The picture above is of one of my favorite places in the country. That would be Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, KY. I went to the University of Kentucky and despite being a loyal and proud Chicagoan,, have always considered the state of Kentucky a second home. Politico.com today and saw the headline "Battleground Kentucky??" my interest was piqued.
It turns out that the Obama campaign is considering an expansion of their targets to include my beloved Kentucky. I have to presume that they have some polling that shows them making some inroads in the Bluegrass State.
Now unless a bigger than expected Democratic wave hits the country I can't see Obama winning Kentucky in three weeks.
Yet I can see him forcing the Republicans to defend it a bit. An Obama or Biden visit to Louisville, or sending the Clintons in a couple times could really send the GOP into a big time defensive mode.
Plus ad buys in Kentucky are pretty cheap compared to markets like Philadelphia or Washington DC (which targets Northern Virginia). The Obama camp could go up with their positive ads and appeal to independents and increase turnout among Democratic voters.
The benefit is that they will be able to do so with little to no counter ads from the McCain campaign. I just can't imagine the McCain team will have the dollars to go on TV in this red state and be able to poach any blue states.
So why do this if he can't win?
There's a second benefit to upping Obama's positives in Kentucky.
The Senate race in Kentucky has gotten unexpectedly close and this isn't any other Senate race.
This race has the Senate Minority Leader, and ironically arch nemesis of John McCain, Mitch McConnell, in his closest election probably since his 1st campaign in 1984. He is facing multiple time Democratic losing candidate, successful businessman Bruce Lunsford.
When you can take out an iconic Senator,,, you gotta do it, because if not, they'll probably die in office. McConnell certainly fits that bill. Knocking him off would be an incredible body blow to the Republicans in the Senate and set off an internal battle amongst Senate Republicans to try and replace him as the top Republican in the Senate.
Obama coming into the state in anyway could really rally the base of the Democratic Party which has seen success in recent years winning Congressional seats, almost defeating Senator Jim Bunning with a no-name candidate, and winning the Governorship a few years back.
All I can say is this,, as much as I care about Kentucky and hope that Lunsford wins,,, I'd just assume that the Obama team put their resources into states that they can really win. Then again, this campaign has the resources to play offense and as long as they don't skimp on a buy to win Colorado, Ohio, or Virginia,,, then I hope they can get Kentucky too!
The end of the Presidential Debate Season could not come soon enough.
For me these nights are all consuming. I usually go to the gym before the debate and watch the pre-game on the treadmill. Then I get home and watch the debate in it's entirety, taking copious notes for the next days blog. At the end of the debate my phone starts to ring like crazy with people looking for someone to vent with. After going through a load of text messages from the people I couldn't talk to I then get to watch furiously swithc between networks to get as much of the pundits feedback that I can get.
For this debate I have to say that what I saw did not match what I heard after the debate.
I thought McCain won the debate pretty clearly and would easily be declared the winner by the post debate pundits, polls, and the articles the next morning.
He was more aggressive than Obama and as an old political operative who has been angered by the attacks of the McCain campaign I wanted to see Obama go after him. I wanted to see Obama really take the fight to McCain and deliver a knockout blow.
I didn't think playing the 'cool guy' was going to get him another win as it did the first two debates.
It appears that once again I wanted to hear something different than many people out there.
The polls on all the networks gave Obama overwhelming victories in polls of uncommitted voters.
Even Fox News' poll gave Obama the win.
These results just go to show that the 'independant' and 'fed up with politics' voter are not looking for the bloodsport that people like me sometimes want.
In flipping through the channels I heard uber-conservative commentator Charles Krauthamer of Fox News said that Obama's temperament gave him the win for the night. Krauthammer made a pretty profound statement when he said.
He's a man of remarkable self containment... It's that discipline and self containment which I think is his greatest asset and he deployed it remarkably.
This years electorate is just different than 2000 and 2004 and I think that is why we are seeing the state polls .
I have to say that up to this point Barack Obama has really tapped into what the electorate wants and is looking for in its next President. The lessons of 2008 are to exude the three C's, cool, calm, and confidence and Barack Obama has done this at every turn of this campaign.
During the 270 minutes of debates between the two Barack Obama never let the attacks of John McCain get to him. He didn't cut off McCain, roll his eyes, even his raise his voice.
He stayed on his message and effectively counter jabbed. That's right, his comebacks weren't really punches, they were more jabs which seemed to stun McCain through every debate.
The problem with McCains attacks last night and throughout the debates and the campaign was that they have had little to no focus. He has tried the 'kitchen sink' strategy of throwing everything at Obama.
Obama's cool, measured responses to the slew of attacks has made each of the attacks look smaller than they already were and in the end it is exactly why he is winning this race right now.
BOB SCHIEFFER
Have to give a big thumbs up to CBS's Bob Schieffer. After utterly lackluster jobs of moderating these debates by Jim Lehrer, Gwen Ifill, and Tom Brokaw Schieffer asked questions that made the candidates have to think.
There weren't softball questions for either and I think that his questions and moderating made this debate far more interesting than the previous two.
JOE THE PLUMBER
Can't wait to see what Saturday Night Live does with this gem.
Also, I would encourage everyone to be patient on this 'heartwarming' story that McCain decided to base the entire debate on.
Much like the McCain camp did with the selection of Sarah Palin, the vetting on Joe Wurzelbacher (aka Joe the Plumber) was not very good.
I am interested to see the real story on Joe the Plumber come to light. There are many entertaining rumors about old Joe that are out there.
As we've seen with Governor Palin,, sometimes it's better to do your homework on a person, before basing your campaign on it.
When it comes to conservatism there is one man who can be called the architect of true 'small government' conservatism. That man passed away earlier this year, and his name was William F. Buckley.
One of my regrets on this blog was that I didn't finish a quick article that commemorated his death. While Buckley and I fundamentally disagreed on government I always thought him an exceptional mind. In 1955 Buckley founded the National ReviewMagazine, which has been the handbook for American Conservatism for years.
As I said, William F. Buckley founded the magazine, so when I saw Christopher Buckley on Hardball last night saying that he had to resign from the magazine he's a part owner of because of conservative backlash and people who threatened and did cancel their subscription.
As you can see in the interview below, Buckley was a bit surprised that they accepted his resignation, but they willingly did.
Here's what gets me, and Chris Buckley made the point below. William F Buckley was the kind of guy that argued with civil discourse. He let his opponents make their cases. Read the link to his sons view of Obama above.
You can disagree with them, but you can't say they aren't thoughtful.
Buckley, along with fellow National Review author Kathleen Parker have received thousands of hateful emails and letters calling them traitors. Parker has been very critical of Sarah Palin, which has caused conservatives to hate her apparently. Yet Parker has not resigned apparently, because while critical of Palin, she has not yet endorsed Obama.
One last thought.
I just wonder if any of the conservatives that criticize Democrats anger at Joe Lieberman for backing McCain are any of the same people that demanded Christopher Buckley resign or be fired for voicing his opinion?
There is so much to write about over the past couple days I have not been able to focus on any one thing. Here is my attempt to blurb about what has been going on...
JOHN LEWIS IS RIGHT
Civil Rights Icon, Georgia Congressman, and true American Hero, John Lewis (who shares a birthday with me), said the following over the weekend...
"What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.
"George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama."
The McCain campaign expressed outrage at these comments and demanded that Obama repudiate them.
Something which he hasn't done yet and I hope he does not do.
The rhetoric of the McCain campaign, Governor Palin in particular, has been disheartening and dirty. Their rhetoric that has taken rowdy crowds and made them even uglier. I noted in the "What's in My Name?" blog some of the awful things that have been shouted by crowds and showed a video of some of the tragically ignorant people that have been there and incited by Palin in particular.
The truth is this... Lewis never called either Palin or McCain racist, he just stated from an expert opinion, that the energy of the campaign and it's followers has worried him. If anyone can talk about what happens when the fires of passion are ignited by the words of politicians, it's John Lewis.
This is what happens when people in your campaign go out and say things like:
"Palling around with terrorists."
This is an awful and disgraceful attack that McCain has not been able to shut down, despite the fact that it is becoming clear that he is not happy with the recent line of attacks.
While McCain has been trying to tone down the rhetoric over the weekend Palin has been has continued spewing vitriol and lies at every turn.
Sure that you have seen this but as a point of reference.
I applaud John McCain for taking the microphone from the disturbed woman who made this statement, and was pleased to hear him call Barack Obama a 'decent man', he again missed an opportunity to tamper the down the real bigotry of the question.
The bigotry was the assertion the woman made that Obama was bad because he was Arab.
McCain's response was that Obama wasn't Arab. The words of people matter and the words of a President can cause financial markets to crash and countries to increase the size of their military.
My problem with McCain's reply is that it sounded like Obama was 'decent' because he wasn't Arab.
The United States has many wonderful Arab American citizens and I think it's time that someone has courage to defend them. The McCain statement in this answer had to hurt to Arab Americans who have to want to hear more people in both parties stand up and squash the Arab bias that permeates our country right now.
While I don't think McCain is anti-Arab in any way the fact that he failed to recognize and condemn the anti-Arab sentiment of the statement by the woman in the video was disappointing.
As a country we are too quick to downgrade and show bias against groups in this country. From American Indians, to immigrants, to African Americans, to the Japanese Internment camps, and many more, our fear of those different from us is one the darkest parts of the history of our country.
The Arab's in our country are just the latest group which we feel free to crap on, because of hatred and fear.
For the record I think Obama should handle this stronger as well. If I were him I would answer the "Arab" Question the following way.
"I'm not Arab. But so what if I was?"
TROOPERGATE
I really can't understand Sarah Palin.
The "TrooperGate" investigation, which was authorized by Alaskan Republicans found some irregularities with her behavior.
By no means am I calling this report a version of Watergate or a 'smoking gun' of any kind. Yet the report continues to chip away at her credibility as a reformer.
The report COULD NOT BE CLEARER that she did something wrong, yet Palin was out there yesterday saying she was cleared of any wrongdoing. See the video below from Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
Palin really likes to try and show herself as a humble, down to earth, regular person.
Instead she is coming off as delusional and out of touch with reality.
I would have respected her if she blasted the report as partisan politics or a sham. But to say that a report which not only says you broke the code of ethics, but cites the specific code... and you say it clears you of any improprieties?
Like I said, I just do not understand Sarah Palin.
THE PARTY OF REAGAN OR NIXON?
Republicans have an incredible love and admiration for Ronald Reagan. While I have always found this over the top I have really begun to admire the kind of politician that Reagan was after observing the past three elections.
Remember, Sarah Palin said she reads The Economist after saying she read 'all of them' when asked which publications she reads.
But my new admiration for Reagan is that in studying his campaigns, he was tough, but rarely dragged himself into the real dirt of politics.
I think Reagan would have been upset with ads like Willie Horton in 1988, the slanderous attacks against John McCain by George W. Bush, the Swiftboat ads against John Kerry, and the 'palling around with terrorists' rhetoric of this election.
The Atwater-Rove politics of the Republican party have two principles of past Republican Presidents. 1st they attempt to divide and destroy like Nixon,, 2nd they like to say Reagan as much as possible without using the grace and dignity he did.
Reagan may have been a leader I disagreed with the direction he took us, but he seems to have been a respectable person both as a leader and a candidate. I have to say that he ran campaigns with a level of class and dignity that his party has abandoned for 20 years now.
POLLS
Loyal readers know that I don't talk a lot about national polls, but I do take stock in state polls, because that is how the campaigns decide how and where to put their resources. The news a couple weeks ago that McCain was pulling out of Michigan really surprised me as that looked all year like a fierce battleground. Today we see a new poll that has Obama up 16 points in Michigan.
State polls are where the real interesting and encouraging numbers are for supporters for Obama and why I think there has been such anger and frustration from Republicans.
In the last week alone Obama has expanded his own electoral opportunities and put McCain in a much more defensive position than I ever expected.
2004 TIGHTLY CONTESTED BLUE STATES: - Wisconsin which John Kerry won with just 5000 or so votes has had three polls in the last week. Two had Obama up 10 points and new poll today had him up 17! - Minnesota which is always pretty close though reliably Democrat was supposed to be closer with the Republicans hosting their Convention in St Paul has broken hard for Obama. This is one of two states where McCain has outspent Obama. Today's poll had Obama up 11 and while one recent poll had a 1pt lead that seemed to be the outlier of two other polls that had 7 and 14pt Obama leads. - Pennsylvania. This seems to be where McCain is making his stand but its hard to see why. In the last 8 days there have been 7 polls in Pennsylvania where Palin and McCain have been campaigning almost every day. The leads for Obama in those 7 polls; 15, 13, 14, 14, 12, 13, 15.
RED STATES IN PLAY I thought the 50 state strategy was nuts and going to cost Obama but what we are seeing is that coupled with the financial crisis, Bush blowout states are increasingly looking to be in play.
- Indiana, very Red State has had three of its last four polls have the race within the margin of error and Sarah Palin will be making a trip there in the next couple days. One poll has a 7pt McCain lead, another has it a dead tie. - North Dakota! Thats right North Dakota which gave Bush a 24point win four years ago and had McCain up in the polls by 15 three weeks ago had a poll come out that gave Obama a 2pt lead. Yes in the margin of error, but unreal that this state may be in play. - Virginia and Colorado. The last four polls in Virginia have all gone to Obama though the trend is that the race is getting tighter. The last three polls in Colorado have all showed Obama with a lead outside the margin of error and the lead may be expanding from +6, +6, to +9. - Georgia. This looks to be a solid McCain state, but the trend is looking to close in favor of Obama. In Mid September McCain was up between 13 and 18 points. Recent polls show that Obama is down from 3-8 points. - North Carolina. A big Obama target for months may well be the closest of all states this year. The last 4 polls have two leads for McCain inside the margin of error (+2, +3), one lead for Obama oustide the margin of error (+5), and one dead tie.
21 days until the election but if half of these polls are accurate then Obama has a real margin for error and ability to play real offense while McCain has to defend his own states.
Florida and Ohio, where the last two elections were decided you may be asking?
The polls are pretty close, but in Ohio since October 1st there have been 11 polls. 9 of 11 have been in Obama's favor. Five of those 9 have been leads of 4 pts or more oustide the margin of error.
In Florida there have been 6 polls since October 1st. ALL 6 polls have been in Obama's favor, 4 of the 6 have been outside the margin of error. Even more encouraging for Democrats is that two of the three biggest leads in those poll are Fox News Polls.
My friends, I have kept a deep, dark, and embarrassing secret from you.
This admission is so damaging that it will surely crush my future political ambitions.
My revelation to you all is this,,, my middle name,,,, is George.
I can hear the attacks from my future opponents now.
Can we really trust a man whose middle name is the same as George W. Bush’s first name?!
How can you talk about change and reform,,, when your name is George?
George? How can we be sure that’s not a Muslim name?
George? My George Foreman Grill never worked!! Did yours?!
George!?!?! I’d rather his middle name was Hoover,,,, or Hussein!
The root of my middle name comes from within my family, but surely I can’t trust the people to understand that.
My middle name will inspire such anger that mobs of people go to political rally’s of my future opponents and shout awful, hate filled things when they are told my middle name.
Face it… the last eight years have ruined it for those people with the name George.
When it comes to all things George, Americans are saying,,,
“Never Again”
HOW DUMB DO THEY THINK WE ARE?
OK, my little satire aside.
Are we as a nation really so stupid that we will judge people based on their middle name? Or for that matter their first or last name?
Apparently some Republicans think that we are this ignorant?
Twice in the past couple days Republicans that have introduced John McCain and Sarah Palin have drawn loud cheers by emphasizing the middle name of Barack Obama, which in case you were unaware, is Hussein.
Barack Obama was named after his father who was Barack Hussein Obama Sr. How many people do you know named after their father or mother?
By the logic of some people out there we should think that sharing a name with a bad person means that you are also be a bad person.
The worst part about this is the implications and inferences being made by the McCain and Palin team. Saying that Obama ‘pals around with terrorists’ is the kind of thing that incites people. If you think I am overreacting see the video of the crowd leaving a recent rally of theirs at the bottom of this post.
In 26 days though we are going to turn the page with a new voice, a new vision, and hopefully provide, as he says, "Change We Can Believe In".
I hope the people in the video below will even come around.
Beware, if your a fan of Obama, this video is only going to depress you. But hopefully it motivates you to take a role and help get Obama elected.
Just received a campaign from the "We" Campaign which focuses on alerting the public and pushing for action on climate change.
You've probably seen their ads on TV in the past few months.
The ad above was recently rejected by ABC TV. When I received the email and opened the link I thought, maybe they really did or said something offensive or risky in this ad.
Think by watching the ad you'll agree its effective, but in no way innappropriate.
Click on the link below and you can send a message to ABC telling them to put this ad on the air.
You know every election year people get all excited for the debates, and almost every year, they let us down. We keep expecting and hoping for a singular moment or exchange that we will remember for years.
Yet that never seems to happen and last night was no exception.
Though in the history of debates, last night was one of the more odd debates I have ever watched.
The oddities in this debate all came from one man,, John McCain. As has been his problem throughout this campaign his message last evening had no focus or direction.
And more than that McCain once again looked totally out of sorts and uncomfortable.
Here are just some of the McCain oddities:
I was surprised that the disdain John McCain was skewered for in the first debate,,, he carried over to last night. It wasn't just the dismissive 'that one' line, but in watching these debates McCain can't even fake respect for Obama.
His 'home loans' plan was a 'new idea', but one that appeals to liberals. There is also some who say this is already in the bailout bill. Plus, if he really believes this,, why didn't he push for it when he 'suspended his campaign' to lead the bailout negotiations?
Where was Bill Ayers? You and your VP slam Obama on the stump for four days based on his association with Bill Ayers, and you never bring it up? You don't go after him to his face. Why did they bring Ayers up this weekend if they weren't going to use it in the debate?
You still don't say 'middle class' once or hardly say your opponents name at all? Even Sarah Palin had the wherewithal to talk to the concerns of the middle class and ask if she could call him Joe.
In an answer to who his Treasury Secretary would be, the first name that McCain mentioned was Warren Buffet. Yes, Buffet would be a great Treasury Secretary but has slammed McCain's tax and economic proposals. Buffet thinks the rich should be taxed higher.
We have heard how 'Town Halls' are John McCain's best format. Yet McCain looked very uncomfortable throughout the debate. He had uncomfortable in exchanges with Obama, even with moderator Tom Brokaw, and at one point calling a questioner by the wrong name in the middle of an answer. Not to mention McCain's aimlessly wandering around the stage was just plain bizarre.
While he attacked Obama, he never really tried to knock him off balance with any real zingers. There wasn't a set plan of attack that had any kind of traction.
McCain's odd behavior goes back to a point I have been making on this blog for the last month, that John McCain hasn't been able to become one with the McCain campaign to clearly define himself.
It all goes back to that quote I used from the West Wing about three weeks ago from a Presidential Candidate.
"Years I've been looking forward to this campaign. I never imagined it would look like this."
McCain has to be crushed by what his campaign has become and the fact is that he let it happen. He lost control of his own campaign when he abandoned people like former aide Mike Murphy on NBC and threw in his lot with Karl Rove disciples like Steve Schmidt and Tucker Eskew.
This is what happens when you become the candidate who will say anything, do anything, or take any position that is politically convenient for you at the time. Democrats saw how this works when John Kerry was the candidate four years ago.
When you aren't consistent,,, over the long run, you get burned and his message coupled with the economic crisis is drowning the McCain campaign.
As for Obama, he once again was rock solid throughout the debate. He had a grasp of the issues and unlike the first debate he didn't get stuck on defense. Obama was the more aggressive of the two candidates in going after his opponent. On health care, on diplomacy, on spending, on Pakistan, on Iraq, Obama scored points time and again.
But the story of the debate wasn't Obama, or how Presidential he looked and sounded, though he did. The story was how John McCain went into a debate he had to win, and came to the debate with nothing.
While most debates are easily spun by the pundits of both sides, it was nearly unanimous across the board with few exceptions that the clear winner of last night was BarackObama.
Heading into the second Presidential Debate this evening there are many pundits out there who are saying the strategy of the McCain campaign is to raise doubt on the character of Senator Barack Obama by bringing up William Ayers, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and demanding an investigation into his donor list.
I think this is just part of the strategy but not the McCain camps ultimate objective.
Let's be totally honest here,, William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright are old news. They have been brought up before and they're not exactly game changers. Want proof,, just ask the Clinton campaign.
This is a time as I noted yesterday with the economic situation dominating the landscape.
By the way the market fell 508 points today, so the politics of destruction would seem like a rather tone deaf move for this evenings town hall debate?
The McCain camp isn't stupid so changing the subject with re-tread stories can not be their real strategy hear to get a game changing event to go their way.
So what is their goal with the current mudslinging?
Personally, I think it's to cause Barack Obama and Democrats to lose their temper and trip into a reprehensible statement. To have a prominent Democratic figure saying something really off color would dominate the news cycle for 24-48 hours .
Maybe they're trying to get Joe Biden or Michelle Obama to lose their tempers and cause the Obama campaign to have to pivot onto defense for a couple of days and disavow a principles remarks.
The first and biggest problem with this strategy is that Barack Obama is too smart, smooth, and disciplined to fall into this trap personally. As long as he doesn't say something really stupid the blow to the campaign would be minimized. Barack Obama looks pretty unflappable thus far.
Joe Biden and Michelle Obama are certainly passionate people with a tendency to let their emotions get the best of them. Yet they are surely being coached on what pitfalls to avoid. It's possible one of them slips up, but still find it unlikely.
So if the Michelle doesn't say something about 'baking cookies' and Joe Biden doesn't call Sarah Palin a 'floozy' then what Democrats have the profile that Obama would not be able to brush it off?
Here's the second problem with the McCain strategy. The only other Democrats that are high enough profile to swing a Presidential news cycle by saying something offensive are the Clintons. Yet, the Clintons have shown no willingness to get their hands dirty in this race and aren't going to impugn their reputation to defend Obama.
The third problem is that while they are throwing these accusations out there, Obama is winning undecided voters by focusing on the economy. He's focusing on the issue that voters overwhelmingly rate as number one right now.
So why am I bringing this up?
The past couple days have had some very tough and nasty attacks from John McCain and Sarah Palin. These attacks are making Democrat, myself included, rather angry.
It's important though for us not to lose focus as supporters.
What I vow to do is to follow the lead of the man I hope will be the next President,, Barack Obama.
I was not a early supporter of Obama's Presidential Campaign. There have been times I have been thrilled with him, times I have been irritated with him, and times I wanted him to get in the face of the Republicans.
But his read of the electorate and his own temperament has been spot on much better than me. I have been so impressed and proud and dignity he has shown during the campaign, in particular the past couple week.
He has been a leader and an example for both Democrats and the country.
There are four weeks to elect him and we need to get it done. Here's how we do it.
Just as Barack Obama and Joe Biden have showed in the debates and for the past couple weeks, we all need to raise the level of civility, common sense, and intelligence in our actions.
Obama and Biden have shown Democrats can act like adults, instead of a spoiled bully on the playground.
Obama and Biden have shown in tough times they can act and govern with a calm hand in tough times as opposed to an erratic, spastic way.
Obama and Biden have showed people they are the ticket that wants to bring the country together with a message of hope and ideas instead of a message of divisiveness, attacks, and ideology.
The high road is the hard road and many ask how can we take this route and still win?
The answer is simple,,, by outworking the other side.
As supporters we need to be positive and pro-active and hit the pavement to ensure victory.
Volunteer for Obama or a local campaign.
Talk to your friends, family, and co-workers to make sure they are informed and make sure that they vote. Check and see if there is early voting in your area, and get it out of the way.
Put a yard sign up, put a bumper sticker on your car because every little bit helps and in a democracy,,, change is pushed through by us.
The way that we lose is to assume victory. As an old political worker we hate polls that show big leads. They make our job harder.
Why?
Big leads, lead to complacency and in elections, complacency kills. If everyone votes,, Obama will win. If Democrats think they have this in the bag, it will be far to close.
Let us be the party of ideals and values in this election, and not rise to the bait of hatred, bigotry, and zealotry. The kind of zealotry that we have seen in just the past couple days by supporters of McCain and Palin.
At McCain and Palin events over the past couple of days supporters of the candidates have been heard shouting "terrorist" and "kill him" when they are talking about Obama.
It's understandable why Democrats, Independents, even Republicans would hear this and want to react with vitriolic anger and disgust. I have talked to moderate Republicans are cringing with embarrassment.
Instead of acting on anger,, lets put that energy into winning and because reacting to score political points,,, will not take us where we want to go, either as a people, or as a country.
Come November 4th, we need to get more votes and that is something we can effect and something I have decided to participate in,, not just comment on.
More on the plans for 17people to help Obama and Biden turn out the vote,,, in articles to come.
For my entire life Chicago baseball pundits and fans have always longed for a year when both Chicago teams would make the playoffs.
In 2008 after 102 years both teams made the playoffs. Excitement was high on both ends of town.
The Cubs looked as though they were a team that couldn't be stopped after amassing the best record in the National League with 97 wins.
The Sox had a season which they exceeded expectations and made the playoffs in exciting fashion having to win a playoff game 1-0 to even make the playoffs.
As we all have learned in Disney movies,,, be careful what you wish for.
The Cubs and Sox both sucked.
If I can thank my team for anything is that the way they lost at least was quick as possible.
Instead of a pain like 2003 was where the Cubs were 5 outs away from the World Series. A Series which still gives me nightmares this loss was different.
This loss was like ripping off a band-aid. It hurts at the time, but is better in the long run.
If nothing else, it gives me more time to focus on politics!
Despite many attempts at misdirection, outlandish statements, and negative politics,,, there is only one issue that controls this election,,, the economy.
Today the economy is once again the story of the day, and it will remain so for the next 29 days of the election and probably the next 18-24months.
A strong finish on Wall Street couldn't keep the Dow Jones from finishing under 10,000 points for the first time in over four years.
Yet the day on the campaign trail started with reaction to Sarah Palin's 'palling around with terrorists' comment about Barack Obama.
Instead of taking the high road the Obama camp went after the McCain's history of palling around with felons,,, namely the Keating 5 with a new website,, KeatingEconomics.com.
While I don't think hitting on the Keating 5 is the tactic I would've taken,,, yet,, the saving grace for Obama is that the story of the Keating 5 has many similarities to the problems we have today with the economy.
The economic nervousness out there is why people don't care as much about the frivolous attacks that so dominated our recent elections. Democrats, myself included, have used the term, "Rove-Style Politics" a lot this year.
Here's the thing,,, Rove-Style Politics aren't working this year.
Because issues and not personalities are front and center.
That's right,,,, I said issues.
I had some personal confidantes tell me when I started this blog that 'people don't care about issues' the way that I do. That pointing out, issues, was 'out of touch'. That voters care about which candidate they best 'relate to' and not about their positions.
Well guess what?!
In this election,, it appears that the issues matter.
Bill Ayers, Thomas Muthee, Jeremiah Wright, and Charles Keating are not going to determine this election in the end,,, Barack Obama and John McCain's vision for America will.
The American people expect these campaigns to be prepared to talk about the economy for the next 29 days.
I started this blog as a way to catalog or document my thoughts. However being a political junkie I got very taken about writing about the Primary between Senators Clinton and Obama. I try to incorporate my everyday thoughts with my political coverage, but this election is too important to be silent on. 17people is about 'the truth' and telling the story from my perspective. I worked on campaigns for almost four years out of college and while I don't fight on the political front lines anymore, I still want my voice to be heard. And more importantly to say, 'see I told you so!' To send me hate mail or to tell me how brilliant I am or to say how bad my grammar is feel free to email me at 17people@live.com.
