Category: Election 2008

If you hate politics, you aren’t alone. In his book The American Lie: Government by the People and Other Political Fables (Paradigm Publishers, July 2007), Johns Hopkins political scientist Benjamin Ginsberg suggests that embracing one’s inner cynic is important for keeping political rhetoric at bay.

Politics is not about truth, justice and principle, Ginsberg asserts. Rather, he says, it’s about money, power and status. Ginsberg argues that politicians pretend to fight for principle in order to conceal their true selfish motives. Ginsberg encourages citizens to become “realistically cynical” in their participation in the 2008 election process, to think outside the ballot box and find new ways to act on behalf of their own individual interests and the greater public good. And if voters do make it to the polls, Ginsberg’s advice is, “When in doubt, vote them out.”

Racial tolerance is still an issue in America as we are discovering this year as Michelle Obama is attacked by the far right. Racial tolerance in America has increased steadily over the years but there are still manifestations of discrimination as evidenced by voters comments in a number of primary states exit polls and by attacking the wife of an African American candidate. I don’t think that the US as a whole is too far away from overcoming it, though, and Obama’s strong and positive showing is unquestionably speeding the process up and is encouraging.

America has blue states, red states and all kinds of divisions, but we need someone to bring them all together. America must return to it’s principles, or it will fail. If you believe this is the last you’ll hear of Ron Paul, you are mistaken. Ron Paul, who recently suspended his campaign, was the only candidate who really understands how far America has slipped away from its principals and has some ideas about how to repair the damage. Unfortunately, Americans are too dumb and set in their brainwashed ways to vote for freedom via a non-major party candidate.

Bush was elected to a four-year term, to serve as president until January 20, 2009. The Constitution makes him Commander in Chief of the armed forces and also grants him the power to veto any legislation the Congress passes. Bush, who captured Florida and its electoral votes after a divided Supreme Court ended the Bush/Gore re-count of ballots. Since then, Al Gore has made combating global warming his signature issue, and has been recognized worldwide for his effort – from an Academy Award to the Nobel Prize. Now that Obama has safely captured the Democratic Party’s nomination Gore has given Obama his endorsement.

Bush, who all along said he was listening to his generals, sacked generals Casey and Abizaid, who had plans to reduce troop levels over one year ago, and who opposed more American soldiers in Iraqi neighborhoods. Not only that but the Head of Centcom, Admiral William J. Fallon, was forced into an early retirement because he openly stated that he thought talking to Iran was a wiser course of action than starting a war with them.

John McCain has been the presumptive presidential nominee of his party for some time now , a position that is accompanied by increased scrutiny and skepticism from the nation’s political press. Or at least that’s what ordinarily happens.

Now that Barack Obama has become the presumptive presidential Democratic party nominee the already sharp contrast between Obama and McClain will intensify. The 2008 American presidential campaign will likely be one of the most interesting but also one of the nastiest in history.

John McCain used to be a respectable politician who often bucked the Washington, D. C. agenda. In his long ago Vietnam service to his country McCain still is a man who deserves respect. More recently McCain has become a prisoner of his own ambition.

While I certainly commend his stands against issues such as torture and farm subsidies, unfortunately, in his ambition to become president he has become just another politician who sells his soul for votes. Look at his views on McCain-Fiengold, Immigration reform and Iraq. On Iraq he’s on the wrong side of too many issues for me to support him, and some of those stands seem to be motivated by political expedience rather than a grounded moral conviction. John McCain isn’t a candidate for conservatives to rally around, he is the candidate that stands in the way of an Obama presidency.

Over the course of the campaign I expect that McCain will become dead in the water. Making speeches and being contrasted with Obama and Obama’s attraction to the youth of the country will eventually do him in. Even McCain’s own supporters admit that McCain is a terrible wooden speech maker. McCain does far better in a cosy town hall presentation setting and has challenged Obama to a series of ten town hall like debates on the issues. Even there McCain risks looking old and worn out against the young and energetic Obama.

Then there is the issue of issues. McCain is a neocon’s neo con and his views of America having the right and duty to serve as the policemen of the world have by now been proved to be completely invalid. As Americans listen to McCain in the general election campaign surely they will realize that this man is as dangerous to world peace and American prestige as George W. Bush.

On immigration McCain pushed for amnesty and the American people defeated it. The at one time “straight talking express” McCain has become a prisoner of his own wild ass ambition. He went on to say that “illegals may choose their crimes; but we don’t have to accept them, pay for them, forgive them or tolerate them. Why is their behavior never looked at in terms of their prejudicial attitude against US citizens? Illegals already in the country got to stay and there was very little in the way of enforcement of immigrations laws, and many, many more illegals came in.” What is his position?

The 2008 Presidential election is seen as one of the most important and exciting in US history. It is taking place in a country involved in a controversial war with a troubled economy and a president whose approval rating is in the low 30s. The 2008 election is shaping up to be a barn-burner.

Never before have the candidates started so early campaigning for the presidency as for the 2008 election. The 2008 election is a chance to fix what has gone astray. The Republican presumptive nominee, John McCain, understands that he can’t be tied to the Bush policies as they are widely considered an epic failure. Obama understands very well the American citizen’s call for change and has built his campaign around that theme.

The 2008 Election is coming at a time when the Internet has moved form a passive minimally interactive to a social community. The level of activity by those involved in the candidates now will most likely mean those same people will be out at the polls. The 2008 election is not going to see many, if any, visits from the candidates to Wyoming, Alaska, Rhode Island, Delaware or Idaho. Rather, the Electoral College dictates that Ohio, Florida and Missouri will get all the attention, and they are hardly “small states” by any measure.

The 2008 election is for president, not pastor. We want a president who shares our political and moral values and priorities, can win in 2008, and can govern effectively thereafter by articulating and implementing a values-based governing strategy.

Obama and the rest of the candidates can only talk big. Ron Paul has been studying the US financial system for decades. Unfortunately, Ron Paul just doesn’t have the TV appeal to gain traction even if he is the only candidate that has sound ideas as how to fix the mess that the US is in.

Obama wants to raise capital gains tax. That’s a bad idea for a multitude of reasons. Obama’s argument that if the current mess was created by people who have the traditionally valued Washington experience — maybe it’s time to try something completely different.

Obama has sewed up the Democratic nominee position with Hilary Clinton expected to concede by the end of this week. I also agree that Bill Richardson, or “Judas” as he’s known in Clinton quarters, makes sense as the VP. Obama has connected well with the young crowd and has young savvy speechwriters writing his prepared speeches. Obama has hired Chris Hughes, the 23-year-old co-founder of the social networking site Facebook, to run his online campaign. Of all the Democratic candidates, these two have been the savviest and most successful at harnessing the power of the Internet.

Obama can contribute much of the success that he has enjoyed thus far to his understanding of he power of the Internet to organize people and to raise campaign money. He has a huge advantage over McCain in this regard.