I would first like to thank Zennie for inviting me to this blog and have the ability to post here. My views may not represent how you feel, or how Zennie feels. I do thank him for giving me a voice on here.
Now this may be an old story, but I am still upset with it. I was completely in awe when I discovered that the McCain camp removed the Librarian from the so called "Public" event for holding a sign that read "McCain = Bush". I was further disgusted when I learned she was cited for "Trespassing". Yes, trespassing at a public event. Public meaning "people in general", public meaning "NON PRIVATE".
If we have the freedom of speech, shouldn't we be allowed to express ourselves the way we see fit? Shouldn't we be able to express our opinions even if it does not "fit in" with the republican party?
If you missed the actual video, here is the 61 year old librarian being cited for "trespassing".
And here is my response. Please excuse the cursing, as I am a former sailor. lol
Senator John McCain's campaign will look back on this as a terrible day and a major one in what seems to be an incredible one-week meltdown that will certainly lead to a bump in the polls for the already leading Democratic Senator Barack Obama.
Former Senator and McCain Advisor Phil Gramm made a comment that's caught fire. Everyone's having a field day with what Phil Gramm said. Former Senator Gramm seems to think that Americans should just shut up and take the fact of the worstening economy without comment:
“You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” Gramm, a former Texas senator, told the newspaper, adding that the presumptive Republican nominee will face an uphill battle fighting those perceptions.
“We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he said. “You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in ‘decline’ despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy.”
This didn't miss the eye of "RaisingKaine"'s Lowell, who writes Yeah, Sen. McCain, you certainly were correct when you said you didn't know much about economics!
The comment by Senator Gramm did not miss the eye of Senator Barack Obama. The Presumptive Democratic Nominee said "We already have one Dr. Phil" referring to the television star therapist.
Meanwhile, Senator McCain, facing yet another reason to get mad at someone, which he's proven he's good at, immediately threw McCain under the bus, banishing him to Belarus. According to Fox News Mosheh Oinounou...
“I don’t agree with Senator Gramm. I believe that the person here in Michigan that just lost his job isn’t suffering a ‘mental recession.’ I believe the mother here in Michigan and around America who is trying to get enough money to educate their children isn’t ‘whining,’” McCain told reporters today. “America is in great difficulty and we are experiencing enormous economic challenges as well as others. Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me. So, I strongly disagree.”
McCain has previously said that “no one is more qualified” on economic issues than Gramm, who serves a national campaign co-chair, but made clear today that he was unhappy with the former Texas senator when asked if Gramm would have a role in a future McCain administration.
“I think Senator Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I’m not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that,” McCain said.
For his part, and I think this is the most damaging to McCain, Senator Gramm stood by his remarks. "I'm not going to retract any of it. Every word I said was true," Gramm said.
Wow.
I guess Senator Gramm wants to stick it to Senator McCain. Sure looks that way, yes? On top of that, Senator McCain looked totally uncomfortable in the way he ducked a question about Viagra and health care. More on that soon.
Why is it Christian "leaders" so often seem to want the REST of us to follow precepts and/or adhere to standards of behavior that they don't apply to themselves?
Have Reverend Jackson and Pastor Dobson jumped the shark?
I'm glad Jesse Jackson apologized for his inappropriate language and that he's trying to do a bit of damage control. I know the media love dishing dirt and all this colorful talk (or in Jackson's case, "off color") of fruitcake and nuts, but like James Dobson before him, Jesse Jackson doesn't speak for me.
Fox News Fred Barnes' has a knack for trying to be so conservative and score points with the Bush Adminstration, that he makes dumb statements more often than not, by far.
Barnes -- on today's Fox News Panel With Britt Hume -- famously observed, in response to how some liberal browsers were attacking Obama on his support of the reformed FISA Act, said "Who Reads Bloggers?"
Well, in the sprit of that civic dis, we have "The Fred Barnes Watch" -- coming soon.
Senator Clinton and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg On Obama Plane Wednesday
What does it tell you when Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (who's heading Senator Barack Obama's search for a vice presidential candidate) are on the Obama airplane on the same day that Senator Obama casts a vote in favor of a slightly refined Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that Clinton opposed?
It tells me that Clinton's going to be the Vice Presidential Canidate for Obama.
We awoke on the Obama plane on the Reagan International Airport tarmac with news that we'd have not one, but two special guests on our trip to New York. The first was Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama's onetime nemesis and now seemingly close cohort as she tries to both influence the direction of the general campaign and recoup the millions of dollars in debt she owes as the result of the race. The second? Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, daughter of the late president and vice presidential search committee.
The latter arrived on the plane with Obama, sporting some aviator sunglasses. At the moment, his "body man" Reggie Love is passing out cookies to those press held up in the back of the plane. We'll return with a beverage update if time permits.
This is a great political "headfake" that was so good, it caught Pappu off guard, treating it as routine news. It's anything but
The FISA issue and Obama's vote caught the press entirely off-guard. CNN took the bait hook-line-and-sinker today, reporting that Clinton and Obama were "at odds" with each other, and that the issue could harm her VP chances.
Senator Ted Kennedy, courageously battling terminal brain cancer, returned to his Senate duties and in the process displayed his uncanny knack for great political timing. Recognizing that his vote would not only break a tie in the overall voting for a bil preventing a six percent cut in Medicare, but perhaps bring some Republicans over to the Democratic Side, Kennedy made the trip to Capitol Hill, and was given a war hero's welcome.
I can't wait to see him at the Democratic National Convention. You just know he's excited to appear before this grand stage.
Upsetting Presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee Senator John McCain, who has to reach for the tired "flip-flop" strategy, Senator and Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama backed the passage of "FISA", The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in the Senate today.
Julie Donaldson, Sports Reporter Testifies Ivan Lattimore Beat Her
In an unfortunate and sad twist of events, Julie Donaldson, the famous New York Mets features producer and sports reporter who's Internet popularity rocketed with a video of her being doused with beer by celebrating NY Mets after they won the pennant in 2006 that became so popular one can't even find it anymore, has testified that her bofriend Ivan Lattimore bear her.
In a case of "What was she thinking", the Boston Globe reports:
Since she and Lattimore started dating, Donaldson said, there have been at least four violent episodes. The first, she said, occurred at the Super Bowl in Arizona and resulted in bruises on her arms. "I wore a long sleeve shirt and didn't tell anyone," she said.
The second attack was more serious, she said. After a Celtics game against the Miami Heat on March 30, Donaldson said that she lied to Lattimore about her whereabouts and that he was waiting for her when she returned to her apartment.
"He grabbed me by my hair and took my hands by my wrists and made me punch my face," she said, adding that she had to miss work the next day because of bruises on her face. A few months ago, she said, another fight ensued after a night of drinking at Sonsie on Newbury Street.
Why women -- some women -- chose guys like Ivan Lattimore is beyond me. He's a nut case.
This is but one of many images I have from the DNC Convention Media Walkthrough in Denver. This one directly from my iPhone. It is at Pepsi Center, which is where the convention will be held August 23 - 28.
The big news was the move of Senator Obama's acceptance speech to Invesco Field next door.
Barack Obama's energy plan will provide meaningful short-term relief for our families and make a historic investment in alternative energy development that will create millions of new jobs, keep the cost of energy affordable and secure our energy independence once and for all. This is the sort of leadership the current generation of Americans needs - and demands - from our elected officials.
The Columbus Dispatch Ad Watch said the RNC was "Stretching the Truth":
While Obama is offering real solutions for America's energy future, the Republican National Committee recently released a false, negative ad attacking Barack Obama on energy.
"The commercial accurately points out that McCain favors temporarily lifting the federal gasoline tax, which Obama opposes. Nearly every reputable economist says lifting the gas tax would save motorists nickels and dimes and not produce one new gallon of gasoline."
"The commercial also accurately points out that McCain favors drilling off the coasts of California and Florida, while Obama does not. But many economists are not convinced that oil exploration off the coasts would dramatically reduce gasoline prices any time soon. Instead, oil prices have risen because demand has outpaced production worldwide. The commercial does not mention that McCain once opposed offshore exploration. And it probably is no accident that the commercial is being aired in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin rather than Florida and California."
"VERDICT: 'Stretching The Truth'" [Columbus Dispatch 7/7]
It's all part of Obama's unified view of the way energy affects our economy, our environment and climate, and our national security interests. He's advocating a much more pro-active leadership approach to science than the Republican party has prioritized in recent memory. At a glance, Obama wants to:
Barack Obama introduced a bold new plan that brought Republicans and Democrats, CAFE supporters and long-time opponents together in support of legislation that will gradually increase fuel economy standards and offer what the New York Times editorial page called "real as opposed to hypothetical results." That's the sort of change that works for America and the world.
All you have to do is donate at least $5 this month via special links provided at the Obamesque blog and you're in the running to meet Senator Barack Obama BACKSTAGE and see him accept the Democratic nomination in front of 75,000 people. Can you imagine seeing the convention from this perspective, and meeting the man who will probably be the next President of the United States?
If you're one of the ones selected you also get to bring a guest. Let's spend a few nights in Denver, shall we?
