I am not Joe The Plumber

I'm not Joe The Plumber. I'm not lower class, not middle class and not upper class. I'd rather not have my life reduced to a soundbite.

I grew up in a family of hard working people. My father died at work, my mother is a senior citizen and still works long hours every day (and I am proud of her everyday) and siblings work long hours at jobs they sometimes like and sometimes more often than not hate.

So when I listen the McPalin drivel of Obama screwing the working stiffs like myself and my family I get incredibly irritated. But not at McPalin. I get irritated at the American People for listening to the propaganda and eating it up without thinking about it first.

Read the start of a great plan for small businesses by the Obama administration here. It isn't a deep read, it will take you about 3 whole minutes. No big words or fancy ideas. Just things our government can do to make it easier for small business to operate in a country that hasn't treated them so well in the last 10 years.

By the way, running a small business here in the land of Holy Joe Lieberman is pretty difficult. CT state taxes for small businesses are overwheling. The state makes it very difficult for small businesses to be profitable. That doesn't have much to do with the Federal Government but it has an awful lot to do with our state government. Can any President fix a state government? Highly unlikely.

Hence the statement again, don't compare me to the Plumber that McPalin randomly picked out of a crowd. Actually, it's starting to look less random all the time. I wish the rest of America discouraged the use of metaphors for specific sectors of our population and instead focused on what's important, the state of our great country and what we ALL need to do to lead the world again. I'd even be willing to live with the candidates leaving Joe the Plumber on Main Street and instead get out to the mall where minimum wage workers with no health insurance still work at stores loading up for the holiday season (that might not come). Mary at Pottery Barn may never know...

M

Democrats and Bubbly....

Before the Democrats uncork the bubbly and start breaking out the "we kicked McCain's ass" bumper stickers, I think a little reality needs to be injected into the converstation:

1) The main stream media and blogosphere is waxing on about the huge Obama lead in the polls. As we know, we can't and shouldn't always believe everything we read. And this is no exception. Lest we forget our recent history, the media missed the impending credit crisis in spite of the global equity meltdown last year.

I'm not sure how many of you out there use AOL email or check AOL headlines. I've watched their polls for the last year. Their last major poll before the debates had the entire country (every state) as a red state. Yet one month later AOL's headlines (0n multiple occassions) had Barack leading in the polls. I wouldn't be mentioning this but I've heard AOL polls regurgitated on CNN and on MSNBC. Clearly the message here is mixed and the polls are less than scientific.
My point is that we need to get our information from a variety of media sources, not just polls, blogs and the punditry.

Speaking of punditry:

I haven't seen the punditry call much of anything correctly and I'm not sure why journalists are getting tapped as experts on campaigns, war and the economy. Maybe it is because they can wrap a really complex problem up in an 8th grade reading level bow?

2) The biggest competitor the McCain Campaign has is themselves and their candidates track record. Barack Obama is a thoughtful, decent human being. However even as well organized as both he and his campaign seem to be, it isn't what's sinking McCain. It's American's pocket books and wallets that are pushing down McCain's numbers.

GW hasn't helped either. As a matter of fact, he's turned into a huge liability. He's waving on his way out of the office right now, riding into the sunset with a huge family fortune and most likely a substantial endowment from one of this corporate benefactors. Clearly the American people are not happy.

By the way, have you noticed on signs for politicians, you know, the one's that are on people's lawns; they've removed any reference to party? I know why the Republicans did it and I know it will confuse voters in the polling for sure. Is party affiliation important for full disclosure? I think so.

3) Democrats haven't seen all of the shock and awe Republicans have to play yet. My guess is that real slime will come out somewhere around the last week of the campaign. Too late for anyone to purchase additonal airtime on TV or radio.

Last but absolutely most important:

4) Did we forget one name? Katherine Harris? How many clones of Katherine Harris did the Republicans cast before she went down in flames? How many local votes will get chucked or swindled or stolen as the result of some kind of antics by the local Republicans? Or by Democrats acting in their own political self interests? It happens folks, both sides do things that skate on the thin ice of not quite legal but not completely illegal. Vaporizing votes in a democracy is wrong by any means and making one vote count more than another is still wrong.


So I think we have a few "action items". One item might be to have some oversight for the voting, especially in swing states. If it weren't for Katherine Harris and others like her, we might not be in Iraq or in a economic depression or in a few other messes. Her actions helped set a chain of events in place that made a whole lot of us Americans poorer and a very few Americans much wealthier. And quite a few Americans, Iraqis and others quite dead.


Another action item might be that Barack can't treat this race as a great debate in the high school gym. Take the gloves off Barack and put on some brass knuckles. Get in this to win. This is your moment in history, in time. You've done great things and nothing would be greater than having a first black president. And if that first black president came in and saved our collective asses that would even be better. Not many leaders really stand up to the test of time, quite a fwe are soiled by it. We are defined by our actions and not just our words.

You don't seem like the kind of person that is content with a B+ grade point average. And honestly Barack, I don't want to have another President in the Whitehouse that isn't shooting for an A+. I've seen enough F's from the government in the last 8 years to last me a lifetime.





Marc

Another Obama Disappointment

The Democrats in congress caved in to Bush and the Republicans by approving a bill that lets the phone companies off the hook for their complicity in the illegal wiretaps ordered by the Bush administration. Obama announced that he supports the bill. This is change?

From Raw Story, here's the scoop on this:

"The proposed FISA deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation," Senator
Russ Feingold said
today. "The House and Senate should not be taking up this bill, which
effectively guarantees immunity for telecom companies alleged to have
participated in the President’s illegal program, and which fails to protect the
privacy of law-abiding Americans at home. Allowing courts to review the question
of immunity is meaningless when the same legislation essentially requires the
court to grant immunity. And under this bill, the government can still sweep up
and keep the international communications of innocent Americans in the U.S. with
no connection to suspected terrorists, with very few safeguards to protect
against abuse of this power. Instead of cutting bad deals on both FISA and
funding for the war in Iraq, Democrats should be standing up to the flawed and
dangerous policies of this administration."

So much for Obama and change. He is beginning to look like another version of Bill Clinton - doing what is politically expedient rather than what is right.

Jim

PHOTO: Another blossom that lasts for too short a time - our peony bush.

Democrat Inaction On Gays In The Military

The Associated Press notes that while Democrats have controlled congress for the last two years, they have not done anything (hold hearings, etc.) on the issue of gays on the military, even though they talk a good game about allowing gays to serve openly. As usual, we get talk and little or no action. Will it be any different with Obama?

Jim

PHOTO: One of the distinguishing features of Gothic architecture, the "flying buttress," which allows for the soaring interiors of cathedrals like the one in Leon, Spain.

The Democrats Screw Us Again

The "Matthew Shepard Act," legislation that would add sexual orientation to the federal hate crimes statues and would help protect gays and lesbians, has been scuttled in the U.S. Senate - by DEMOCRATS. Aren't we so glad that the Democrats won control of Congress? Well, what should we expect from what is basically a center right party, the less nutsy branch of the Demorepublican U.S. national political party?

PHOTO: Bradley enjoys the carpet of gold provided by our favorite tree. This year the tree dropped its leaves during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Jim

Democrats: The Iraq Occupation Will Continue

I share Marc's grave disappointment in the Democratic Party's leading presidential candidates (Clinton, Obama, and Edwards,) who will not pledge to end our occupation of Iraq. This is a national disgrace and a failure of leadership. It also raises the possibility of a third party anti-war candidate garnering substantial support, as Eugene McCarthy did in 1967 when a similar domestic political situation existed in regard to the Vietnam War. In that year, the leading Democratic Party candidate, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, would not distance himself from Lyndon Johnson''s war policies. Richard Nixon was elected president pledging to end the war. It finally ended in defeat for the United States, but not until Nixon's second term. Is history set to repeat itself?

PHOTO: The "Co-ops" in the Fire Island Pines, an example of the poor planning in that community. Beachfront development has taken place seemingly with no regard to preserving the dunes, the only protection that barrier islands have from storms.

Jim

The Democrats On Gay Issues: The LOGO Forum

Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, John Edwards, and Bill Richardson, the top tier of Democratic Party presidential candidates, went on national TV last evening, on the LOGO gay network and on the Internet and tried to explain why they favor FULL EQUALITY for the gay and lesbian community but OPPOSE gay marriage. None of them succeeded in explaining this dichotomy. I think the explanation is simple: none of them have the COURAGE to LEAD and to TAKE A STAND in favor of full equality and equal justice for the gay community. They blew it, period.

The two long shot candidates, Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich, are fully supportive of gay marriage and full gay equality and said so unequivocally. The may not win the nomination, but they sure set the bar high for the other candidates.

Bill Richardson, in an answer to a question from Melissa Ethridge, said that being gay is a choice. He later "clarified" that in a statement, but the damage has been done. One wonders where is he coming from?

Obama had trouble answering when he was asked if he understood why gays and lesbians see civil unions as separate and unequal.

Edwards basically said that he personally opposed gay marriage but wouldn't say why, except that he admitted that he should not have said that his opposition was due to his faith. I have an idea: it's your residual homophobia, Mr. Edwards.

Ah, and finally, Mrs. Clinton, who was patronizing at times and stuck to her policy talking points throughout. If you want four more years of Clinton-like triangulation, betrayal, and lip service, then Hillary is your girl.

The questions from the panel were better than I expected. As I've indicated, the responses from the "big four" were too often disappointing.

Joe Solomese, the head of the Human Rights Campaign and one of those posing the questions on LOGO, summed up the forum pretty well:

"Tonight was an important night in the fight for equality for GLBT
Americans. We pulled the curtain back a bit and gave all Americans a deeper look
inside the candidates' core beliefs about the issues that affect our community.
From repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell, supporting equal employment rights,
providing full funding for HIV/AIDS epidemic, to eliminating the Defense of
Marriage Act, these candidates went on record and committed to fighting for
equality in all sectors of our society. Unfortunately, we have more work to
do. The overwhelming majority of the candidates do not support marriage
equality. While we heard very strong commitments to civil unions and equality in
federal rights and benefits, their reasons for opposing equality in civil
marriage tonight became even less clear. Over the course of the presidential
campaign, we will continue to ask these questions and demand real answers from
the candidates who were appeared tonight-and from those who didn't show up. The
next president must be committed to not only doing what's achievable, but also
what's right."

I'm off to look for a third party candidate to support.

Jim

Photo: One of Dan's new paintings, on sale this weekend at the Pines Biennial Art Show

Time For A Viable Third Party Alternative

I'm supporting the Unity08 drive to put a third party ticket on the ballot in all 50 states in 2008. I agree with their basic assumptions as stated on their website:

Unity08 believes that neither of today’s major parties reflects the
aspirations, fears or will of the majority of Americans. Both have polarized and
alienated the people. Both are unduly influenced by single-issue groups. Both
are excessively dominated by money.
For most of the 20th Century, the contest for the U.S. presidency was waged over those “in the middle.” Recent Presidential elections, however, have not been focused on the middle but on the turnout of each party’s special interest groups — with each party’s “base” representing barely ten percent of the American people.
We believe that, while the leaders of both major parties are well intentioned people, they are trapped in a flawed system — and that the two major parties are today simply neither relevant to the issues and challenges of the 21st Century nor effective in addressing them.
As a result, most Americans have not been enthusiastic about the choices for President in recent elections, the key issues they ran on, or the manner in which the campaigns were conducted.
Therefore Unity08 will act to assure that an alternative ticket is presented to the American voters in 2008.

Now, this does not mean that I will necessarily support the ticket that they come up with, or vote for their slate for president and vice president. I may, or may not. However, I do agree with their assessment that the current two party system is hopelessly corrupt and does not present real choices to the American voter. I also agree with their goal of forcing reform of the two major parties by presenting a viable third party alternative.

Jim

Olberman To Moderate Tonight's Democratic Debate

Here's another photo of the venue for the Pines Biennial Art Show, which will be held this Saturday afternoon. If you can make this event, don't miss it!

Tonight there is another presidential debate scheduled. This time it's the Democrats, but the attraction of this particular event for me will be the moderator, Keith Olberman, a modern day Edward R. Murrow, who has been an articulate critic of the Bush administration. His job will be to moderate, but I wouldn't be surprised if he presses some of the candidates hard on Iraq, particularly those who have some problems with their positions and votes on Iraq, e.g., HC. It should make for good watching!

Jim