I found a funny photo on digg.com, so sad but true. Click on the Image for a larger view.
............................Fill in the blank.......................
I must say that I'm still a Hillary Supporter but a new video has surfaced on youtube.com that is pretty funny even for Hillary supporters. Watch the video tell me what you think.
I find it really interesting that the Obama campaign keeps on getting plagued with "pastor problems." It's kind of funny. Here is what happened. Obama's church--Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois-- had a guest reverend, Rev. Michael Pfleger who said some things (which I think are hilarious, it's almost like comedy show) that are very embarrasing for Obama. He was mocking Hillary Clinton, well, just see for yourself:
"I'm Bill's wife, I'm white, and this is mine. I just got to get up and step into the plate. And then out of nowhere came, hey, I'm Barack Obama. And she said oh, damn, where did you come from? I'm white. I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show."
haha, I just find it so funny. Anyway, Obama now has to distance himself not only from Reverend Wright but also from Reverend Pfleger.So some people have asked me where I get my stories. I go to many websites, but I mainly go to sites that combine political news from many sources across the U.S. and the world. Sometimes I get my news from the U.K. Times Online and Sometimes its more locals like LA Times or SF Chronicle.
Below is a list of my favorite political websites:
realclearpolitics.com
politico.com
huffingtonpost.com
technorati.com
sfgate.com
digg.com
The First two are really the main ones I use. Realclearpolitics.com is websites that searchs the internet for political news and then they present them to the visitor in one easy to use website. It links me to political news written by other sources.
You can't really read it, but if you look closely I highlighted the different news sources that realclearpolitics.com brings together.
Anyway, enjoy.
Bob Dole is a nice, conservative old man. He is the former Senator of Kansas and even ran for the U.S. Presidency in 1996. He wrote an email to Scott McClellan, our beloved truth-teller. Here are a few excerpts from his email:
" In my nearly 36 years of public service I've known of a few like you. No doubt you will 'clean up' as the liberal anti-Bush press will promote your belated concerns with wild enthusiasm. When the money starts rolling in you should donate it to a worthy cause, something like, 'Biting The Hand That Fed Me.' Another thought is to weasel your way back into the White House if a Democrat is elected. That would provide a good set up for a second book deal in a few years
… if all these awful things were happening[in the White House], and perhaps some may have been, you should have spoken up publicly like a man, or quit your cushy, high profile job …
That would have taken integrity and courage but then you would have had credibility and your complaints could have been aired objectively … You’re a hot ticket now but don’t you, deep down, feel like a total ingrate? "
Wow, this is an old gentleman? A former U.S. Presidential hopeful?
No they don't.
According to Politico.com, "Barack Obama’s favorability ratings among white women have significantly depreciated in recent months, particularly among Democrats and independents, posing an immediate obstacle for the likely Democratic nominee as he moves to shore up his party’s base."
This isn't good for Obama.
February:
................Click on Image for larger view..........................
My favorite newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle, has stated that Obama is riding the "Swing Election" wave. This year, compared the the last presidential election is very different. 12 states that were republicans may switch and become democratic. Some of those states are very surprising. Florida (Which I wrote about in a previous blog) and Ohio were won by Bush in 2004 yet it seems like those states may possibly vote Democrat.
The reason, which I stated in a previous blog, that many states are switching is due to record breaking number of people voting Democrat. Many people have switched from being Republican to becoming Democrat and many more apathetic Democrats are voting. They learned that apathy sucks. Thank you George Bush.
But here may be other reason that America may be turning to the Democratic Party:
Obama has some major plans for the first 100 days in the White House. One caught my attention in particular. According to Reuters.com:
And that is exactly what Scott McClellan did. For those of you who don't know who Scott McClellan is and what he is doing. Consider this blog post a small overview of him and what he is doing.
Scott McClellan was a former White House Press Secretary from 2003-2006. He was a good old friend of George W. Bush and as the New York Times called him part of Bush's "Inner Circle."
So what did he do?
McClellan wrote a book about his life and his views on the White House. The book titled, What Happened, tells the truth about what happened in the White House when McClellan worked there.
A New York Times Article, states "In excerpts from the book, set to be published next week, Mr. McClellan writes that President Bush “convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment,” and has engaged in “self-deception” to justify his political ends. He calls the decision to invade Iraq a “serious strategic blunder,” and says that the biggest mistake the Bush White House made was “a decision to turn away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed.” "
Many of the people that worked with McClellan are shocked that he would write this.
Dana Perino, the current White House Press Secretary said this about McClellan, "[The] Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House.For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew."
Karl Rove said, "First of all, this doesn’t sound like Scott. It really doesn’t.Not the Scott McClellan I’ve known for a long time. Second of all, it sounds like somebody else. It sounds like a left-wing blogger." (I guess he is talking about me)
Anyway, it is just very interesting to see that many people in this election are jumping ship and becoming Democrats abandoning the Republican Ship.
How can McCain try to distance himself from George Bush when they are exactly the same. According to CQ Presidential Studies John McCain has voted with George Bush 100% of the time in 2008 and 95% of the time in 2007. This means their views are almost completely identical. No wonder The Progressive Media, has called the republican presidential hopeful "John McSame."
I understand that using such biased sources--such as The Progressive Media-- may discredit my analysis, but the facts they bring up cannot be ignored. They researched how McCain voted and how that matched with George W. Bush's voting style and views. The CQ Presidential results are not biased and they bring up a clear understanding of how similar both McCain and Bush are.
It is going to be very difficult for McCain to win the Presidency running as Republican. As much as McCain tries to distance himself from the current president and he says he will be different. It can't be denied and the CQ Presidential Studies research results show that McCain and Bush are not different from one another on policies and political views.
So we all know the truth, McCain can say whatever he wants and criticize Bush as much as he wants but he will still be an extension of G.W.B if he is elected into office.
Has the U.S., once again, destroyed relations with another country? It sure seems like it. Mexico is in a Drug War, doing the best they can to try and stop the drug smuggling into the United States. It's in a war that will benefit both countries:
Mexico: will get control,Drug Lords won't rule cities or states and the citizens of those cities/states, will be safer.
U.S.: Drug Importation/trafficking from Mexico will at least be reduced if not completely stopped and U.S. border towns will see less drug cartel violence.
The benefits are great for the Unites States.Mexico is the no. 1 importer of illegal drugs into the United States, now imagine if all those drugs coming into the U.S. were reduced or completely halted. The U.S. would certainly benefit from Mexico winning a successful drug war.
What the U.S. media doesn't portray or show on T.V., is the insane amount of weapons that are smuggled into Mexico. Weapons are easier to buy in the U.S. and many of the weapons the Drug Cartels use are actually American. So Mexico needs U.S. help to stop the smuggling of weapons from U.S. to Mexico
So, anyway, Mexico has asked the U.S. for monetary help to aid in the fight against drugs and drug cartels. Mexico asked for $500 Million USD and President George Bush agreed. That money would be used for buying military equipment and resources needed to continue a war.
But how has the U.S. destroyed another opportunity to work together with Mexico?
When the proposed bill went to congress it was changed and amended in such a way that Mexico no longer wants the U.S. help. Not only was the total amount--that Mexico will receive--drastically reduced but "strings" were also attached. The total amount Mexico would recieve went from $500 Million to $50 Million USD. On top of that the U.S. has to "certify" Mexico before it gives them money:
So many more Democrats, than Republicans have hit the polling booths and voted. Record numbers to be exact. But why suddenly so many people voting? Especially Democrats?
Democrats learned something with the current president. Probably President Bush's biggest accomplishment without even trying. Democrats learned that if they don't vote the consequences can and will be dire. G.W.B has become such a big failure as a president that it has actually encouraged Democrats to vote. According to another blog, "Apathy, Not Ignorance elected George Bush." Democrats and America don't want another George Bush.
Here are some example of voter turnout by states and by parties:
California:
5,066,993 (Democrats)
2,932,811 (Republicans
New York:
1,891,143 (Democrats)
670,078 (Republicans)
even Florida, which has voted Republicans for the last few years, almost had more Democrats that Republicans vote.
Florida:
1,734,456 (Democrats)
1,924,346 (Republicans)
(To see Voter Turnout for the Primaries/Caucuses that have passed and are going to pass click here http://elections.gmu.edu/Voter_Turnout_2008_Primaries.htm)
Here is a great video detailing how Florida Democrats made an impact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAUo_zVcC2A
You may be wondering why I'm writing about the Florida Primary now, but I just found it interesting all of the sudden and I also came to some realizations, which I stated above. Plus, its relevant to my topic, even though it was a while back when they voted.
It's a bit scary. So many references have been made to assassinating Obama that it's almost a bit nerve racking. Everyone from Nobel Prize winners to Fox correspondents, maybe even his rival, Hillary Clinton.
Doris Lessing, British Nobel Literature Laureate: "[That] would certainly not last long, a black man in the position of president. They would murder him."
Liz Trotta, Fox News Correspondent: "Now we are reading suggestions that somebody knock off Osama....ahh, uhmm, Obama. Well, both if we could."
And, finally you have all heard of the Hillary Clinton RFK remark, right? In which she says that she is going to stay in the presidential race until the end, just like her husband, because anything may happen. She meant to say that anything can and might happen but it ended up sounding like an indirect way saying that Obama will be assassinated.
Hillary said: "My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June. We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June."
What makes it a bit nerve-racking is that we are about to start the month of June. Hillary should have probably not said anything about assassinated Presidential hopefuls in the month of June.
I honestly, never thought about the idea that Obama might be assassinated and it's a bit scary. The more people bring up this idea the more likely it will be that someone will actually follow through with this event. Hopefully nothing happens and Obama loses quietly to Hillary Clinton, haha.
So radical conservative republican Ann Coulter came to UCI. First I thought this woman was a bitch but towards the end of her speech I just thought she was joke. She needs attention.
This woman is a crazy radical republican. She has been quoted as saying:
"If we’re going to nuke Iran first and then chit-chat, then I can applaud that"
"We should invade their [middle-eastern] countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."
"...It would be a much better country if women did not vote. That is simply a fact. In fact, in every presidential election since 1950 - except Goldwater in '64 - the Republican would have won, if only the men had voted."
I honestly don't take this woman seriously. I was at her speech when she actually said the first quote. I wasn't surprised that she said that but I was disgusted when the crowd began to cheer. Why would anyone in their right mind cheer for the deployment of a nuclear bomb leading to the death of many people? What is wrong with this country? This woman is the reason I am a liberal demoocrat.
Here is a video portraying Ann Coulter's stupidity:
Ann Coulter is a disgrace.
....................Ernesto "El Che" Guevara.......................
As you all may know (especially if you have read my blog and previous posts) Cuban Dictator, Fidel Castro is close to death. In his place, Raul Castro, has stepped in for Fidel's. Raul is Fidel's younger brother and is healthier than Fidel--although only by 6 years. Since Fidel stepped down and Raul stepped in, this island country has been taking major steps towards modernization and democratization. It seems as though they are slowly abandoning the views of their Marxist hero, El Che.
Eugene Robinson, a Washington Post writer, has an article titled, "The Insane Cuban Embargo."
Robinson writes, "Now, with Fidel ailing and his brother Raul acting large and in charge, the United States has its best opportunity in years to influence the course of events on the island."
I must say, I agree with Robinson and his views. The "red fear" or "red scare" that the U.S. experienced earlier in its history is nonexistent anymore. I believe we should just begin trading goods with Cuba because at this point the embargo isn't doing anything for the U.S. or Cuba.
Imagine if we did trade with Cuba, their country would then take more steps towards modernization and democratization. Cuba would actually start becoming democratic...CRAZY!
But, when I say democratic, I don't mean that they will become like the U.S. and hold elections and have different parties. What I'm trying to say, and that Robinson clearly said, is that they will become more like China.
Robinson writes, "Raul Castro is not going to transform Cuba into a free-market democracy. But he gives every indication of moving at least some distance down the path that China's leadership has taken, toward becoming a free-market, one-party autocracy...Why wouldn't Washington want to encourage Havana to become more like Beijing?"
All in all, i don't think the U.S. is making a smart move, but as we all know, Bush won't do anything and we are going to have to wait until the next president.
Some of you may have heard of a city in the Bay Area--Vallejo--that has declared bankruptcy, you may also be wondering why I am writing about this event. Well, I'm from Vallejo, CA. I'm not originally from there (I was raised across the Bay in Marin County) but my permanent home is i
n Vallejo. I even wear my Vallejo shirt with pride. Anyway, Vallejo has just recently declared bankruptcy, more specifically the Vallejo city council has unanimously voted to declare chapter 9 bankruptcy. Although Vallejo doesn't make much "noise" in the world, it seems as though everyone in the world has their eyes on Vallejo. Newspapers from the San Francisco Chronicle to the New York Times, UK Times to Los Angeles Times are all reporting on this city and the problems it faces going through bankruptcy. What is the world looking at? How does this effect people not from Vallejo? How is this going to effect me (Vallejo Citizen)? and finally, How did the this "City of Opportunity" come to declare bankruptcy?
Vallejo is a medium sized city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Situated next to the Wine Country, near Napa, CA and only 25-30 minutes away from downtown San Francisco and Oakland. At first glance, nobody would have guessed that Vallejo would have gone bankrupt. As the first Bay Area city one sees driving west on Interstate 80 (coming from Sacramento), they are welcomed by the a gorgeous view overlooking the city from hills. The city, however, stretched it self too far when it comes to dealing with tax revenues and labor unions. The main problem that effects Vallejo, is that it is spending more money paying 4 main labor unions than the money it gets from taxes. The four main unions Vallejo is paying are:
1.)Vallejo Police Officers Association (VPOA)
2.)International Association of Firefighters (IAFF)
3.)International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
4.)Confidential Administrative, Managerial and Professional Association (CAMP)
according to the bankruptcy papers Vallejo has filed, the city projects that in the 2008-2009 fiscal year Vallejo will be paying these four labor unions a total amount of $79.4 Million! Vallejo also projected that for the 2008-2009 fiscal year it will only make $77.9 Million.
Vallejo major Osby Davis, said that it was the only way the city could get itself out of debt.
What happened to my home city may also happen to other cities, not only in the Bay Area but in the United States. A few years ago, the Bay Area was the center of economic development due to the internet and now one if it's cities has gone bankrupt.
Vallejo, CA is the largest city in the state of California to go Bankrupt.
What happened in Vallejo has grabbed the attentions of a lot of people because it isn't the only city facing this problem. Many other cities are facing this problem as well, it is no wonder other countries are also following what happened in Vallejo. We live in a world that thrives on interdependence and if something happens to California (one of the best economies in the world, which propels U.S. to the number one spot in the world) then not only will the U.S. feel the pain but also other countries. Hopefully what happened in Vallejo won't happen in others cities. And I really hope that it isn't the first of many cities to go the way of bankruptcy to solve fiscal problems.
Imagine if Obama and Clinton pick each other as running mates. In other words, if Obama looses but Hillary chooses him as her Vice-president and vice versa. Imagine that!
So Mexico is in a war. An Internal war against its powerful drug cartels that dominate most of northern Mexico. The fairly new Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, has declared that he will take back the country from the power of these powerful cartels. Since he declared war on these drug cartels, almost 400 Mexican Military and Police Officers have perished. Mexico has not only asked the U.S. for monetary help but it also asked the U.S. to help them battle drug cartels from both sides of the border. Fortunately, both the Calderon Administration and the Bush Administration have decided to work together. It only makes sense, it's a Win-Win situation. The amount of drugs coming into the U.S. will decrease and the Drug Cartel's power hold over certain Mexican territories will decrease. Mexico did ask, however, that the U.S. only help with no strings attached. Felipe Calderon is perfectly aware that the U.S. tends to interfere in situations more than they should and he realized that asking for U.S. help may lead to extended U.S. presence in Mexico. U.S. presence in Mexico would not only anger the Mexican Government but it would also weaken the relationship between the two neighboring countries. Senator Dick Lugar (member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee) and Arturo Sarukhan (Mexican Ambassador to the U.S.) both agreed that proper U.S. help to Mexico would benefit both countries not only by stoping the Drug Cartels but also by strengthening the relationship between Mexico and the U.S. Just Imagine, the relationship and trust that both countries would have for each other if they both defeated the powerful Drug Cartels.
Most recently, the Drug Cartel has killed Victor Enrique Payan, a top ranking Police Officers from the state of Morelos. Payan's body was found in the trunk of a car in Mexico City.
Hopefully, the Mexican government will take back control of Mexico and the country will become safer.
So California has now allowed gay marriage, which doesn't directly effect me, but it makes a huge impact on the lives of many of my friends. My exposure to individuals with different sexualities--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and transsexual--has influenced me in my support for gay marriage. I'm happy that, finally, the LGBT community has received the same rights that we all take for granted.
But how did this happen?
The California Supreme Court overturned a law that banned gay marriage. No law was technically passed but it just simply overturned a law that made it illegal to marry if your gay.
If you think about it, there is no reason to not allow gay marriage. If you are straight then it doesn't directly effect you.
I, for one, am happy that marriage is finally allowed for the LGBT community.
Putin stepping down?
So Putin has just recently stepped down as the Russian President and became the Russian Prime Minister. Russia has mixed political system as their form of government. Presidential and Paliamentary. He is no longer the top executive or the highest holding office in Russia. This, however, doesn't mean he has completely dissapeared from Russian politics and it def. doesn't mean that he no longer has a "grip of power" when it comes to making decision in government. On the contrary, I think that the new Russian President, Dimitri Medvedev, is just an extension of Vladimir Putin. They have very similar goals, almost identical. According to the New York Times,
"The proposals included efforts to reduce double-digit inflation; tax breaks for education, housing and medical costs; and more spending for housing, infrastructure and military equipment. "
Anyway, I agree with the UK Times Online, in calling Medvedev a "puppet president."
I believe that Putin and Medvedev are up to something... not right. By that I mean that I don't trust their intentions, there is something about the way Putin carried himself while in office that doesn't seem right to me. Putin has long history of dominating the Media and feeding the citizens only information that he wants. The Media has been called "the government watchdog" but in this case, it seems like the "watchdog" is owned by the Russian Government. This means that the Media in Russia doesn't have the ability to publish/broadcast information that may attack the government.
Something is going on in Russia that doesn't seem right. The next U.S. President should keep an eye on Russia and its actions....we shouldn't intervene unless it is a serious situation that demands immediate attention.
Let's just wait and see what Russia does and how it acts in the international environment after Medvedev is in power a bit longer.
So the Hispanic vote in Florida is changing, drastically. According to politico.com:
"For the first time, the number of Hispanic Democrats in the state is expected to exceed the number of Hispanic Republicans. "
Florida, which has a predominantly republican Hispanic/Latino community, is changing. Most Latinos in the U.S. vote Democratic but some Latinos, especially those from Florida, vote Republican. Why is this? Why is it that Hispanic/Latino Floridans vote Republican? Florida has a large Cuban community. Almost all Cubans will vote and do vote Republican. Cubans' experience dealing with a communist government has made them feel distrust against big governments. Democrats tend to favor big government and Republicans tend to favor small governments. The bottom line: Republicans' view on government is least like the Communist views and therefore those people fleeing Cuba will vote Republican.
But these days, the Democratic support for the presidency has increased dramatically and it almost completely surpassed the Republican support for presidency. I believe the reason for this change is BUSH. He made many mistakes in government that it made the Republican party seem unattractive. The real reason is still uknown but we will find out eventually.
