A Landing Pad for Soaring Rhetoric

I'm a life long Republican and I have been trying to determine what it is about Obama that makes me want to vote for him.

Everyone says he is full of fluff, lacking details, simply offering lofty rhetoric. But I am a pretty logic based person, not usually swayed by flowery speeches. So I have sifted through the information that catches my eye and boiled it down. Along the lines of 'actions speak louder than words', here is what matters to me.

First, he pays his bills. Anytime there is a finance report put out he is the one candidate carrying no debt. He outspends every one and still pays his bills. It seems to me a pretty significant indication of fiscal responsibility. And Lord knows this country needs a leader who only spends within our means.

Second, he has found ways to raise money creatively. Its a three pronged approach really. Prong one, he seeks to register new voters, potraying his campaign as almost secondary to the goal of getting American citizens to embrace their right to vote.

The act of registering voters makes a political statement that indicates the candidate knows and respects the people he really works for. It fosters a sense of loyalty in these new voters and many of them become likely to cast their vote for him, which is really the second stop on the way to fundraising.

Because we all know that loyalty often translates to cash. And here is where he brings home his third step in the process. He actively asks for small donations, that the average voter does not find overwhelming. Historically people raising funds for various causes have all tried to drink from the same well, fancy fundraisers and rich people. Country Clubs see more politicians in a week than the average voter sees in a lifetime.

Obama has effectively drilled his own new well by recognizing that there are smaller increments of accessible funding out there which matter when they all add up.

Third, this process demonstrates his ability to strategize and 'think outside the box'. We should not underestimate the need for a leader who 'thinks outside the box'. Clearly our usual game plan is currently failing us miserably. We need a leader with fresh strategies, who sees things from a different perspective.

Fourth, his perspective on voters. Have you seen his political ads? Look at them carefully. They don't look like the usual political ads. No soundbites from other candidates, no emotional pictures of war, no gimmicks. The predominant stars in his ads are....general citizens, lots of them. Instead of messages to the voters, they are messages from the voters.

They don't attempt to tell voters what to think, rather they seem to be reporting what voters are thinking on their own. They portray him as more in touch with and connected to voters.

Its an indication of where his priorities lay and its a brilliant marketing strategy.

Fifth, he knows what to confront and what to blow off. Lapel pin? Yeah, sometimes I wear it sometimes I don't, enough said. Racial divide? Well, that needs a landmark speech. The man simply has good judgment about sorting out and prioritizing the important stuff from the junk.

Next...he is willing to confront tough stuff. That landmark speech about race relations in America is going to be studied in college classrooms for years. He said things that have been hanging in the air since Reconstruction, things that needed to be said so that we could all be challenged to move on from what is our greatest issue of division. That moment was akin to the end of Apartheid or the 'I Have a Dream' speech.

And.....he is calm and carries the demeanor of a level headed leader. Whatever has been thrown at him he has not bitten back. How easy would it have been to roast the Clintons....goodness knows the ammunition exists. And no I don't think he held it in because it was good for him. I think he held it in because that is his character.

He has made no snide sideways remarks that invoke assassinations or comparisons to failed and controversial campaigns.

He seems thoughtful, peaceful even. Maybe we have had enough discussion about kicking a#! and taking names. Maybe we need a little civility, a little calm on the International front.

His mouth has been where his money is. Simply put, he has worked his way up. He's the only candidate who has a long history of being in the trenches working with the poor, disenfranchised and average citizens. When it wasn't famous and didn't pay well he did the job anyway. Now he is asking for a newer version of the job he has done all along.

He didn't do social justice work for the poor and average citizens to earn points on the way to the Presidency, instead he wants the Presidency so he can continue that work.

Last, he apparently hires and manages good people. Often the best hallmark of a leader is how they hire. Great speech writers, great finance people, great strategists, great marketing, a great message and the ability to motivate and organize it all are the quintessential characteristics of a great leader.

If I was hiring for a CEO this candidate would be hard to beat. He's just what I'm looking for.

Meanwhile, Clinton and McCain use the same old tactics; look at my life in politics, let me highlight my competition in ads, let me call names politely. They are so busy talking at their competition that they have failed to talk to the American people. And instead of recognizing the difference in tactics and perhaps learning from it, they simply whine that Barack isn't using the same tactics they do.

His plan is winning, against great odds, theirs is losing. The American people can see the landing pad under the soaring rhetoric. And they like it.

What Barack Has Already Achieved

We are so busy looking for a nominee and then a President that we are at risk of too quickly overlooking a larger achievement that Barack Obama has already attained.

Yes, you understood me, larger than being the first black nominee of a major party or being the first black President.

Barack has forged a legacy. And it is imperative that its importance not be underestimated.

Even if the wheels came off his campaign tomorrow and he lost the nomination or the Presidency, his impact has been profound and in decades to come when we analyze political races we will talk about 'The Obama Effect'.

Barack has dared to do what many African Americans only dreamed could one day happen. White America forgets too quickly that Jim Crow Laws from 1876 - 1965 kept Black America disenfranchised from the political process. Imagine as a community having been freed only to lose the most significant privilege of that freedom, the right to participate fully in society, for the next 89 years.

Black Americans have only started to feel the full possession of their political rights since the late 1960's.

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was expressing the dreams of many African Americans when he called for a nation where his children would be judged by their character, despite the color of their skin.

America is even today, as each of us cast votes, deciding if we can and will do that. We are literally watching history unfold, testing our own character, our ability to deliver the final promises of the Emancipation Proclamation that the Executive Government of the United States would recognize the freedom of African Americans and do nothing to repress them in their efforts to realize that actual freedom.

Barack's campaign is a harbinger that African Americans are poised to finally cash in on those century old promises to realize their full and actual freedom.

Martin Luther King dreamt that in the states of Mississippi and Alabama and Georgia oppression would give way to whites and blacks who joined together to achieve common goals.

We cannot forget that in those three states specifically, Barack Obama earned the votes of millions, blacks and whites, and won the primaries. In the moment when he won those states he fulfilled a great portion of Martin Luther King's dream, of the African American dream.

Barack is bridging the final gap of disenfranchisment, the idea that Black America is free but not equal, the idea that power cannot be held by minorities.

Win or lose Obama has introduced us to the radical idea that Black America is once and for all truly free. He has drawn a historical line of demarcation. The political world is broken into two zones, the time before Barack and the time after.

In the years to come minority candidates will flood city councils, state senates, Congress. They will flood the American political scene with a renewed optimism about what America is willing to give them, with a stronger belief in what we have in common than in what differentiates us.

Should Barack win the White House, that ultimate house of power, prestige and gentility, it will have a profound and often unspoken psychological effect on all of us.

Women have for years lived with a picture of ultimate beauty that was shaped by the rich and powerful, and mostly white. Imagine the effect on young black women who grow up watching other young black women live in the White House. They will be accustomed to the concept that anything powerful and beautiful and gentile can also be black. They will have the advantage of growing up with images that encourage them to believe that they live with no limitations.

I cannot help but think of the beauty, talent, intellect and gifts we are all deprived of as long as African Americans are marginalized. Imagine how much more we can achieve when we are united.

I am reminded of the old saying 'none of us are free until we all are'. Perhaps we can really, finally, be free at least.

Dropping Out; How It Improves Hillary's Legacy

I know that sounds bizarre. Let me make it even more confusing by saying Hillary's biggest weakness is....Bill.

I know the going theory is that he is her biggest asset. And as is so often true, our greatest strength is our greatest weakness.

The buzz throughout the world is that if Hill was in, Bill would cause havoc. And I don't think we can underestimate that effect on her legacy.

Its true that Bill is a charismatic, powerful, fundraising machine with an arguably successful Presidency in his pocket. He was at least fiscally sucessful. Since the economy is the number one issue amongst voters, you would think Hillary would be cleaning up based on that one issue alone. The fact that she's not is an indication that either Bill's history isn't that important to voters, or other parts of his history are more important.

Bill's charisma which earned him the most powerful place in the world, also nearly cost him that spot when the 'charisma ray' was aimed at a young intern.

Lately I have been thinking about how Hillary is tough, smart, sensible. I respect her and find her to be a competent policitian.

But do you remember when Bill's scandal broke and we all thought she was the Tammy Wynette of the White House? She seemed angry, bitter, holding on by her knuckles, admittedly with good reason. But that distraction stripped her of all her businesslike demeanor, even if only for a moment. She became, in the eyes of the nation, merely one more struggling, older, jilted wife, a sad and pitied figure.

Of course many of us sympathized with her and understood her reaction. But the fact remains that Bill's actions exposed a side of her that is not what we have come to expect from a President.

If Hillary wins the Whitehouse and Bill causes the havoc that is ineveitable, new affairs, bossing staffers, pushing his opinion into policy, perhaps even end running Hillary on decisions when he is so sure he knows better, then what?

Do we revisit that sad pitied figure we met once before? Are left with the legacy that a woman can't really run the White House because she is forever distracted by running her personal house? Are we reintroduced to the Tammy Wynette of the Presidency?

This is why I think it would be better for Hillary's legacy if she dropped out now. Our picure of her as the tough savvy woman who almost made it would stand untarnished. She would earn a lasting reputation as the woman who paved the way for an eventual female Presidency. She would be credited with opening more doors than any female before her. She could bestow the mantle on the woman of her choosing who will eventualy make it.

In addition, she would achieve permanent status as perhaps the most powerful person, not just woman, in modern politics. She would be handed any post in the Democratic party that she sought.

So Hillary, I beg you, leave us now with the idea that there is a woman tough enough, smart enough, strong enough. Leave us now with that sense of respect for you, that cognitive dissonance that might leave us longing for a woman leader in the future. That longing, that desire to fulfill your dream through a surrogate, could push the next woman over the top.

Sometimes the dream is better than the reality. This is one of those times.

Ohio May be Hinting at the Obama VP

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has finally come to his sense (singular for a reason) and resigned. Rumors are that he was unaccepting of the message until deputies actually came to his office and started removing his items. We all need subtle hints here and there.

Ohio's much talked about Governor, Ted Strickland, is interviewing candidates for his replacement. One particular name has caught my attention.....Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher.

Hhhhmm, Fisher was Attorney General before, in the 90's, and did a fine job. But the move back to Attorney General seems unusual. It is at best a lateral transfer. Perhaps a small step up, but would remove him from the line of succession to the throne, so to speak, and he has said publicly that he'd like to be involved in state level politics again.

I'm beginning to wonder what this might tell us about the national race for the Presidency. In particular I wonder if the appointment of Lee Fisher to Attorney General would signal Barack Obama's VP choice. Follow me for a minute here.

The two largest swing states are Ohio and Florida. Almost noone believes Barack can get Florida. He just does not do well with older, Jewish and Hispanic voters. His inability to land Florida makes it imperative that he gets Ohio in the general election.

Political pundits are theorizing that Obama needs a Clinton supporter on the ticket to unite the Democratic party and keep her voters. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is an avid Clinton supporter.

Ted is also an older, white guy, 66, first in his family to attend college and born to factory working, poor, white folks in the Appalachian rust belt in Southern Ohio.

Barack has not done well with poor, rural and working class white voters.

Strickland was a longtime Congressman for the largest poor Appalachian district in Ohio. Where did he attend college? Kentucky.

He has a doctorate in psychology and besides being a prison psychologist he was a Methodist minister. When he ran for Governor a little more than a year ago he did so with the support of many Republicans, even some high profile Republicans who supported him publicly.

So lets check Barack's grocery list of VP needs;

1) Ohio

2) white guys

3) the older folks

4) an HRC supporter

5) experience

6) the rural poor

7) a card to play in Kentucky

8) someone to play to the conservative Christian right

Wow, a marriage made in heaven, what better than a VP candidate who is an older white male conservative Clinton supporter who has a shot at delivering a swing state?

Ted Strickand is saying no right now, I am sure out of loyalty to Hillary Clinton. But I have to wonder if Hillary dropped out, could he be swayed?

There are very few good reasons for moving Lt. Governor Lee Fisher to Attorney General. Perhaps Ohio Democrats intend to use the Lt. Governor's spot strategically to fortify the party when Ted leaves. Perhaps they could fill the Lt. Governor's spot with some up and comer or some historically significant figure, like a female or black candidate who would then rise to be Ohio's first female or black Governor when Ted joins Barack on the ticket.

Or perhaps Fisher is interested in moving to the Attorney General's spot because his rise to Governor is imminent and that's not what he signed up for.

If a new Lt. Governor is appointed and then moved to Governor it could give Ohio more prominence on the national scene, more support for Barack and a chance to revive and strengthen the momentum behind the Ohio Democratic party.

Ted Stickland makes an interesting choice for VP. He fills almost every gap where Barack falls short. And his appointment to the Obama VP slot could set the stage for Democrats to cement a stronghold in Ohio.

Rarely would a ticket ever have been so well balanced, diverse and served so many purposes. It would be a brilliant strategic choice and obvious winner.

Lets hope Barack and Ted figure that out.

What's That Smell?

I think it might be John McCain's presidential aspirations going up in smoke.

I know we are all so enamored of the Democratic Primary that its hard to even remember that the Republicans are still out there schlepping along. But in case anyone bothered to look at the Indiana Republican Primary results, theyd' find something sort of interesting.

John McCain won...yes he did. With 77% of the votes. Wait, what? 77%? How is that possible when you are the only guy in the race?

Yes, I know technically Ron Paul is still in there but Romney and Huckabee still got votes. Huckabee got a pretty respectable 10% for a guy who is a non-campaigning drop out.

Is anyone in the Republican party a bit concerned about this?

I'm going to asssume that people who make sure they vote in primaries, especially when the candidate has already been decided, are some of your more faithful party members and regular voters. Don't you find it odd that in what is arguably the core of the party, McCain fares that poorly? I mean we're saying that almost 25% of his own party won't stick with him, don't want him, actively picked someone else.

I hate to be the one to break it to you there John. But I think you may have an uphill battle getting this win. In fact I think your fellow party members knew it would be pretty impossible and kind of said 'Oh well, give it to the old coot. He's been bugging us for years, we can't win it anyway and it'll make him happy.'

Unfortunately thats the same conversation we had about whether my grandpa could have a TV in his nursing home room. Not really a strategy on which to build a Presidency.

Kicked Out of the Tree House

So the Ohio Democrats are back peddaling just a bit. They don't know if they can impeach Attorney General Marc Dann.

But never fear, in the meantime they have removed his name from their website and revoked their endorsement of him. Oh no! Whats next? Ripping up his princess points? Refusing to sit with him in the cafeteria?

Who put the girls from 'The Hills' in charge of Ohio politics?

Sit him down and remind him that you can make it hurt. If he goes away quietly now he still gets some small political input, a punditry job at a local station or newspaper, a cushy lobbying job or an overpaid professorship at a University. Tell him if he doesn't go he loses those options and will eventually give up his job.

Make him go, you can do it.

Meet the Father of the Year

This poor bloke has been hounded by the press. They are making him out to be a monster and he is upset about it!

I mean lighten up, all he did was lock his daughter in a bunker for 24 years and father 7 children by force. Lets not loose our minds here people. There is no need for name calling.

In fact he makes a compelling argument for a little respect. First, he reminds us, he could have killed them all.

Maybe we should ask his children/grandchildren and daughter/baby momma if living in terror in a bunker is preferable to death. I suspect there have been a few days when they have debated that themselves.

And lets remember that he got medical attention for his daughter/granddaughter when she got sick. He could have let her die, kind of like he did his infant son/grandson whom he disposed of by burning in an oven.

And clearly the Austrians are kinder people than we overreacting Americans. After all, the Austrian authorities let him adopt some of the kids he had brought up out of the bunker, despite his prior rape conviction.

I can kind of understand how he snuck by them, what with that spiffy sense of grooming and winning smile. He's a strange cross between The Grinch and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, of course they assumed kids would love him.

Get Off the Cross...We Need the Votes

Aaaahhh, springtime in Ohio. The crazy politicians are in full bloom.

Our idiocy and corruption isn't limited to Republicans, no, we are equal opportunity incompetents here.

In case you haven't met our Attorney General, Marc Dann, let me introduce you. He proudly assumed office in January of 2007 on the campaign pledge to clean up corruption. It seems his plan has hit a snag.

Mr. Dann made his first foray into incompetence with ill advised analogies involving, well, The Crucifixion. When a local newspaper wrote a story some voters responded with unkind comments about Leo Jennings, Dann's head of communications (more on Leo in a moment.)

In an obvious effort to console his friend Mr. Dann told him 'Christ had it better on Good Friday'. Hhmm, lets see, public official who has been disagreed with, versus well, the torture and murder of the world's Savior. Yeah, thats just about the same, if you're a bit narcissistic.

Did I mention Mr. Dann is Jewish? Ouch. The Christians weren't very happy, then or now.

Did I mention this all unfolded about 10 months into his term? And only after a newspaper took him to court to get public records from his office?

Yeah, he got off to a rocky start.

But we are all about second chances in Ohio, if by second chance you mean internal investigation. Seems Mr. Dann had a condo outside of Columbus that he shared with 2 of his buddies, Leo, mentioned earlier, and Anthony Gutierrez, a section chief at the AG's Office. By the way Dann's wife and 3 kids are snuggled safely at home in Youngstown while he is shacked up with his buddies. How convenient.

Seems Dann's scheduler, a young woman in his office, was often a guest at the condo. In her pajamas. Umm yeah. In the last week Dann has admitted to an affair with an unnamed staffer. You don't say? I'm shocked. I wonder who it might be?

A couple months ago 2 women in their 20's came forward and made claims of sexual harassment, against the aforementioned Leo and Gutierrez. Claims include Gutierrez telling one woman she 'owed' him sex for getting her a job. He's a sweet talker, that one.

Did I mention that Dann and his friends are in their 40's and all the women involved are in their 20s? Thanks for reinforcing that stereotype that powerful men are also dirty old men.

The internal investigations that have ensued describe the AG's Office as a 'frat house atmosphere' and say it was difficult to work among the voluminous piles of 'foul language, sexual come-ons, heavy drinking and intimidation'.

So extreme is the sexual din in Marc Dann's office that one Columbus network has included this warning in its on-line story that lets you link to his e-mails;

Please be advised that the page that you would like to view is intended only for mature audiences and may include content that is not suitable for children. If you are 18 or older and are not bothered by such mature content, please click here

To be fair I read the e-mails, they are mostly about bagels. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

Anyway, where are we now? Well several of the top officials in Dann's office have been fired, including friends Leo and Gutierrez. And one other high ranking person who tried to get people to lie about all this in the investigations.

On May 4th, led by Democratic Governor Ted Strickland and the head of the Ohio Democratic Party, a letter was issued to Dann telling him in no uncertain terms to resign or be impeached.

To that I say 'awesome'! I applaud their swift and certain response. But I have to wonder if it would have been that swift and certain if they didn't feel the need to deliver Ohio up to the Democratic Presidential hopeful, whoever that ends up being.

Oh, while Dann saw the need to fire his friends, the good news is he sees no need to resign himself. He says he is sorry and deeply diappointed, but he's not going anywhere. After all, he needs to get back to the business of cleaning up all that political corruption.

Gimme A Break...From the Gas Tax Plan

I've been thinking about how to create a witty, sarcastic post about the Gas Tax Plan. But I can't. Because every time I think of it I just want to scream 'WHAT ARE YOU MORONS THINKING?'

I'm sorry, was that too direct? A bit harsh? Let me explain.

The plan which Hillary and McCain have thus far backed is to give us a 'Gas Tax Holiday'. There are about 20 cents of federal tax on every gallon of gasoline. They are proposing that during the summer months the federal government would suspend that tax, thereby making gas in my town a mere $3.40 a gallon instead of its current $3.60 a gallon.

First, lets all remember that this gas tax pays for all our highway projects. After we fail to collect it for three months what will we be using to repair those roads? And how will we pay those workers who are normally repairing those roads? Oh right, unemployment checks. That sounds like a great way to lighten up the recession talk.

Second, could someone get Emily Post in here to tune politicians into the social faux pas that is regifting? Because basically, well yeah, thanks for giving me my own crap back.

Don't pretend you're doing me a favor here. That tax money was mine to being with. So basically the proposal is that you are going to give me a break by allowing me to keep my own stuff. And in the meantime my roads will deteriorate and my neighbors will be out of work. How generous of you.

Last, and most importantly in my opinion, the ability of this plan to actually work relies completely on blind trust that energy executives will hold gas prices steady. And, uuummm, I could be the dumb one here, but where is the evidence that they are interested in that?

These people didn't make billions of dollars in profits by overlooking opportunities to exploit global markets or by wringing their hands all day over how hard it is for the rest of us to buy gas. Oh contraire, don't you think they know we will pay $3.60 a gallon? And if you take away the tax, what will they see? Oh yes, room to expand profits by 20 cents a gallon.

And when the tax comes back then what? Yeah, we are even more screwed.

So before you 'help me out' by offering your wolves to guard my hen house. Maybe we should check with a bankrupt Enron janitor about just how trustable those big energy executives can be.

I Met the Anti-Christ

I met the Anti-Christ last week. She's not as ugly as I thought she would be. And I thought she would be a he, not so. And she does not seem to have any particular religious affiliation, unless sex is a religion. Or drinking.

She pinched every butt, kissed every cheek and hugged for inappropriate lengths of time every stranger in a hundred mile radius. And I know far more about sex with politicians in the state of New York than I ever wanted to know.

If you've read 'The Devil Wears Prada' or watch much Food Network, well, you've met her too. Trust me, its far worse in person.

Don't Forget Your T-Shirt

It always amuses me when Americans trot around with those catchy t-shirts proclaiming their support of some issue in a third world country.

Remember the 'End Apartheid' shirts everyone wore in the early 90's? Well congrats to the t-shirt wearers. Apartheid ended in South Africa in 1993.

In 1994 they elected their first black President, Nelson Mandela.

Wait a minute....slavery ended in the United States in 1865. Why, I'll be darned, that's 143 years ago. Gosh we must have had 10 or twelve black Presidents since then, huh?

What did you say? Not even one?

Well that's ok you can only do so much and we have spent a lot of time working on Women's Rights. All those female Presidents must have paved the way. Heck, women have been able to vote for like 88 years. Wait, none of those either? Really?

But didn't Pakistan, you know, a Muslim country already have a female President? Why by golly they did, in 1988 to be exact.

Yeah you heard me 20 years ago. You know, all those poor third world Muslim countries that we are over there fighting to save from themselves. The ones that segregate women and make them remain covered at all times? Yeah even they elected a female President.

Well, this is kind of embarassing.

Can I get a t-shirt that says 'Free Obama'?

Barack is Black

I don't know if you've heard but Barack Obama is black. Yes, yes, I know, its quite a shock.

And here in America we are ALL ABOUT that equality thing. I mean as long as it doesn't take a whole lot of actual thought process or push us outside our comfort zone.

Don't get me wrong we're all about a black man for President, just not this one.

I mean first off, his name, wow, it just screams...well...not white. Can't the first black President at least be named Mike Johnson or something. You know something just a little black?

And well, that church he goes to , its Afro-centric. That can't be good, right?

I mean if he gets elected whats next? A Quaker President? I mean do you know those people mention their history of being founded in England like a lot? And to make matters worse they talk about embrassing diversity.

Oh, oops, I guess I forgot Nixon and Hoover were Quakers. So much for not electing Presidents that worship in places that celebrate their ethnicity.

Do you think maybe we could lay off Barack now?

What Hillary Could do to Earn My vote

I have been mulling this over. Its a big one. I'm a life long Republican. And then it occurred to me. What could Hillary do to earn my vote?

Make the feminine rap anthem 'Bossy' by Kelis her official campaign song.

Yep, that's right, I say just own it.