How Obama Can Reach Across the Aisle.. For REAL!

An old tradition in politics, namely with the first 5 presidents, was that the Vice President would be of a different party than the President himself. This is something we haven't seen in a long time in this country and, in the time of divisive politics, I see nothing but good if one, if not both, of the nominees from both parties did this.

But if Obama really cares about "Change", then he would be wise to list a Republican as his Vice President.

Such an act would not be "treason" to the Democratic Party, but a step forward. It would show that this "change" he seems to want isn't just a slogan but an actual fact. He has already stated he wants a diverse cabinet; why not start at the top?

So let's get it out of the way; I want him to tap Ron Paul for his Vice President. Ron should be president, but in the eyes of many, his policies are too radical a change for America. At the same time, many Ron Paul supporters think Obama is simply using "Change" to get elected and won't do anything to help America once he's elected. People have said that hearing Obama speak gave them goosebumps. To me, hearing Ron Paul talk about economic stimulation, nuclear disarmament, and preaching common sense politics while running as, of all things, a Republican... well, that just plain made me faint!

Ron Paul as Obama's VP ensures a check and balance system of everything. It means that they would limit the government while making sure that everyone got what they needed from it. It would mean that the bickering in the House and Senate would not be too bad as both parties would have allies in the White House at the top. It could, in fact, be the best thing to happen to America in the last 40 years in terms of politics.

A Cronie is a Cromie, And That's That!

Let's pretend that President Bush had two members on his staff that we rarely heard from. One day, one of them calls the leader of Iran a "monster" and tries to get it taken off the record and another member of his staff says horrible, derogatory, racist things about blacks, people from the Middle East, and declared that America deserved the 9/11 attacks. Both of them are on his payroll. Within a day, the public would demand their heads and I would be more than willing to lead the charge! The fact is, we would want Bush to fire these idiots for their actions.

Now why are we, the same group of pissed-off liberal-minded people, holding a double-standard for Obama and almost letting it slide?

For the "monster" comment. The remark was made "off the record" by a staffer, but the first rule when it comes to reporters is "There is no such thing as off the record". I did an interview a year ago when I ran for mayor for the Philadelphia Metro. Although we talked as friends for a while, the stuff that was "off the record" was printed. I didn't mind since everything I said was 100% professional and related positively to my campaign. That's the trick.

This staffer for Obama made a mistake, but instead of her stepping down, Obama, the man who wants to be our Commander in Chief, the man we want to LEAD us, should have FIRED HER! No if, ands, or buts about it, she should have been FIRED!

Now, we have his pastors videos coming out. For months, conservatives have pointed out that Obama's pastor was a racist, in my opinion up there with the bastards at Stormfront.org. But now we've all learned one major factor that didn't make this as moot as many thought; HE WAS ON OBAMA'S PAYROLL! He was a MEMBER OF OBAMA'S STAFF!!!!!

OK, Obama, shut up. Please, shut up! I don't want to hear this "He's a good friend, he inspired me" crap from you! Not you! Your the man who is preaching "hope" and "change", that you won't have "business as usual" once your elected. Yet, one of your own staff members is a violent extreme RACIST who has publicly gone out of his way to insult and defame non-blacks in a way that would make any civil rights leader cringe... No!

Obama, this man was on YOUR STAFF! He was on YOUR PAYROLL! If ANYONE deserved to be fired, it was HIM! Can anyone honestly say that if you've been to the church of a preacher for at least a year, it's safe to say that at least once he would have heard something similar to that! You can't lie and say that you never knew, you had to! The man has been saying this crap since 2001! Ignorance, Obama, is not bliss and the charisma you have will NOT protect you anymore!

When you are running for public office, your campaign is, in essence, the best possible reflection of what will happen once you arrive in office. It isn't a perfect reflection, but it is an indication, if nothing else, of what may very well be the results of you being in that office. Mr. Barak Hussein Obama, a man who I at least respected to this day (despite the fact I would not vote for him) has LOST even that. Senator, if you WILL NOT take the actions needed to when a staff member should be fired, and simply appear to "hope" that they will resign... Senator, that is a problem!

This shows he is not able to make tough decisions! It shows that, no, he can not do what will be needed when it needs to be done! He is not running for president, he is simply running on political theory for a campaign. These may be rookie mistakes to a degree, but the severity of the pastor, who is on his payroll, not being fired... how, how is that different than Bush not firing Karl Rove and waiting for him to resign? How is it any better? It really isn't. The severity of the two is different, admittedly, but it shows that neither man did what was needed in terms of disciplining his staff.

We don't need that again.

Obama's Pastor is an Idiot!

I'm tired, so I'll go straight to the point: Senator Obama not firing this man from his campaign, the fact that he will not distance himself from him in the most serious manner, that he will not end ties with this god-awful racist and claiming he "never heard about this"... This shows that he can not handle a cabinet and personal affairs. Obama can't. The man wants to be president but can't do something as simple as firing someone who is not only damaging his campaign, but is also someone who is, in a sense, no better than the guy in charge of Stormfront.org, the massive pro-white racist organization on the net.

He didn't fire him, and that shows that he will not do what's needed when it needs to be done.

Obama: The Man Behind the Curtain

"IGNORE THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!"

Remember in the Wizard of Oz that famous scene where Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow went to see this "all-powerful Wizard of OZ"? They were greeted by this massive head with fire and flames around him. But behind the smoke and mirrors... was a man behind the curtain.

The Democratic Party is beginning to pull the curtain on their Wizard and Obama behind the curtain is not the Obama they know.

In the past week, we've seen the front that Obama gave us start to disappear. NAFTA-Gate showed that while Obama will go on about how NAFTA is, in a sense, the root of all the problems with losing jobs in America and attack Clinton for supporting it, we found out that this was all "rhetoric" and that it was, just like The Wizard of Oz, nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

Then, we found out that one of his top contributors is now on trial for... wait for it... fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering. The problem isn't that Obama knew him. It isn't that Obama took his money. The problem is that it shows a shady dealing, and we're now forced to wonder if he will make sure everyone is clean in his White House.

And just yesterday, an Obama aid said, albeit "off the record", that Hillary Clinton was a "monster". She quickly resigned and apologized. And, no, in politics, there is no such thing as "off the record." Trust me, I learned that one the hard way.

It isn't that all of these things should be used against Obama; on the contrary, the only thing from these three recent events that should cause supporters to give Obama a second-look is the NAFTA. At the same time, reports are now coming out that it was the Clinton campaign that leaked the memo. Despite that, the memo is still true.

We're starting to look behind the curtain at Obama and see what really happens.

Thank You, Nas, For Advancing the Black Community!

Anyone who knoews me knows two things; One, I don't care for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and Two, I don't like a lot of rap. This scares most people.

So on that note, I can not begin to tell you how disgusted I am by this:



Nas was on the Red Carpet Sunday at the Grammy's with another rapper name Kelis with shirts that show the name of his new album... Nigger.

Awesome. Thank you. Thank you for making this word even... well, ANNOYING AND OFFENSIVE! Hell, this is coming from the guy who wants to make a t-shirt that says "God Is Dead"! Why is this worst? Why is making an album called "Nigger" a not so good idea?

Well, first off, the word is offensive. It's amazing that I'm offended by it, but yet, I am. Nas, obviously, knows this. So instead of opening the floor to debate, instead of simply being an intelligent human being (which, time and time again, has proven that he is a business man, not intelligent)... this is nothing more than a marketing ploy.

This is not a statement. This isn't him trying to make art. It's marketing.

Wow. Awesome. Using a racist word to sell albums and get fame. Aren't you special?

I'm not one to point and simply not look at the mirror. I'm a massive fan of Marilyn Manson and Hazle and Gretyle, both bands and artists that have ysed, and exploited, the Nazi persona for both fun and profit. At the same time, there is actually some difference here. Manson, for example, used it not only as a great gimmick during his Antichrist Superstar phase, but as an honest-to-Satan artistic statement. Hanzel Und Gretyle? Humoris take.

In essence, the Neo-Nazi movement is actually a parody of itself. We've seen it torn asunder by outr culture because we realize how absurd it is.

That is not to say the same can't, and hasn't, been done to the word "Nigger". That is also not to say that the time has come to do it and end the stigma once and for all for a downright idiotic word.

But Nas isn't doing it for that. Just the money.

The second reason I object? It's childish. It's as childish as going around with an inverted cross on your album cover and calling yourself "evil".

Frankly, I'm just pissed and disgusted at this. Fuck you, Nas, and the hoe you rode in on!

The Sheer Facts of the 2008 Presidential Race for the Democrats

OK, here are some facts:

1. Mike Gravel has not one single Delegate, so his campaign is as dead as a brain-dead person; alive, but just barely.

2. Hillary Clinton still has a chance.

3. Obama is gaining a ton of momentum.

4. Obama has more delegates than Clinton.

5. The Super Delegates will decide the Democratic Primary.

6. The Democrats will win the White House.

OK, now let's go through some of these and start the diatribe!

First, Hillary Clinton. At this point, her campaign has hit a wall. It's never a good sign when a campaign manager leaves their post in the middle of an election and the candidate is on a losing streak, no matter WHAT the reason is. It creates a sense of uneasiness within the base of the supporters and causes people to look twice at it. Hillary has, to this point, only won 10 states. Obama has won 21. She's now concentrating on Texas and Ohio, which will either prove to be her last stand or the Phoneix's return.

But getting lost in some of this is her "electability" in November. Right now, McCain is going to be the likely nominee. and what has every insane Conservative said about that? Ann Coulter, the devil herself, has even admitted that SHE would vote for Hillary Clinton if McCain gets the nomination. In essence, we are seeing that Hillary could handily win in November due to the Democrats voting for a Democrat and the Conservative base, in essence, protest voting for her. She would win in November, and that's it. There is little dismissing she is a guarantee if she wins the primary.

Now onto Obama. Right now, he as achieving a LOT of momentum. We saw that his endorsements aren't helping, as evidence in Massachusetts. We are also seeing that people don't really care about that. Obama has won 21 states, leads in delegets, and is now crushing Clinton in elections. Not only that, but he has not made any major slip-ups thus far. Obama seems to know the obvious fact; EVERYONE is watching him on the high-wire and is waiting to see if he missteps even once.

Obama is also showing he can, in reality, reach across lines of race, sex, and even party lines, something Clinton voters are not doing at this point. Despite winning heavily with blacks in southern States and losing with whites, he has begun reaching over the lines and is winning more with whites as shown in the "Potamic Primaries". Same with sex, winning women as well. In fact, Republicans are coming out for Obama now.

In all, the fact of the matter is, we've seen incredibly heavy turnout for the Democrats and not so heavy turnout for the Republicans. One can only assume that another 4 years of Bush has mobilized the base and made them come out in droves to vote. the Republicans, on the other hand, are stuck with an internal discussion and debate over the face of the Republican Party. The question there? "Is the Regan-era of the Republican Party over?" That is for another day and another post.

But, because of everything I've seen thus far, it is safe to say that, yes, the Democrats WILL win in November. The only things that can change that is a strong showing from the Republican Nominee, a terrorist attack, or the democratic nominee being assassinated. Otherwise, I doubt anything close to a Republican win will happen... unless they get Ron Paul.

From Hopefull to Hopeless: The 2008 Presidential Election

Ron Paul VS. Mike Gravel.

In an ideal world, these would be our choices for President. Both of these men are incredibly well qualified, extremely intelligent, have reached across the aisle to get things done, and offer the most progressive policies of their respective parties. In an ideal world, both of these men would be front runners and we would smile and go, "Yes, America is going to be great again! There is hope!"

Instead... we have 4 front runners for 2 parties that no one actually likes.

DEMOCRATS:
Right now, we're down to 3 candidates: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Mike Gravel.

Obama leads in delegets and is racking up endorsements like crazy. Isn't it simply ironic that the same man what touts himself as a "Washington Outsider" is getting so many endorsements from the Washington Establishment? The man is horribly inexperienced and not ready for a job such as President, especially in the shape this nation is in. Give him another 4 years. "What, your crazy! Experience doesn't matter!" Guess what; I heard all of these same arguments when I was running for mayor of Philadelphia and there is one MAJOR difference between the two: Mayor of Philadelphia isn't even close to being President of the USA, and it sure is a hell of a lot smaller. When it comes to being President, Yes, experience matters.

Hillary Clinton is a divider. She is the type of person you either love or hate, and I can't explain why, but I just don't like her. It's amazing that I was ready to root for her, just as it seems South Park and especially The Simpsons both have. She wants some type of universal health care, but she voted for the war in Iraq and took forever to apologize for it. She's lied more than Obama, and really.... just WHY?

You know what, this cartoon says it better than me:

Republicans:

John McCain is a sell-out. Until 2006, yes, I would have voted for him. I think that a vast majority of people in this country were ready to since, even though he was a Republican, a lot of Democrats saw him as a candidate that really did care about making peace with both sides of the aisle and that he had sound ideas and policies. Now, we have an old man who couldn't give an inspiring speech if he had to, putting me to sleep as he talks and now wants us to stay in Iraq for 100 years.

Mitt Romney... he is the mortal form of every evil, corrupt, disgusting politician you've ever seen run for President in a movie. Did you ever see Dan Akroyd in "My Fellow Americans"? Or how about that annoying woman who ran for Governor of Washington in "Black Sheep"? In essence, these are the people running for office, but Mitt... no.

And that's just the front runners! Four people I wouldn't want to vote for, and I am SICK of it! I know a lot of people on BOTH parties, Democrats and Republicans, are in the same boat. I could go on and on about each of these candidates, but I won't. It's too much of a waste to try and tell people why these people stink and I'd rather just show you who you SHOULD be voting for.

MIKE GRAVEL - D

• Wants to end the war in Iraq.
• Favors impeaching Bush NOW
  
• Wants Universal Health Care
• Wants to end the war on Drugs
• Opposes war on Iran
• Pro-Choice
• Wants Net Neutrality
• Against Torture

READ MORE ABOUT HIM AT GRAVEL2008.US


RON PAUL - R

• NEVER Voted for a Tax Increase
• Has stated the 9/11 Attacks were because we had bases on Muslim Holy Land
• End the war in Iraq
• Strict Constitutionalist
  
• Believes in Privacy
• Believe in Diplomacy
  
• Wants to abolish the IRS
• Anti-Racism
• End the Drug War

To Learn more about Ron Paul, for to RonPaul2008.com.

So, please, VOTE FOR THESE GUYS! Otherwise, we're stuck with 4 people who shouldn't be president.

How Will Ron Paul Win?

Second Place.

Ron Paul supporters far and wide kept an eye on Nevada this past Saturday as we watched the returns start to come in. The only Republican to purchase TV ad's, the only Republican to actively work his butt off and win the state, the only man who had a real concrete plan on making sure America became strong again... Ron Paul came in second. A distant, but strong, second, to a Mormon in a Mormon state with 14% of the vote, to Mitt Romney with 51%.

Disappointing? Not at all! It's about 2 weeks before Super Tuesday, when a good estimate of 25 - 45% of all likely voters in the country would have made up their minds on who they would want to be their nominees. To this point, Ron Paul has not won a single state. Although, neither have Fred Thompson and always-last Rudy Giuliani.

No, in fact, the only people who have won states have been a businessman (Mitt Romney), a liberal-Republican turned Neo-Con (John McCain), and a psychopath (Mike Huckabee). And, admittedly, they all make good points at times about the economy and quality of life. They just plain suck when it comes to solutions. So, now that Florida is racing ever so closer, about a week from now, does Ron Paul stand a chance?

Now, mind you, I am a STRONG Ron Paul supporter. I have him in my top friends on MySpace, I have his yard sign on my yard and his button on my backpack, and Ive done 3 pro-bono designs to support him (albeit on merchandise I'm selling myself). So it is with a love and respect for the only person on earth who has made me swoon over an economic policy and ending needless wars (I feel faint), or the only man period who has. Damn, man crush... I've got one. But I still love women, don't get me wrong. That said, Ron Paul can still win this election.

Obama. Now, now, stop the boos for a second and hear me out. Ron Paul and Obama have 1 thing in common; they both have a large youth movement following that has translated into internet success. The problem is that Obama's supporters, while not even close to being as passionate, smart, or clever as Ron Paul supporters (who have basically turned this campaign into their own), Obama supporters are doing the main thing that counts; They are out there VOTING IN BIG NUMBERS. If Ron Paul wants to win, he has to win one state by Super Tuesday. Period.

I don't want to make it so do-or-die, but lets face a sad fact; the media sucks. They aren't respecting Ron Paul or his campaign, and if you hear anything about him coming in second in Nevada, your lucky. You would think that coming in second for any candidate would be worth noting, good, bad, or otherwise. Ron Paul winning Florida means one thing; He has what it takes. Nevada should have been just that; a shot in the arm for the Ron Paul campaign and a way to show that, yes, he CAN win a state. Instead, it may not show he won a state, but it shows that he has a LOT of pull! Right now, he needs to start advertising like crazy in Florida. Bus ads, TV ads, radio ads, skyscraper wraps, billboards, hell, tattoo the Ron Paul Revolution logo on people's heads if you have too, RON PAUL MUST WIN!

The question is how?

The grassroots efforts have been great, but it isn't translating into votes. Democrats aren't being converted in time and Republicans aren't being told that, yes, a REAL Republican is running who wants to save money and, more importantly, the USA, for President who can win! Instead, a malaise is falling over that we are going to have to pick from 6 people who don't know jack (3 dems, 3 reps) and just want to bend America over and, as George Carlin put it, "provide customer service"!

It boils down to Ron Paul and the revolution to admit that, yes, in this case, the revolution MUST be televised. Otherwise, who's going to believe it happened?

Why The 2008 Presidential Race is the Best in Years!

Back in January of 2007, I commonly said the same thing over and over again; I'm already sick and tired of the 2008 Presidential Election. And frankly, who could blame me? For a country that basically brought Democracy back, we sure haven't come close to acting like it. We have one of the longest election processes in the world, and really, the talk about the 2008 race started two days before the 2004 race was over, with reports then that Clinton and Junior-Senator Obama would run for 2008.

So it is nothing short of amazing that 2008 has proven to be a banner-year for our lovely Republic!

Let's focus on the Media. Anyone who knows me knows this; I don't think the media sets up people to win and manipulates elections, I KNOW they do. And, more than ever, they have made it operant than ever this year. Despite nearly inaugurating Hillary Clinton before even the first vote or caucus was held, it seemed that they decided, not us, the voters, that Clinton was our new President. Then... Obama won. So what happened? What else! With less than 1/2 of 1% of Americans voted, 3 people dropped out of the race and Obama was declared the Democratic Front Runner.

On the Republican side, Huckabee, the man considered a joke and who could never win... did just that, beating out all the other front-runners. Instead of him being crowned Front Runner, the race was, and still is... "wide open."

New Hampshire, despite a media push for Obama, the voters of the state that will not be told how to vote (Because they are way too smart for that crap!) instead voted for Hillary Clinton. And the media, despite being proven wrong and idiotic for picking a front runner... continued to do the same exact damn thing for the rest of this election! And with less than 1/2 of 1% of Americans voting, another person or two dropped out.

Republican-wise, John McCain won and still no front runner. The odd thing getting lost in all of this, since the race was now being called "A delegate count" which, in essence, it ALWAYS is, Mitt Romney had been in the lead all along. Some states simply hand out delegates in back rooms like cash, something that... well, it isn't reported.

Nevada and South Carolina was yesterday, and in the dust that is settling, Hillary Clinton has now won 2 states, McCain has 2 states, and Mitt Romney won Nevada with 51% thanks to a large Mormon population. Ron Paul, my favorite and the only man who can save America, came in 2nd in Nevada with 14%. A notable accomplishment since... well, he came in SECOND. Hell, even Dennis Kuchinich lost to "UNCOMMITTED" in ever election and caucus!

In all of this, we are seeing INCREASED voter turnout in every state on almost both sides. Democrats are coming out in droves and, yes, the youth are voting!

Right now, Obama leads the Democrats at 38 Delegates, Clinton with 36, John Edwards at 18.

Mitt Romney leads the Republicans with a whopping 66 Delegates, John McCain at 38, Mike Huckabee with 26, and Ron Paul with 6.

On Being 23 and Getting Old

I know what your thinking already; 23 is Not Old. Your right, it's not. It just means I'm getting older. Nonetheless, it still means I'm getting on in years to a degree. I'm starting to notice this physically. My knees are starting to kill me, and my skateboarding isn't what it used to be. I've got some weird twitch with one of my eyes... You know what made me feel the oldest? I was on the train yesterday in a rather bad mood. All of a sudden, a teenager sits next to me, taking away all my room, and driving me nuts. A lady who it appears he knew talked to him periodically and he later moved.

So what does all this mean? During all of this, I realized I just became the same type of adult who I absolutely hated growing up; lame. The teen liked all the same stuff as me; skateboarding, art... but I still was just in a mood.

Growing up doesn't mean losing stuff, like hair or mobility. In reality, age boils more and more down to sheer responsibility and doing things for yourself and others. I may live on my own and have no real need to support anyone other than me, but I began to notice that a few things in my life are directly connected to others in ways I never saw before. Call it something you get with age or experience, but it's starting to come out.

That's really is about it. Yesterday was my Birthday, and I didn't get a cake or present this year, which I don't mind. I'm just glad I have some good friends more than anything.