Tag: John McCain

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I just finished watching John McCain on Meet the Press, and I have a few observations. First off, much like his appearances in the debates, he looked like a very angry and grumpy old man. Considering that he received so much criticism for the exact same thing after the debates, you would think he would present himself in a different way. What this tells me is that this is his true demeanor and personality. I don’t know about you, but I certainly do not want someone in charge of my country who acts like that, especially not now.

Another observation was that he was once again repeating lies and misinformation about Obama’s policies. Let me clarify right now. Obama did not change the threshold for tax increases from $250K to $200K. Here’s the tax plan. I’m not sure where McCain came up with that whopper, but it is not honorable, fair, or respectable to repeat lies and misinformation over and over again on the trail or in interviews. Mr. McCain, are you listening? You have not run an honorable, fair, or respectable campaign. I honestly believe you meant what you said early on in the campaign that you would do just that, but you let the same thugs that ruined your chances for election in 2000 run your campaign, and they have turned you in to something that you historically despised. It really is a shame, sir.

A final observation came from the end of the interview, and I am almost hesitant to mention it. McCain had another “senior moment” when he could not remember the names of the former Secretaries of State that are endorsing him. I’ve had those moments before, and I’ve seen many politicians forget things here and there, but in McCain’s case, it has been something that has happened enough to make me concerned that it may have something to do with his age. Let’s all be honest with ourselves. The Presidency is very likely the most stressful job on the planet. Just looking at President Clinton and President Bush, you can see how quickly relatively young men age due to the job. McCain is already 72 years old. What will this job do to someone that age? None of us know. That has to be a major concern for the electorate especially because Sarah Palin is nowhere near an acceptable choice to replace him if something were to happen.

I’m not sure what McCain intended to do with this interview, but I suspect he did not do himself any favors with the undecided voters out there. I also suspect that the performance solidified support for Obama around the country. We’re in the home stretch, and we have to keep up the pressure on McCain and the rest of the Republicans. This is shaping up to be a great year for Democrats and our country. We all need to see it through.

Obama/Biden 2008

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As Obama and McCain debated Friday night, it struck me as odd that McCain kept going back to how Obama has guided so much money to his home state of Illinois. As someone who proudly voted for Barack back in 2004, I can say that I am extremely happy that he was able to bring so much funding back to Illinois. My House Representative for a majority of the years I lived in Illinois, Speaker Denny Hastert, was also great at getting money for projects in my district.

When you think about it, the only people that do not like earmarks are the other representatives and senators that are not able to get such funding for their own districts and states. Spoiled sports, perhaps? As a voter, I want my representative and senators to fight as hard as possible to bring home funding for necessary and beneficial projects and services. Honestly, what’s wrong with that? I’m fairly certain that the earmark comments will not resonate with the American people right now, and if McCain harps on it in the next debate, it will fall on deaf ears. People are worried about losing their jobs, losing their homes, and going bankrupt. They’re not worried about a representative or senator bringing home money for valid and useful projects.

Come on McCain! How are you going to help me and other people like me trying to get ahead, dealing with outrageous medical bills, and raising a family? Why were you not talking to me during Friday’s debate? Barack was talking to me. Barack makes me hopeful that things will get better. Barack makes feel that I will be able to afford my family’s health care. Barack makes me think that I will once again be proud to say I am an American when I visit other countries. Unfortunately, John, you have not said a word to me, and I bet a lot of other people like me feel the same way.

Obama/Biden 2008

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I have to admit that the Gallup Daily Tracking Poll has been driving me nuts lately. With everything that Dubya has done to the country and the world since 2001, how is it possible that John McCain is tied with my man, Barack Obama?

Some say McCain is not your typical Republican, and that may have been pretty accurate if we were watching replays of the 2000 campaign. In recent times, he has been anything but a maverick by getting friendly with the President. I actually think race is playing a lot bigger role than anyone would readily admit, but that is a whole other topic.

Regardless of why the poll is so close, the big question in front of us is whether or not the poll is accurate at all. With so many new voters registering and voting for the first time in this year’s Democratic primaries, it seems to me that all of the old algorithms and equations will not work this year.

As I have said before this election season, there is a much more accurate view of the intentions of the voters this November, and it’s a place where people put their money where their mouths are. I am talking about the Iowa Electronic Markets. Check out the current quotes for the Winner Take All market: $0.634 for the Democratic Party nominee and $0.376 for the Republican Party nominee. The voters/traders in this market are betting overwhelmingly that the Democratic nominee will win this November. As an Obama supporter, I certainly am excited by these results, and I hope they’re right.

I think it’s time for the mainstream media to keep an eye on these markets as they have in the past several presidential elections. There’s nothing quite like betting with real money that makes people be honest with themselves.