Photo:  State Historical Society of Missouri

He was befriended by presidents, artists, industrialists and European royalty and was the first American writer given a cultural status as lofty as a president or a general.  Mark Twain was the most widely known pen name to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835 – 1910.  He was so popular he was constantly photographed, enjoying the attention.

“The rule is perfect:  In all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane.” – Mark Twain

A hundred years later both political parties of the Republicans and the Democrats continue to adhere to Twain’s observation.  How many times have we witnessed both parties accusing their adversary as crazy, insane, stupid, and on an idiot’s mission? Of course, it is usually prefaced with, “My good friend” and in the silent underlying subtext:   “who is an idiot and doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

Appealing to the emotional hot button of denigration works every time to manipulate the masses, sidelining them to ignore facts and reason as their emotions have been heartily massaged so they now feel superior to whomever they just stripped of their humanity.

“Man is the only animal that blushes.  Or needs to.” - Mark Twain

Do you ever wonder what a voice from America’s past would have to say about the present condition of our politics in 2008?  How would Mark Twain comment regarding how both parties’ nominees have cheated their way through caucuses and primaries? They have pushed aside the honest leaders in their parties. They and their handlers slap themselves in congratulations for choosing the practice of “the ends justify the means.”  They think they have the public hoodwinked into believing they are delivering messages from heaven on high (Republican) or from the highest moral ground (Democrat).

“In religion and politics, people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, and without examination.” – Mark Twain

  

Mark Twain on the porch at Quarry Farm, Elmira, New York. 

Photo:  Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies

Long before today’s digital technology or the analog of our recent past, it was Mark Twain who wryly observed human nature.  Like an ancient Grecian Oracle of Delphi he prophesied our millennium elections of 2000, 2004 and now 2008:

“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable.” – Mark Twain

Eight years ago a virulent strain of Republicanism reared its ugly head and plagiarized the CIA playbook of how to topple a government.  For 50 years, by their own admission, the Republicans have plotted and planned to dismantle the American government, behaving as anarchists while claiming to be patriots.  Primarily, they are a group who does not believe in government for they do not wish to be fettered by it.  It took this new millennium to realize their dream and, now, their dream has become a harsh reality, especially for the middle class. 

The Republicans are befuddled as how to spin the blame for the careening financial markets’ current rapid downward spiral since it is causing a widening global depression.  Political and business market corruptors create these economic firestorms when, like a manipulative lover delivering the cold shoulder, they stiff-arm accountability.

“You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” - Mark Twain

The Republican belief system doesn’t hold room in its heart for government regulation or enforcement to prevent economic crashes.  It continues to hold dear the philosophy that “the markets will correct themselves.”  Of course the markets will correct themselves over time, a whole lot of time. 

Without a strong hand at the wheel of America’s presidency - a person who is experienced, knowledgeable, and a good student of government - the reality is that we are looking at as long as twenty years of corrections for change comes slowly, constantly resisted by greedy human nature.  It will be a long tug of war.

“Education:  that which reveals to the wise, and conceals from the stupid, the vast limits of their knowledge.” – Mark Twain

A case in point is the insanely proposed legislation introduced by big business for the taxpayers to take over all the liabilities of the brokerage houses and banks, abandoning taxpayers to the unlikely prospect of recouping their unwise investment.  Now overseas banks want to feed voraciously at the American treasury trough – even while our treasury is drained by years of excessive war expenses.  To the old boys’ network I say:  “Money doesn’t grow on trees.  The American middle class is tapped out.  Look elsewhere.”

Will Americans wean themselves off of candidates promoted by big business money? Should those TV and radio ad messages be altered to proclaim, “And Big Business approved this message!”?  Historically, the Republicans always sold their souls to big business since to them it is not a conflict of interest or their political philosophy to manage a government and then turn around and dismantle it according to lobbyists’ whims, as evidenced in the Bush energy debacle. 

As an example of secretly dismantling the government without Congressional approval or oversight, Republicans cleverly re-wrote federal agency definitions, producing the crippling of agencies such as FEMA from acting in a timely manner during national disasters, ineptly resulting in the risking of many lives.  The time honored tradition to hamstring government is to slash funding, and, in the Republicans case, they cavalierly scattered funding, rendering agencies useless and unable to act.

How are these two political parties now different one from the other, voters, particularly those who live in the suburbs like me, are asking?

Beginning with the Clintons introducing big business money into the Democratic Party, Obama has increased this practice exponentially to frightening proportions.  The Clintons and Obama have unwisely dragged the Democratic Party into the same quagmire as the Republicans:  a lack of viable integrity and a loss of freedom to govern wisely.

When almost one half billion dollars is spent to secure an American presidency we have to ask ourselves many questions:  What do these special interests want from the next President?  Why is it so important to them to spend this kind of outrageous money to get it?  Can we, as a nation, any longer afford to give it to them? 

Almost 65% of America is struggling to pay its bills.  Almost 70% of this country is middle class.  What does that look like to you? 

Hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, fires in the West, floods in the Midwest, blizzards and flooding in the Northeast, subprime mortgage crisis, jobs sent overseas, food and gas prices constantly rising like a rapid creeping flood inside your house, financial markets’ downward spiral, oil shortages, home foreclosures, business interruptions from natural disasters like hurricanes, and downsizing the income of a current job have all contributed to the rocky status of the middle class, now in extreme crisis.  Of the two million people who lose their homes this year they will most likely be unable to have another home for as long as 10 years, maybe never again, as markets and banks tighten up and restrict who can qualify. 

The media tries to browbeat suburban white voters, screaming they are racists for a no confidence vote about Obama.  The reality is that suburban voters are not comfortable with an inexperienced man only on the federal level just long enough to spend all that time running for president.  The country is in deep crisis on many fronts and this is not the propitious time for a neophyte to be elected President. 

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” - Mark Twain

Nor are suburbanites comfortable with McCain, a man from the party that doesn’t believe in good government.  The belief is that he will give them more of the same misery as the past eight years, perhaps yielding a somewhat moderated form of misery.  Misery is misery.

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” – Mark Twain

 

1902.  Photo:  State Historical Society of Missouri

Voters in the suburbs are frustrated, angry, and fearful.  Voters in the suburbs desire immense change to get America back on the right path.  Suburbanites don’t like extremists or the polarized parties that have proven to be an ineffective Congress and Presidency.  They twiddle their thumbs while the middle class loses ground financially.  Savings are dried up, pension plans in peril or evaporated, little job protection or none at all in so-called “right to work states.”  The politicians actually wonder why the masses are restless.  The middle class is worried they will drop down into poverty, and, rightly so. 

 “It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress.  Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress.  But I repeat myself.” - Mark Twain

Voters who don’t vote at all or wait until just the Presidential general election helped cause this mess.  The unwillingness to be engaged to separate the fact from the fiction in these campaigns has created a political world steeped in what amounts to propaganda, misinformation, outright lies, misdirection, clever half-truths, and the quiet soft-pedaling of harsh reality.

Voters who do not participate in the primary process have enabled extremist politicians who do not appeal to the majority of the country, hijacking both mainstream parties.  If you don’t tend the garden, weeds will grow up and choke out the beauty.

Voters who are lazy or apathetic have allowed moneyed interests to freely purchase our government, bringing all of us a world of hurt.  Now that we can plainly see all around us just how destructive these moneyed influences have become isn’t it time to take back our government?

Traditionally, the majority of America votes mainstream – either Republican or Democrat, never a glance at a minority like an Independent.  This year there could easily be a dramatic climate change. There was a time when a minority political party candidate did not stand a snowball’s chance in hell.  Today?  The weather forecast in the suburbs is hell just froze over. 

The media is no longer the watchdog for Americans but rather, with a very few notable exceptions, has been the fawning lap dog of this White House the past eight years.  Their credibility has evaporated yet they continue to drive one candidate over the other.  That bias is viewed with great suspicion throughout America’s suburbs where many are left wondering:  What’s in it for the media?  How do they profit?

As suburban voters agonize over their choices for President they are at an impasse, not comfortable with either mainstream candidate because both are owned by big business.There is one man of integrity left standing, an Independent:  Ralph Nader. 

For over four decades there has been one loyal government watchdog here in America.  This candidate, represented on the ballot in most states as an Independent, has championed men, women, children, minorities, Republicans and Democrats.  He has helped the entire country.  He has a long resume of championing all Americans on many levels.  “Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government.” (Wikipedia) Yet he continues to be shoved to the side by the big business media.

“The radical of one century is the conservative of the next.  The radical invents the views.  When he has worn them out the conservative adopts them.” - Mark Twain

This just may be the time when lynchpin voters in the suburbs decide to cast their vote outside the mainstream, in protest weaning themselves off of candidates championed by big business.  The desire for monumental change shouts so great that in the 2008 presidential election independent suburban voters will powerfully forge a paradigm shift in America.

“Always do right.  This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” - Mark Twain

Needless to say, Sarah Palin's political stands and ideologies both appeal to some people and repel others as well. Knowing about these major political stands, however, will help every American decide who to vote for or against. For those who are not yet fully aware of Palin's positions on social and political issues, here are some of her main beliefs:

Mrs. Palin supports Bush policies regarding the war in Iraq. As of this writing, the extent of her support for the Bush war policy is still quite vague. When asked by the Alaska Business Monthly regarding how she felt about Bush's suggestion to send more troops to Iraq, Palin answered in general terms. She stated that she "supports our president" and that she's very proud of the American troops currently deployed there (including her son, Track, who enlisted in the army on September 11, 2007). On the other hand, Palin also confessed that she hasn't "really focused much on the war on Iraq". She also favors an exit plan (which hasn't been defined clearly at this point), and she wants assurances that the American troops deployed in Iraq are "safe" (another vague statement, because in a war, nobody is totally safe).

Palin has a more naturalistic approach to global warming, and does not attribute climate change as being man made. Although she did not fully elaborate her position on global warming as strongly as Al Gore did a few years ago, her brief opinion about the issue was enough to gain support from some sectors, and at the same time, raise eyebrows from others.

She believes that President Bush failed to tap America's vast oil resources, particularly in her constituent state of Alaska. She attributes this failure partly to the fact that the current U.S. Congress is not "Republican controlled".

Palin claims to be pro-life. On the issue of abortion, she believes that every baby is "created with a future and potential", and that legislature should do all it can to protect them. She only favors abortion in the event that the mother's life is in danger, and there should be a mandatory parental consent.

Sarah Palin has been generally regarded as a social conservative. She is firm about her stand against same sex marriage. She supports capital punishment. She doesn't favor explicit sex education in schools. According to her, sex education in schools should only be limited to "abstinence only" information. In a recent interview, she said that she sees herself as a conservative both fiscally and politically. The question is, will these political stands ultimately help the McCain campaign, or will she indirectly and unintentionally swing thousands or even millions of votes to the Democrats? Only time will tell.

(*Direct quotes and paraphrases courtesy of Newsmax.com, Wikipedia.org, and Yahoo! News)

There is no doubt in my mind that Joe Biden isn’t capable of running the Oval Office. How stupid can you get? John McCain must not know politics. You can’t get a dark horse at a time like this. The media, let alone the Democrats are going to tear this Sarah Palin apart. Matter of fact, they already are. He literally handed O’bama the presidency on a platter. I meant this was a major risk. Hypothetically, if all the Republicans and the other voters who want change were to embrace Palin. I really don’t see her being able to withstand Biden. McCain has given the swing states to O’bama. McCain is not going to get those battleground electoral votes. There’s not enough time for the people to get a feel for her. She’s not a Hillary Clinton.

It appears as if McCain was trying to connect with young voters, Hillary’s voters, and women. But think of this. Although he attempted to do that, it was not those same elements that made the American people love Hillary. It was her experience and yes, the fact that her husband is a former president helped her. What do we say about Palin? She is an unknown governor of Alaska. It’s as if McCain is in fairy land. It will take a real miracle for him to pull this one off. Your VP should complement you, not bring attacks. The race is too close for McCain’s last minute gamble. That being said, McCain has lost the presidency to Barack O’bama!

According to a report released by NBC, at the Democratic National Convention, delegates voted overwhelmingly for Obama, with Clinton delegates either switching to Obama or McCain, once it became clear that Clinton's delegate deficit was insurmountable. States voted one by one in favor of giving Obama the nod to go against McCain and when it was time for New York, Clinton's home state, to declare their presidential candidate, Clinton used the proceedings to halt the role call that some of her most ardent supporters had demanded, giving Obama more than enough delegates to claim the nomination.

An emotional Obama accepted the nomination in 75000 raucous supporters at the Pepsi Center, home of the Denver Nuggets, saying, “This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American dream alive”. After the roar subsided, Obama continued, addressing 2 fundamental problems: the economy and the war in Iraq: “We meet at one of those defining moments: a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil and the American promise has been threatened once more”.

That was the positive side of Obama. He also wasted no time in slamming his Republican opponent, John McCain: “We are the party of Roosevelt (FDR). We are the party of Kennedy (JFK). So don't tell me that democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans, Democrats and Republicans, have built and we are here to restore that legacy”. Obama has committed a major gaffe here. Kennedy (both JFK and his brother Robert, attorney general at the time of his assassination) were killed so they never had a chance to prove much on security. Also, FDR was far more interested in economic reform instead of security.

Obama continued his barrage on McCain as a Bush clone: “John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but, really, what does it mean when you think (that) George Bush was right 90 percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not (?) ready to take a 10 percent chance on change”. Hang on. This could be a major GAFFE onn Obama's part. If people give only a 10% rating to “change”, why would they vote for Obama? Surely, this group of people will vote for McCain. Also, voting with anyone is better than voting “present” which Obama has a track record of doing.

It also appears as if Obama said “John McCain” too many times. Consider this next quote: “I love this country and so does John McCain”. Here, Obama has made a huge mistake because McCain can argue that “I love America more than Obama does and I have a proven track record showing this” and Obama can't counter because as McCain and his supporters will say, McCain's track record covers more than 2 decades while all Obama has is a bunch of speeches and he may not be able to keep all of his lofty promises. Obama also remarks that “These are the policies (that) I will pursue (i.e. the policies that he had outlined earlier). I look forward to debating them withJohn McCain. But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions (solely) for political purposes. Because one of the things (that) we have to change in our politics is that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism. The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country and so do you and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve IN OUR BATTLEFIELDS may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America, they have served the United States of America”. So, Obama said “John McCain” 3 times in 1 paragraph and even added “in our battlefields” for good measure. Presumably, this includes Iraq. Hang on. Didn't Obama say that he was a vehement opponent of the Iraq war for years? Why is he suddenly changing his stance now?, the DNC wouldn't be complete without a few celebrities to jazz things up withAcademy Award winner Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem and star gymnast Shawn Johnson reciting The Pledge of Allegiance, as if to say to McCain “We've got star power. Where's yours?”

Gaffes aside, praise for Obama came from both black and white, Democrat and Republican. Rep. John Lewis, who was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, praised Obama by making a reference to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: “We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. On Nov. 4, we must march in every state, in every city, in every village, in every hamlet, we must march to the ballot box. We must march like we've never marched before, to elect the next president of the United States, Sen. Barack Obama”. Hang on. Obama doesn't have King's track record yet!

McCain also congratulated Obama, perhaps putting negative politics/campaigning on the back burner for a day, perhaps, sort of. On a placard for Obama, McCain wrote “Job well done”. Orally, McCain told Obama “Senator Obama, this is truly a good (but “not great”) day for America. Too often, the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, congratulations. How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we'll be back at it. But, tonight, Senator, job well done”. McCain's message is 2-pronged/double-edged. On one hand, he is telling Obama “Good job”, but at the same time, McCain is saying, “Senator, don't start partying too early. Tomorrow, we get down and dirty again (i.e. back to politics again, full-time).

Former president Clinton, reversing course sharply, offered Obama a ringing endorsement: “Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore America's leadership in the world”. Obama is “ready to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be(come) president of the United States”. With Bill Clinton, we have to say “Hm”, because he was one of Obama's most vocal critics during the primaries and caucuses, but he wasn't a very positive influence for his wife either. So, is he doing this merely to appear as if he supports Obama?

Then, the anti-McCain rhetoric started with Democratic chairman Howard Dean (Howard Dean? You've got to be kidding!) saying “Senator McCain, I know exactly how many houses I own”. This is a straight response to the McCain response to a question posed by ABC. In response, McCain initially replied “I'll have my staff get to you”. Oh my goodness. McCain must be a rich kid on the block if he doesn't know how many houses he owns or can't keep track of them. So, on this issue, the edge is with Obama who, like most people, OWN ONE HOUSE, suggesting that McCain is out of touch and doesn't understand the plight of ordinary citizens.

Former Vice-President continued the anti-McCain rhetoric: “Today, we face essentially the same choices we faced in 2000. John McCain, a man who has earned our respect on many levels, is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House and promising to actually continue them, all over again”. Gore is painting McCain as a Bush clone/puppet. The most significant word in Gore's statement supporting Obama is “now”, implying that McCain was OK until he openly supported Bush & Cheney and because of this, McCain is in trouble.

To top everything off.

In a symbolic show of unity on Wednesday night, delegates united behind Obama who became the first African American presidential nominee in American history.

Barack Obama had done it, surviving numerous controversies, most notably his former disgraced pastor, Jeremiah Wright's fiery anti-American rants, to reach the epitome of the Democratic Party.

There were wild cheers. Tears flowed, especially when former Obama rival Hillary Clinton, ordered a stop to the role call vote that many of her supporters demanded, in a last gasp effort to sway superdelegates and win the nomination.

It just wasn't to be. Voters had spoken during Obama's 11-state winning streak. Superdelegates decided. This is Obama's time in the spotlight.

Obama started by introducing his running mate, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, describing his pride in “the whole Biden family on this journey with me to take America back”. It sounds like Obama is suggesting that the US has been “stolen” by Republicans.

Accepting the vice-presidential nomination bestowed on him, Biden said “And I realized (that) he has tapped into the oldest American belief of all. We don't have to accept a situation (that) we cannot bear. We have the power to change it”, in effect joining Obama's “change” bandwagon.

States endorsed Obama one after the other. When it came time for New York to declare their presidential candidate, Clinton endorsed Obama and the proceedings were halted. In fact, Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton,offered Obama what seemed like a ringing endorsement: “Everything (that) I learned in my eight years as president and in the work I've done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the right man for this job”. Wait a minute. Clinton wasn't even positive all the time about his wife. So, he is probably saying all this stuff just so that John McCain won't win instead of true support for Obama.

Congratulations for Obama came from most of the most powerful Democrats:

• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "For the past eight years, the man in the Oval Office has tipped his hat over his eyes, kicked back his chair, and snoozed at his desk. Charged with protecting our national interests, he slept on duty while his vice president conspired with oil industry cronies. Tasked with cutting off funding to terrorists, he slept on duty while oil shortages worsened, oil prices soared, and dollars by the ton were delivered to terrorists' banks in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Faced with a new kind of war, this president and his vice president helped their friends the old-fashioned way: through war profiteering, tax cuts for billionaires, and in many cases out-and-out corruption."
• Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, a former presidential candidate: "No one can question Barack Obama's patriotism. Like all of us, he was taught what it means to be an American by his family: his grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line in World War II, his grandfather who marched in Patton's army, and his great uncle who enlisted in the army right out of high school at the height of the war. And on a spring day in 1945, he helped liberate one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald."
• Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright under Bill Clinton: "Senator McCain claims to already know everything a president needs to know, but the first qualification any leader needs to have is the ability to learn. We need a president who is not wedded to 20th century thinking, who can forge a network of power and principle that will keep America strong and safe in the 21st century." This is very interesting as a political veteran is supporting someone who could be classified as a virtual political novice. What's more interesting, Albright workedfor Bill Clinton, an Obama arch-nemesis, in the "90s
• Iraq war veteran and Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Penn.: "When I returned from Iraq, I realized we didn"t just need change over there, we also needed to change how we treat our veterans here at home. For eight long years, we've had a president who rushed to stand with soldiers at political rallies but abandoned them at Walter Reed. We've had a president who spent billions on private contractors but not on body armor for our troops. We've had a president who was there for the photo ops, but AWOL when it came to doing right by our veterans. It is time for a change." So Murphy is an Iraq war vet and part of Obama's target market (I.e. people Obama needs/wants to get).

I will check my mailbox periodically to collect all the checks you are mailing. A Brinks Armored Car will take them to the bank for me. While I wait for your checks to arrive, let's continue to discuss Hillary and her future with the Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton does not need Barack Obama and I personally believe the Democratic Party needs her more than she needs them, right now anyway. She can win a Presidential election without the block of voters who support Obama but will not support her. The gotcha is that Obama cannot win without the block of her supporters' votes that he is likely to lose. Her supporters that will not vote for him are greater than his supporters that will not vote for her. It is a numbers game and elections are all about the numbers.

It is surprising that more of the super delegates did not see the aforementioned truth when they were busy lining up behind Obama. It is a testimony to the number of super delegates who do not like the Clintons. It is also evidence that many of those super delegates are not in touch with the wishes of their party's majority. Those super delegates forgot that the final word comes from the masses that vote, not the supers themselves. Many of those supers have to count on the masses vote to get re-elected and some of them are in for a big surprise.

You can stir those two states that wound up with half their delegates being seated any way you want to stir them and I do believe that Hillary would have won the most votes in those states. She did in fact win the popular vote and the majority of the states that really matter in the general election. Granted, a few of those states will fall to Barack because the states vote overwhelmingly for democrats.

However, there is one or two states that he may lose and those could be the difference between election and a concession speech of his own. The Hillary factor could definitely make the difference in a couple of swing states. The first woman President's supporters may make a greater difference that a first black President's supporters. We need to stop dodging that race factor. There are more people in America who will not vote for a black person than there are people who will not vote for a woman.

Are those who will not vote for a black candidate racist… yes! Just like those who will not vote for a woman are chauvinistic. We can make race discrimination and gender discrimination illegal with as many laws as we want, but you cannot make someone who is a racist or a chauvinist walk into a voting booth and vote for a black candidate or a woman if they are prejudiced against either of them. Voting for the candidate of ones choice is something that sets us apart from many other nations on earth.

With respect to Hillary Clinton's place in the Democratic Party, it is cemented much more than the future of Barack Obama. She is solid in her Senate seat from the state of New York and is on some very powerful committees. She is in a position to make herself even more attractive to her party in 2012. The super delegates who abandoned her this time will clamber to her four years from now. That chosen messiah they cling to now does not walk on water and they will realize that on November 4, 2008.

Think about it, if McCain wins the White House and congress is still controlled overwhelmingly by Democrats the gridlock will make the McCain administration seem like a losing cause to America. It is unfortunate that Hillary's age will not let her wait eight more years, but the truth is, her age will be against her, as the age of McCain is against him now. Add that age factor to the male chauvinist factor and she will not be electable in 2016, but she does still have a shot in 2012. That campaign kicks off on Tuesday night in Denver. Expect to see a few protest signs that read that very thing.

Okay, I need to go check the mailbox now for the checks you are sending. If you do not see another column from me you will know I got multiple millions of dollars and Deborah and I are on the beach in Hawaii. Otherwise, I will write again very soon.

Not a bad move for the DNC, especially in a race like this. I wonder however, if Obama had lost, would we even be doing this?

Though we all hope to get past racial issues, the fact remains there are a lot of people out there still holding on to long-running beef that no minority is good enough, or smart enough to be President.

The facts are clear that Obama represents what the country look like today. And it surely doesn't look old and white.

And what's the most they can say about Obama now? OH, he's inexperienced. That's the same thing they've been saying about successful black men who apply for high profile jobs for years.

When they can't get you on education, family lifestyles, attitude, charisma, they can only say, “Sorry, you don't have enough experience”

Black America will NEVER have enough experience for mostly white-dominated jobs.

So yeah, I think it's great that Hillary will get her shot at the DNC to appease the supporters she carries because she did run a historical campaign but her history will have to wait.

She wanted to be the first woman president; Obama wants to be the first black president.

With the country only integrating 40 or so years ago, it's obvious what wounds we want to heal first.

America, get over it-she lost. That's just the facts to it all.

And besides, whether if Obama can do the job or not, America has already christened him. McCain has the fight of his life on his hands to even come close to winning. You can see the bias in the media. They're going to make him president one way or another.

And why? Why so much of a push?

Maybe folks look at Hillary more for what her husband did than what she can do for the country. Maybe she represents the 90s. Maybe they see Obama as a person that can bridge the diversity gap in the world. It could be dozens of things for what we know.

And we haven't seen her on the TV lately, but she has been pushing for Obama..It's like the media doesn't want to recognize it for nothing! She's playing her new position and maybe it's never going to be good enough. It's like Muhammad Ali and Frazier shaking hands at the end of the bout..Who wants to see that? We need beef. We need troubles. We need conspiracies..That's what' America is all about.

Now, the former first lady will speak on the second night, Aug. 26 - the 88th anniversary of the women's right to vote. I consider that nothing more than great spin so that people can't say they simply pacified the Clinton camp because they're sore losers. Either way it should be a good speech but like I said, if she goes into the whole “It was a hard fought battle to the end and…” blazy blazy blah…I'm turning the channel to Family Guy.

He outsmarted Hillary on just about every level her campaign could come up with. They include: constant mudslinging,attacks on his wife,his patriotism, inexperience, his former pastor's remarks and foreign policy to name a few. O'bama was still able to ride the tide of ridicule and advance unscathed. He definitely came from behind and won. I still say he's the underdog. I find it ironic that McCain has stated that he's the underdog and not O'bama. I don't believe that is possible because his party is in power and typically the party in power has no difficulty receiving his parties nomination. So quite naturally, he has not really survived the constant negative attacks that come from the media. Also, his visit to Iraq and other countries solidifies his political notebook. Barack O'bama has reached a level of political strategy never seen before. I hope he continues to make strides in our political process more positive. Let's wait and see.

 

Eloquent speech aside, speculation is rampant about who Obama's running mate will be. A “worst list” is already out with the likes of Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko, Geraldine Ferraro, Michael Pfleger and Bill Clinton (who ruined Hillary Clinton's campaign). Hillary Clinton has strong working class roots, as evidenced by her huge wins in California, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. So perhaps Obama should pick someone with Clinton's working class roots, but is less combative. Perhaps that “someone” is John Edwards?

I am sorry to say that George Carlin the comedian died yesterday in California. He is being remembered for seeing how much he could get away with before he was censored.
I would like to say a few things about George in tribute but they would all be censored.
So I will just say, @#$% ^%&* (*)&^ @#$% and #$@!

Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama are joining forces and hands to unify the Democratic Party. I thought Hillary was just holding Barrack's hand as he crossed the street. It is good to have someone over 21 along in case Barrack gets carded trying to buy some beer. Oh, I am not bitter about Hillary's loss, I just don't trust anyone that looks younger than 30 and has an idea but no concrete plan on how to get there. It's like leaving home to travel to a place that you have never been before without MapQuest. Go Democrats!

Poor Celine Dion received the "worst cover song of all time" from Total Guitar Magazine
for her "sacrilegious tune" of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long." The image of sweet Celine singing such a raunchy song is too much of a stretch for me. It would be like Donny Osmond singing Rod Stewart's,"Tonight's the Night." The song genre needs to match the style of the musician! After all, I wouldn't release, Mary Poppins singing "Rehab" either. That's a "No, no, no!" Some things just need to stay untainted. Check out this YouTube link of Celine doing a song she should never do again:

Good news about long-term oil prices is being reported on Yahoo. It seems that since the demand for oil is less, the prices may come down eventually. I said "may" of course. But the short-term might be dicey for a while as we all wait to see the damage to the corn/ethanol crop from the mid-western floods. Just so I never have to buy one of those ugly Prius cars, I can keep pushing my Escalade around town.

I am sorry if my honesty offends you. If I did not offend you I apologize and urge you to return to my column again tomorrow and I certainly will give it my best shot. You see sometimes, someone, somewhere has to stand up and speak the truth.

My friend "Bill", William Shakespeare once said "The world is a tragedy to those that
feel and a comedy to those that think." I find humor to be painfully honest and so did George Carlin. R.I.P.