Colin Says "Yes I Can" (Vote For Barack Obama)

Hey,

So I'm guessing that I was the only person not surprised that Gen. Colin Powell would be endorsing Senator Barack Obama. Why was I not surprised? Well, Mr. Powell has always been a man of sound judgement and reasoning. (Well, except on that whole IRAQ thing...)

But anyway, anyone with proper judgement and reasoning would see through all the crap that McCain is trying to dish out and realize that Obama is by far the better statesman. It's the same reason why the polls are turning against the self-proclaimed "underdog". (And by the way, no one LIKES being the underdog..that's like saying you like losing.) I don't know about you, but I never liked losing anything and I still don't. 

Everyone is shocked because Powell is Mr. Black Conservative..and represents the base of people who are staunch Republicans and McCain supporters. So, some are in a bit of a tizzy about it, and I'm sure Powell will be getting some weird glances at the country club. But hey, at least he's gotten some cool points with all the black folks who claimed he just wasn't "black enough". Personally, I don't think he's losing any sleep over his choice to tell Tom Brokaw he was saying "Yes We Can" on November 4th. Besides, it's not like he's going cross-country with Obama, holding hands with Hillary and drinking PBR with 'old regular' Joe Biden laughing at Sarah Palin. He has not turned in his Republican stripes of honor. Not yet, but just maybe.. we can hope he'll see the Democratic light. :-)

Speaking of Palin, was it just me or did that whole Saturday Night Live appearance just seem really flat? The only time I got interested was hoping she'd mess up the entire thing. I mean, I was on the edge of my chair, white-knuckled and rooting for crash and burn. Instead, I got this lackluster 'thing', where in the one moment she had to truly shine, make light of herself and her geriatric experienced running mate and be extraordinarily funny as a result, she passed it off to poor, pregnant and wobbling comedianne Amy Poehler. Watch, if you haven't seen it yet here. Personally, I'd have been laughing my a** off if she just went on and did the rap herself, and she probably would have gotten some votes respect from young people because of it. We all know it's in jest, and in good fun...but I guess after talking to Gramps John McCain, she opted against it. Shows who's wearing the pants in that relationship!! LOL!

Instead she played the straight guy to all the jokes and was called a thoughtless little pig horrible woman by Alec "I take out my drama with my ex-wife on my kid named after a country in turmoil" Baldwin. The best comeback she has is that his brother Stephen, an nut laughingstock idiot actor in his own right, was her favorite Baldwin. I'm sure Alec cried on his pillow all night long for that one. Oh, and Mark Wahlberg didn't even acknowledge her standing there! No, "Hey Tina" or "Hey lady, say hi to your mother for me." NOTHING. Even Lorne Michaels barely looked at her. Funny times. It'd have been the same show had she not been there, mainly because she was too much of a coward uncertain to rap a little. She sure was nodding in agreement to the rap, so she should have just done it. My advice, JUST DO IT! Barack would have...maybe. But then again, he wouldn't have had to. He's got flow and can dunk. 

Thoughts?

*Ashley Robin*

Is It Just Me Or...?

Hey,

Is it just me or is McCain whining during this debate? I'm blogging as the debate is going, mainly because my best friend Kevin called me and was sobbing on the phone. I was so worried about him that I paused the debate (yes, I have TiVo) and talked to him. I thought something terrible had happened, it turned out he was making fun of John McCain. Kudos to Barack for standing up to him and his "wahh wahh" and "John Lewis said this..." and basically saying that they'd never agree, so just to move on from it. 

Back to the debate...I'll be blogging about today's MisAdventure shortly..

*Ashley Robin*

Even more "dramatical" things happening

Hello Everyone,

So since I blogged last, I just wanted to let you know that this Palin-gate mess is starting to come to a huge head, as in it's getting better by the second. I couldn't have anticipated this whole election process better if it was a piece of fiction. After the whole "Whose Baby is it?" fiasco, which brings up a couple of questions that I'll address, there's also Trooper-gate and charges of abuse of power and corruption, which I'll also address, there's the question of the LIE that was told. Reports are saying Governor Palin misled, I'll just go on and say it, the b**ch straight up lied! (And when I say b**ch, I don't mean it in the disrespectful way, but the other way, and that will be the subject of an upcoming blog.)

Tonight, along with the coverage of Hurricane Gustav, I watched as the drama unfolded, via CNN and MSNBC, and there are three charges against Republican Party Presumptive Nominee Senator John McCain's Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska. After I watched, I processed the information, did a bit of research to confirm and wanted to blog right away, just so that I didn't forget it later. So, yet again, for all those who ask me, and there are enough, whether via email, facebook or myspace message or text, is the breakdown.

The first problem is Babygate, also known as the "Who's the Baby Mama?" drama. While there is a little less controversy surrounding the younger child, Trig, who suffers from Down's Syndrome, because of the Governor's statement that he is in fact her child and not the child of her eldest daughter, Bristol. The controversy is now with the fact that Bristol is actually five months pregnant. The Governor did not disclose that to the public before or immediately after accepting the appointment to McCain's campaign. They say she disclosed it to Senator McCain when he asked her to be his VP, but not to the national media. However, when the story was first made public, an aide for Senator McCain said that the her was not aware of the pregnancy. They later, I assume because they did not want McCain to look like an even bigger idiot, "renounced" that statement, saying that aide misspoke, and that McCain was fully aware of the pregnancy and felt it had no impact on his choice. Personally, I have to call bulls**t on that one, because the girl was always seen holding the baby in front of her with a huge blanket in between her and the child. She was hiding that baby, and trying to hide it from McCain as well as everyone else. Now, Palin may have told him before she released a statement to the media, but he didn't know that girl was pregnant. He can deny that all he wants, but I know he didn't, because I believe he would not have picked her to be his VP if he had. Simply put, he did not want any one with any dirt on his ticket because the campaign would have to spend far too much time justifying it, and with less than 70 days to the election, time is of the essence. 

The second problem is Troopergate, which is probably the biggest of them all. Why? If proven, it proves that the Governor has a serious problem with honoring the moral and ethical standards of her office as Governor, will affect her credibility with voters, will affect her ability to reassure donors and voters that she is ready to assume responsibility for one of the most powerful positions in American government, and that she is trustworthy and honest. What's Troopergate, you ask? Simply put, the allegations are that Governor Palin asked Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan to fire a state trooper. There's no problem with that, given certain circumstances, but in this case the trooper was Palin's former brother-in-law. He'd just divorced her sister. That was her sole cause for asking Monegan to fire this trooper. Monegan refused, so he was fired instead. Seems a little weird to me. To make the situation even worse, there seems to have been no background check done on Monegan's successor, because he, Chuck Koop, had allegations of sexual harassment to deal with. I'm not sure if I were Governor of any state, much less Alaska, that I would appoint someone Public Safety Commissioner (in charge of crime prevention and police, as well as the safety of the citizens) who had charges of sexual misconduct in his past. 

This "Troopergate" is starting to come to a bit of head with the announcement of recorded phone calls and emails from the Governor's office to the office of Monegan. As a result, a formal investigation has been launched, and Palin has been appointed legal representation in the matter. This shows that she is not above using pressure and intimidation to get what she wants, and since she touts herself to be a 'champion of reform', proves to be nothing but a hypocrite. Hiding this matter as well, shows yet again that she is untrustworthy and dishonest. If she can lie to the less than one million people who reside in Alaska, she can easily lie to the hundreds of millions who live within the confines of the United States. After all, if you tell a lie a number of times, it starts and begins to feel as if it's the truth. 

The third issue that is the most pressing is that of the LIE that was told. I consider something said once to be construed as misleading, but said more than once to be a lie. At the same speech where Senator McCain announced Palin as his running mate, she told an story about how she turned down an offer from Congress to build a "Bridge to Nowhere". In actuality, the bridge would have connected Gravinia Island in Alaska to Ketchikan International, an airport used by 200,000 people a year and therefore, one of Alaska's main entryways. Governor Palin said just Friday that she told Congress "Thanks, but no thanks." However, in actuality when she was asked if she would continue to allocate state funding for the building of [the same bridge], she replied differently. She said, "Yes, I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner than later. The window is now- while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." Only later, when Congress felt the $@00 million dollar project was met with large disapproval, did Governor Palin start to backpedal and eventually, she canceled the project. She said at the time that they were about 330 million short of the full amount needed to complete the project, and since Congress would not share in the funding, that the project should be shelved if not abandoned altogether. 

There is the additional issue, connected to the Babygate dramatics, that asks the question of parenting. If Palin does not believe in safe sex being taught in schools, only abstinence, and coming from Alaska, a state with extraordinarily high rates of STDs within its teen population, does she not see the fault now in not teaching her child about condom usage? And what kind of impact is this having on poor Bristol. I know if it were me, and everyone was blogging/talking/writing about my pregnancy that I probably had no idea how to handle, I'd be begging my mother to reconsider taking the shot at the Vice Presidency. I personally have to question the judgement of a mother who would leave behind a young infant (the Downs Syndrome diagnosis or not) as well as a young teenager who is dealing with her own lessons in maturity on the world stage, but also with being pregnant for the first (maybe) time. I know that when I am blessed with life growing inside me one day, I will be looking to my mother for support, not to be justifying my behavior to her friends, family and peers. I will want her to help me pick out strollers, and be there for me when I get weepy, not to shy me away from her and pretend as if it's some sort of problem that needs to be justified. We all make mistakes, and unfortunately this young girl has to live hers in the spotlight.

Honestly, this all leads to one result. Governor Palin should step aside, if she's not asked by McCain to do so in the next day or two. I only say that because they both have to be in hiding, and this is not the time to hide, not when they desperately need to be out amongst voters and attending to the affairs of the Republican Convention. CNN gave both Obama and McCain a chance to appear for a short interview on Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss the events surrounding Hurricane Gustav, and only Obama accepted. Cooper made it known that McCain was asked and turned it down. Why turn down publicity at this point of the game? Because there are too many secrets to hide, and this time they aren't McCain's. Besides, Palin needs to be a supportive and loving mother to both Bristol and Trig, and gain real experience. However, if I'm right, and I usually am, the aftermath of all this will leave her out of office after her first term and simply a flash in the pan. And maybe that's best.

Thoughts?

*Ashley Robin*

This Campaign Couldn't be Any More "Dramatical"

Hey Everyone,

So this whole campaign is heating up and getting interesting, and quickly. Today's gaff or factoid is this whole "Whose Baby is It?" scandal involving newly appointed Vice Presidential Nominee, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. As you know, there was a lot of backlash and political commentary in  her appointment by Senator John McCain as his running mate. The political pundits claimed her didn't know her well enough, that he had only spoken to her twice, that she was more or less picked for him, that his choice was Senator Joe Lieberman, as revealed on Sunday's edition of Meet The Press. 

The first part of current controversy is the drama I like to call "Who's the Baby's Mama?" In this drama, there are three players, Governor Palin herself, her oldest daughter Bristol, and the baby, young Trig, who is currently 4 months old and suffers from Down's Syndrome. The baby, the youngest of five in the Palin clan, is supposed to be Governor Palin's youngest. However, when many Alaskian news sources reported the pregnancy announcement in which Governor Palin said she was seven months along, also commented that the governor "simply doesn't look pregnant". However, her daughter was removed from school, 6 months ago,  due to having "mono".  This would have been at the same time as the announcement and she had taken pictures for Vogue magazine two months before. Do the math. Also, the actual birth events are unclear, because according to news reports, or rather what was revealed to the press, Governor Palin's water broke in Texas, and immediately after that she got onto a flight and flew to Alaska to have the baby. That's an eight-hour flight. 

Now I don't know about you, because I've never had the experience of giving birth, but could you hold off on contractions for 8 hours? Much less, who in their right mind would let someone that close to labor aboard an aircraft, much less board one, whether it be a private plane or commercial flight? Not only could it cause an immediate health risk to the baby and the mother, but also because there could be complications in-air that flight staff could not and would not be trained to handle! I'm no doctor or veteran of childbirth, but that just makes no sense and I'm not buying it. However, journalists also admit that because Bristol was out of school and afflicted with 'mono', she was not in the public eye. So, some say that she could have easily given birth and her mother take the credibility for the baby. Personally, I don't know. I just am writing what I've heard.

The second part of the "Who's the Baby Mama?" controversy now lies with the fact that Bristol, Palin's 17 year old daughter who has been out of school 6 months, is now pregnant. Some say again, some say pregnant for the first time. Depends on who you ask. The conservatives are probably happy to know that this young girl will keep this baby, and has intentions to marry the father, BUT, I'm sure that many are thinking that being pregnant just shows that there are some severe parental skills lacking. Unplanned pregnancies happen, and some great people came from unplanned pregnancies. Senator Barack Obama and myself, are just two examples.

The bigger issue with the fact that this young girl is pregnant is not that she's going to have a baby, but that she is essentially having unprotected sex. Now, we know her mother (and probably her father too) do not believe in abortion in any shape or form. Not in the case of incest, rape, when the baby is a harm to the mother, when the pregnancy is ectopic and therefore a potential danger to the mother, or even when doctors recommend an abortion (in cases of severe damage to the quality of life, loss of limbs or body parts or genetic defects). We know this, because she's said it. However, does that mean that she's against practicing safe sex in the terms of obtaining STDs? Because let's face it, teens who live in small towns with not much to do, tend to have more sex than those who live in larger cities. Why? Because statistics show they are bored...and in these small towns have practically nothing to do except hang out and walk around. They can't buy alcohol, they can't go anywhere too far away (because the state is so spread out, most mail carriers have to fly to deliver mail to all their sites) and there's not enough decent amusement. Factor in the fact that Alaska is dark most of the time and cold and whammo, you have a sex-edemic on your hands. Studies also show that lots of sex means lots of STDs. Unprotected sex just makes that probability even worse. In order for some STDs to incubate in a body, you just need the right germ in the right place...no carrier required. Trust, I studied it this summer. I know. 

As a result, some pundits are asking why Palin is continuing in the race with all this family drama going on and want her to consider not accepting the nomination at the Republican National Convention. Others wonder why, since she knew about all this before she was asked, did she even accept McCain's offer? If it were me, I'd never have dreamt about taking the position whether it was a losing one or a winning one, because it puts two innocent people under tremendous scrutiny, the young teen Bristol and the even younger baby Trig.

Thoughts?

*Ashley Robin*

Who is Sarah Palin?

Hey Everyone,

I'm deeply convinced that Barack Obama and Joe Biden have just won the 2008 Election. One of the reasons why, is on Friday, the day after Obama's speech in which he officially accepted the nomination to be the representative of the Democratic Party in the 2008 election for the Office of President of the United States of America, John McCain decided to name a woman pictured to the left as his vice presidential nominee. Her name is Sarah Palin, and she is the current Governor of Alaska. She is a staunch conservative, probably even more so than John McCain, and is said to be a maverick like McCain, and has taken on the oil companies and won. However, when examining her record, it is obvious she is not prepared to be Vice President, and if something were to befall a Senator McCain, become President. Some people are questioning the reasons why he chose the 44-year old Governor, whose experience is limited. Republicans argue that she has experience working as the Chairperson of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (which was only a one year term), and as Governor of Alaska, Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska and as a Council Member of Wasilla, Alaska. On paper, it sounds great, but when you break it down like I have, it means that the McCain/Palin campaign comes up short against an Obama/Biden ticket. 

Here's the breakdown:

Wasilla, Alaska is a town about an hour away from Anchorage, Alaska (the largest city in the entire state), and has a current population (according to the city website) of 6,715. 85% of that town is white, 5% Native American.  The entire town is about 12 miles big, and almost 1 mile of that is water. This is the very town that Governor Palin was elected mayor, twice, once in 1996 and again in 1999. Her political career actually started as a council member of this same town, and she came into that office in 1992, and served there until her first run for mayor in 1996. 

The entire state budget for Alaska is 5 million dollars, whereas the state budget of Illinois, Barack Obama's home state, is about 65 BILLION! Delaware, Joe Biden's home state, has a budget of 28 BILLION! So, even Delaware's budget is 5600 times bigger than that of Alaska. Now granted, the senate only gets a piece of that budget, and the governor oversees all of it, but it is reasonable to assume that the part of the budget going to Obama and Biden is significantly larger than that of Palin's entire budget. 

The other issue is the obvious idea behind McCain's choice...to appeal to the female conservative base, and those who want a woman on the ticket, specifically Hillary Clinton supporters. However, if you look at Palin's record, she is against abortion, even in cases of rape, incest or where the fetus could potenially harm the mother, and she is pro-gun rights. These are two staunch positions of the Republican party, and two areas that John McCain considers to be cornerstone positions of his "Pro-Life, Pro-Family" Republican Presidential ticket. Governor Sarah Palin is considered a strong nod to the social conservatives that are unsure about McCain. However, by adding her to his ticket, he can no longer make the argument about lack of experience that he has been saying for months, because despite Obama's lack of government tenure, 18 million plus people chose him over anyone else to lead the Democratic  Party as its Presidential nominee regardless of his time in the Senate, whereas Sarah Palin was not the result of a vote, but simply the choice of one man: John McCain. 

Another thing that seems to bother voters in my own research, is that Palin and McCain met only once before Friday's announcement, whereas Obama and Biden served together on the same Senate committee for years, and they also campaigned together for President, and again when Biden endorsed Obama. Palin and McCain barely know one another, unlike Obama and Biden, and while people do not expect candidates to be bosom buddies, but to at least know the location of the other's home...to be able to speak on the strength and witness of the person that they are campaigning with, and to be able to attest to their strengths and weaknesses.

A political commentator said that the Democrats had a great convention, and with this pick, they received an early Christmas present. We will find out in 66 days.