCELLENCE. We should demand it. It's part of the reason our country has been so divided the past few elections-because each party props up their candidate, the BEST they have to offer in theory, and the American people have been a little skeptical....really, this is the best we have? Which is why these issues of experience, character, personality, temperament, have all become front and center lately. Because we need to choose the best of the bunch. And more than a few people have noticed that one person in particular in this race is not on an even playing field with everyone else.

You know who I'm talking about. My favorite Moose Hunter, Sarah Palin.

So conservatives are even starting to question whether Sarah Palin is "qualified" to be Vice-President, much less President should the need arise (remember kiddos, 1 in 5 VP's has had to take over). To me, as I have said in previous blogs, comparing this person's experience to that person's when the experiences are different in nature, is kind of pointless. I think the point here is that through the limited exposure we have had to Sarah Palin, both through interviews like the ones with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, and reports coming out of Alaska regarding her record as Mayor of Wasilla, and her recent accomplishments 18 months into her role as Governor, we have learned that Sarah Palin has not shown much intellectual curiosity as far as knowing what is going on in the world, or heck, even the rest of the US, during her time as Mayor or Governor. She did not have a passport til last year. Up until last week, she had never met a world leader. Her interviews have proved that she does not COMPREHEND foreign policy issues-as well as several domestic issues-beyond the talking points she has memorized. Her expertise is in energy. Which is important, but the economy and all its problems will be handed over to the next president, and we are in two wars, our tense relations with countries like Russia, Georgia, Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea make the news almost daily, and she has NO experience with any of those issues. And hasn't really proved that she's ever had an interest either-even since coming into office. She has some pretty extreme beliefs on social issues-McCain can talk all he wants about how far to the left Obama is, but I think that Palin may well be even further to the right. We have learned that despite being in office only 18 months, she has already managed to come under investigation, along with her husband, for ethics charges for using her position and influence to benefit friends and hurt enemies. She took $400 million dollars for a bridge that is not going to be built. This is what we know.

Just as disturbing as her lack of knowledge about things outside of Alaska are her statements about women's issues. Besides telling Katie Couric that she believed that a 15 year old girl, raped and impregnated by her father, should be "counseled to choose life" and that while she did not "necessarily" think that the "morning after pill" should be illegal, she did indicate a personal belief that it was wrong as she believes life begins at conception. And then there is an issue that has been making its round on political blogs for weeks, and is now being picked up mainstream: that while Mayor of Wasilla, a small town in Alaska which boasts the highest number of rapes per population than ANY OTHER STATE, rape victims had to pay their own rape kit/exam fees (which is UNBELIEVABLE-someone breaks into your house and no one asks you to pay law enforcement to dust for fingerprints), a policy only changed when, after Ms. Palin was no longer Mayor, a law was passed by the then-governor outlawing such practices (and in part, to enable to state to receive federal funds, as a result of the Violence Against Women Act authored by Joe Biden in the 90's). Read on as she recently avoids admitting that she did nothing to change this shameful practice:

Q: During your tenure as mayor in 2000, then police chief Charlie Fannon commented in a May 23, 2000 Frontiersman article about legislation Gov. Tony Knowles signed protecting victims of sexual assault from being billed for rape kits collected by police as part of their investigations. Fannon revealed then that Knowles’ decision would cost Wasilla $5,000 to $14,000 a year, insinuating that the department’s policy was to bill victims for this testing. During your tenure as Mayor, what was the police department and city’s standard operating procedure in recovering costs of rape kits? Were any sexual assault victims ever charged for this testing while you were mayor?
A: The entire notion of making a victim of a crime pay for anything is crazy. I do not believe, nor have I ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test. As governor, I worked in a variety of ways to tackle the problem of sexual assault and rape, including making domestic violence a priority of my administration.

So while she doesn't condone it, she still allowed it to happen right under her nose. And, no one has shown one thing she did during her time as Governor so far to "tackle" rape or domestic violence-not ONE THING-despite saying it was a priority.

?????

This is not excellence. It is not even justifiable. As Barack Obama said in his DNC speech last month-America is better than these last 8 years.

We must expect excellence in our leaders. People make mistakes, of course. But we must begin to hold our leaders to a higher standard, if our country is going to in fact become better than we have been under the failed leadership of GWB. Time for CHANGE!

http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/why-is-sarah-palin-using-hedge-words.html
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/30/palin-rape/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/30/eveningnews/main4490788.shtml