Camper

Anti-Immigrant Protestors Don't Even Know English

I'm all for this country's right to free speech and assembly and protest and the like.  Especially since so many Americans who see fit to protest in order to point out what is wrong with the rest of us are so stupid themselves.

Thanks to Frostfirezoo.com where I stole this photo.  It's a fun site with all sorts of photographic gems like this one.  Check it out!

Clinton Campaign Snowballing?

It has been a rough week for Hillary Clinton's presidential run.  First her hubby, her ace in the hole campaign wonder is caught fudging the truth about his position on Iraq.  Then she started going negative with attacks on Obama's character. Last night she was lampooned by the media (a sure sign the tide is changing since they have been ready to swear her in for months) and now Bill's former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, has come out with harsh criticisms of Clinton and strong support for Obama.

Reich points out that Clinton contends that Obama's idea to raise the salary cap on Social Security by just $16,000 is raising taxes when her "solution" won't do the same.  Reich spells it out clearly - but the short of it is Obama wants to minimally increase the amount of annual income subject to Social Security taxes.  For those of us who already make less than that cap our taxes won't be increased.  For the Bill Gateses of the world who meet that cap before they finish their champagne toast on New Year's Eve, they will have to pay a tiny bit more in taxes.  Seems fair to me.

Hillary's solution to the problem?  Create a commission.  Yes, the answer is more bureaucracy.  As if we haven't already seen countless commissions discuss what needs to be done about Social Security.  In the end, the program needs money.  Some form of raised taxes will have to happen if benefits are to stay the same.  At least Obama's plan takes the money from the change drawer of those who can afford it.

Clinton has also criticized Obama's health care plan.  But as Reich points out, Obama will actually insure more people - the people who need the most help getting insurance.  Clinton wants to make it a law that everyone buy health insurance.  That means a lot to the single mom working 3 jobs to feed her 2 kids and barely pay for their one bedroom apartment. Unlike Clinton, that mom can't afford health insurance just because the folks on Capitol Hill tell her to get it.

Reich's criticisms are stinging for their accuracy.  Clinton's plans aren't clearly favorable to the other plans being offered.  Clinton isn't clearly more likeable.  Clinton isn't clearly more trustworthy or of higher moral character than the other candidates.  The end result? It appears the inevitable selection of Clinton as the Democratic nominee might not be so inevitable.  Her campaign seems to be snowballing in the wrong direction.  Polls out this morning show she favorable ratings have dropped 11 points among likely voters.

Ouch! Snowballs sting when they smack you in the face!

More Absurdity from the Clinton Camp

The Clinton presidential campaign has entered the world of the absurd.  Not long after claiming that mudslinging is "fun" and announcing that she will attack Obama personally, Clinton's personal attacks have begun and she is lashing out.  All Obama supporters out there need to hold on to their seats.

Clinton is charging Obama with lying when he said he wasn't planning a run for the presidency in 2008 from the get go. This charge was leveled because - are you ready? - it appears he actually declared his candidacy a LONG time ago.  Obama is a liar because he has, in fact, been running for the Oval Office since elementary school. (I am not making this up - here is the press release.)

Is she serious?  We are supposed to question this man's character because he, like countless other small children, dared to dream of being president? So, according to this logic if, when you are 6, you think you might want to seriously run for president when you are 46 then you better not say anything.  Either that or when you are 46 and you declare your candidacy you better open the speech by admitting you dreamed of being president in grammar school between learning how to model clay and multiply.  Or, I guess, you could also just hedge your bets by starting an exploratory committee after t-ball practice.

Presidential campaigns are filled with the ridiculous and the insane but this trumps it all.  Here is a serious question for the Clinton campaign.  Do you really expect me to vote for your candidate after this?

Clinton Takes Rove's Advice for Obama to Heart

Yesterday Karl Rove offered unsolicited advice to Barack Obama via an open letter in the Financial Times.  Rove encouraged Obama to "belittle" Clinton among other traditional Rovian mud-slinging techniques.  The letter strikes me as absurd and ironic on several levels.

First, Rove clearly isn't paying attention to his audience and is clearly out of touch with America.  Thanks to nearly a decade of Rovian politics, Americans are sick to death of the nasty, vindictive trickery that has defined Washington under the current administration. Yet, Rove pushes Obama to abandon his "high-minded" approach and get dirty. Obama is running as the outsider, the fresh face, the candidate who won't play dirty, traditional politics and it's refreshing.  He's running a solid campaign and is building steam with that message.  What would switching now do for him?

It would turn off the folks voting for him because he is the alternative to what they are so tired of.  Obama disparaged the down and dirty nature of American politics before he even declared his candidacy.  His expressed desire to restore America to her previous greatness by lifting the country above the muck is his calling card.  He can't and shouldn't and, I dare say, won't abandon it now.

Second, the irony that Hillary Clinton seems to be taking Rove's advice and incorporating it into her game plan is thick.  For someone who was the target of dirty political tricks and attacks for decades, Hillary doesn't seem to have a problem with such antics as long as she is not in the cross-hairs.  In response to recent polls that show Obama leading in Iowa and taking a commanding lead among women voters, Hillary has begun leveling unfounded, personal and nasty accusations at Obama.  She has questioned his character and accused him of buying votes and influence illegally with PAC money. 

Not only has Obama not engaged in such activity, Hillary herself has on more than one occasion seemed to benefit from the endorsements and support of people she has funded. Just one example would be Iowa Governor Vilsack's endorsement if Hillary one day before she paid off nearly half a million dollars worth of his campaign debts!  That is hypocrisy of which Rove would be proud.

Why has Hillary held such a commanding lead in the polls so far?  Is it really because she's that likeable or that popular or offers ideas that are that earth shattering? No.  It's because her last name is Clinton.  Her husband was a good president.  Affairs aside many Democrats would vote for Bill again in a heartbeat because he governed well.  But as this campaign has gone one we've all been reminded that Hillary is no Bill.  She is not likeable and, make no mistake, a vote for her won't bring Bill back.  Hillary is not a shrinking violet and will not be a puppet president.  So, her lead dwindles as these realizations dawn on the collective American psyche.  Attacks like those coming from the Clinton camp now only serve to remind us how the Clinton political machine managed to get a country governor from a southern state elected as a Democrat amid sex and financial scandals.  The Clinton's play dirty. 

The question now is clearer than ever: Do you want more dirt flying around or do you want a fresh start? I believe the country truly wants a fresh start.  Obama should continue campaigning as the candidate with a brighter vision of America and not as a hardened politician.  As Chris Matthews said this morning - politicians aren't doing so well these days. Just ask Rove, W and Hillary.

The X, Y, Zs of Voting for Obama

Last week I posted an article on Barack Obama from this month's Atlantic Monthly in my links corner.  If you haven't already checked it out you definitely should. Whether or not you plan on voting for Obama, or even for a Democrat, it raises some very interesting points about the divisions in America and what may or may not help heal those wounds.

While reading this article's discussion of the role Obama could play in reuniting America and ending long-standing generational divisions, I kept coming back to another, related, bridge an Obama nomination and presidency might span.  In my mind, Obama is the candidate most likely to awaken the sleeping giant represented by the younger voters of our nation. 

Much has been made about how to get out youth votes.  Howard Dean seemed to make some progress in this area.  The expansion of online campaigning and blogging seems to be involving younger audiences in the political process.  But as of yet, this increased involvement has not spread to the ballot box.

The surge in Generation X and Y participation in the 2004 election that was expected to help elect John Kerry did not materialize.  I think an Obama nomination is the most likely scenario to make this much fantasized voter gold mine a reality.  Why?  For many of the same reasons Sullivan pointed out in his article. 

Obama isn't a Baby Boomer - so it's less like our parents preaching at us about health care or other issues, and more like a peer or a mentor talking to us. Plus, he looks more like us than Hillary or Rudy or McCain. I think the idea of being able to vote for someone we relate to and identify with is much more appealing than voting for someone who embodies the generations we have grown up thinking are so "out of touch."  I think "old" candidates are too easily associated with "old" answers regardless of whether or not their policies are fresh.

At the same time, the fact that Obama doesn't look like everyone else is a strength. I think the younger voter is much less concerned than some older generation voters with the fact that Obama has dark skin or an ethnic name.  We grew up in a time when the world was much smaller. Travel abroad is standard to many college experiences these days. Our athletic idols weren't Larry Bird or Joe Montana or Jack Nicholas - they were Michael Jordan, Dikembe Mutombo, and Tiger Woods.  So, the idea of a multi-racial, non-Anglican named president doesn't seem like a stretch to us.  I would even venture to say that for some just the opportunity to vote for such a candidate is reason enough.  It answers the question of "Why bother?" We might "bother" just to be able to cast such an historic vote.

So, I agree with Sullivan's contentions that many of the attributes Obama's opponents might like to view as drawbacks are actually potential strengths. And I would add another reason in the strengths column.  I think Obama can inspire the younger generation  voters  in a way that none of the other candidates can.  I think he needs to inspire the younger generation voters in a way no other candidate is - not only to help put more votes in his ballot box, but because our country needs a more engaged population.  The most civically engaged demographic is aging rapidly.  The beauty of our nation lies in our ability to participate.  We desperately need someone to reignite the desire to do just that.

Footnote: I've linked an article from today's New York Times that outlines the difference in the 08 candidates' - Republican and Democrat - positions on energy policy.  It's a great read to help separate the field as well as help evaluate what energy policies might mean for our future.

Say What? Child Rapists?

I just came across a news story that is disturbing and absurd on so many levels.  It appears that 3 young boys aged 8 and 9 years old have been arrested and charged with raping and kidnapping an 11 year old girl in Georgia.

Disturbing and Absurd Count #1: How and where do 8 and 9 year old children learn enough about sex to discover the desire to have it?  When I was 8 or 9 years old I was busy playing in the creek bed behind my house and reading The Babysitters Club books.  I don't remember if I'd learned about sex on any level yet but if I had I am certain I had not seen/heard/learned enough that I had enough curiosity that I wanted to add that to my to-do list between coloring Mom's birthday card and watching Sesame Street. And that doesn't even touch on where children this young learn aggression on such a level!

Disturbing and Absurd Count #2: Where were the parents?  There are presumably as many as 4 sets of parents involved in this back story.  Where in the h-e-double hockey sticks were they?  What 8 and 9 year old children are unsupervised long enough to kidnap and rape each other?  Again, I don't remember how often I had to check-in with Mom when I was that age but I feel pretty confident it was on a regular enough basis that this sort of thing couldn't have transpired.

Disturbing and Absurd Count #3: They are being charged as adults? Seriously? Seriously! Has society not failed these poor CHILDREN enough already? They are so lacking in direction and supervision that they have managed to commit rape and somehow charging them as adults, locking them up and throwing away the key for decades seems like the right answer?  And we wonder why the incidence of repeat offending is so high? Well, when a misdirected, violence prone 8 year old is taken away from the only security he knows (even if those "secure" home and parents are questionable) and is thrown in with other violent youths and then, once he turns 18, in with hardened criminals, what do we really expect from him if/when he ever does get out of prison?  There's obviously no good answer to this problem but charging an 8 year old as an adult should never be an option.  No 8 year old appreciates the consequences of raping someone.  They clearly haven't been taught that level of right and wrong. 

Such stories are a sad start to a dreary Monday morning.  My heart breaks for all of the children involved. Some folks point to the ability of gays to be gay legally or the possible election of Hillary Clinton as signs that the end of the world is coming.  I, for one, don't really think such signs are coming.  To me, God sent Jesus and he warned us then he would return one day - what more do we want.  But, if I were going to look for signs that the apocalypse is coming, to me the fact that our society has become one where 8 year olds know how to rape is all I need to hit my knees and pray.

UPDATE: The authorities are now backing away from reports out this morning saying the decision on whether or not to charge these children as adults has not been made. Maybe level heads will prevail on this count.

Mending Fences Already?

One of the central points in Barack Obama's campaign has been his ability to change "politics as usual" - to get past the partisan bickering and Washington cliques in order to get business done in a bipartisan and effective manner.  His record shows a clear ability to achieve this goal in the past.  And today, it appears, he has scored another bipartisan victory.  In what, to me is an unprecedented primary announcement, the Obama campaign has shared that hundreds of Iowa and New Hampshire REPUBLICANS are throwing their support to Barack Obama.

Why? One Republican supporter explained to the campaign:

“With all of the challenges our country faces, we cannot elect a President who will go to Washington and just get bogged down by the same partisan gridlock,” Brett Blix said. “That’s why I’m supporting Senator Obama even though I’m a Republican. He’s the only candidate in either party with a record of bringing Republicans and Democrats together to solve problems, and he will always tell you where he stands even when you disagree. There are thousands of disaffected Republicans like me who are disappointed by President Bush and the Republican presidential candidates who would consider voting for a Democrat who can bring about change we can believe in.” (Source: www.barackobama.com)

Yet another illustration of why Hillary's Washington entrenchment isn't necessarily the experience we should be looking for. 

Numbers Don't Lie

For months the Bush Administration has been assuring us, insisting that the surge strategy is working, that we are (finally) winning in Iraq.  Yet, the numbers don't lie and the numbers out of Iraq aren't good.  Yes, the monthly death toll has been down the last couple of months.  But AP is reporting that with the 5 most recent deaths, 2007 has become the deadliest year in Iraq - 852 American soldiers have died so far this year. The death toll for the entire Iraq war now stands at 3,857 soldiers. And there is no end in sight.  Plus, these numbers don't include the tens of thousands of soldiers who have been injured this year.  Nor do they reflect the Iraqi body count.

With hundreds of  people dying every month as a result of US policy, shouldn't this issue be more pressing in the 2008 election discussions?  Shouldn't the press be forcing the Bush administration to account for it's failures in these final months?  Instead we are talking about Britney Spears' lack of parenting skills and whether Hillary is being picked on.  And we wonder why the general public is apathetic about voting . . .

Civic Duty Fulfilled

It feels good.  Like I said yesterday, I am just dorky enough that I love voting and I love the feeling I have all day after I get up and vote in the morning.  I love the fulfillment of knowing I did my part mixed with the eager anticipation to see if my folks win. 

Voter turnout is actually expected to be pretty good today in the Bluegrass.  WKYT is reporting that more than 40 percent of registered voters are expected to turnout at the polls today to vote for Governor and a handful of other constitutional offices.  If the parking lot at my voting site was any indication these numbers should hold true. 

As promised, Campbell did go vote with Mama this morning.  The lady in front of me had her 7 year-old son with her as well.  Glad to see the first convert in my Take Your Kid to Vote movement.  Peek back later for pictures of Little Miss proudly displaying her I Voted sticker.

Incidentally, the stickers we get in Danville are rather larger than those handed out in Lexington.  Everyone has made quit a big deal out of the size of my sticker this morning - announcing in loud voices "Krista, did you vote? hahaha." Yes, one lady came out of her office just to look at my sticker.  Before you say it - there are many days when I feel like I work in an episode of The Office.  So, how big is this sticker of mine?  I would classify it as about the size of a standard round campaign button.  Definitely larger than the lapel pin size stickers of my colleagues but not quit as big as the "I love #17" buttons worn by soccer and football moms across America.

Finally, to close out this Election morning post . . . a quick look at the early polling numbers for Kentucky's Governor's race.  No surprise to anyone, Steve Beshear is leading handily with about 55% of the vote on both WLEX and WKYT polls.  Fletcher is trailing significantly with an average of 40% support in the two polls.  More to come later . . . .

More on Inspiration Obama style

Last week I commented on  how inspiring Obama was before he announced his candidacy and how his campaign has seemingly lacked that inspiration at times since.  Think on These Things has posted a fabulous video clip from a speech Senator Obama delivered this weekend that is the perfect example of the inspiration that draws me to Obama. 

I'm sharing the same clip below but urge to visit TTT today as well - there are several great new postings comparing the openness of Clinton's and Obama's campaigns. Enjoy!