On Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s Chief of Staff and Joe Biden, Obama’s Chief of Gaff

Joe Biden has been Obama’s long time Chief of Gaff, but I feel we may be able to expect big things from our friend and rising star Rahm Emanuel Obama’s Chief of Staff, who served on Freddie Mac’s board of directors. At the risk of sounding too much like a conspiracy theorist (someday I will divulge my theory on how the government is hiding the existence of Atlantis from us), I would like to engage you with a couple statements I have found quite scary and an explanation of exactly why I feel that way.

It seems our country, or rather our government, uses times of hardship as an advantage to take advantage of us, the citizen. That is, when a war occurs or any sort of national crisis, our government finds a way to use these situations to their benefit by increasing taxes, taking away rights, or otherwise widening the divide between the populace and any government office, often increasing the government’s power over the people. Hence the regular citizen eventually gets a feeling of disassociation or of powerlessness to the injustices we perceive the government to be engaging in.


The examples of this are numerous, from the Civil War being used to impose a property tax, to the bailout situation. Throughout history, crisis has spelled opportunity for governments around the world and finally we have a person in the highest levels who readily admits it. This person is Rahm Emanuel, who said in November, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. Things that we had postponed for too long, that were long-term, are now immediate and must be dealt with. This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before."

Now maybe I am looking too much into things, but I find this to be an alarming statement. It’s not the sort of statement which lends itself to the interpretation, “Hey, hang in there. Everything is going to get better!” No, it’s more so, “Hey, I am going to manipulate this situation to all its possible potential in order to shape policy, the hearts and minds of citizens, while furthering the power of the government.” Although it may be subject to interpretation, within my little ol’ noggin, that’s certainly the impression I am getting.

Try going out on the street and asking a random person: “Hello, how about this economic opportunity we have here hu?” I hope for your sake you are wearing a cup, because we, that is normal people who lack the power to mind-fornicate whole factions of people (I have met some people who can do it on an individual basis quite well), would much rather prefer to be without such circumstances as lay offs, 401 meltdowns, inability to buy food, clothes, and medicine. Oh, but what great opportunity!

I recall during the campaigns when John McCain came out and said the, “fundamentals of our economy are strong,” referencing the American work force’s resilience and ingenuity in the midst of bad economic times. I also recall the far left having a severe brain aneurysm in response to the statement. McCain must have not been not nearly vague enough to satisfy them.

For the Kids (I do my part to support literacy):

Fundamental: serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying
Opportunity: a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.

All this begs the question, is government not just using a crisis to further its goals, but also orchestrating one as well? Let us keep in mind such crises would need to be an extreme hardship to the average citizen, otherwise the lack of affect on the populace would render the plan and its possible outcome ineffective. Meaning, if a orchestrated crisis were to occur we would all suffer less than desirable consequences and government, our hero, would show up to bail us out with the stipulation we give something up, for the sake of our own security and well being of course. In the midst of such hardship, we may forego such freedoms or economic security more willingly than we would normally. Though it can be debated where this tactic of crisis orchestration has been used, certainly the reasoning behind it is quite sound and inarguable.

Is this truly what Emanuel is hinting at though? I can’t say for certain and to make a charge like this, one is going to have to apply some more evidence. It may not be enough to convince, but it certainly has enough to make me paranoid to the extreme. Consider what Joe Biden said in Seattle, WA in October of last year:

“Mark my words, it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy . . . He's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right. Gird your loins. We're gonna win with your help, God willing, we're gonna win, but this is not gonna be an easy ride."

Gird: to prepare or provide, equip, or invest, as with power or strength.


He also says in that little speech that such trouble is going to come from either the Middle East or Russia. Pretty darn specific and scary there if you ask me. I frequently have nightmares of Biden now, chasing me around with his little army of hair plugs which dangerously wield hammers and sickles flailing them about to and fro. Back to the topic though, if you turn on MSNBC (I don’t recommend it) you will find plenty of democrats in high places urging the public for faith in Obama in the days ahead, which could be completely innocent, or innocent relative to politics, or it could be completely evil ridden. Biden continued:

"(Obama) has it. But he's gonna need your help. Because I promise you, you all are gonna be sitting here a year from now going, 'Oh my God, why are they there in the polls? Why is the polling so down? Why is this thing so tough?' We're gonna have to make some incredibly tough decisions in the first two years. So I'm asking you now, I'm asking you now, be prepared to stick with us. Remember the faith you had at this point because you're going to have to reinforce us. There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision', because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."

Though the last sentence is enigmatic and philosophers will be pondering over the depths of Biden’s wisdom for years, more evidence Biden let something slip may be further apparent in his next statement, made only after spying some media. He said, putting on an air of humor, “I probably shouldn't have said all this because it dawned on me that the press is here.”

What scares me is there is even a remote possibility in my mind of some pre-orchestrated crisis, which has been in the works since before his first day in office. I hate sounding this paranoid because I don’t know the future and I am not Dion Warwick. Yet, perhaps this event is already in the works. Let us consider Obama’s first item of business was to call Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas by the way is alleged to have funded the Palestinian operation in 1972 to massacre 11 Israeli athletes and he later penned the book, “The Other Side: The Secret Relationship between Nazism and the Zionist Movement,” which denied the truths behind the Holocaust.

The last part is merely speculation though, for Obama’s true motives cannot be known except within the man himself and many people are hailing this act as Obama’s move to bring peace to the region, which at this time I cannot immediately refute. Yet, it seems odd the first person he would call is a leader with terrorist ties that’s supposedly not even officially supposed to be in power (he extended his term another year).

Again, as to whether or not it is beyond government to orchestrate a crisis, I would like to close this rather sloppy blog entry with a quote from Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud:

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government, which is the true ruling power in our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of."

Your Conservative Fear-Monger,

Brandon Myhre

On Two "Average" Joe's, a Leno and a Patriot

Last thursday, I opted to watch Biden on Leno rather than McCain on Letterman for a couple reasons. First, I felt pretty sure about what McCain was going to say already, just as I was sure about the attacks he was going to get from Letterman. I was positive that McCain's responses would be pretty good, with no real huge sound bytes coming out of the appearance, other than what the crew at MSNBC decided to twist around. Also, Letterman, who I used to enjoy watching, tends to aggravate me because of his constant, shrewd, condescending bias towards anyone not sharing his particular beliefs and it was an added element that drove me to tune into Leno's show instead. (Note the irony when I say that, for this is the most condescending, shrewd entry I have ever written. In my defense though, I don't run a talk show to begin with and have no patience concerning media and elected officials in government going after a single citizen because he dared ask a question. Your damn right I'm going to be shrewd!)

Despite his monologues that tend to make fun of the right exceedingly more than the left, I have always considered Leno to be pretty fair, for after all, it is a comedy show and I think it is appropriate to cut him a little slack concerning some of the content because, truthfully, you have to admit, it is pretty funny. Furthermore, I was sure Biden would do what he always does and make one of those famous "Bidenisms" that he is so well known for. So all and all, Leno seemed like the logical choice between NBC and CBS in terms of possible entertainment value. Biden certainly didn't disappoint, but Jay Leno sure as hell did.

Leno himself initiates a rather moronic conversation with Biden when he says, "Joe the Plumber. I don’t know. It seems awfully convenient, I mean I am a little suspicious, but that’s just me. You know, worried about taxes, does it seem real?" Thinking back, I can't really remember anyone I have respected so much as Jay Leno saying something so completely stupid. I was appalled at this comment, and thought that perhaps Biden wouldn't be the highlight of the evening after all, but then Biden quickly added, "Don’t have many of those plumbers in my neighborhood. Well, let me put it this way… I don’t know many plumbers that make $250,000 dollars a year worried about it. We’re kind of worried about Joe the Fireman, Joe the Policeman, Joe the real plumber with a license."

Please, someone tell me that both these educated men didn't say the things I just think they said! I don't even know where to begin to respond to the stupidity muddled comments these guys just spewed forth from their mouths, but I guess I will have to take it one step at a time. Let us focus first on Jay Leno's absurd moronic belch. Leno, brings up Joe the Plumber, whose real name is Samuel Joseph (Joe) Wurzelbacher, and adds, "I don't know." What is it exactly that Mr. Leno finds so hard to grasp about this "Joe" the Plumber guy? That he goes by his middle name? So what, I have known several people who prefer to be called by their middle names; that is hardly an issue to the voters. Is it the fact that Joe owes $1200 dollars in back taxes? Yeah, wow, thats a real rarity there. What a hazard to the United States Economy! Maybe its the fact that Joe lacks the plumbers license that would give him the ability to work within Toledo city limits, even though he still has the right to work in rural areas of the state.(Though, in all honesty I do find this odd, for most states have differences in whether contractors need to be licensed, bonded or insured or not, but these are usually state-wide laws and most states that I know of, don't break it up into "territories" concerning legal documentation, insurance and licensing.)

No, as Jay babbles on, we see that what really worries Leno is that Joe the Plumber might be some sort of pawn or plant in a huge scheme orchestrated by the Republicans to ummm... uhhh... ask Obama questions I guess. This makes no sense and the fiasco would have had to been set in motion by the Democrats if anything, for it was Obama himself who walked into Joe the Plumbers neighborhood, followed by a huge news crew and taking questions from those that lived in the community. So I guess several years prior to this, the McCain campaign, that didn't even exist yet, found a random plumber, who was late on his taxes and paid him to move into a certain neighborhood so that when McCain's future unknown opponent visited, he could ask him a couple of tough questions. Yeah, sounds perfectly reasonable.

To quote Billy Mays, "But Wait! Thats not all!" Leno goes onto say, "You know... worried about taxes? Does it seem real?" Well, speaking of out of touch, Mr. Leno apparently has lost sight of what it is like not to be famous and be affected by little things such as taxes and the government gaining an ever bigger hold on your wallet. Yeah, surely such concerns cannot be real and Joe the Plumber has to be a plant! Come on Jay, even you too were once affected by taxes, before you became this huge multi-millionaire with 500 motor vehicles. Perhaps this will help jog your memory:

Biden said some equally dumb things and admitted he doesn't have many of those plumbers in his neighborhood. Yeah, that isn't much of a surprise considering all the multi-million dollar mansions that you live around on "Main Street," Delaware there Joe. You probably would have to be making considerably more than that, with the purchase price of the home, land values and property taxes. Yet, I am sure there are plenty of "real" Fireman and Policeman in your neighborhood too, who you talk to every day about their concerns over a nice, warm danish. Check out Biden's "Main Street" right here. (His house is the one next to the lake, furthest to the south.)

Moreover, way to go after an American citizen there Biden, who just happened to make the mistake of asking Obama a question that provoked a response. Call me crazy, but perhaps, just perhaps, the focus should be on the actual response of the politician running for office, rather than on the citizen who asked it and isn't running for anything at all. Really, how patriotic is that Biden, since you seem to be so caught up on the subject recently? Is it considered patriotism to attack those that question the government, something that was actually encouraged by our forefathers? Is it patriotic to belittle those who are curious about a politicians policies while they live in the United States? Perhaps we differ on what a patriot is Mr. Biden, for I don't consider a patriot to be a leader who makes fun of citizen who is working, even though, according to you, may not have the proper paperwork or credentials, but at the same time still feels obligated to take that persons money to give it to non-citizens and people who have no job at all, or to "spread the wealth", as Obama so eloquently put it. I guess its my bad and you Mr. Biden sir, are really the true patriot after all.

On ACORN and Voter Fraud

Could you imagine if McCain was tied to a group such as ACORN, which has already admitted in some states to non-existent people, with non-existent addresses being registered to vote? It would be the fecal storm of the century and we the public would be buried up to our necks in dung from news organizations rushing to cover the scandal and their spewing of it into our homes through all forms of media. However, Obama has ties to this very group and it raises some interesting legitimate questions, yet he gets a free pass on it for the most part. It is true that my thoughts concerning media coverage between Obama and McCain in such circumstances is of a scenario that is mainly a hypothetical of a hypocritical, but based on the current trend of media and cultural biases, I do think this would be the case. Yet, with media hardly mentioning it, this isn't what really gets to me. No, in fact, media is just representing the culture in this case. This is very dangerous to the values that America claims to hold onto, but that are now, in reality, just hanging by a thin threat. Again, its our own fault for we Americans are apparently too busy or stuck in our ways to give a damn about any large injustice that takes place, as this certainly is.

I can't speak for every one of the 14 states where ACORN is being investigated, but I will use my home state of Washington as an example that I may build my point from, if there is a point that is; we will soon find out. In Washington State, ACORN has already admitted to "fraudulently" collecting voter registration. Felony charges were brought against seven people in what is referred to as the "worst case of voter fraud in Washington State history." Nearly 1800 falsified registrations, with names such as "John McCay," "Frekkie Magoal," and "Fruto Boy Crispila" (sounds like a cereal marketed towards gay people) were uncovered and all that ACORN needed to do was pay for the investigation costs, which was about $25,000 dollars and promise that they will never do it again, or face criminal prosecution. A federal, serious crime that could heavily influence the future direction of the nation and all the local government did was wave their finger at these people? Tsk, tsk ACORN. Bad ACORN.

The most interesting thing about this whole deal is some of the arguments coming from the left-wing blogosphere, which are hilarious in their lack of real thought or reasoning. I few of these include:

A.) It doesn't really matter because they are only 1800 votes, which isn't enough to swing an election.
B.) It doesn't really matter because you have to show your ID before you vote, so it wouldn't have made an impact anyway.
C.) It doesn't really matter because the Republican party probably does it too.

Well, now. Allow me to retort.


The first one is truly the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Yes, that may be the case in the end, but can we really assume that all fraud was caught? Are we safely and legitimately able to make that assumption? I, for one, don't think so and believe that though 1800 are caught, countless more probably slip through the cracks. Let us look at the last election where our current state Governor won by only 130 votes out of 2.9 million ballots, the closest in the country. Votes do matter, they count and voter fraud has the ability to sway any election one way or another, otherwise people wouldn't even attempt to do it in the first place, but they do because they know it makes an impact.

The second one is great as well and is equally, if not more stupid. Truthout.org put it worst when they said, "But this is not voter fraud, it's voter registration fraud. The two are not the same. Jive Turkey isn't showing up at the polls asking for a ballot." Yes, voters need to register, and I hope you all have, and they do need to provide a valid ID before they vote, but these two things in unison are what allows a vote to be counted. You cannot just be registered and NOT vote and have a vote counted, (or your not supposed to be able to, but perhaps there are additional fraud schemes that help this to occur) nor can you NOT be registered and vote and have a vote counted. It needs both of these things, so people who use this argument are forgetting the fact that registration is not the final step, but such groups also intend to falsify ballots as well. So such a statement holds no water at all.

The third and final one I cannot believe is even being used as an argument because all of us learned a simple basic lesson when we were children and that was that, "two wrongs don't make a right." Am I excusing Republicans and just focusing on ACORN because of some bias? Not at all, but there are several differences between ACORN and Republican voter fraud that need to be taken into account. First, Republican fraud was found in the State of Ohio with falsified ballots and let me be the first to say it is detestable. However, this is occurring in one state, while ACORN's fraud is being pursued in 13. It is a much wider problem and that’s why it grabbed my attention first, not to mention its occurring in my own home state. Secondly, the degree and amount of fraud and fraudulent names is much, much larger in the ACORN example, than the Republican one. Degree doesn't excuse it though and they are equally horrible and I feel that we Americans need to hold these groups accountable, not fill registration forms from them when we are approached, nor give them our support. Finally, ACORN was charged with wrong doing, while no charges have been filed against the GOP, but if there was illegal activity on the part of the GOP, charges should be filed immediately. So, considering all things, there are some pretty large differences that need to be taken into account when raising such an argument.

I find it appalling that these groups are just able to go about willfully breaking the law and influencing elections to their hearts content, assuming they have a heart. Any Democrat and Republican group who gets charged with such things, needs their funding taken away and they should no longer be able to provide voter registration to anybody. Not a single soul. Yet, nobody holds these people accountable and the public, media, authorities and government all make these lousy excuses in order to overlook the willful, unlawful deeds of such organizations. Why isn't there more outcry? We probably don't have the right anymore as Americans to complain about all these corrupt politicians getting into power because when things like this are uncovered we let it slide, even though it can clearly represent the corrupt nature of those persons that such groups are trying to illegitimately thrust into office. We the public, not the media or those already in government, need to hold these people accountable because if we don't, such fraud will continue to build and get worse and worse as time moves ever forward on its endless march. Right now these groups are able to continue to operate unchecked and it is about time they got a dose of some accountability.

On The Same Old Insane and Inane Blame Game

Today the DOW Jones industrial dropped it like its hot and crashed 777.68 points, the DOW finishing at 10365.45. As expected both candidates and parties came out swinging at the closing bell, hoping to score a TKO while the market already lay long motionless upon the canvas. It was the most shameful display from politicians and media that I have seen in a long time, perhaps ever and it is so utterly mind blowing in its stupidity that it is almost beyond belief. Indeed, if even I think it’s stupid; it’s pretty bad, considering I desecrated my brain long ago with barbiturate misuse. In fact, I didn’t really realize I had a problem until I forgot what a barbiturate was and tried abusing Barbasol with very unpleasant results, but that’s another blog entry altogether.


JP Morgan: "You’re a big huge company, why don’t you back that bank up? It’s my money Washington’s playing with; back that bank up!"


Though JP Morgan/Chase is acquiring banking firms at low cost and making out pretty well, much as they did during the Great Depression (I smell a conspiracy), the rest of us are sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for any solution to come out of Washington, wondering if we will keep our jobs and anxious to see if there will be such a thing as credit next week, though if we don’t have credit, there is a silver lining; at least we won’t have to put up with that Freecreditreport.com ass anymore. At least at this point, I for one don’t care whose fault it is (it’s Christopher Lambert’s) and am more concerned about what is being done or could be done on both sides of the fence to ensure the economic security of our nation and I don’t want to hear the bickering anymore, but rather some solutions.

Yet, the media is flooded with superficial, completely ridiculous, shallow attacks by both parties upon the opposing party and anyone with half a brain knows it. I actually heard on CNN some guy saying that McCain didn’t do enough to convince Republicans to vote on the bill, so the fault rests with him and the Republicans. What a completely stupid, inane globalization. Way to scrutinize just one side of the political spectrum there chief, without applying it to the opposite, like any other reasonable person would. You don’t deserve to be on Wolf Blitzer’s obtrusive Situation Room screen there sport, nor does Jack Cafferty for that matter, but then again, that’s just fodder for another blog. Here is the thing; if you are going to apply a principle to scrutinize people then that principle has to cover everyone, not just those who you are opposed to. Many Democrats didn’t vote for the bill either, yet you don’t hear Republicans blaming Pelosi for not pulling in enough Democratic votes, though the Republicans are saying that her speech beforehand where she tore into President Bush was unfair, which I agree with for a couple reasons, and it had worked in driving some Republicans away from voting aye. If this is the case, these individuals should not be allowed to sit in a senate chair ever again. Because someone’s words are harsh to you, you think that’s a reasonable catalyst to not give approval for a bill? What a way to put the country on the back burner and your personal feelings above the security of the nation. How petty, why don’t you all grow a pair?

We do this with congress all the time though, that is try and batter one party or another instead of viewing them as what they truthfully are, a group made up of individuals. If you want to attack someone, at least have the sense to attack someone individually on how they voted or what they have done, not according to what another constituent of their party said or did. I have done this before in the past and I readily admit it, however I now realize how dumb it truly is.

Another funny thing is that both the parties and presidential candidates claim that now is not the time for partisan politics, but then proceeded to attack each other in the exact same sentence. May I remind them that with the elections so close, now is not the time for such complete and explicit contradictions. With people like these getting elected, is it any wonder that any discourse about the goings on in Washington or in local government is met with a type of hate filled political polarization reminiscent of an almost racial tension from those who disagree with your views?

I think some people are lazy and would rather over characterize a group to attack, rather than actually have to learn something by looking up facts, doing a little research and applying it to the topic or the individual they are complaining or concerned about. It is much easier that way, because you can hold on blindly to your bias without ever really being challenged. To some people there is nothing worse than finding out that what you believed in so strongly was false and that you may have been wrong. It’s just easier for someone not to put themselves in that position where they might be challenged, for some would rather go with the mob rather than follow real solid data or logic.

Why is it that too often our first reaction when things go wrong is to point fingers? Though it may have relevance in the long term, in the short term, when real solutions and vital decisions have to be made, it is completely counterproductive to what needs to be accomplished. The thing is, people feel this situation is beyond their control so something or someone needs to be blamed. Yet, in this race to attach and associate blame, we frequently overlook who or what is truly responsible. Instead of a hurricane, its FEMA or President Bush; instead of two kids shooting up a school at Colombine, its movies, TV and Ramstein; instead of individual companies, its President Carter, Reagan, Bush, Democrats or Republicans; instead of Bristol Palin; its Sarah Palin, so on and so forth. If one is to be held accountable then yes, by all means hold them personally to account, but people just arbitrarily placing blame because of the letter after someone’s name is a flawed completely stupid way of thinking and it unfairly undermines the Republicans and Democrats who are actually hard at work doing great things or the great things they have already accomplished.

Truthfully, the most respectable thing I heard come out of anyone’s mouth today was from Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R is the letter after his name), who when pressed for his thoughts on Democrats refused to push blame upon anyone only stating that people like Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and other Democrats did do some good, hard work on the bill. Its attitudes like that we should be encouraging in society and especially amongst our political leaders.


Thank you for reading. Barbasol time!

On My Current Subscription to The McCain/Palin Ticket

What a week it has been. It has been no secret that in prior weeks the economy has been in a downward spiral, however this week it has gone into a complete uncontrollable tailspin. It occurred to me that because of these events, it would be a great opportunity for me to focus on the candidates to see how they both react in a crisis, and after careful review I have decided to support John McCain for president.

Yes, yes, I was pretty much leaning McCain already, but for some reason I had this urge to give Obama the benefit of the doubt week after week, but after this week and his lack of manifesting strong leadership capability, my vote now goes to the McCain/Palin ticket. In case anyone cares (I won’t blame you if you don’t) I will mention a few reasons why.

Monday, after the feces hit the prop concerning AIG, McCain quickly responded to the nation wide financial peril by saying: “You know that there's been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street. And people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times. And I promise you, we will never put America in this position again. We will clean up Wall Street. We will reform government."

When Obama jumped right away on this statement, taking McCain completely out of context, I thought that perhaps McCain might have really truly said something completely stupid, but then as I thought about it more objectively I realized that McCain was acting as any leader should during a time of financial crisis. He was reassuring the country about the economy. He came out on the stump declaring that though things looked bad that there was still room for hope and pride in the economy of this great nation. Such statements are needed by our leaders in times of trouble; that we the public may rise up from the ashes of disaster with an optimistic motivation so we may strive ahead to accomplish any task that needs to be completed to better society as a whole. It is extremely important and if we look at it in the context of history; a necessity.

Obama did not do this, but decided his time was better spent attacking McCain on his words and statements in his past, which I feel is counterproductive to what thoughts and feelings a leader should inspire within those who look to him for guidance in times of trouble. Indeed, the only outcome I see when one tries to pass the buck and play the blame game is that we end up focusing on the past when one should be looking to the future in order to find the appropriate solutions in such a volatile situation. I, of course, blame it all on the illuminati though. Mark my words, they have their hand in everything, from the Knights Templar, to my cable going out last night, that spoiled milk in the fridge and Hannah Montana. Sneaky scheming bastards. There is nothing we can really do though, they are too powerful and we might as well just sit back and watch Miley Cyrus usher in the New World Order.

Anyways, it is true that in such an intense, sudden and possibly explosive situation, one may tend to misspeak or draw false conclusions, especially concerning the miniscule amount of information that is available to the candidates. When juxtaposed with the current president, they certainly don’t have nearly as much incoming information, but at the same time, are held to a higher degree of scrutiny than the prevailing commander-in-chief. Therefore, I felt it was only fair to give both candidates some degree of leniency concerning their initial judgments.

However, today McCain came out articulating rather specifically a way to deal with the situation, while Obama said he would wait to hear the plan from the White House before saying anything. When I heard that I couldn’t help but think he wanted to wait on McCain and Bush for two reasons. First, that he could jump all over their plans and attack them on their words, which would benefit him while not really obligating him to offer any real plans of his own. Second, that he could somehow take the credit for any appropriate action proposed by the Republican’s and attempt to connect it to himself.

This may seem unfair, but it hit me that this is a large component of why Obama is so successful. Not only is he extremely articulate, but he has the unique ability to be extremely vague at the same time. This gives him two huge advantages: one, he can interject a subjective interpretation of his own words anytime into a comment made by the opposing party and relate them to one another as long as it pertains to the same topic. By stretching his words to fit that mold he can then claim that his opponents are merely following his lead. Throw in the statement, “I have consistently said…” and it becomes an extremely brilliant, effective tool.

Secondly, Obama will never say anything unless there is a backdoor to the statement. This is a way to retreat from what he has said in case he is ever challenged. This is why you will never hear the words “yes,” or “no” come out of Obama’s mouth, unlike McCain who frequently answers in such ways. Obama knows that if he says “yes” or “no” then his statements become concrete and he cannot dance around them, which he is quite skillful at doing I may add. These tactics have been extremely evident recently when he speaks about foreign relations and the economy. Another trick he utilizes, as do I at times, occurs when he is asked a question which he really has no answer for. He simply changes the subject to one he knows more about. Tangents and attacks are truly his friends, as we saw today when he took questions about the economy; he decided to swerve around the question and speak on education and health care. Important issues yes, but in the middle of a national panic, not a relevant topic to visit.

I have noticed McCain do similar things, but with less frequency and with what has happened the last few days within the stock market, I believe McCain showed himself to be a stronger, more capable leader and one that we will truly need in days like these. He has also showed himself to be polarized to the Bush administration and I felt truly inspired by his words. We need leaders that inspire, that are willing to stand before the people and bring them hope despite difficult circumstances and not someone who throws his arms in the air and says, “We are done for! By the way; it was his fault.” I am not willing to concede, as of yet, that Obama is incapable of this and he may make a great president further on down the line, but concerning my own observations during the past two weeks; he is not ready to lead.

"That's it man! Game over man! Game over!"


This is not the first time Obama has displayed this either. If you recall a few months ago before hurricane season peaked, Obama wanted to dip into the Strategic Oil Reserves to relieve some of the consumers pain at the pump. If he was in charge and all that oil was released into the market then there would have been no help for those caught in the devastation caused by hurricanes Gustav and Ike. However, I always try to remember that with our politicians no effort can be made without shortcomings, yet McCain consistently seems to come out ahead in terms of presidential leadership and that is why, as of now, the McCain/Palin ticket will have my vote this November. You don’t need to agree with me, that’s cool. In fact, I really do welcome civil, intelligent debate no matter who you are. I above all else would just like to encourage anyone who reads these silly words to register to vote this year. What should always be remembered is that an election doesn’t really reflect the true condition, ideals and needs of country as we might think, but rather just the condition, ideals and needs of those who cast their ballots. Many states, if not all, offer online voter registration. I could have found every state website for you all and posted the links, but its just so much easier to try and persuade you to Google it.

I’m just sayin…

On Sarah Palin and The Bridge to Nowhere Flip-Flop

Just when you thought this whole flip-flopping issue had finally quieted down within the confines of political mudslinging and the media, Sarah Palin has to join the McCain ticket and it starts anew. This time it has to do with Sarah Palin’s so-called, “bridge to nowhere.” This whole deal concerns the Gravina Island bridge in Ketchikan, Alaska that she supported when she ran for governor in 2006. However, she changed her mind and decided not to build the bridge, but rather spend the money on what she and voters felt were the more important transportation issues. We of course do not get the full story from the media, for some reason, and again the Anchorage Daily News comes out on top of the national media when it comes to in depth quality reporting.

Support for the bridge dramatically declined amongst the Governor and people as the cost of building the bridge kept climbing, eventually to the point that it would cost the tax payer 400 million dollars to complete. The Anchorage Daily News even wrote an editorial pleading to the Governor that she would cancel the building of the bridge, which she did due to the climbing cost of the project and the fact that the public wanted more pressing issues to be accomplished. This bridge, that the Governor and public concluded was not worth the time, money or effort, was then shot down by Sarah Palin who worked in correlation to sound fiscal responsibility, her previously demonstrated views on cutting excessive arbitrary spending, and the will of the public. How that is bad, I do not know.

Thing is, I have always disliked the flip-flopping argument amongst all the candidates. What is important is the outcome, not how one reached their conclusion. We, the voters, do this all the time concerning issues within our personal lives, but cease to think twice about them. Even when friends, family and co-workers do the same it usually doesn’t occur to us, probably because its not in the public arena and blasted all over TV. However, concerning our politicians it, becomes issue because apparently everyone thinks that our elected officials need to be above the normal human thought process, emotion or mistake. We should examine our elected officials, this much I am not disputing, however we need to keep our expectations reasonable as well. I guarantee that every one in politics or running for political office has these flip-flops in their past. (Now to plagiarize a little off one of my previous blog posts concerning the subject...)

I don't mind a political figure changing their perspective on important issues, for socially our country is in constant flux concerning all issues. We need our candidates to be sensitive and not ignorant of this. The constant change and fluctuation of conditions and opinions within all forms of communal issues requires this; that our political applicant is willing to concede and alter his political views for the good of the people if such a situation arises, especially if that situation remains unforeseen.

This term, "flip-flop," however needs to be distinguished from a real relevant change in policy, and one that is completely arbitrary. This is the first factor that should be looked at in defining a true "flipfloppian," viewpoint. Is the change in policy relevant to pressing political or social circumstances? Second, that catalyst which has shifted ones perspective needs to be examined as well, if there even is one. Could it be concluded that it was a reasonable decision based on the data avalible? As mentioned before, because the catalysts concerning Sarah Palin and the bridge to nowhere were sound fiscal responsibility, the cutting arbitrary spending, and the will of the public; I feel her decisions cease to be a flip-flop because her conclusion had a solid, logical basis.

I therefore conclude that this flip-flopping argument holds no water realistically. If you are going to use this argument against Palin, which is your right as a voter, remember, you have to use the same degree of scrutiny against EVERY politician. Good luck in November.

Just because I hate whiny musicians...