A Return to Hope

I was channel hopping last night. I was really watching CBS with NCIS but I was also interesting in American Idol in small doses and wanted to catch the results of the Beltway Primaries. In one of my hops I caught part of Barack Obama's speech on hope.

It quite frankly brought tears to my eyes for a whole wealth of complicated reasons. First, it has been entirely too long since I had any hope that the United States could be saved from the path it has been led down. Hope was first fostered in my during the Kennedy years and was totally decimated by his cruel death. Let's face it there was nothing inspiring about Nixon unless you were in league with the dark side.

The Clinton years re-kindled some of that Kennedy era hope but Bush totally trashed it. Bush was not just the death of hope but the death of the middle class dream and our country as a shining example of hope. And it was the death of public speaking; replaced by the five second sound bite generally trashing someone else that does not agree with him.

So when I chanced upon Obama's address last night I lingered. I remembered when I first saw him deliver the nominating speech at the Democratic convention. And I was spell bound by his message of hope for not merely the young people of this country but all of us who have lost hope. I was so enticed with what he was saying that after they cut away to McCain I went to CNN's website and watched Obama there.

Up to this point I really did not have a dog in this hunt. I wanted a Democrat over all else and I really did not care which democrat it was quite frankly. And when it got down to Hilary and Barack I found myself split. Part of me really wanted to vote for a woman for president but she kept failing to totally enfold me into her camp. Just when I thought I could rally around her she would act shrill or peevish or send Bill out to do the dirty work. And while she is capable of public speaking she always seems a bit over rehearsed.

Maybe last night I just wanted to believe in something or someone so bad that I was going to fall for the first image thrust before me but I think not. It was a good speech and quite well delivered. I am thrilled this morning that he leads in delegates. But I am very scared the political machines of Clinton and McCain will again crush this fragile flower of hope. That would be so sad.

It's not over until it's over

In the state of New Mexico due to the heavy turn out for our Democratic Caucus all the votes are not even totally counted yet. Hillary and Barack are currently running at 48% each. They are almost as close nationally. Hillary went into Super Tuesday 60 delegates ahead and Obama narrowed that margin.

While on the Republican front McCain may be announcing he has the Republican nomination wrapped up but he is also in a position where he may be forced to talk Huckabee into being his running mate.

Hillary and Barack essentially battled to a draw with several more state primaries ahead; several of which Barack is leading in the polls. It is basically too early for any candidate for President of the United States to crow. But I was struck last night about the differences in the two parties process for the primaries.

One: The Democratic caucuses and primaries relied on paper ballots so that there would be a physical proof of how the people voted and allow for a paper count. The Republicans on the other hand chose to continue to rely on the paperless computerized voting machines that the previous elections have proven can be manipulated with a cell phone in the hands of a hacker within 30 feet of the machine. And there is no paper trail. So do we really know that McCain won? He is the candidate most espousing the "Bush Views."

Two: The Democrats allow for a splitting of the delegates roughly along the popular vote for each state while the Republicans are winner take all. Win that state by one vote and you get all their delegates. Even if this works perfectly (and there is no cheating at the polling places) this means the Republicans are wanting to please only those states with the most delegates. Like Bush the Republican nominee will be the president of only a small group of the citizens of the United States.

I am however encouraged after yesterday by two things: We the people voted in record numbers. This was especially true of the Democrats. And among the Republicans of the Evangelicals that turned out to vote for Huckabee. The other thing I found encouraging, oddly enough, was the exit poll.

I had never been involved in one of these before. They have a selection process for which precincts are so polled. And they ask more than just, "who did you vote for?" I found taking the "short survey" helped me to see my own reasons for how I voted. And watching ABC and CNN last night where the results of this poll were used in various ways I was able to see that it is through this poll many voting in minority (or even the majority) will have a voice for the direction of the campaigns as they move forward.

It is not over by a long shot. Next big voting day is February 9th with more primaries. Some primaries are as late as April. McCain may have it sewn up before the nominating convention for the Republicans but it does not look like the Democrats will have a clue. And that is good. It means more of our voices will have to hard, more of our opinions considered if they want our votes in the general election November 2008. If they don't there is always going Independent.

A kinder and gentler political season ahead?

I watched the most recent Democratic debate between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama and was pleased that it was not the bitter slug-fest of the Republican event the day before. Does this mean a more civil political season ahead? Or will the Republicans again resort to the soap commercial tactics of the Bush campaigns with their spin lines like flip flopper?

I would certainly hope not. It paints a bad picture of the United States political process around the world and turns off all potential voters. Not that they are not already turned off by the illegal operations of the Republicans in the last two elections.

If our politicians can strike a higher note with a civil debate the least we can do is demand a fair and uncontested election process even if that means allowing United Nations poll watchers. We would all feel better if there was a paper trail, no hanging chads, no Supreme Court intervention, and no disputed results. How about we all behave like adults?

Let's ban cellphones and all electronic devices within 100 feet of our polling places. No computer polling machines without a paper trail for verification of the results. And my personal favorite: No television commercials within the last week of the campaign. Let's all have a week of commercial silence in which we can consider all the information we have already garnered about the candidates.

Same old nightmare

My internet service provider was down this morning and I had to revert to watching my morning news on television. It is probably a hang over from the days when I lived where I could pick up a morning paper but I like Internet site hoping for my morning news. The televised talking heads just seem to rude before my first cup of coffee.

And this morning they really were a nightmare. Or at least what the were proposing was a nightmare. I skipped last night's Republican debate because I just could not stand anymore name calling and back biting and I figured there would be more than enough of that in the Hilary/Obama debate tonight. So I definitely did not want to hear that it looks like it will be McCain vs Hilary in the 2008 race for the White House. The two worst dirty politicians running against each other !!!!???

I immediately began to consider my battle plan for the election year: cancel my land line telephone so nobody can call and poll me as to my choice, cancel my satellite television so I do not have to listen to the avalanche of negative political ads, change my part affiliation to Independent or Green party, put my house up for sale and look at out-migrating to New Zealand or Australia or Canada, or begin campaigning for legalization of preemptive assassination.

If the reign of G.W. Bush has left me with any lasting legacy it is a total fear of politics as usual and old school politicians. Make that total terror of politics as usual. And we seem to take entirely too long to impeach them when they have devastated our economy, ruined our world reputation, violated all parts of the constitution, and mired us in an illegal invasion of a country. Please deliver me from the evil of politicians.

A Kinder, Gentler America

As a woman who fought hard for the defeated Equal Rights Amendment I have wanted to be there when the first woman was chosen as President of the United States.

I imagined her a lot like Indira Gandhi and not like Margaret Thatcher, or after the performance in the last Democratic CNN Debate like Hilary Clinton. I don't want a woman trying to be a man to be president of the United States. That is not enough different from a spoiled little boy trying to pretend to be a man like we have in the White House now.

My father explained to me upon my being beat up by bullies on the Air Force base in Roswell, New Mexico that bullies were trying to prove they were big enough and strong enough and good enough. Those people that knew they were enough didn't have to prove it by beating up on others. I want a kinder and gentler America, and world. I thought a woman in the office of President of the United States would be a major step in that direction. I still might be right on that issue but I am clearly not going to get to find out the answer to that question this election. I was happy Hilary was defeated in South Carolina yesterday.

I am not convinced Barack is the right choice either. He was only the other side of that vicious and petty exchange in the debate. I am so sick of negative and divisive politics I could just vomit. I watch a negative exchange like that one or see a negative ad on television and it just makes me want to vote NO. Just maybe a kinder and gentler world is possible only without leaders. Just look at where the current leader of this country has gotten us. The international boys club has only led to war after war, global warming, pollution, divisions, corrupt trade deals, genocide, dictators . . . the sad list goes on and on.

Yes, the people of South Carolina, over 50% voting women, chose to vote against Hilary. But the nice guy in this race still finished last. Politics as usual is not going to stop until we demand it stop. But what can be said for a country that watches people get hurt in extreme sports, and race cars crash and burn and calls it entertainment.

Much Ado About Nothing

Senator Edwards won my primary vote last night when in the midst of the mudslinging between Barrack and Hilary he called for it to stop because, "all this is not getting health care for children." Here, here. Or is it Hear! Hear!

The egotistical, egomania, my way or the highway was what got us into this mess our country is in. And we do not need another person at the helm of this country who is so driven by their own ego that they will fight over petty issues on national television. I would not vote for either of them unless they were the only person able to dethrone Bush.

Sorry! I really had to get that off my chest. I have seen two year olds in sand boxes behave better. I was really writing this blog about a question I received from a friend on the previous blog: What can we do? WRITE. About any issue that concerns you.

Write your state and federal representatives, write your newspaper, write a blog, write the national news media. The computer makes this so easy with the old control C/control V functions. My e-mail contacts include Lou Dobbs of CNN, my US Representative, my US Senator, the Governor of this fair state, letters to the editor for the two biggest newspapers in New Mexico, etc. Mind you they want their own letters. Cannot CC everyone. And a couple of my representatives what it done on their websites but with autofill and paste this is not difficult either because I have bookmarked their sites.

Our lawmakers will roll along and do their own thing until they are aware they are being watched by people that can vote them out of office. Letters and phone calls on legislation can reverse the progress of a vote. I am not sure it can change the direction of a political campaign but I am determined to try because as it stands in both parties I just want to scream: Stop the boat I want to get off. I will swim to some foreign shore.

Even a Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day

New Mexico, my state of residence in the United States, is a closed primary state. During the primary I can only vote for candidates in the party in which I am registered.

I have usually registered Democrat because this makes the primary process on a state level far more valuable: I actually get a choice. The Republicans and the Green party, also active in this area, only manage to put one candidate on the ballot if that. On the national level I often want to vote in the Republican primary. This year I am not sure I want to vote in either. The wide open race seems to have shut down really fast.

But that aside I do get the opportunity to vote on Super Tuesday for my choices among those running for state and national office among the Democratic party. Then I will go and change my party affiliation to Independent.

I thought about changing to Independent earlier in this broken political process but it essentially disenfranchises me because New Mexico is a closed primary state. I would definitely like to change that to one which allows me to declare the party for which I want to participate as I prepare to vote: An Open Primary System. Until that happens I think I will just keep careful note of all the deadlines for changing my voter registration and go back and forth. Keeping up with a number of people doing this would definitely tax the state offices.

Lou Dobbs of CNN talks frequently about sending a message by changing to Independent. And there definitely does seem to be a growing number of people doing this. The political pundits even gave discussion time to how the Independents in Iowa and New Hampshire changed the nature of the caucus and primary there. But here we sit with only a small fraction of the primaries held and their delegates awarded and the news media are already declaring the winners.

Let me mention that if the vote in the general election in November 2008 comes down to a choice between McCain and Clinton I am leaning toward sending a real message by not voting for President. Since there is no None of the Above choice. I am so tired of voting for the least offensive of the candidates! I can only hope that somehow, someway, the country gets another choice. Or that the message out there is so strong that someone will actually run for office as an Independent. At this point I frankly don't care who. I just might vote for them solely to send a message.

I do hope our country has gotten the message that this time it better be an honest election. No computerized tinkering with the outcome. No hanging chads. If once again there is no paper trail or the electoral college vote runs counter to the popular vote than whether we are registered Democrats, Republicans, or Independents may well be a mute point.

Give Me a Break

Another title for this blog could be: They lie to you all the time. And of course I am talking about politicians. Didn't they promise a kinder and gentler campaign process?

Sorry, but having a husband or political action committee do your down and dirty comments and ads is not a kinder and gentler campaign process. And just because we have gotten used to ignoring the whispered side effects at the end of a drug commercial does not mean we don't hear the, "this commercial has been approved by. . ." at the close of an obnoxious campaign ad.

The disturbing part is this is just the primary. And I get the feeling the candidates are shooting themselves in the foot. Usually we wait until the main campaign to dig up the dirt but we seem to be doing this for the opposing party. AND I do not believe any candidate when he says he is unaware of a commercial a PAC is running against his opposition. And just why would I want someone to be President of this country and leader of the free world when he cannot even keep his own supporters in line? Ignorance is not bliss in this case; it is ignorance and stupidity.

I am just so embarrassed by the whole process. All those mother phrases spring to mind like Play Nice, Potty Mouth, etc. Just go home, go straight home, do not pass the White House. And send your parents out so I can talk to them about how they raised you.

The only candidates I can exclude from this condemnation are those no longer running like Governor Bill Richardson. Nice guys finish last I guess. Even Evangelical Huckabee is not innocent of throwing the first stone. And Obama is no longer Mr. Nice Guy. I really do not want to vote for any of you. Grow up and act like someone we would want to put in our highest office.

Until then I am really tempted to just say no. None of the Above

None of the Above

In college I had this marvelous Sociology professor. After taking Sociology 101 from him I decided to get a minor in the subject.

His freshman level 101 class was in the major lecture hall which held 600 plus students, so we did not have essay exams but multiple choice. He wrote some of the trickiest multiple choice tests I ever took. There were seldom less than five choices and the instructions said that sometimes two choices would be correct.

Choice E was frequently, but not always, None of the Above. It became somewhat of a rallying call among Varley's students. Any time you heard the phrase on campus you knew they had taken a course from the man. D was often all the above but it just did not have the ring of None of the Above.

Watching the current political contests here in the United States I find myself wanting to scream at the political pundits on television - None of the above! I like it. We should put it on the ballot.

For President

• John McCain - Republican
• Hilary R. Clinton - Democrat
• Mayor Bloomberg - Independent
• None of the above

If no one candidate captures 33% of the vote or more or if None of the above has the highest number of votes the election is re-run. And why stop at President with this proposal? Start on the state level. And lets start in the primaries. It would give fair warning to all parties that they just have not captured our hearts and minds; dig deeper.

And just think of the fun when the pollsters call. No longer do you have to meekly reply that you are undecided (and let's face it if they were running a great slate of candidates would you be undecided). Just yell: NONE OF THE ABOVE.

The talking heads on television would be dismayed. "Well, Lou, it appears that the winner of the Iowa caucus will be None of the Above. What do you think that means for the future of the political process here in America?"

That it is broken and we want it fixed. Candidates and their future votes and vetoes should not be open for purchase by the big money interests in this country. And with None of the Above us little insignificant voters, the backbone of the representative republic, can take back our country.

Let's not wait until they get the message. We have write in votes. Write in None of the Above. Tell the pollsters, None of the Above. E-mail the news media with your choice of None of the Above. Why should we have to settle on the least obnoxious candidate for the leader of the less-than-free world? Just say None of the Above.