Presidential Debate Desires: Part 5

 

This is installment five of the things that people would not like to hear at the McCain and Obama debate this week and number ten finishes off the list. I was a day late getting it updated, sorry for breaking the chain.

 

10. Act like the future president of the United States of America.

If you stand there laughing at the other candidate or sneering at their responses you both illicit two distinct and yet similar feelings from us. These emotions you inspire are that of an old man or a disrespectful youth. Either way, the last thing we want to see is a president that can’t act professional with someone he disagrees with.  We are the United States, act like you represent the best we have to offer.  From these debates we will decide if you will act like a leader in control that other nations had better listen to, “Joe six-pack” after two cases of beer or “Biff the fratboy” that acts like a know it all jerk. 

After all these and many other valid points, it would be great to have a straight up debate that lets us learn about the two of you and allows us to feel good about whatever choice we do make.  It would be good to not feel like having to settle for the lesser of two evils yet again.

Presidential Debate Desires: Part 4

This is installment four of the things that people would not like to hear at the McCain and Obama debate next week and number nine on this list is my personal favorite.

8. We now understand that voting records are skewed by necessity at times.

We get that both of you have voted against good measures thanks to “pork” in bills. You both end up voting ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to really good bills because you do not want the ridiculous stuff in them or you have to take the bad to get to the good. The “He said” and “She said” game is boring and the only ones buying this blindly are the ones that are still taped in those small rooms in their houses because of item two on this list.

9. The Presidential Candidates should not waste their time protecting their Vice Presidential running mates.

You two picked real winners for the number two spots.  If we have to choose which of you we want based on the two V.P. hopefuls we are in trouble.  One of them has a grin after every witticism he uses that reminds us of a used car, insurance or aluminum siding salesman and the other one sounds like she has been coached to spit out facts and uses colloquialisms like any member of a losing seventh grade debate team.  We get it, you both picked poorly and if something happens to either of you we are well and truly hosed.  Please, avoid this topic. You both had great choices and reached into the hamster bin at the pet store and handed us handfuls of hamster poop. Gee, thanks!

Presidential Debate Desires: Part 3

This is installment three of the things that people would not like to hear at the McCain and Obama debate next week.

6. None of you should take credit for solving or causing the financial crisis.

You either were in office when it got rolling, weren’t in office but supported some of it or are in some way a part of the problem. The only thing we can be sure of is that neither of you whisking back to Washington in the crisis did anything but slow up the process on the Republican side or look like you needed to be there because the other candidate was. Neither of you “solved” it and if anything it slowed the process just enough to thrash some more American’s retirement dreams.  This was not a success for either of you, run from the topic before we figure that fact out.

7. Stop saying you are a better friend of Israel than the other candidate.

Honestly, are you running for election there or here?  We get that they are our ally, we get that neither of you will desert them and we know that like any other country they do both good and bad things. We will never allow another Holocaust to happen for the Jewish people but you might want to address the acts of genocide we allow for other apparently less desirable people around the globe.

Six and seven down, just three more things that people have asked not to hear at the next Obama and McCain debate.

Presidential Debate Desires: Part 2

I said there would be a follow up with more points and ideas people have expressed and written in advance of the Presidential Debate next week between McCain and Obama. To that end, here are numbers four and five.

 

4. Stop trying to get us to relate to your home town.

We all have a home town and for most of us you did not, nor do you, live there. You want to relate to us; then stop telling us how you relate and listen to us tell you what its like and what we want in our towns and cities. Then again, we overwhelmingly said we did not want a seven hundred billion dollar bailout that wouldn’t work and you guys both voted for it anyway. We are also aware that you did it for our own good because we are too stupid to know what we are saying and somehow you two are financial geniuses and not beholden to your constituents.

5. Stop talking about gay marriage.

The odds are good you will never pass a Constitutional Amendment for or against gay marriage in the next four years and the states seem to be addressing the issue by themselves for now. Besides, we all get that you guys are stuck on the fence. Equal rights but not the right to get married. It’s not really an answer but if you look at item one in this list which talks about not really giving answers; then you get that we do not expect you to give an answer anyway.

That gets the list to number five and some of the best ones are to come.  Check back here tomorrow to see more of what people have been writing and thinking about what they do and do not want in a Presidential Debate next week.

Presidential Debate Desires: Part 1

Americans have seen the debate between McCain and Obama last night and it makes for good snooze fodder. Yes, McCain was rude and yes neither of them did well at really laying out the issues.  I got to thinking about what people I know have said they would like to see in a debate and what I have read from other writers recently on that same topic.

I have created a list of ten things people would like to hear or not hear in presidential debates going forward.  I will dole these out at the rate of one, two or three a day over the next several days, ahead of the next debate. Some of these points are specific to Obama and McCain and some are aimed at those running for office in general.

The first three are easy to understand and a good foundation for the others to follow.

1. We want the candidates to answer the questions they are asked.

Most of us do not want another President that dodges uncomfortable questions. We could just pick someone from the Bush administration and move on like good little sheep. For an example, how many questions has Cheney answered since he has been running the country.

2. Stop the fear mongering!

We have been hammered with an “Orange” or ” Yellow” Alert since September 11th and the odds are good Homeland Security will never go “Green”. In essence, we know things are screwy and we are starting to ask questions instead of just duct taping ourselves in small rooms in our homes and buying cans of soup to wait for the end of the world. As a result you might not find us as malleable as we used to be when you start screaming, “The sky is falling, well not really falling now, but if it were falling, it would be bad. Go hide and we will tell you when its safe to come out.”
3. We know the scandal game means you are scared.

Some of us have probably figured out that the worse a candidate does in the polls the less real talk we get about the issues and the more infantile, whining, rhetoric we get about the opposition. If you are really a good candidate and we want you; then you probably do not need to grasp at straws to win. If you want to fuss about past associations I am sure that both Obama and McCain have enough skeletons in the, “why I talked to that guy’, closet to fill a Wal-Mart.

There are three ideas to kick off the next seven for things to talk about or avoid in a debate.

Sarah Palin Lookin’ for Terrorists

Sarah Palin is riding high these days.  She has survived her debate with Joe Biden and even got in a few rehearsed digs on him. You will recall that she asked him at the onset of the debate if she could call him “Joe”.  That was an obvious attempt to use rehearsed catch phrases such as, “Say it ain’t so Joe”. Note to self, “Much like a vampire should never be invited into your house, do not invite Sarah Palin to use your first name on national television. One will drain your blood and the other will wear you out with vapid and obviously contrived statements.  Both will leave you scared and weak from the encounter but for different reasons.”

Back to the topic at hand, riding high on the broomstick that her preacher tried to get her to stop riding, Sarah Palin found the false security needed to go on the attack. You heard it, she said it, all shall bow before the truth. Obama consorts with terrorists. Yep its true.  Sean Hannity has said it many times and Caribou Barbie listened. Keep in mind that she did not have an original idea about this, for her those are obviously in short supply. Yes, Obama met with Bill Ayers who was part of a pretty radical and militant group back when the Senator was a small child.  Obviously, we should overlook George Bush’s ties to Saudi Arabia and the members of the royal family that have bankrolled terrorism. We should overlook Donald Rumsfeld having personally met with Saddam Hussein back when he was the buddy of the United States.  Back then the grandfatherly Saddam only killed his own people and Iranians. We were good with that; until he had no need for us any longer and went after the oil in Kuwait which daddy Bush was heavily invested in. “Bad despot buddy, bad!”

See the problem with yelling, ‘Terrorist” in a room is that its rarely qualified with an explanation about whose terrorist they are. Its sad to say but Bill Ayers has nothing to offer except being useful for those that want power.  I cannot help but wonder that if Mr. Ayers were someone that Palin or McCain knew that he would now be called something like, “a progressive and tireless fighter for the rights of repressed minorities in the United States.”

Say it ain’t so, Sarah but I guess its all about who ya know and who is spinnin’ the tale at the end of the day.

The Schoolyard Bailout Blowout

 

We refuse to go to the playground till the Democrats play nice!

Before I write anything else read this explanation of why the bailout bill failed today.

“When the gavel came down, the members on the floor were nearly silent. Democratic members immediately met in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office after the vote. Republican members went into the office of Boehner, the top Republican in the House.

The Republican House leadership blamed Pelosi, saying she gave a partisan speech before the vote that alienated House Republicans. 

While thanking Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for negotiating on the bill, Pelosi said on the House floor that the Democrats had insisted that the bill “protect the American people and Main Street from the meltdown on Wall Street.”

Pelosi also said the cost of the bailout “is a number that is staggering, but tells us only the costs of the Bush administration’s failed economic policies — policies built on budgetary recklessness, on an anything-goes mentality, with no regulation, no supervision and no discipline in the system.”

After the vote, Boehner said, “Americans are angry, and so are my colleagues. They don’t want to have to vote for a bill like this, and I understand that.” 

“I think that we need to renew our efforts to find a solution that Congress can support. I do believe that we could have gotten there today had it not been for this partisan speech that the speaker gave on the floor of the House,” he said.”

CNN’s Jessica Yellin, Deirdre Walsh and Scott J. Anderson contributed to this report.

When I heard that the bailout had failed I was thinking that it would be because a group of Republicans had heard from their constituents and said they could not in all good conscious pass the measure. I do not like Boehner but I believed that he would slam his people for not supporting the passage of the bill; because there was supposedly a deal between both sides. I was wrong.  If I am to believe what Bonehead says (yes I know I misspelled his name). Then instead of feeling pride that a group of House members stood up for the people they represent, I am left feeling disgusted.

Nancy Pelosi had no business making partisan comments and I suspect after it passed Boehner would have made some about how all this was made possible by John McCain.  The part that blows my mind is that Bonehead is saying that they voted “no” because of Pelosi’s speech.  I guess it would have made the Republican party look bad if they passed a bill after she said the things she did.  Thank goodness they protected their pride by sending the markets down 777 points to preserve their honor.

So, while I may not agree that this bill needs passage; as do many Americans. I do find it morally offensive that it was not held up  because of the people that do not think this is the answer.  Instead, I am led to believe that the Democrats said mean things and the Republicans refused to do their chores and now they should be spanked and grounded.  Act like you are five and we should all treat the Republicans that held out because of the comments like they are five and the Democrats the same way for saying naughty things.  They certainly weren’t doing it for us and they certainly don’t care about what happens to anyone but themselves. 

Sarah Palin: Caribou Barbie

Usually, nicknames for political figures seem kind of like a simple thing for people to dream up.  I have used terms like President Shrub for George Bush and Governor Good Hair for Texas Governor Rick Perry. These names are okay but recently my close friend Shawna threw out a term used by her friend the Rev. Durrell. This was too priceless to let go and how he arrived at this fitting name for Sarah Palin is sure to be another of life’s mysteries. Everyone, please welcome “Caribou Barbie” to the center of the stage. 

Caribou Barbie has many wonderful aesthetic features and for that reason alone most Americans should vote for her.  Am I saying that we are a vain and fairly vapid society? Yes, because if you listened to her Katie Couric interview you have to concede that a vote cast in her direction is either for McCain or just because you think she looks really good. Her first interview on ABC was pretty lackluster and she got ribbed for it pretty hard. I for one was willing to give her a break and it seemed that she might have been nervous or a little apprehensive. Granted, as a Vice President she cannot display those traits in an interview but she hasn’t been under the national spotlight that long.

I ignored her first interview, saw the SNL skit with Tina Fey, chuckled and moved on.  She had a promo piece done on her by Sean Hannity.  I have to say promo piece because he seemed to primarily lead her to the correct answers in the interview.  If she had made serious mistakes in his interview she would have been toast and rightfully so.  It wasn’t like any of us expected anything like balanced reporting from someone that has a right wing tattooed on his left butt cheek. Again, I saw nothing for concern at this point.

Then the McCain campaign seemed to keep her away from the press. “Foul,” cried the press but not me.  I figured she was busy and did not have time for the press to nitpick. Then she finally took the time to be interviewed with Katie Couric. Caribou Barbie has had over two weeks to get her answers straight after the ABC interview and the Fox News promo spot. So, Sarah Palin nailed the interview, right? Nope, Mrs. Palin explained her foreign policy statements from her previous interview as follows:

Couric: You’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

Sarah Palin: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and, on our other side, the land-boundary that we have with Canada. It’s funny that a comment like that was kinda made to … I don’t know, you know … reporters.

Couric: Mocked?

Palin: Yeah, mocked, I guess that’s the word, yeah.

Well, that was pretty dismal and obviously her coaches are doing a lousy job because most seventh graders could have pulled that off better with two weeks of preparation time. Later in the interview she explained why the United States should not second guess Israel including an explanation by Palin about who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are. This paled in comparison to her explaining that we need to make sure Israel knows we will never let another Holocaust happen.  It could not get any worse but no wait, it did get worse.

When Caribou Barbie was asked about John McCain’s history on pushing finance regulation by Couric here is what was said:

Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you’ve said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?

Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership abilities. And that is what America needs today.

Couric: I’m just going to ask you one more time – not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.

Palin: I’ll try to find you some and I’ll bring them to you.

I wish it was a joke but its not. I’m not saying she has to get every answer right but she at least needs to know how to speak when she does not have the right answers. For now be kind as best you can, after this last interview Caribou Barbie is going to need some love and a beauty pageant that she can go to and answer those hard questions with the stereotypical answer about wanting world peace.

The Little Secretary That Cried Bush

What were the Bush Administration and Paulson doing when they got caught unawares? They weren’t surprised at all. They lied for months to protect the markets and it did not work. At the moment, many think it looks like they had no clue, but the odds are that they knew all along what was happening and followed the ostrich plan. They hoped that if they hid their heads long enough it would get better by sheer will.

The Democrats and Republicans voted to create the situation that banks abused over the years; much like letting the kid that loves chocolate into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and telling him to eat nothing.

Lastly, Bush and Congress have been whipping us up by fear mongering for years and we are now a bit wise to the panic syndrome. The old, “we need more power without oversight”, mantra that they have preached over 8 years is now being met with the people saying, “hmmmm, not so sure we believe you.”

In closing, we the people have been lied to about the reasons for war in Iraq, the desire to stop bin Laden by the Bush Administration, told to suck it up regarding health care and just two weeks ago we watched our leaders lie about the financial crisis after Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were taken over. Is it any wonder that when the powers that be cry wolf, we say, “did you hear something?”.

Last One Out Of The Soup Wins

 

The circle is complete

I read an article on CNNs web site having to do with a Rev. Dr. Malcom Brown of the Church of England saying that Charles Darwin is owed an apology.  It seems that the Reverend feels that the Church of England misunderstood what Darwin had proposed. Darwin’s great-great-grandson Andrew Darwin had this to say, “When an apology is made after 200 years, it’s not so much to right a wrong, but to make the person or organization making the apology feel better.”

 

“Spot On!” If there was ever proof that evolution happens here it is.  In the day of Charles Darwin, scientists were very worried about reputation and status, especially in England and Germany. 150 years later his grandson could defend the family honor, pull out his sword of truth and say, “It wasn’t a misunderstanding, the Church of England knew exactly what it was doing.  How dare you try to gain press attention by making a trivial apology from someone in your public relations office.”. Instead, Andrew has evolved to the point that his family does not need to jump up and down, declaring that they have been wronged.  The Darwins simply know what the Church of England feared and has finally come to recognize as a good attention getter, Their ancestor was just as right now as he was then.  No muss, no fuss it simply is and issuing apologies to ancestors is a silly gesture after about two generations.  The wrong is done, the damage has been blended and the families know the truth.

 

However, I feel that Darwin could not have seen that we would all look at one another as equals one day.  All men and women are the same.  We are all human beings.  Many would even like us to believe that all peoples are at the same point on the evolutionary ladder.  This is a very touchy belief that incites racism calls from those that denounce it. I do not not believe that we are all equal and I do not think this division is racial. I look to the political pundits and politicians to demonstrate evolution in the United States.

 

Listen to any con. or lib. candidate, radio host, campaign manager or writer and you can see quite plainly that some of us did not have ancestors climbing out of the primordial soup as fast as others of us did. These ancestral throwbacks say ugly things about each other and we the people sit watching and hoping that the fall lineup on television and HBO will save us from listening to these idiots talk.

  

You see, we like the Darwins have evolved.  We do not care which of you wins, we do not care which of you screams “change” the loudest. We want to know when you people running the show will get out of your trees and join the rest of us down here and see the truth. Currently, the political mouth pieces say lots, do nothing and care little for those they represent or the people they speak to as long as they make money or gain power.  

 

Hats off to you Charles. Thanks to you, I can see the family trees of our politicians and their mental midgets. I do not need to have an ugly fight with an informed speaker to know the simple truth that all evolved humans know. Sometimes, certain species go extinct to clear the way for creatures that are better equipped to survive. The last thing the dinosaurs probably thought was, “Why, big rock fall from sky?  Me wonder, is big rock friend, food or place to live? Me make noise at it and see what happen.”. This dinosaur logic worked well for us mammals.  The only question I have for you party politics animals is, “Have you Politicians and Pundits noticed that we can drive to our local fast food joint and eat the dinosaur’s ancestors and have you started to wonder why you are growing feathers and we all look very hungry?”.