Uh Oh!  The third party candidates are at it again.  This time it’s Bob Barr, former conservative congressman from Georgia.  Now he is running for president under the Libertarian Party banner.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080526/D90T730G0.html. 

Mr. Barr is a conservative who believes spending and civil rights intrusions by the Republican Party justify his entry into the presidential race. If Mr. Barr’s candidacy results in siphoning contributions from Senator John McCain, the Democrats will have an even better opportunity to win the White House.

No third party candidate has ever won.  What they have done is reduced the chances for either a Republican or Democrat to win an election. Ralph Nader ran for president under the Green Party banner in 1996 and 2000.   Many blame Al Gore’s loss in 2000 to Nader’s siphoning of votes cast in Florida.

Dixiecrats organized in response to President Harry S. Truman’s proposed 1948 civil rights package, understood by many whites as the greatest threatened federal intrusion into the South since Reconstruction. The package consisted of four primary pieces of legislation: abolition of the poll tax, a federal anti-lynching law, desegregation legislation, and a permanent Federal Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) to prevent racial discrimination in jobs funded by federal dollars. Despite the splintering of the Democratic party, Mr. Truman did win the election. Many Southerners – 1,169,021 popular votes and 39 electoral votes were drawn from the Democratic party to cast their ballots for South Carolina Governor J. Strom Thurmond and Mississippi Governor J. Fielding Wright (president and vice-president).

John McCain would be 72 years old at his inauguration ceremony if he is elected to the presidency.  Even if he is an energetic person age does impact everyone’s mental and physical well being.  Since I am 69, I can speak to some knowledge on the subject.  I am energetic but I do not have the energy I had when I was younger and neither does Senator McCain.  

The New York Times article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/us/politics/24mccain.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th&adxnnlx=1211649075-xtYbz1WmGefOEP7yvozihw about Mr. McCain’s health makes me suspicious. Two items come to my attention.  First the medical information was released just before Memorial Day weekend holiday when many people are focused on family events. Second were the limits placed on reporters viewing the medical documents.

“The reporters were permitted three hours to review and take notes on the 1,173 pages of Mr. McCain’s medical documents, spanning 2000 to 2008, but they were not permitted to remove the documents from the room or photocopy them.

Campaign officials said they imposed the restrictions to prevent the widespread dissemination of the actual records and to protect Mr. McCain’s privacy.

In the conference calls, Mr. McCain’s doctors reported that Mr. McCain takes a variety of medications: simvastatin to control his cholesterol levels; hydrochlorothiazide for kidney stone prevention; aspirin for blood clot prevention; Zyrtec, an antihistamine, as necessary for nasal allergies; Ambien CR, as necessary for sleep when traveling; and a multiple vitamin tablet.

According to a pool report based on the review of the records, Mr. McCain’s cholesterol level was recorded as high in 2003, with a total cholesterol of 226 and an LDL, or harmful cholesterol, of 139, and an HDL, or good cholesterol, of 35. Mr. McCain was put on Vytorin, which worked in reducing his cholesterol in subsequent checks, but he was taken off this year after reports that the drug may not work.

Mr. McCain was instead put on simvastatin, which the records said did not reduce his cholesterol by as much but was deemed “acceptable.”

Every person who has been president has been under significant pressure.  As you look at the pictures of the presidents at the beginning and end of their tenures you can see the toll this job takes.  John McCain will have to select a vice president like Harry Truman or Lyndon Johnson.  Those were men who easily stepped into the presidency and took command.

The choices for the nomination for president are pathetic. The Democrats are just more focused on destruction.

The Republican Party has settled on a man who will be inaugurated at 72 years old if he is elected. Even worse is his views that are a continuation of the George W. Bush policies.

The Democratic Party is in the midst of tearing itself apart over selection of a nominee. The only way Hillary Clinton can win the nomination is by twisting arms and promising rewards to those super delegated that vote for her. No matter whom the winner of that contest is the hate that the contest has engendered will most likely result in a political party too damaged to bring victory. Neither of the candidates is worth admiring.

Barack Obama could not make a decision about his relationship with his pastor until it became clear to the world that the pastor’s views were incendiary. If Senator Obama could not make a decision about his pastor until the damage was done (to his candidacy) then how can he be relied upon to make decisions that could affect the world?

Hillary Clinton will tell any story to make a point. The Bosnia visit under fire claim supports this impression. She causes a thinking person to wonder if she will say anything to reach her objective including lies. How different is she compared to President George W. Bush?

As an independent I will find voting for president very difficult. Perhaps I will not vote for any candidate.

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama hold similar views on most topics.  I can identify only two significant differences. Barack Obama would be more willing to conduct direct negotiations with leaders of countries that have serious disagreements with the U.S. and he would raise the cap on social security taxes.  Hillary Clinton would limit negotiations with other countries at odds with us and would not be willing to raise social security taxes.

  
So why have these debates?  The Democrats are now down to choosing their nominee from two strong candidates.  That means the voters will have to dig into their views and beliefs.  Furthermore, voters will have to understand the thought processes of the candidates.  That leads to appraising their previous life both public and private.  Democrats can learn more about both candidates by carefully listening to what they say and have said, who they have associated with, and all manner of other things that most of us would consider personal (like religious belief, social behavior, etc.).

 
Hillary Clinton’s story about her landing in war torn Bosnia and Barack Obama’s membership in a church that spews hateful messages do count in the decision making process.  Super delegates do have a purpose.  They have the power to override the will of the people and they should exercise that power if they deem it to be appropriate.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she has something in common with legendary film boxer Rocky Balboa – she’s not a quitter.  Rocky Balboa is a fictional character.  Hillary needs to know that none of that film was real.  It was not a biography.  Finally in Rocky VI the series of films ended and the character went into retirement.

On November 16, 2007 I wrote on this blog, “I personally dis-associated myself from a friend who showed himself to be a bigot and I would not be part of any group that stood for any bigotry.”

Today Barack Obama stated, “I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies,” Obama said. “I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it’s on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Reverend Wright that are at issue.”

Quoting from an AP report, “He said Wright’s controversial statements first came to his attention at the beginning of his presidential campaign last year, and he condemned them. Because of his ties to the 6,000-member congregation church – he and his wife were married there and their daughters baptized – Obama decided not to leave the church.”

On As an Independent I liked Barack Obama.  I voted for him in the Democratic California primary.  I must hold someone I would support for president of the United States to the same standards I set for myself.  Hillary Clinton is no angel (playing the race card, playing on fear, and keeping too many secrets).  John McCain has at least two faults (he opposes a national health care system and would fight a war in Iraq for a hundred years).

When I vote in November I will be holding my nose.