The “ready to lead” Question

Through the course of this election season we have heard a lot about if Barack Obama is ready to lead or not.  This question seems rather stupid.  It’s not like he just up and decided to run for President one day having never been in office before.  The man knows politics.

Sure maybe he hasn’t been in the Senate for decades and doesn’t have a ton of foreign policy experience.  But, he has been in the Senate.  The last two Presidents were Governors and then moved to the White House.  How much more experience could the have had.  And I for one say that President Bush clearly was not and still isn’t capable of leading.

Hillary has seen things from the view of the First Lady and from the view a Senator.  Is she ready to lead?  Answer is, possibly.  John McCain has been in the military and the Senate, is he ready to lead?  Answer is, possibly.  Barak Obama has been a state Senator and a federal Senator, is he ready to lead?  Answer is, possibly.

The truth of the argument is that you don’t know if someone is ready to lead until they do it.  Just because he served in the military doesn’t mean that McCain can lead this country.  Now I’m not knocking his service.  It’s a great thing to serve your country.  I just don’t know that, that is an absolute in judging readiness to lead.

Leading isn’t always about whose been around longest or has the most experience in something.  It’s about who can work with others and get others to follow them.  Perhaps there was a time when that was McCain back when he really was a maverick.  Today though at this point in time it’s Obama who is that person.  I think people in federal and state governments are ready to work with him to better this country.  And I think he’s the candidate who is most likely to listen to other people to come up with solutions.  That is what is important and that is what makes him ready to lead.

Follow Hillary

Tonight was the night everyone had been waiting for.  The night Hillary Clinton the former presidential candidacy hopeful would speak.  The night she could help or hurt the party.  The night she could make it about her and her historic run or about Barack Obama and his historic run that still continues.  I think a lot of people thought she would make it about her.  Well, they thought wrong.

Tonight Hillary Clinton was everything those of us who believe in her, know her to be.  Tonight she was not Hillary Clinton presidential hopeful, she was not Hillary Clinton the sore loser, she was not Hillary Clinton the spiteful bitch.  She was, Hillary Clinton the former first lady who knows what it takes to win.  She was, Hillary Clinton the Senator who knows what she and the party have fought for.  She was, Hillary Clinton the woman who inspired so many women to get out and vote.  She was Hillary Clinton the one person who could sway her supporters back to Barack Obama.  She was Hillary Clinton the Democrat.

I’ve made no secret of my support for Hillary during the primaries.  I was pulling for her state after state and supporting her decision to not throw in the towel when she was only down a couple hundred delegates.  And tonight she proved to be everything I supported.  I’ve known from the beginning that if she lost she would rally behind our nominee and the party.  I had no fears on that.  And tonight she made it very clear why we must elect Barack Obama.

I think one of the most important parts of her speech was reminding people what it was she has fought for and what she would fight for had she become President.  And then reminding people that those things are what all Democrats want for this country and that the only hope of getting them is with a Democrat in the White House.  Sure he’s going to need help from the Congress and the Senate but, I don’t think that will be an issue in the first few years.

Tonight Hillary made it clear to all her supporters that you need to support Obama.  Maybe you can’t get out and support him as visibly and vocally as you did Hillary.  That is okay because when he needs your support most is 2 months from now when you mark your ballot.  That is when he and this country need your support.

She was right to ask if oursupport was only for her or if it was for change?  If it was for our future, our childrens future, if it was for our health, or was it just for a woman President.  As for me it was and is about the future.  It is about hope and change.  I wanted Hillary because as I’ve said before I am a woman and I want a woman president.  I’ve always believed either of them would to a great job as President.

So now it is time for all other Hillary supporters to join with me, join with Hillary, join with those who already support Barack Obama, and show that you want change.  Say you will give your vote to the Obama/Biden ticket because you want your children to have the hopes and dreams you had as a child and the belief that those hopes and dreams can come true.

The Inspiration Lives

There is a truly great family in American politics and that is the Kennedy’s.  In one way or another they have influenced the course of this country for decades.  Unfortunately we can only look back and wonder how great things could have been had John and Robert not been assassinated.

I just finished watching Senator Kennedy give his speech at the Democratic Convention and the inspiration and idealism of that family still lives.  When a Kennedy speaks I think everyone listens.  Even Caroline Kennedy was inspiring in the way only her family can be.  If only this country could find their way back to the idealism of the days of John Kennedy.

At 30 the Kennedy I have always known is Edward but, I know my history and I’ve seen some of John’s speaches and I’ve always wondered when we would have another John.  Honestly I believed someday it would be John Jr.  That someday he would give and realize his destiny and enter the political arena in earnest.  My hopes and some of my dreams were crushed the day his plane went down.

When Obama gave that speech in 2004 I felt the inspiration and hope I thought would never happen in politics again.  I have only felt flashes of that during his campaign and it is my great hope that, that feeling will come through Thursday night when he accepts his nomination.  I am inspired by the change he can bring.  I hope he can live up to it and can see it through.  History is not kind to the true change bringers in the world.

I will throw my support behind him and try to encourage any undecided person I know to vote for him.  If anyone who is undecided out there that is older and knows the power of change that has always come with the Kennedy’s I hope they will listen to Senator Kennedy and vote for Obama.

It’s important to note that even with the loss of John and Bobby we still owe a great debt of gratitude to them for this moment in history.  All three brothers were instrumental in the civil rights movement.  Without them and their bravery and their support back then we probably wouldn’t be witnessing this now.  This moment in history could be years if not decades off if not for the Kennedy’s support back then.

I know they are not solely responsible for that change.  But, they were people of power who were willing to stand up and fight for what they felt was right.  They stood up and fought for an equality that people were willing to kill to stop.  They lent their power and voices to an equality they knew was right and would make this country stronger.  And they and everyone they fought with for that equality are being rewarded and proven right.  Now it is up to the next generation of Kennedy’s to take that torch and support the next great battle for equality in this country.  It is time for them to stand along side those being denied equality and lend their power and voices to the fight.  It is time for us all to take the inspiration and get loud and fight for everything we have been promised as Americans.

Just Chipping The Mold

I guess Obama was just interested in chipping the mold for himself as opposed to completely smashing it for the future.  He had such a chance to really change politics in this country and he blew it.  He sure talked a good game but, I guess he doesn’t believe as much in what he’s saying as he wanted us all to believe.

I really didn’t think he would pick Clinton as his Vice President.  However, I really hoped him and his people would be smart enough to pick a woman.  I wasn’t counting on that happening though.  I really am not that happy with his VP pick and it’s not because I feel Biden can’t do the job.

Sure he helps Obama with his supposed foreign policy weaknesses.  But, he hurts him and the party in other areas.  First he hurts us down the line.  Should we win in November and then again 4 years from now we’ll be back at square one 8 years down the road.  I do think if we end up with a younger president the party and voters will be looking for a younger person down the road.  I just think he should have found someone a little younger.

He also hurts in gaining the Hillary supporters.  I for one will still be voting for Obama.  I put my being a woman above most things when it comes to voting and I’m not going to vote for someone that would take away my rights.  I’m ashamed of women who would consider voting for McCain because they are angry Hillary didn’t win the nomination.  I think those women would be easier to win over with a female VP or even just a younger one who may better understand younger women and their needs.  Someone whose wife would probably help them understand that.  If he can’t win them over he will have no one to blame but, himself.

While Biden is Roman Catholic and that may appeal to the Hispanic voter I still think he won’t reach them the way Hillary did.  That’s going to make winning them over harder.  So if he slips with them and doesn’t get them to the polls for the Democratic ticket he’ll have no one to blame but himself.

And lastly this hurts us in the south.  I worry this ticket may now be seen as too northern a ticket.  If he can’t win the south he’ll have no one to blame but himself.

Hopefully Bill and Hillary will be able to get out and really rally the people the way they always have.  They’ll get the women to realize that Obama is the best bet for their family and their health.  And I really hope they’ll get the south to swing back our way.  Some of those southern states were really close during the primaries so we really need to get those who voted for Hillary to stay on board with us and vote for Obama.

Campaign Stupidity

There really hasn’t been a lot to write about so far but, lately the Obama campaigns lack of campaigning in Colorado is getting on my nerves.  When it comes to wanting to win Colorado it seems they’ve been a lot of talk and very little action.  For weeks it seemed the other side was coming out with at least one new ad a week and they were on during everything I watched.  Yet there was pretty much nothing from Obama and there aren’t really any other groups going after McCain here at the moment.

I don’t really mind that there isn’t anything coming from other groups yet.  What bothers me is that Obama is losing ground here because they totally dropped the ball.  The McCain campaign has been attacking both Obama the person and his basic platform.  Still nothing from Obama.  And now that they have finally gotten off their butts and released a new ad it’s one ad and it’s about his energy policy.  Which is fine since a big focus of the McCain campaign is to make it out like Obama’s ideas are the reason for high gas prices.  The problem is it’s not enough considering how much the other side is coming after him and trying to steal votes here.  I don’t want to see some down and dirty campaign but, they do need to go after McCain the way he’s coming after them.

If they want Colorado’s electoral votes they better start playing like they want them.

And in other stupidity…What is this crap of Obama possibly picking a Republican for his VP?  That is completely unacceptable.  I don’t know how real the possibility of that is but, the fact that it has even been considered is just wrong.  He’s already having some issues winning over the die hard Clinton supporters and he (and the people around him) think a Republican would be a good idea for VP.  Why don’t you just hand the Presidency to them for a third straight term.  I am very dismayed by the fact that it seems the idea of a female VP is completely gone so hearing this kind of talk is even more disheartening.

I would probably still vote for Obama however, I would not be happy about it.  I would still vote for him one because I know that he signs or vetoes things not the VP and two not voting for him would make me a hypocrite.  I would however, not actively support him though.  I don’t think anything could be more of a slap in the face to all his supporters than picking someone from the Republican party.  If you want to go outside the party find an independent candidate.  I think that would be a great step.

It’s time for the Obama Campaign to stop the stupidity and play to win.

The Primaries and Beyond

So after a long hard primary season we finally have a presumptive democratic candidate.  It wasn’t the cadidate I was hoping for but, I will be throwing my support behind Obama because I do believe he will be better than what we have now.  I don’t know that he can bring the change that he has built his campaign upon at least not to Washington itself.  I have heard that campaign talk during several campaigns and the truth is the President can not change Washington.  Not that much.  Can he bring change to the nation.  Yes as long as he has people willing to work with him  But, as for Washington overall and how things are done at times, no.  That is up to the American people.  Who generally like to bitch about how things are done but, then won’t elect new people to office because they are too afraid.  That is a different post for another time possibly.

As for the primary season and what happens next.  I never did get on the Hillary should just back out band wagon.  Mainly because I never felt she should.  It was close, there were super delegates and through out the contest there had been surprises and there could have been more.  I don’t believe what happened with Florida and Michigan was right or fair but, at least they got some of their delegates.  I also don’t believe that had things been reversed that people would have been calling for Obama to quit.

While it took longer for us to get a nominee I think it was a good thing.  Yes, there were probably some negatives.  However, there were definitely a lot of good things that came from it.  One of those things was new voters.  This is why I feel it was very good and smart of Hillary to stay in the race.  For the overall good of the party those new voters needed to be counted.  A lot of people got excited about voting, some for the first time and some it just renewed their desire to vote.  It’s the new voters that were important.  The longer the primary went on the more people registered.  That is more people who can already be contacted to vote and help spread the message of the party and less time having to be spent focusing on that for the general election.

Also I think having a say in the candidate was really imporatant to those people.  For the first time in a long time, I’d say at least in my lifetime, people had differences to voice with their vote in the primary.  While they had similar stances on things they also had great differences that appealed to the voters.  They also both had different types of core voters.  Really getting those cores going now I believe will help come Novemember.  Getting those people out and to the polls now will help them want to do it in the future.  Voting that first time is very exciting but, it can also be very intimidating.  A lot of people got out and did that with the primary so now they won’t be as intimidated during the general election.

Plus with the Florida and Michigan situation I think Hillary fighting for those delegates and pushing on when others said she should quit shows her desire to have every vote count.  That will help down the road.  She wanted everyone to have a chance to vote in the primary and she saw that pledge through to the very end.  No on could ever convince me that, that is a bad thing.

Now the challenge is just to keep people motivated.  The entire party has to work to make sure that those who were pulling so hard for Hillary will still vote and still vote for the democratic ticket.  Obama is going to have to accept that some of the things Hillary was out there saying really mean something.  It struck at the fabric of the country.  He needs her ideas and influence.  People still love the Clinton’s and if they believe we can get back some of the prosperity and other things we had under Bill then they will vote for Obama.

Why Decry The Truth

So we have another “controversy” over statements made by a big wig in one of the Democratic presidential candidates campaigns. (Please note that I have not seen the video so I don’t know how it actually game off and have only seen edited quotes so I do acknowledge that sometimes things don’t come out as well as they seemed when we formed the thought in our head.) This time it’s Geraldine Ferraro saying that Obama’s race is partially responsible for him being in this position. And him and his campaign have flipped out about it. My question is: Why is everyone so afraid of the truth? And why are they acting like it’s a bad thing to acknowledge it?

Considering the fact that in South Carolina Obama spent a good chunk of time playing to the more religious part of the African-American community (not the overall Democratic religious community at large [at least that's how all the media showed it]) it’s a little disingenuous and less than honest of him to now be all offended at the notion that his race has anything to do with the tightness of this primary run. The fact that when people look at both him and Hillary they see something vastly different than what we’ve had before is a huge part of this years nomination. It’s why people who haven’t participated before are getting out there and voting. It’s why the youth of American are excited about this years potential candidates.

America is suppose to be a country where our differences are celebrated. Where those differences are what makes a strong and great nation. At least that’s what we are taught when we’re young. And that is what the idealists among us believe about this country. It is the uniting of all our differences that is a big part of Obama’s platform. Denying the differences doesn’t help bring us together. So why is he acting like his race has nothing to do with his success in this process? No one is saying it is the only reason he is where he is, whether it be in the Senate or as the current leader for the nomination. You must be able to acknowledge the differences to accept them.

Until now when people have looked at the front runners for either party during the nominating process all they’ve seen are generally old (with a few exceptions) white men. And they are normally very well off white men. (Let’s face it no poor or lower middle class person would stand a chance at the moment.) But, this year we have a white woman and an African-American man duking it out for the Democratic nomination. So lets all just accept and admit the truth, things are this tight because of gender and race.

I really don’t know how things would be if this was Edwards and Obama or Edwards and Hillary. I doubt it would be as tight with either of those two versions of nominees but, I honestly don’t know which one would be ahead in either version.

However, if you took the three of them and made them into the same thing. Whether that be making them all women or all men of one race, you’d be looking at a primary where I believe Edwards would be ahead. The reason I say that is that his age would be younger than that of Hillary while his experience would be more than Obama.

Obama said that Hillary would be offended if someone said she’s where she is because of her gender. If they said that, that was the only reason she was where she is yes she might be offended. But, I highly doubt she’d deny that her gender plays some part in her success. So lets just be honest for a minute. If Obama was white his speech at the convention in 2004 probably wouldn’t have been as powerful. And people would just see another white guy saying the same things now.

I for one am extremely proud as an American, as a Democrat, and as a woman that this year we have two very viable candidates that are not white men. I am proud that we are showing the country and the world that the American dream of being anything you want is actually true. That neither your race nor your gender will keep you from having a real chance at being President. I do not think we should in anyway deny the truth. We should embrace the truth because once you do, that is when it truly becomes a non factor.

An Open Letter To The Democratic Party

To the Democratic Party:

Shame on you. I love you and what you stand and fight for most of the time. I know we are in desperate need of change in this country but, I still must say shame on you.

The reason I say this is because of you acting like big babies stripping Michigan and Florida of their delegates. Just because they moved their primaries up is no reason to act like brats. The states should be allowed to have their primaries whenever they want from January 1st of and election year until the convention.

It is sad the hypocracy we are showing in the party over this. In 2002 thousands of voters were left out in the cold in Florida. Their votes didn’t count or counted for the wrong person because of an old voting system that didn’t line up right. The cry went out from our party that all votes must count. That no voter should be disinfranchised in the process. Unfortuantely we couldn’t stop that from happening then.

In 2004 one of our big things was again all votes counting and no one being disinfranchised. We got more people out to the polls to make sure people knew how the machines worked. As well as making sure there was no other funny business going on. This was a good thing. Unfortunately we again lost that election but, I felt we made a good showing to the American people that we were the party that really believed in getting every vote to count. Making sure everyone who wanted to vote and was eligible to vote did in fact get to vote.

And now much to my dismay here we are in 2008 not counting votes and disinfranchising voters during the nominating process. I fear this may damage our turnout number come November in those states. Their voices weren’t heard the first time around this year why should they waste their time in voting come November? So what if they moved up their primaries…get over it.

And why are they the only states being punished? California moved up it’s primary but, you didn’t take away their delegates. It’s not to hard to figure out that you would never do that. Even if California had moved their primary up to be at the same time as the Iowa cacus you wouldn’t strip them of their delegates. And the simple reason you wouldn’t do that is because they have so many delegates.

Colorado moved up their cacus and you didn’t strip them of their delegates. Again not hard to figure out why. One the national convention is in Denver. We couldn’t slight the host state by taking away their delegates. Two we wouldn’t want to do anything that would assure us of losing Colorado come November. Sure they may only have a handful of electoral votes but, this election could come down to the small states. And with a major battle for both a Congressional and Senate seat looming they are a major player for the Democrats hopes of winning back the White House.

So I beg of you to reconsider this stupid decision to strip Florida and Michigan of their delegates. Give them back and divide them up between Hillary and Barack. Since she did stay on the ticket in Michigan give Hillary one or two more delegates there and then in Florida give them the delegates however they would normally be split. And either let John Edwards give his delegates to one of them or divide his delegates up evenly.

Please change this decision and go back to being the party that wants every vote to count.

I Wasn’t Complaining So I Don’t Have To

So yesterday I left a comment on a friends blog that wasn’t really intended to come off as defending Hillary. At least that wasn’t the conscious intent behind it. That did end up being how it was and the person left a comment back. I enjoyed reading his response too my comment. Until I got to the point where he said that I should have backed up my words and passion by going to the cacus for her. All I have to say to that is Bite Me.

I don’t really care that he voted for Barack in his states primary. And I don’t really care that Barack won my state. I wasn’t complaining in anyway about the turn out last night in any state. So I don’t need to be told to get out and go to the cacus. Had I been complaining then yes that comment would have been warranted. Because you don’t get to complain about how elections turn out if you aren’t doing your part in them. But, again I wasn’t complaining so I don’t need to be told to participate in something.

Again I don’t care which won of them wins the nomination. Yes I am pulling for Hillary. However, I have said since 2004 that the Democratic nominee in 2008 would be either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. I have not wavered from that and I have now been proven right. All that remains to be seen now is who will be the Vice Presidential nominee. I think there’s a good chance it will be a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket but, you never know. Whoever, gets the nomination might ask Edwards to join them or go with someone completely unexpected.

Also there’s an actual reason for not going to the caucus. While the process is interesting I don’t find it to be a fair process for the people. I think it leaves a lot of voters out in the cold. They are always at night so they leave a lot of people out. If you work nights you are out of luck. If you have to be out of town for work or some other reason, sorry no participating in the nominating process for you. And I’ve never liked the fact that Colorado doesn’t allow independents to participate in the process. When Colorado goes to a more fair process then maybe I’ll consider participating in the nominating process even if I don’t care who wins.

They’ll Need Help

Everyone always likes to focus on what the Presidential nominees say they will do in office. It’s great to know what the candidates hope to achieve. Of course then they get in office and they don’t achieve those things fast enough or at all and everyone starts calling them liars. They get accused of saying whatever they needed to say to get elected. What people like to ignore is that they can’t do it alone.

Yes the President can influence policy. He or She can let it be known the things they would like to see changed or fixed. Things like health care, immigartion reform, social security, education reform, and so on. Again the thing is they can’t do it alone.

The Predisent can’t just say I want this change or this much money for something and that’s that. They need Congress and the Senate to help them. The bills and budgets that achieve the goals they set forth. In short they need Congressmen/Congresswomen and Senators that have similar goals so they can achieve the things they set forth during their campaigns.

Unfortunately sometimes those Congress-people and Senators are more concerned with re-election than the well being of the country and its citizens. They may think (or even know) that something will really help but, they know that their constituents don’t know all the facts and won’t like them voting for a certain bill. So instead of voting for something that will ultimately be good they vote against it to help keep their job. This is a shame.

So when you go to the polls this November to vote for a new President remember to pay just as much attention (if not more) to the other people you try to send to Washington. Whoever the next President is will need people with similar goals to bring about any real change. We need people who are serious about working together to help the country.

Change is never achieved by just one person.