Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Politics of Age


Well, as we are heading right into the thick of the Presidential campaigns and politics are one of the big talks of the town, one thing starts to worry me a bit.  Now, I don't think it's any secret to most people that I am a strong Obama supporter.  Well, with all that keeps constantly getting brought out about the McCain campaign, it's hard to imagine they could win in November.  McCain's Spain interview, McCain's firm belief that the U.S. economy is "strong" (at least up until a day or two ago when he decided the best action would be to fire the SEC Commissioner), Palin's lack of comprehension as to what the "Bush Doctrine" was or referred to, Palin's "world view" being that there are some places in Alaska where you can actually see real Russian land from, and much more...  All of those things really scare me, thinking that there is a potential for McCain and Palin to be the leaders of what is supposed to be the "greatest country in the world".  

Unfortunately, the biggest thing I'm worried about in this election time is voters feeling less motivated as we get towards the "goal"...  Voters feeling like, "Hey, we've got this one in the bag!" and not voting.  Unfortunately, it happens with younger voters, as older much more right-leaning voters tend to vote in much higher numbers.  The younger voters, while very excited and pumped up right now, strongly holding up the Obama campaign and bringing new voters by the boatload, must stick to the "plan".  It's a very simple plan and really just amounts to getting out the vote and GETTING OUT AND VOTING.  I've got to be honest.  I'm VERY afraid that when it comes down to it, a lot of the people who were pumped up six months ago, those that are excited right now, and are just getting interested will start losing interest and feel that the election is already decided and that they won't be able to affect things one way or another.  I hate to think that such a thing would happen, but it has before and we just need to all get out there, bring our friends and family, and vote this November!

Also, with all the focus on the Presidential election, don't forget about local governmental elections, as these are going to be the closest people that are representing all of us and the easiest to get in contact with for our own feedback and to push what we hope are our agendas moving on.  We need to get people who are fighting for us in our local governments as much as in the White House!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Posts

While I haven't been able to find much time to post here, I have somehow been able to find time to create a whole new blog, http://bilmagard.blogspot.com, just dedicated to what's been happening at my work, just in case people have been missing what was occurring over there. It's HIGHLY interesting and the action and suspense will leave you riveted to your seat, reading away at what would otherwise seem like just mindless drivel.

Aside from that, I've been highly interested in seeing what Sarah Palin had to say in her first interview. I was pretty surprised that she didn't have any concept of what the "Bush Doctrine" meant, but honestly... I wasn't terribly surprised. It's tough when the polar bears start speaking out against you... They've gained a great number of fans, especially ever since those Coca-Cola commercials where they were really just made to look very adorable and where they loved Coca-Cola just like all real Americans do.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Fight Night!!! Biden vs. Palin

So, the 2008 Presidential elections are now on their way!  With both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions finished and the candidates all in their positions and ready to roll, campaign season is finally in full swing!

Now while Obama and McCain have been ready to go toe to toe for some time, the most interesting story is the VP picks.  Now, Joe Biden, Barack Obama's choice for the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate is no slouch.  He's a well-known individual with a long track record, years of experience in politics and national and international affairs and relations.  His portfolio is pretty extensive.  There is no denying that.  He's even an old friend of political rival for the run of the nation, John McCain!

The Republican VP pick, on the other hand, was the biggest surprise and is really causing the most stir of all!  Sarah Palin, the Governor of the distant state of Alaska, is John McCain's choice for the second most powerful seat in the nation.  She is a virtual unknown and was seemingly picked out of nowhere.  There has been much speculation that the vetting process for her was not nearly the extensive process that most any other VP candidates have gone through.  Her being an unknown and also seeming to have not been vetted as thoroughly as others, people are anxious to find out what will come out of her proverbial closet and media sources are happy to oblige and are digging up plenty that they can find!  Already, stories have been "blowing up" about the things that people have found out about the seemingly mysterious woman!  So far on the table now:
  • The extent of her political career is that she was mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Alaska for two terms and has been the Governor of Alaska for less than two years.
  • She decided that it was in her and her baby's best interests to fly across the country to Alaska after her water broke and she was a month early for delivery.
  • Sarah Palin's 17 year-old unmarried daughter, Bristol, is currently pregnant and engaged to be married to the father, 18 year-old Levi Johnston, who describes himself as a "f___'in redneck".
  • On Levi Johnston's MySpace page, before it was removed, where it asked about kids, he wrote "I don't want kids."
  • Sarah Palin shows great disrespect to those who have and do play the role of community activists.
Now, are all these things really pertinent in the upcoming election?  Maybe there are ways that some of these will be...  The point is that this is just what was dug up within the first day.  Many more stories are sure to come out, mostly because so little is known about her by the general public.  She seems to be shielded right now from really fielding questions, so the highly anticipated day, though weeks away, is going to be "Biden vs. Palin": Fight to the Finish!