Alethinos Paradoxos’ blog

The problem is not that these extremes exist, the problem is that these extreme segments of both of the major parties are dominating our politics at every turn.  A never-ending assault of scary statements and end of the world “if we support this” or “don’t support that” prophecies and on and on. 

I  have been wondering, in this era of so much media and information, how this could be so effective and not repulsive to most.  Then I realized, that there is a large portion of the country that is elderly and concerned (for example) about health care who tend not to use as much internet etc. and would only have the words of someone they trust to believe as the facts.  This gloom and doom, it’s the end of the world greatly impacts that group and any others that may not be as apt or able to do more research beyond what someone they perceive as an expert says.  So there are really people who believe our Hanitys and Moores are the gospel (depending on which lunatic extreme is more comfortable to you)

There is so much childishness going on that is becoming stupid.  This weird thing where people are being told to just disrupt town hall meetings with random yelling etc. talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.  All any smart politician would do in the future is simply record a message, control who is in the crowd, or just not have them at all.  Does one party not think if you do it now, they will do the same thing later.

The real trouble is that terribly ill informed people are believing things that are not factual and starting fist fights at political events and ultimately completely dividing the country.

To some this division is desirable, but for those of us who live in California we know there are only two possibilities.

A one party system where the lunatic fringe of that party can easily overtake our politics or a system where both parties get so angry at the other that everyone drifts toward their lunatic fringe and refuses to compromise on anything which in the end means absolutely nothing can ever get done.  Everything ends in a stalemate.

The whole idea of our government is that there are different sides that negotiate and agree at some point on any issue that comes up even if that means that sometimes they agree to just put off an issue here and an issue there.

Now, whenever a politician says he or she will make a compromise with the other party that person is a traitor, and is punished in the media, by his or her party, and by voters and constituents who are told this person sold them out.  If compromise is punished on either side, how is anything supposed to get done?  This is the mindset and techniques used by the extremes of our party system that are gaining more and more control of our country and media. 

As far as I am concerned I have a new term for this.  Accidental terrorism.  This is an inadvertent attempt to destroy or entire political system just to prove a few idealistic points. 

The politicians are not the ones who will be punished when this all plays out.  The so called experts on television and in our media will not be the ones who suffer.  The people who make over $200k or over $250k who are so concerned about paying more taxes are not the ones who are going to suffer.  It is the average person who although gullible when it comes to this sort of information, we all just want to live peaceful lives with the opportunity to support our families and better ourselves with hard work. 

I attached a link to a clip that I hope you can access.  It is not to say that one party is better than the other, it is to show how stupid the whole thing is.

This childish war to have one or the other extreme’s way is really a war against democracy and more specifically the average middle class person. 

Everyone knows (for example) that there is a terrible health care problem.  One side is fighting any sort of solution saying things should stay the way they are (Einstein – Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting the same results) and the other side is coming up with a plan to insure everyone while secretly using it as a Trojan Horse to sneak in a bunch of stuff such as money for abortions.  In the meantime the American people suffer and pick a side to protest with while still losing healthcare by the thousands daily. 

Ask yourself, if you were a terrorist who wanted to destroy America would your money be better spent on blowing up some airplane here or there or on some politicians on the lunatic extremes who will invest that money and the money of other Americans to make sure our entire government is in a stalemate. 

I know all of us have our deep personal commitments, but there has to be some kind of compromises for our system to work.  We have to get the lunatic fringes out of power and elect people with our individual values who know how to compromise and when to so that our government will not get stalemated.  Especially since in the last election one party almost gook over completely.  NO!   Everything will not be perfect and everything will not go your way (no matter which party you prefer).  But, the truth is this country will never get everyone to agree on anything and if you are waiting for your party to take over so you can have your way, you are really a part of the problem.  An involuntary tool of those who wish to destroy our political system and our government!

Imagine you have little money and you are renting a room in a house.  You pay most of your income to rent, but the people who own the house are not good with money.  The people that own the house get 3 months behind on the mortgage and the house is in foreclosure.  They suddenly get an offer for a credit card that will cover a part of the mortgage and save the house you are living in at least for a while longer.  They decide to ask you if they should get the card to save the house and inform you that if they use this to save the house, they will have to raise the rent and if they do not they will lose the house and you will be evicted.  WHAT CHOICE CAN YOU MAKE?  You cannot afford more rent, you cannot be homeless, and you cannot imagine them suddenly getting any better with money even if they save the house and you will probably be in the same boat soon anyway.

This is how I see today’s vote in California.  It is a lose, lose proposition with doom and gloom being preached by both sides of the argument.  We are doomed if we vote yes, we are doomed if we vote no, and we are doomed if we don’t vote.

The only thing that is clear is that the government in California as it is has absolutely no ability to fix the problems here and the people are so divided that at either extreme that it will be this way for a long time.

I am about to vote, but what a crock all of this is.  Vote yes and they get the credit card that will cover some of the debt, but also makes more and inevitably robs from something else to pay for it.  This also means raised taxes in several areas. 

Vote no and it’s the end of the world for our economy in California and we will be without fire fighters, and police etc. (according to the commercials). 

We all must vote and have our voice, but what a choice.

Welcome to sunny California, world renowned for its tall palm trees, beautiful beaches, wineries, movie studios and one the worst Elementary, middle, and high school systems on the face of planet earth.  The reason:  playing politics and weird experimentation with the children has overridden any care for the education of them.

Every one of us who lives here (particularly those of us with children) have heard stories of large numbers of people graduating who cannot read or pass simple exit exams on what they were supposed to have learned and on and on.  I remember on story I heard years ago where the children in one area were failing a pretty standard high school exit exam miserably so the proposed solution………..make the test easier?

A quick story to help you understand my disgust: 

After I graduated high school I left for military service and went to travel the world.  I came back on leave to visit my old high school and the coaches and teachers who I had built a bond with.  I arrived at the school to find that all of the teachers I had considered (and still consider) to have been the good teachers had left the school.  There were no coaches as the school which had n illustrious sports history had eliminated all sports.

The weirdest part about walking the campus was that while I was wandering the campus confused many if not most of the students seemed to be wandering the campus looking just as confused as I was.  This was midday in the middle of the school year.  I heard different bells ring and saw some of the kids going to classrooms.  In the classrooms there were small pockets of teenagers who seemed to be doing there own thing while some person in front 9I assume to be a teacher) lectured.

I finally asked one of the students what was going on.  The answer was ridiculous.  The school was an experiment to see if children learn better in an environment where they have no books, no mandatory class attendance, no homework, no sports, and very few tests.  I asked if this was working and in the words of one kid, “It was cool at first, but this really sucks.  I want to transfer.” 

As a side note, I have a relative who graduated from the same high school, who has a diploma that looks just like mine, who could not read or write any better than the average kindergartener until as an adult his wife taught him.

This brings me to my point.  In Alameda California there is a controversial proposal creating a huge disruption among the parents.  The proposal is to add curriculum about sexual orientation and gender identification to the curriculum.

So let me get this straight:  the school systems in California can’t get reading, writing, English, math and science right, but now they are qualified to teach my child sexuality.  That ought to turn out well.  I told you that little story a above to set the stage for one key point I think is being missed.  I PAY TAXES AND SEND MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL TO LEARN TO READ, WRITE, GET EDUCATED, AND PREPARED FOR COLLEGE IF YOU CANNOT DO THAT RIGHT YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS TRYING TO ADD A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF OF ANY KIND.

All over California strange experiments have been done for years with our children and all kinds of weird ideas have been voiced al because our school systems and our teacher’s unions want to use our children as political ping pong balls instead of just doing what we (I) pay them to do.   STOP EXPERIMENTING WITH OUR CHILDREN AND JUST TEACH THEM ENGLISH, MATH, SCIENCE, AND SO ON.

There is this ongoing list of things that they always want to add that clearly are politically motivated and that would be a discussion if we already had reasonable results.  The California school system is the laughing stock of the whole planet.  HOW DARE YOU TELL ME YOU ARE BETTER QUALIFIED TO DO MY JOB AS A PARENT WHEN YOU ARE FAILING AT YOUR JOBS AS TEACHERS?

The entire reasoning for this addition to the curriculum has been defined as an attempt to stop bullying through a gained understanding of sexual orientation and gender identification.

Another short story, my son was new to one of California’s illustrious public schools and was stabbed in the forehead with metal scissors by an angry 9 year old.  As far as I or anyone know my son is not homosexual or transgender and was only guilty of being the new kid having an encounter with what turned out to be the class bully.  The school investigated and discovered several such incidents with this bully and other children that had gone unnoticed until now.

I was obviously concerned and spoke to the principal whose response was that they had spoken to the parents of the child.  SPOKEN TO THE PARENTS, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?  I suggested possibly separating the child from the other children for a while to undergo some kind of counseling until such a time it was safe for the rest of the children and then reintroducing the child to the school as I thought that was the least that should be done in light of all of the children that have been wandering into schools and killing everyone.

I tell this story to illustrate that the school system has no clue about what to do about bullies.  Those of us who experienced bullies in elementary, middle and high school (or possibly were the bullies) have a pretty good idea that lack of information and understanding was not the problem.  Usually the problems are far deeper than education about one group or other would solve.  I am also quite sure that information about sexual orientation and gender identification would not have saved any of the children from this bully because as far as anyone can tell at this age, none of the children were bullied for this reason.  The problem with bullying lies in the inability of the schools to properly deal with the bullies until after the bullets (or scissors) are flying and the bloody bodies of our children are being carried away.

All this to say to our governments, including school boards and our teachers:  I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT ANYTHING BUT HOW WE ARE IMPROVING MATH, SCIENCE, ENGLISH ETC. UNTIL YOU GET THOSE SUBJECTS RIGHT.  I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE BAD PARENTS OUT THERE THAT ARE NOT DOING THEIR JOB, BUT DON’T NEGLECT YOURS TO DO OURS.  SPEND ALL THAT POLITICAL ENERGY TRYING TO REFORM THE AGENCIES THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HOLDING THE PARENTS ACCOUNTABLE TO DOING THEIR JOB AND STICK TO YOURS!

The end is near!!!  The end of this horrible election and here comes the storm before the calm.  Has everyone lost their minds collectively? 

There is a letter with the state logo of Virginia (boy have Virginia Republicans been in the negative news recently) on it that is trying to tell Republicans to vote on day and Democrats to vote on another.  The day noted for Republicans is election day and the day for Democratic voters is a day late.  Apparently assuming that Senator Obama supporters may not be as educated and informed about the voting process (ideas often associated with minority voters who area registering in droves to vote this election).

In Philadelphia a letter (clearly targeting the same demographic) says that if you have unpaid tickets or outstanding warrants.  Many in the minority communities don’t trust our legal system and would be fearful of such threats even if not guilty of any crimes.

What about the videos warning of he evils of Muslims (hinting to the made up rumors of a mentally unstable gentleman who got rich writing an attacking book with nothing to support what he said) that were sent all over the country. 

The problem is that there is a Muslim population in our country that feels as American as anybody else and hates the terrorists just like anyone else.  At least they felt as American as anyone else until this election.  I suppose that racist or bigoted remarks such as the hinting that Senator Obama could not be qualified for president if he were a Muslim might pass us by as okay if you ignore this fact, but they offend a group of patriotic Americans who have every right not to bear the brunt of the attacks of this campaign as anyone else. 

The First Amendment allows for freedom of speech, but I also have the freedom to vote.  As these stories come out the candidate that seems to be suffering the most is the candidate that most of these things seems to be attempting to help.  It would seem that many are offended by such tactics especially when we are all struggling to make ends meet.

The Republican Party (much of it is the membership and not the leadership, but there have been egregious acts performed by the leadership of the party also) playbook seems to be to make one segment of the nation scared to vote for Senator Obama and the other segments (mostly minorities) afraid to vote or not to vote.   The Democrats just want to flood the media with campaign pitches (which would normally be annoying), but relative to what we have been seeing from the Republican party this suddenly doesn’t seem so bad.

The fact that Senator Obama can make a half an hour presentation with no attacks on his opponent and no offensive statements clearly shows shy a person so far to the Left (in voting record) can get so many middle and Right Wing votes (at least in the polls).   I have said it again and again it is about how terrible the McCain campaign is being run compounded by the fact that the party has done so much craziness in the name of it’s candidate that is a testament to how shaky Senator Obama’s support is that it is not a landslide in his favor.

Senator Obama is not winning Senator McCain is losing with the help of the crazies he and Governor Palin have rallied into a frenzy at the campaign rallies.

The good news is that if the Republican’s lose as much as the polls indicate they will this election we might see the end of the Republican party as it is today and will get to see the dawning of a new day for the party.  Hopefully a better and stronger Republican party that will not stand for such things at any cost. 

Apparently the Republicageddon will be televised in a half-hour infomercial paid for by contributions to the Obama campaign.

All of the Republican rhetoric of the past few months stomped out by the McCain campaign.  I will get to that in a minute, but I am not sure what will be worse for the Republican Party a loss in a week or an unlikely win.  I believe that most of the American public (excepting the most diehard Republican “fans) already had a pretty good idea about much of all of this, but I think it is simply a vindication of the media that has been taking the brunt of the blame for creating these perceptions.

In case you have not heard all of this, there are endless reports of dissention in the McCain ranks centering on Governor Palin.  The hero of the Republican party is now a “rogue” “diva” candidate undermining the McCain campaign.  The pride and joy of the campaign has become the poster child for the statement “Pride cometh before the fall.”

The latest episode has to do with the fact that Sarah Palin decided to write her own script and inadvertently distract attention from the campaign by not letting the clothing argument die.  The campaign over the past couple of days has drifted from “The Testing of Barack Obama” and “Joe the Plumber” to “Sarah the Rogue Diva.”

CNN has been reporting that members of the McCain camp are saying she has no relationships of trust with anyone in the campaign or even her own family.  That she sees herself as the beginning and end of all wisdom.  She is being described using words such as “diva” and “rogue” and on and on.

That however, is not the serious statements, those are just the entertainment to warm us up for the real bombs.  We all remember the Katie Couric interview and some other early appearances where she looked lost.  Then, after all of the talk about Senator Obama as some kind of rock star, the main defense for her presence on the campaign trail is her popularity.   Then came all of the “media bias” talk about the sexism and the evil “leftwing” media trying to paint her as someone who has no idea what is going on and has no business running for vice president.

Now suddenly, sources of many of these arguments in her defense, are turning one-eighties from within the McCain Campaign.  There are reports that members of the McCain camp are saying that she had a lack of understanding on some fundamental key issues on a level one person called “dramatic.”  Another described her as the hardest candidate to get up to speed in history.

The rhetoric is still there about how she is being picked on or that people are being mean and sexist, and on and on.  Let me spell this out.  THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW HER BEST POLITICALLY ARE NOW SAYING THESE THINGS!

Again the Republican Party is doing the worst job of damage control imaginable.  The polls show that people believe she is not qualified and is hurting Senator McCain, the media has been leaning that way, Republican Party members have one by one been leaning that direction, she is found guilty of previous ethics violations while on the campaign, she holds a rally for herself a week before the election when the actual candidate is behind in all polls, and now the leadership within the campaign is verifying what the public has been suspecting all along. 

The weird part is the Republican folks are all over the media still rallying support around her far more than anything they are doing for Senator John McCain.   

It is like a ship with a hole in it.  The crew keeps trying to patch the hole but on the other side of the ship there is one crew member who keeps cutting holes on the other side of the ship.  The crew keeps having to patch the new holes and is constantly being distracted from patching the original hole.  The ship is sinking and now the “rogue” crewmember keeps punching more holes in the ship.   If you were on the ship, what would you do with that crewmember?  Apparently in the Republican camp has decided that the solution to the holes is to blame the mean people on the other boats.

The problem here is not policy and that is why nobody is focusing on policy, the problem is “WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY DOING IN THE REPUBLICAN CAMP?”  This is the question that those of us who are not Republican are wondering and that is what the media is covering.  Most of us are satisfied that Senator Joe Biden is not the best candidate in the world, but he is savvy enough to be a vice-president.  He is no longer interesting. 

But boy, when you spend all of your time getting your clips on television attacking somebody and complaining you turn even the person who is actually in the lead into the underdog and should not wonder why so many are so interested in seeing these Republican candidates beaten. 

The Presidential race is rolling on, the economy is in the tank, we are still at war in two places and there are several places that we could be at war with at any minute and what happens next seems to rest on the shoulders of some folks known as independent voters.  Who are these people?

Here is how I have been shown the basic makeup of our political system…

Social &..................... Economic..........................Economic..................Social &

Economic...................Conservatives......................Liberals.....................Economic

Liberals.......................Social...............................Social........................Conservatives

...................................Liberals.............................Conservatives...............................

LEFT <------------------------------------{*}--------------------------------------> RIGHT

Democrats ..............(Libertarians)........................................................... Republicans

The key to understanding the middle is the two groups located near the middle of this chart.  The assumption in many people’s estimation is that we all neatly fit into either extreme or we are somehow not as educated or understanding of politics for some reason.  In reality what you have is a difference of opinion on what is truly important from either extreme. 

Because we tend to view American politics as a two party system the groups near the middle tend to not associate themselves to a party fully bet most often vote to the side that they appear on above.  The social aspects of our society and thee social viewpoints of the voter, tend to drive the side they choose when voting on an issue or for a candidate.  Thus, Social Liberals tend to the left and Social Conservatives tend to the right.

The truth is however that the groups near the middle always feel that they have sacrificed some ideal for another one in the interest of the greater good no matter how they decide to vote.

The problem comes when a subject such as the economy plays a big role in the picture.  Now these people near the middle have to look to the other side of the chart to satisfy their feelings on the economy while attempting to close their eyes to what is normally their main concern, the social agenda. 

Why is all of this important to this election?  I think this might demonstrate a very simple reason behind why the pools are so slanted in Senator Obama’s favor.  The Republican Presidential and Vice-presidential candidates have been speaking the language of Social and Economic Conservatives (also known as Republicans) with a fervor seldom seen in campaigns. 

They have basically ignored the group (really groups) that all along have been described as the ones that will make or break this election year and may have alienated the “Economic Liberals Social Conservatives” group in manner that may have them leaning to left for a while to come.

The Obama Campaign has done a good job of finding ways to appeal to these middle groups and to unify the more left leaning voters.  The key being that a candidate does not have to satisfy everything a person in one of the groups in the middle wants just whatever those groups find to be the most important at the time.

The only surprise in all of this is that the “Economic Conservatives Social Liberals” group is not gravitating to the right with Senator McCain.  I would have to say that the tying of Senator McCain to the largely unpopular Bush administration coupled with the dislike a person who is a social liberal would have for many of the campaign tactics and attacks of the McCain camp have driven these people to stay with the group that they tend to run with anyhow.

I am an Economic Liberal Social Conservative type of guy and would normally be a McCain supporter, but have been driven away by the terrible nature of the campaign and the insanity that is Republican politics in 2008.  I am not sure there is time left for the Republican ticket, but I am absolutely convinced that the damage to the republican party (particularly with voters in these middle groups) is massive and will be lasting.  I hope Republicans can look at this and regroup or we will be stuck with a one-sided, left-leaning government for years until things get so out of hand that the pendulum swings the other direction.

Rush Limbaugh.  You know there is trouble when something starts with that name.  Today he rallied the “Republican Extremists” by saying that Colin Powell (normally a Republican) is voting for Senator Barack Obama because he is African American and that is the only reason. 

• There is no possibility that he could be disgruntled at what he has seen over the past few years. 
• There is no possibility that he really thinks that the campaign tactics that Senator McCain has undertaken were over the top. 
• There is no chance that he actually watched and studied the candidates and picked who he thought was a better candidate. 
• There is no chance that he actually thinks Barack Obama is going to better handle the campaign. 
• There is no chance he has not bought the rhetoric and nonsense of the Republican Party. 

All of those are absolutely impossible.  How is it that all of these things are absolutely impossible and the only possibility is that this man is voting for Senator Obama, simply because he is African American?   It would be different if he were saying it was just a factor or it may have pushed him over the edge but to say that was the only reason is to say in effect that the only way an African American person could vote for Senator Obama is because such a person could not be as Mr. Limbaugh.  Because intelligent African American people could never disagree with the Republican Party.   

Seriously folks?  Who pulled the race card again? 

When the race issue comes up because of this person voicing such stupid ideas I suppose that the (fundamentalist) Republican Party will suddenly cry foul and say the Democrats are pulling the race card.  Let me say this clearly – RUSH LIMBAUGH JUST PULLED THE RACE CARD!

“Would Colin Powell endorse Senator Obama if he were a white Democratic?”  That is the question Pat Buchanan asked on television.   

Let me say this clearly – PAT BUCHANON JUST PULLED THE RACE CARD!

How come nobody ever says that maybe Pat Buchanan and Rush Limbaugh wouldn’t vote for McCain if he were an African American candidate.  It seems like similar speculation to me. 

These things are okay with the “Evil, Right Wing media” that allows such offensive things and thinks that anyone that is not comfortable with such things is somehow oversensitive and influenced by the crazy right wing media.

In the past few weeks there has been racist newspaper adds from the Republican Party, racist publications, outburst of anger, hate and racism at rallies, church and spiritual abuse and manipulation and these incredibly aggravating robo-calls.  I can’t possibly see why anyone wouldn’t see how there is this big plot of the Left Wing to make the Right Wing look bad.  Why do we need a plot when both sides do such a good job of making themselves look bad?

Us real Americans (that miraculously may not only live in the small towns Sarah Palin visits) who serve our country and die, fight in wars, pay our taxes (unlike this Joe the plumber person who we are tired of hearing about – but it’s okay the local plumbers union seems to support Obama), try our best to raise our children here, can read and write.  Some of us are intelligent enough to know when we are being manipulated and don’t stand for it.  Some of us have a little money, a little influence and do vote.  The key is some of us, who Republicans keep calling the unreal Americans (which is very offensive to those of us who do not live in small towns or play hockey consider ourselves to be like pit-bulls) do not feel like people like this can bully us around.  The Republicans may or may not win this presidential race, but they will inevitably lose far more political power than already lost over this campaign.  There are some Republican politicians that I would have normally voted for who have already lost my vote and John McCain is dangerously close. 

The way both candidates are running we now have our own running of the bulls that we must all run from or be killed but it is the running of the “bull.”  Or better put the “Unleashing of the Idiots.”   We are the greatest nation in the world, how do we get such idiots as politicians and then support them as if they are not idiots.

I may only be one voice, but the key is I am not the only one and this has moved from a discomfort to a cause.  It is a shame that as a person who is diametrically opposed to many things that the Left stands for I may become a person who is more diametrically opposed to what the Right stands for than the Left.  I guess that is where the middle is going to be and soon the people in the middle who tend to the Right (like me) and those who tend to the left are going to have to come together and seek our political voice and bring change from the stupidity that both of these candidates and those who support them have unleashed on our nation. 

By the way, could somebody please slap the next person who uses the words “Joe the Plumber” no matter which party that person comes from.  Joe the Campaign Plant or Joe the Liar (who doesn’t pay his taxes, is not buying any business, and the business he works for makes nowhere near $250k a year) is more like it.  All Americans are not plumbers or in McCain-Palin world. 

I’m a rugby-dad and you wanna know the difference between a rugby-dad and a pit-bull?  If you tick me off I’ll never let go and I have a worse temper!

Semper Fidelis

1. Challenged The idea that any person who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour is saved (even if that person doesn't properly understand God's desires (as of yet)
2. You have implied that somehow Islamic Law has more authority than what is outlined in the Bible ("according to Islamic Law he is a Muslim." your exact words in opposition to his statement to the contrary)
3. You have demonstrated that somehow a person who has a disagreement with another professing Christian's interpretation of scripture (correct or incorrect) has the right and authority to publicly question that person's salvation.
4. You have called upon the fear of those in Islam to convince us that somehow Senator John McCain is the Godly choice for our nation effectively putting all of God's eggs in the McCain basket - what happens if he becomes president and is nowhere as Godly as we make him out to be (history shows that this could most likely be the case) the church again looks collectively crazy and sets the stage for loosing more political influence than ever before (winning the battle at the expense of losing the war)
5. You have used a page and a half of scary statements to take the worst most evil doctrines of Islam, tie them to a person who proclaims himself to be Christian, and manipulate those easily influenced by such tactics to believe that God wants them to vote for John McCain as God's messenger for the next four years.

Obama Foodstamp

1 comment

“This is what keeps African-Americans from joining the Republican Party," said Sheila Raines, a member of a San Bernardino County Republican group. "I'm really hurt. I cried for 45 minutes. I would have to say it is one of the things that will keep mixed independents from voting for the party also (that would be me).
What makes somebody who is an African American member of the Republican party get this offended. Possibly the picture in the local Republican newsletter (Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated) with Senator Barack Obama on what appears to be a ten dollar foodstamp surrounded by a bucket of chicken, watermelon, Koolaid, and ribs.
When is someone going to calm the Republican Party down? This is getting so much bigger than this election. In the past twenty four hours I have heard and seen more angry Republican faithful and more angry Republican blogs and emails than I could have ever imagined was possible.
I have some understanding of the current feelings (as I tend to lean slightly right of the middle), but the party is shooting itself in both feet and the head with all of this chaos. Thos who are not far to the right are finding it very hard not to think the whole party has not lost it’s collective mind. Then early reporting states that the woman responsible (in the near Los Angeles region of California) did not think the image of Senator Obama with chicken, watermelon, and ribs would be offensive. Oh I pray that there will be a report tomorrow that this was a hoax.
You can blame the media coverage, the Democrats or whoever, but whatever is happening; it is going to soon leave us with a one party government if this is not toned down quickly. I am not even sure if the most left people in the universe would want that to happen.
The Republicageddon is upon us and I really do not want to see it happen nor can we afford it to happen. I hope and pray that someone with some sphere of influence within the Republican Party would calm all of this down before this escalates.
Those who are Democrats, please remain calm and do not escalate this any more than it needs to be. Both sides need to calm down.
Again, we have really big problems right now as a nation without adding insanity like this.

I have just viewed the last debate and watched the polls.  I was very impressed by Senator McCain’s performance and was overtaken with interest by the fact that some issues actually were addressed. 

Senator John McCain came on strong but started to seem a little cheap and gimmicky to me with this “Joe Plumber” nonsense.  The first half of the debate almost unanimously all agree was a win for McCain and probably the high point of his campaign.  I was kind of surprised at how good his performance was but on the other hand thought it was about time considering all of his experience.  Senator Obama seemed to be sticking to the plan of any candidate with that big of a lead at this point:  Just don’t mess up.

Then we hit the Acorn and Ayers conversation which seemed to energize Senator Obama and to scramble Senator McCain’s footing.  From there he seemed angry and actually kind of grumpy from that point until his (very strong) close.

I do not agree with the polls I have seen in that I think it was either a tie or a very close win for Senator Obama.  The pools all gave a landslide victory to Senator Obama.

I was pondering why and was confronting the reality.  Senator McCain needed a huge game changer and did not even come close to getting it and I am not sure that he (or those in his campaign) has any idea how to do that at this point.  The polls probably already reflect the reality of how the voters are leaning.  The most important statistic I saw was the over fifty percent of the independent voters that gave the debate to Senator Obama.  That may be the backbreaker.

I do have one insight to offer.  I noticed in the previous debates that Senator McCain seemed to be focused on the message of I am good and Obama is bad while Senator Obama was able to make similar statements seemed to have a message that said I am thinking about you out there watching on television.  That alone will adjust the statistics and give people the feeling that there is a better connection with Senator Obama.  That might explain the polls where people seem to be trusting Senator Obama on things that nobody thought anyone would trust him on.  I think there was less of that this time, but far more of Senator McCain’s temper which seemed to be barely held at bay for much of the second half of the debate.  One channel was keeping the camera on both men when one was speaking and his reactions were almost disturbing at times.

What do you do now if you are John McCain and there is nineteen days left, you have just lost three debates in a row, the polls are beginning to pummel you, and the CNN map thing says Senator Obama already has enough electoral votes to win the election?

First, you stop the attack campaign; there have rarely been worse results for any campaign tactic as we have seen for this over that past few weeks.

Next, I would have my economic advisors working night and day for some earth shattering plans and solutions for the economy that I could introduce by this weekend that would make economists say “Wow, what a plan!”

I would educate Governor Sarah Palin on the new plan and have her talk about it and how it is better than Senator Obama’s plan.

The biggest thing to do is to study the tapes of this debate and do more of whatever he did in the first half of the debate and less of (if not stop altogether) whatever he did in the second half of the debate.

There is still time, but if the campaign stays on the same course I fear watching the McCain campaign might be a bit like watching the Titanic sink in slow motion.  Then of course there is still the outside chance that Senator Obama could make some terrible mistake and blow the whole deal.

All said, this was a bit better of a debate, but I fear that again Senator McCain did not come close to doing enough and may have missed any chance of winning (plus I have to admit he looked like a case study in beginning anger management).

Maybe he should make friends with Chris Buckley and possibly get him his job back at his father’s paper.