John McCain

The Obama Presidency

Michael

Tonight was an historic night in the United States. Barack Obama has become the first African-American elected to our nation’s highest office. He is also the first Socialist elected to that position.

Barack Obama has proven that all things are possible. He proved that someone with zero executive experience and who associates with known domestic terrorists can be elected President. He has also proven that the American people (at least the majority of them), at this time in history, are more receptive of socialist economic ideas than free market capitalist ideas. But most of all, he has proven that anyone can become President as long as they are willing to lie to the American people, ignore solid inquiries about their proposed tax plans, and have the ability to raise millions upon millions of dollars in order to do so.

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The Dawn Of A New Era

Michael

Is it just me or has this been the campaign that seemed like it would never end? It won’t be long now before we can turn on the cable news channels and not see a politician for at least 10 minutes. Of course, they’ll be focusing on high speed chases, missing college girls, and the mysterious chupacabra, but heck anything other than election news will be a welcome change at this point, right?

As I started typing this entry, the polls in Dixville Notch and Hart’s Location were just about to open in New Hampshire.

Dixville Notch, New Hampshire is a small village of about 75 people that is famous for being one of the first places to vote during Presidential elections. They are also one of the first to declare the winner at their location. Over the course of the past 12 elections they have chosen the winner 50% of the time. The last time they selected a Democrat was 1968, when they picked Humphrey over Nixon. They were wrong.

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Character Versus Change

Michael

Two weeks ago I wrote about character and how we define our own reputations. Our reputations are based on the shadow cast by our character, but the size and depth of that shadow depends on our own actions, the hardships we’ve faced, and the destiny we forge for ourselves.

We are experts when it comes to our own character and we alone make the choices by which our reputation takes shape. By what measure do we judge another person’s character? What if things are a bit clouded and we can’t see their shadow too clearly? How do we judge their character?

Do we judge another person’s character by their words, actions, and accomplishments? Do we consider their opinions, thoughts, experiences and values? How long does it take to learn the true nature of someone’s character?

I’m sure the answer varies with most people. Sometimes you can judge a person’s character the moment they walk up to you, with others it can take much longer. Character plays a large part in how we interact with each other everyday. From the teenager working at the coffee shop to the seasoned business executive, we interact with people differently based on our perception of their character. You would most likely hesitate doing business with someone who had a bad reputation, and you would probably avoid taking stock tips from a bum sitting on a park bench.

Shouldn’t we take character into account when choosing the next President of the United States?

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You Gotta Be Crazy In Your Head

Michael

Politics can make people do crazy things. Just look at the events of the past year and you have all the evidence you need that you have to be out of your ever-loving mind to seek the office of President of the United States.

Running for office makes you say things you would otherwise never say, it makes you do things you would never dream of doing, and it makes you wish you could remember all the bad things you have done before the press finds out about them.

It all starts with the primaries, where things start out quite civil but turn nasty real quick. Then, before too long, you find yourself praising the very people you were denouncing as satan worshippers just a few months earlier in the campaign.

If you make it past the primaries, things get even more insane. In fact, the best you can do is hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

There’s an old saying that you can’t win if you don’t play. When you’re running for President of the United States you cannot win if you don’t campaign. You must play the game. If you aren’t willing to go out there and give it your all, you’re just not going to win. In fact, if you don’t get your name out there, you will never have a chance, no matter how insane you are.

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No More Skeletons In Woodstock

Michael

Back on October 10th, one of our local news channels ran a story about a “shocking” Halloween display in Woodstock, Georgia. As the story aired, I watched as WSB-TV tried to portray Melissa Neese, the woman responsible for creating the display, as a racist because her Halloween display depicted John McCain and Barack Obama with a skeleton standing behind Mr. Obama.

At the time, I felt that Ashley Hayes, the reporter covering the story, should have told the whole story. She should have remained objective, but fell far short. She could have emphasized the fact that Mrs. Neese was not yet finished with the display, but she didn’t. It was Mrs. Neese who said, “I was gunna put Hillary up but I hadn’t got to her yet”, but Hayes didn’t address that truth until the end of the report when most peoples perception of Mrs. Neese had already been made.

Ashley Hayes is a seasoned journalist with a good reputation covering general news stories and investigative pieces, so why would she attempt to portray Mrs. Neese in this light?

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The Final Debate

Michael 1 Comment

Like most political junkies, I recorded tonight’s debate. I record all of them so I can go back and review what each candidate said when I am researching the truth behind their answers.

It was clear, barely halfway through the debate, that I was going to have my work cut out for me this time. Both candidates did pretty well, but there were “issues” for each one of them.

John McCain did an outstanding job tonight calling out Barack Obama by clearly and decisively pointing out the flaws in Mr. Obama’s policies, and more importantly, his character. I was a little shocked when Mr. McCain referred to Sarah Palin’s experience with autism, when I think he meant to say Down Syndrome. I can’t figure out how he confused the two.

Barack Obama seemed to be on the defensive most of the night. He seemed taken aback by some of the facts John McCain threw his way, and looked a little on edge when ‘Joe, The Plumber‘ was discussed. He seemed tired and answered a few questions with nothing but deliberate innuendo and political mumbo jumbo. He even lied about a couple of issues that are very well documented (in the mainstream press as well as blogs).

Mr. Obama claimed that 100% of McCain’s ads have been negative, but that is false. All you have to do is watch the ad that followed Mr. Obama’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention to know that.

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