Jaded Sage:

During the Republican Convention the delegates would not claim their leader. There was a piece on TV whereby those in attendance had pins galore but none of those pins were of George W Bush.  The party that gave us a second term of W and then fled from their choice a mere four years later is now trying to tell us this nation would be better off with McCain. To make matters worse, the GOP is now exhorting the notion that Palin somehow completes the ticket. To say a two year governor of a distant, barely populated state like Alaska is ready to take over the Vice Presidency is like saying a returned Peace Corps volunteer is prepared to run the State Department. If Palin was indeed prepared to take over the number two slot then why is she being protected from the media? Her party faithful (and John McCain, for that matter) are crying foul at the treatment she has received since being named as McCain’s running mate but there is no problem with it. Obama has taken the heat from those on the right and much of it was as harsh as what has come Palin’s way. Surely you remember the closet Muslim stuff and the accentuating of his middle name. Obama’s wife was fair game, too. She was depicted as an angry militant. It simply goes with the territory. It is not racist or sexist, it is the way this nation prepares those for the most powerful positions in the land. It appears the first rate education, the stint at community organizer (which the Republicans prefer to mock rather than credit), the term as state senator and then Congressman has paid off for Obama. He not only overcame the attacks against him but won the nomination of his party. It is time for Palin to face the music. Only then will we know if John McCain made  the right choice.

Back in the 19th century, during the heyday of what is known as the Age of Imperialism, the French were masters of a colonial policy known as divide and conquer. In possessions such as Lebanon, Cochin China (SE Asia), and Algeria the French would purposely play off one faction against the other in order to keep the colony fractured, disorganized and dependent on French rule.

In the Presidential race the McCain campaign is attempting to apply the divide and conquer strategy to the Democrats. With ample Hillary voters angered over the primary process, McCain is trying to claim sympathy for Clinton voters in order to woo them over to his side. This is a good strategy, no doubt, but if Democratic voters of any stripe are swayed by this tactic they must realize they are being manipulated by the same people that brought you George Bush who in turn persuaded most of America to support the invasion of Iraq. If I was a Hillary supporter, I  would feel manipulated by this tactic.

Hillary Clinton’s supporters should realize when the two debated there was a razor thin difference between the them. Sure there are personality differences. This will happen anytime two political rivals vie for the same position, especially if it is the most powerful position in the world. It is now time to stop squabbling and begin staring down John McCain, or the Democrats are going to stumble into another defeat.

What does John McCain stand for? What is his platform? Every commercial I see from his campaign is always about Obama. I find it amazing this man has any support at all. I am challenging any McCain voter out there to tell me what policies he is running on. He says he will not raise taxes so how does he plan to run this country? If he doesn’t raise taxes and he wants to continue the Iraq War without paying for it will we continue to deficit spend to the tune of $400 billion a year? McCain is centering his energy policy on drilling for more oil. How is that going to revolutionize our dependence on foreign oil? The big question is what is the core feature of his platform? What are the three components of his platform that he will deliver within the first two years? To understand the nonsensical nature of McCain’s economic plan simply go to his campaign website and read his proposals. Most, in fact, are not really proposals at all. Take for instance this:  JohnMcCain2008.com. He talks about strengthening the dollar but doesn’t say how he plans on doing so. He also is going to tell foreign oil producing nations our dependence on foreign oil will come to an end. Is that a policy? Look how this is worded. Craziness. McCain’s energy plan includes a $300 million prize for anyone who comes up with advanced battery technology. Obama plans to invest $150 billion in the next 10 years to advance technology in plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, encourage energy efficiency, invest in low emissions coal plants, advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. Now that is a policy. Some would say the government should not be playing such a large role but we now know energy dependence is a national security issue and since when has the government not been involved in making us safer? Obama is honest. He says he plans on raising taxes. If it requires higher taxes to emasculate the Middle East and Venezuela then I am all for it. So I will be waiting for Republicans to tell me what McCain plans to do to solve the problems we now face. I won’t, however, hold my breath.

The news that Bayh and Keane were out of the running as Barrack Obama’s running mates seemed to point in the direction of Joe Biden. As Friday turned into Saturday the news has begun to confirm that fact. Joe Biden would have been the best choice of candidates from either party to be President, so the notion of him being number two makes sense. His expertise in foreign relations compliments Obama’s weakness nicely and no one McCain chooses to be his vice president will be able to out debate (and certainly not out talk) Joe Biden. Though certainly slated to be a potential Secretary of Defense because of his knowledge of world affairs before being chose as VP, Biden will bring a sharp edge to the ticket that many in the Democratic establishment felt was missing in the campaign. Biden does not mince words. Some say he talks too much, which provides his opponents with ammunition. The Democratic party has been seen as too soft in recent elections and Biden’s tough East Coast temperament should give Obama the attack dog his campaign requires. 

One big question is can two Senators win at a time when the legislative branch has record negative ratings? Even McCain has tried to distance himself from the very government body that forged him. You have heard it, “John McCain, the real Maverick.”

Barrack Obama has chosen to forego Evan Bayh of Indiana. Bayh would have been a poor choice simply because he oozes mellowness and it would have landed like a pillow on announcement day. Virginia Governor Tim Keane (who grew up in Overland Park, Kansas) was too much of an unknown. The geography made sense. Obama is attempting to steal Virginia away from the Republicans. Joseph Biden, who commutes to DC everyday from Delaware, doesn’t bring a toss up state into the mix. Biden does, however, bring a feisty presence to the Obama campaign at just the right time.

The best quote of the night came from the brand spanking new Democratic nominee:

John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks, but maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and towns that have been hardest hit by this economy—cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota—he’d understand the kind of change that people are looking for.

I only wish he would have worked in a rural component to that line since he will need to fight for these voters. He has the urban vote.

So Oregon holds a warm place in my heart as everyone knows and today the Beaver State is spotlighted in the primary process. This weekend Obama held a huge rally in Portland where over 70,000 people were in attendance. This was the largest gathering to date and what makes this even more unusual is Oregon is predominately White. In fact African Americans weren’t even allowed residency status until the 1920s. Known as the Exclusion Law, Oregon chose to be free of the slavery issue altogether in the mid-19th century by simply keeping Blacks out of the sate. To see the Northwest’s rather contentious race history click HERE.  This shows how much Oregon has changed, especially west of the Cascades. The Democratic race that never seems to end rambles on.

Political Correctness, the Conservatives decry. I have heard this component of the Conservative consciousness for almost twenty years now. It is fine when someone from the right avoids PC language. For them it takes on some special meaning. As if by identifying the issue in its must blatant form indeed makes you more Conservative. According to most experts on the right, PC has Marxist roots.

So why will Fox run over and over and over again Obama’s statements he made concerning small town America hiding behind guns and religious issues as if the feelings of their constituents…errrr viewers are hurt? The reality is they don’t like the game played when the left moves away from PC and aims it at them. What happened when the rednecks screamed bloody murder the moment the assault weapons ban came up? Those damn commies are trying to take our weapons away!!!!! The 2nd Amendment is being stricken from the books!!!! Time to start another revolution!!!! Or how about hiding behind religion? What happened when the court ruled the Ten Commandments may not be allowed to hold monolithic proportions outside an Alabama courthouse? You would have thought the government took all the evangelicals’ Bibles away. Never mind the fact the courtroom serves Hindus and Buddhists just as it serves Christians. So when you hear Fox News put this in their nearly uninterrupted loop they call news, know they are a full bag of hypocritical dookie.  It seems the truth hurts Conservatives as well.

This part of my blog appeared before under “Burning Sage” but after realizing that Jim Rome has a TV show entitled Rome is Burning I decided to change it. I can’t stand Jim Rome. Also, I like the title Raging Sage better.

Worthless Degree

The country is most likely in a recession. The components of today’s financial mess are complicated. From the mounting debt which has devalued the dollar to the mortgage crisis which has caused Wall Street to retreat. Of course this is just a quick summary but what is interesting and most people aren’t talking about is the fact that our current President holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Not only has this MBA recipient done little to forestall the recession he has failed to articulate the nature of the woes to the nation. I wonder how drunk Bush actually was during his years at Harvard. Here is a list of classes that one is required to take at HBS along with the list of electives:

Required Courses at Harvard Business School Term One

Required Courses at Harvard Business School Term Two

Elective Courses at Harvard Business School

I understand small business growth. I was one.

George W Bush  February 2000

Go Forth and Multiply, Frere Jacques

So Muslims have now passed Catholics in total population. Isn’t it about time the Catholics allow their priests to marry? If the Catholics don’t do something quick you can say goodbye to any chance at winning the next Holy War.

Honey Did You Pay the Electric Bill?

Sounds like Hillary might just know what it is like to be poor in America after all. It seems her campaign is stiffing some on the trail. How do you recover your money when the person that owes it to you is never in one place for more than two days? Will this affect her FICO score? For some reason I think not. The big question , however, does Hillary have to stay in the race to acquire enough money to pay off her campaign debts?

What was Hillary thinking by stressing she came under sniper fire in Bosnia? Do we really want our First Ladies coming into the cross hairs, never mind the First Daughter? If it was true it wouldn’t matter. John Kerry came under fire in Vietnam and look where that got him? He was in fact braver than George Bush and he was made weaker through the “swiftboaters”. The line here is what was Bill Clinton’s motive in sending his wife into what was believed to be harm’s way? The whole story that Hillary concocted is filled with land mines. She is portraying herself as a person sent into a combat zone because it was too dangerous for her husband. To compound matters, today she decided to speak out about Obama’s pastor in order to change the subject. Democrats need to learn how to wage war. If Hillary’s intent is to show how tough she is, it will not measure up to John McCain. The guy broke both his arms and his leg and then was captured and tortured. Even if Hillary’s imaginary war story were true, it would serve as a breeze to McCain’s hurricane in regards to bravery. This election is not how tough one is, it is how smart one is. The Democratic candidate must be able to show that they are smart because Americans want change and most see Bush as not bright. The winner must also be able to show that they empathize with America’s pain in the coming economic woes. Making up “war stories” is not a good place to start.

The real issue is Hillary Clinton must realize she can’t win. You see headline after headline that states the dire situation the Clinton campaign is in. Does she care more about the party or more about her personal glory. Truth be told, the longer this goes on the more she will hurt her image, and the chances for a Democratic victory in November at the same time. If Obama had lost 11 primaries in a row he would be back in Illinois. It is time for her to grasp reality. But as the sniper story shows, that has become hard for Mrs. Clinton.

I read lots of history and political science books. In fact, I haven’t read a book of fiction in about 10 years. I seldom read books written by politicians or agenda driven hacks such as Limbaugh, Carville or O’Reilly. My dad bought me Obama’s last book, The Audacity of Hope, and I read it. I figured if I am going to vote for the guy I would like to know how the guy thinks. It is a great book not just because I agree with him on most issues but because the book is written with a calm practicality. This is why I tell people who are negatively affected by Obama’s preacher to read Obama’s book or listen to the temperament with which he speaks.

Recently I learned Barack Obama’s favorite book is Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals, a book about Abraham Lincoln and those who first ran against him in the Republican Party and then were brought in to assist Lincoln in America’s greatest challenge during the 19th Century. I wanted to know why Obama chose this book to lead his list. Though I am early into the book I quickly realized why the Illinois senator coveted this book beyond the fact Lincoln was a senator from the same state. Goodwin writes as she refers to Abraham Lincoln in his primary run in 1860:

…in an age when speech-making prowess was central to political success, when the spoken word filled the air “from sun-up til sundown”, “Lincoln’s stirring oratory had earned the admiration of a far flung-audience who had either heard him speak or read his speeches in the paper.

Goodwin later continues:

…Lincoln clearly understood that he was “new in the field,” that outside of Illinois he was not “the first choice of a very great many.” His political experience on the national level consisted of two failed Senate races and a single term in Congress that had come to an end nearly a dozen years earlier. By contrast, the three other contenders for the nomination were household names in Republican circles.

If you can get your hands on a copy of Team of Rivals and enjoy reading detailed history, do so. The depth at which Goodwin paints Lincoln and those who would fill out his cabinet is astonishing. Whether Obama has a fraction of the ability of Lincoln is to be seen, but the fact that he is reading his history and learning from the greats should give comfort to many. 

I leave you with an excerpt from a campaign rally in the capital of Oregon yesterday. Listen to the manner and dignity with which Obama answers the woman’s question. With how big a brush would you like to paint Obama’s relationship with his pastor when you hear this?