Honest Abe Was a Techie

It’s hard to believe but true.  Abraham Lincoln was the techie of those times.  He used and promoted telegraph.  It’s all about looking forward to the next event.  John McCain is a nice man with a background of service to his country.  The problem is he is part of the past.  If ever a nation was looking for a leader into the future it is now.

 

John McCain dwells on his service in Vietnam.  I have 35 year old son who couldn’t care less about a war before his birth that was a total failure.  John McCain says, “drill, drill, drill” in a world that is concerned with global warming.  John McCain supports tax policies that benefit the rich.  John McCain thinks that more free trade benefiting the wealthiest companies is good for America.  John McCain opposes any form of universal health care. John McCain needs help in using a computer even as terrorists have laptops in their hideouts.

Sarah “Barracuda” Is John McCain’s Soulmate

I have asked this question before.  Is the United States prepared to go to war to defend all of the NATO nations against an attack from Russia or any other nation?  Sarah Palin says “Yes”.  Does anyone who heard her responses to Charlie Gibson not think that the response was based upon the views of John McCain?      

 

Governor Palin is a pugnacious individual who thinks like John McCain.  In that same interview with Charlie Gibson she equated oil drilling as a part of foreign policy.  That was a repeat of comments previously made by McCain about energy independence.

 

The question is, do Americans want warrior types to lead this country?  I am not prepared to confront Russia on its borders in areas that it views as part of its sphere of influence. Georgia, Ukraine, Poland and other nations all border Russia.  John McCain, by his own admission, is a fighter.  He even liked fighting with others in school.  What will he do if Russia invades and occupies any of its weak neighbors?  More to the question, what will America do if McCain is president? 

 

What America need now is a peace maker.  We need someone who will negotiate with the most difficult adversary.  I doubt that John McCain is that person.  Barack Obama is the alternative to a warrior.  He says war is an option but that he is prepared to negotiate with everyone.  Obama is correct.

Another Popularity Contest

The unfortunate reality of selecting our president is that it is more of a popularity contest than a contest of issues. This is not a new phenomenon. The United States has a history of electing successful war generals to the presidency. This dates back to George Washington. The last general elected was Dwight D. Eisenhower, the leading general in WWII in Europe. His official WWII title was Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe.

Today we have John S. McCain, who is a war hero from the Vietnam War running for president. He has promoted his biography very extensively. He was not a general but he was a POW for five years. Although the Vietnam War was very unpopular it was and still is viewed by many people as a very worthwhile endeavor.

Barack Obama does not have a military background. He has never served in the military. He does have an interesting and a gripping biography. He was smart enough to put himself through Harvard Law School despite being the Black child of a single White parent.

The election campaign has deteriorated to a smear and name calling contest. Calling Governor Palin a “cocky wacko” is an excellent example of this behavior. The discussion of issues is no where in sight. Perhaps the debates will help to refocus our attention on real issues. However there is no guarantee that this will happen. An ABC Network debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was primarily focused on the bickering between the candidates and on smear and name calling. If that will be the tone of the planned debates they will serve no purpose.

Perhaps the founding fathers of this nation were wiser than I thought when they created the Electoral College. Those people might be wiser than the general public and not vote for the most popular candidate.

Slanted Reporting Isn’t “Fair and Balanced”

I like Chris Matthews because he asks lots of worthwhile questions and has many excellent guests on Hard Ball and The Chris Matthews Show.  He is obviously in favor of Barack Obama for president.  He obviously  favored Obama throughout the primaries.  Keith Olbermann is even more tilted towards Obama to the point of being obnoxious.  The antics of these two men in their reporting and interviewing at the conventions were so obviously slanted that I thought I was watching the anti-Fox News network.

 

David Gregory, who has been the host on Meet the Press twice since the passing of Tim Russert, really is the balanced interviewer.  MSNBC executives were wise in making Gregory the anchor for the debates and voting day coverage.  People will notice the difference and their ratings will go up.  I hope David Gregory becomes the long term host of MTP.      

LO MEJOR EN CINE DE USA Y LATINOAMÉRICA

The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival is coming to my city.  The above title is part of the scanned full page ad in the Los Angeles Times.  What’s wrong with this picture?  It’s the destruction of the United States culture.

You may think I am a bigot but you are wrong.  The United States is all about hamburgers, hot dogs, baseball, football, and Thanksgiving.  We are a melting pot and ought to stay that way.  Canada says it’s a patch work or a quilt.  What’s the difference?  Americans are unified because we all understand that different cultures improve the stew.  A Latino film festival and similar cultural events define separation.  When the Los Angeles Times prints this advertising they are promoting separation not unity. 

 

China and Japan will be more successful because they are homogeneous societies.  America’s roots were homogeneous too.  To sustain America’s greatness we need to stand for mixing not separation.

John McCain Has Some Worthwhile Positions

Remember, I am an Independent.  The reason is that I am listening to the man not the party.  My choice of Barack Obama over John McCain is because I am more in agreement with him than McCain.  However John McCain has some views that I think are correct.  The list is short.

 

SCHOOL VOUCHERS

Teacher’s unions have long opposed vouchers but the reasons are vague.  Apparently the unions feel threatened by the idea of choice.  Competition is the part of capitalism that provides consumers with the best products at the lowest prices.  Perhaps that is the issue for unions.  After all if there are less students in a school someone will have to be laid off even if that someone is incompetent as a teacher.  So McCain’s statement that the least effective teachers may have to find another form of work is correct in a competitive world.

 

I believe that parents should have the choice to enroll their children in the school of their choice and that includes parochial schools.  Parochial schools are providing a service to the community by rescuing over crowding in the public schools.  That being the case, they too should receive public support.

 

NUCLEAR GENERATED ELECTRIC POWER

The New York Times reported an astounding 77% of France’s electricity comes from its 58 nuclear power plants.  T. Boone Pickens has pointed out in his TV ads that Iran is converting to nuclear power so that they can sell more oil.  What’s stopping the United States from building nuclear powered plants?  Stupid fear.

 

DRILL, DRILL, DRILL

T. Boone Pickens says it won’t solve the issue of energy but every little bit helps our energy independence.  The fear of oil spills in ocean areas may limit our off shore drilling but where ever the oil is on land we ought to drill it out.  The United States has enormous natural gas reserves that can help bridge the gap until new sources of energy can be developed.  Pickens’ ideas should be taken seriously by both Obama and McCain.

Words matter more than fists – John McCain is a Fighter

There is no doubt that both Barack Obama and John McCain are two strong willed men.  Each has a significantly different vision of where America should go in the early 21st century.  Their decisions could impact the entire century.  After all appointments to the Supreme Court are for life.  The longest-serving chief justice of the US, Warren Earl Burger headed the court from 1969 to 1986.  Scalia was appointed to the current court September 26, 1986.  The impact of Ronald Reagan’s presidency is still affecting behavior and discussions throughout the country and he left office in 1989.

 

Now we have John McCain running for president.  He was born August 29, 1936.  He just turned 72 years old.  He most likely does remember WWII.  His family has a history of military service.  According to all accounts he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain graduate from the United States Naval Academy in 1958.

 

I thought I heard him use the word “fight” repeatedly throughout his acceptance speech.  Reviewing the text I found he used “fight”, “fights”, or “fighting” a toal of 25 times.  In addition he used the word “fought” 9 times.  Compare that with Obama’s acceptance speech. Barack Obama used the word “fight” twice and the word “fought” twice. Giving up an early release as a POW, John McCain was a fighter who stayed in the Hanoi Hilton for five years.

 

The reality is that being president is more than being a fighter.  The United States needs a leader with the wisdom and skills to negotiate a variety of situations.  Will John McCain be ready to “fight” every nation in the world that does not bow to the United Sates views?   Most of those situations are not related to fighting.  They are about reaching a result in good legislation that will move our nation forward.  Words matter more than fists.  Barack Obama is the skilled orator and communicator.

Who Is To Blame For The Mortgage Mess?

Well actually many home buyers foolishly believed they could buy a home with little or nothing down and some how afford the payments even after the interest rates adjusted upwards.  The banks accepted the applications and the real estate broker told them “don’t worry.” So those buyers went forward with those home purchases on blind faith.

 

The banks and mortgage brokers didn’t care because they sold the loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Those two government sponsored companies apparently did not review many of the loans that were made by the banks and mortgage brokers.  The consequence is that “a record 9 percent, were either behind on their payments or in foreclosure at the end of June.”  To believe that the people managing these enterprises did not realize the folly of their ways is equivalent to adults believing there really is a Santa Claus.  To make matters worse the Federal Reserve did nothing to interfere with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

 

Where were our congressmen?  The Financial Services Committee of Congress headed by Barney Frank of Massachusetts has a web site that advises its responsibilities.

The Committee oversees all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors including banking, insurance, real estate, public and assisted housing, and securities. The Committee continually reviews the laws and programs relating to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Reserve Bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and international development and finance agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Committee also ensures enforcement of housing and consumer protection laws such as the U.S. Housing Act, the Truth In Lending Act, the Housing and Community Development Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, and financial privacy laws. 

 

Actually this mess goes back to a Republican lead Congress as this situation came to light about two years ago.  So what have the Democrats done to prevent the meltdown of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?  Apparently the answer is nothing.  The cost to taxpayers will be in the billons.  Who made money on this situation? The real estate brokers, banks, and mortgage brokers.  I foresee new laws and regulations but they are coming after the animals have left the barn.

There is Something about Barack Obama

I was commenting on another blog about a month ago and wrote the following.  I believe these words may be more accurate now than when I wrote them.

 

 

“OK so Barack Obama is “incredibly arrogant, haughty, full-of-himself, and entitled.” The alternative is what? John McCain stands for most of the ideas and values of the Republican Party. Rather than persue his “straight talk express”, John McCain has altered his positions to reflect most of George W. Bush’s views. Americans just might elect John McCain because they are more like him than Barack Obama.”

A Tired Old Man For President

John McCain has told us every day of his convention that he was a POW in Vietnam.  His biography was shown every day.  He re-stated part of it in his acceptance speech.  His rightful claim is that he is a hero because he has given his life to service to his country.  His two themes are “country first” and “service”.  The banners were everywhere.  No one would deny him salutes, honors, and congratulations over his fortitude.  Is that reason enough to elect him president?

 

We should not elect a president because he survived a POW camp.  We should elect a president because he has the wisdom to lead the nation.  There was little in his address that would lead anyone to believe he would do anything different than George W. Bush.  He says he would be different but his positions and his support by corporate lobbyists do not support that promise.  John McCain did not address a single issue with a specific solution.

 

There was nothing in his speech to tell us how he would deal with the challenges of the 21st century with the exception of his relatively strong position on reducing our dependence on foreign oil.  That position was echoed by Barack Obama who went even further than John McCain by stating a goal of energy independence within the next decade.

 

Senator McCain’s family has a history of military service.  That goes back to at least his grandfather and has been inculcated into his sons.  This is a family that is focused on military matters.  How many times did he use the word “fight” in his acceptance speech? That could be an issue for a president.  Would he fight first and ask questions later?  Would he take us into a war with Russia over the republic of Georgia?  His support of the Iraq War without a definition of victory is an example of his support of George W. Bush.

 

Did McCain address any new technologies, global warming, and America’s decline in the eyes of the rest of the world?  No! That’s because the Republican Party is the party of the past.  John McCain wants to re-fight the Vietnam War.  He wants to sacrifice more American lives in the Iraqi civil war.  He stands at the head of a party that had only 36 Black delegates at its convention.  His focus is on helping corporate America grow even wealthier at the expense of American jobs.

 

Finally we must address John McCain’s age.  He is 72 years old.  If elected he would be the oldest person to enter this office.  His health has been an issue in the past.  The presidency has aged all of its office holders very quickly.  If he should become incapacitated Sarah Palin would become president.  E,J. Dionne aptly describes Palin as the “quintessentially political choice.” How many of us would elect her to this office?

 

Compare the acceptance speeches of Barack Obama and John McCain.  Obama’s speech was filled with detailed plans for the things he would do as president.  McCain’s speech offered no specific plans.  McCain spoke about reforming Washington without the detail.

 

The Democratic Party reflects the racial, ethnic, and religious diversity that now more reflects America.  Barack Obama is really a half breed.  His mother was White and his father a Black man from Kenya.  Barack Obama is from a one parent home. He understands the meaning of working for a living.  Obama is the bright, wise, and articulate leader we need in the White House.  Barck Obama definitely meets America’s criteria for new leadership.

 

The choice is clear. Old and stodgy or forward looking.  We need to elect Barack Obama!