Charles' Blog

Take Courage Mr. President - Stand By the Cause! Cc: To Mitch Stewart, OFA

Charles — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:21:11 EDT

The eminent delay of Health Care Reform (HCR) is found in the oxymoron called the "trigger." If this country is ever helpless it is now as it continues to feebly mush through economic mediocrity. The “trigger” is like a double edge sword, it cuts both ways, and can be used against its proponents, but it has an onerous tone to it.

If it is accepted it will never be squeezed, and it will destroy HCR. If it is not accepted it can be used to raze its proponents. There is an often quoted allegory: The bitter enemy of the right intention is the best intention, and anything that excludes the public option from HCR like the health care “trigger” is exactly that – a best intention.

President Obama, do not be bluffed by the hand of the opposition they are good at throwing a bluff and then are better at bargaining for compromise in their favor. You have the better hand – a Royal Flush – your Ace in the hole is the people - you’ve got the majority of the country behind you in favor of HCR, and it was the reason we elected you – to bring change to Washington despite their intransigency. You have Joe Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and the Congress we gave you.

Do not be afraid it has been forty years since we have tried to get HCR and if you don’t pass it now it will be another forty years and a possible war before we break the strangle hold of inequality, privilege, and disparity. The Civil War gives us that example. Put politics aside, and err on the side of the people and you will never go wrong.

They’ve done it since the revolution, when the southern conservatives won a political victory against slavery and then secured and strengthened it with sanctions during and after the Revolution it took almost eighty years to rescind slavery. The tactic is the same incite anger, and revolt by scaring the congress to acquiesce to their demands.

Pull out all the stops get Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker Pelosi and call on your Surgeon General to speak up for HCR, call on some of the iconoclasts of industry to call for HCR, call on renown political writers to advocate for HCR, call on movie stars to rally for HCR, as a matter of fact create a commercial Like MTV’s – I want my MTV – that says, “I want my Healthcare.”

Better yet organize a National Health Care Rally for Monday October 12, and call on the millions of your supporters to descend on the Nation’s Mall in a call for Health Care reform.

Take Courage President Obama – Stand by the Cause!

Sincerely,

Charles Wheeler

"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed." - Abraham Lincoln

President Obama attack Bush's Public Sector Deficit ASAP

Charles — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:44:11 EDT

The US in the course of the eight years of the Bush Administration and the Republican led Congress has made us a debtor nation. I will say it again: The Bush-Republican led administration sold out our nation to foreign investors making us a debtor nation. Bush-Republican "Lone Ranger" approach left our nation "Tonto (silly)" in debt.

What is left of the economy the Bush Era Republican majority (now the minority) are slowly pivoting the responsibility of the economy onto the President Obama. The truth is the Republican's and Bush are solely responsible for the current crisis we face both militarily and economically.

The security question we should be asking is: "Are we as a nation more secure in light of the Bush/Republican economic sellout and economic catastrophe of 2008?" The answer in my mind is unequivocally, No! If military security hinges on our ability to raise, produce, and reconstitute our economy then the defense of our nation is treading on thin ice. All thanks to Bush-Republican sell out policies of their administration to fund an unwarranted war, and if the country does not rebound, then history will mark the Bush-Republican era, as a failure.

No matter where we are now or four years from now if our economy is not better by 2012 it certainly will not rest on the hands of President Obama. Realistically it took FDR three terms and the destruction of Europe to make our economy humm and grow. It took Clinton two terms to create record setting job growth, and economic solvency. It will take President Obama just as long.

It is completely the fault of Bush and his Republican co-horts, and if President Obama fails to revive the economy it will certainly not be because of his lack of effort, or the democrat lack of effort, but the blame will lie squarely on the shoulders of the party of NO, the GOP, the "GOPNO's," the people who at every turn said NO to President Obama.

Who wished his failure for their political gain. The "GOPNO's" will realize one thing that the tree will lay where it falls, and when it falls it will directly fall on them crushing them for being "DO-NOTHINGS" wishing our nation and our President's demise. The public will remember who never extended their hands, who never rolled up their sleeves, and provided the all important effort to join forces to pull our nation, out of the pit the GOP and President Bush has let it fall into.

Our stability has been squandered by unrestricted bloating of the public sector by Bush Republican's and by borrowing heavily or selling out America to foreign investors in China, and Europe. This borrowing has turned us into a debtor nation, inefficient, and unresponsive to the changing world environment and economy. Led by "lazy-faire"privileged pugilists who have fought, at every phase to strip every sense of equal opportunity and destroyed the highest possible value of American pride in the American Dream.

Because we have trillion dollar deficits with a capital "T," the emphasis of crisis is even more daunting and dramatic than a million or a billion dollar deficit, but the solution is the same. The Economic approach doesn't change, the basics of economic problem solving is essentially the same, and the mode attack towards large deficits is essentially the same as it was during the Clinton years or in FDR's era, only now the scale and enormity of the problem breaks new ground, because we are in the trillions, but nonetheless the sure footed principles of economics that pulled us out of the Great Depression, and Reagan's 1980's recession in the 1990's can pull us out now.

Relying on tested, tried, and true economic principles to attack the growing trillion dollar deficit will assuage the widespread anxiety the Republican's are trying to spread in sensationalistic attacks on our worst fear of economic insolvency.

So what can the past tell us about the future: Dr. Milton Freidman and Edward Nell, a Malcom B. Smith Professor of Economics, at the New School for Research in New York City wrote an article in 1994, published by the New York Review of Books titled: How Dangerous is the Deficit? An Exchange. Here both agreed on one thing:

PROFESSOR NELL WROTE:

Moreover, included in the US measure is the highest ratio of defense spending to GNP of any advanced nation. This means that excluding defense, we have by far the smallest public sector plus transfer system, in relation to GNP, in the developed world. Moreover our public sector has grown more slowly than that of any other developed nation. Could it be that many of our problems arise because our government is spending too little, in relation to GNP, rather than too much? Can we really manage the problems of a modern economy with less government participation than other nations require? Our social and economic statistics do not paint an encouraging picture.
These issues call for analysis and interpretation. Yet in public political discussion it is all too commonly assumed that government spending must be reduced further. However, recent studies have provided evidence that public investment in education, R&D and infrastructure will add more to future GNP than private spending, and further is likely to stimulate private productive investment. Far from trying to curb or cut government spending, the Clinton Administration needs to do just what Professor Friedman apparently fears—"…deliver…little if any deficit reduction, but instead [provide us with] a big increase in domestic spending, financed by a combination of new taxes and defense cuts…"

DR. FREIDMAN RESPONDED:

I supported President Clinton's deficit reduction package (indeed, I argued in these pages for a more aggressive program than the President's) not merely because I believe increased investment is essential to achieving productivity growth and with it a rising standard of living but also, and importantly, because I share the President's assessment that on average the US economy will be near to full employment during the period in question.
For example, I suggested in Day of Reckoning that President Reagan's tax cuts and greater military spending not only did not crowd out US private investment during the high-unemployment years of 1981–1984 but probably crowded in some investment by increasing overall economic activity and hence people's incomes and their demand for many products.
In the end, I was therefore pleased that Congress passed the President's program. No one likes paying higher taxes, of course, or doing without the programs curtailed by cuts in government spending. But I believe that reducing the government's borrowing, and so increasing our country's investment, is the surest way we know to begin to correct the dual problem of declining average living standards and widening inequalities about which I have previously written here.

The answer is... not to stop government spending but to stop government borrowing, and reign in the government bureaucracy, which the Bush-Republicans created. They sold out our nation, our nest egg's and our children inheritance to foreign banks and foreign countries, and placed our overall security on the most untenable ground ever.

What President Obama needs to do is stop government borrowing to attack the deficit, and pay off the foreign debt, ASAP. President Obama must continue his full court press and pass the twin reform of both the energy and health sectors and achieve the economies of scale and energy indepence that are so large a part of our present and future GNP. President Obama must continue to invest heavily, and even take a more aggressive approach to implementing the public investment in education, R&D and infrastructure that will add more to future GNP than private spending will ever accomplish on its own, and which is further likely to stimulate private productive investment well into our childrens future.

FORCE FOR LIFE: A FRAMEWORK FOR SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Charles — Fri, 22 May 2009 07:12:59 EDT

The most demoralizing threat to any country is the destabilizing influence of terrorism, and its unlawful coercive intimidating force. The most de-humanizing factor people experience in a country beset by terrorism is the unbridled fear of the unlawful use of that force to threaten the extermination of any country’s existence by radical partisan elements within or outside of its borders.

Force, at a more basic level is divided as a force unto life and a force unto death, and devoid of the forces of theology, ideology, or philosophy the force of biology concludes a premium of life over death. The force of annihilation exerted against the force for life creates a push and pull natural of all life and death struggles and when terrorism leads the charge for death anywhere and everywhere, the “Force for Life” can build a framework where there is a shared understanding and definition of terrorism and where we can begin an exchange of ideas and open a channel of communication that prevents death and our wholesale extermination.

Force for Life can become the framework for where living secure, healthy, and prosperous lives in congruence with our environment, our societies, and cultures is based on our mutual existence. Force for Life requires us to exist and prosper, and to live out a natural course of life, and in living that natural course of life we discover a present necessity to establish an equilibrium that involves interdependence for co-existing to achieve the self-preservation, self-determination and autonomy innate to the Force for Life.

The framework for security in the Middle East and hence the world begins with accepting the premise of the Force for Life; here the world community agrees to the eradication of terrorism everywhere and anywhere. Where the world community also agrees on a Consensus of Nations of 12 signatory countries, the United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Iraq to chartering a Military Tribunal on Terrorism similar to the “Tribunal” at Nuremburg, “…for the just and prompt trial and punishment of…” major world terrorists, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda and the Taliban got their start, to be known as the Kandahar Tribunal. Furthermore as part of the reconstruction of Afghanistan a construction of a super maximum prison for the detaining and imprisonment of convicted terrorists will be built.

Under the Consensus of Nations, a Kandahar Treatise for Security would be drafted to establish first a viable security for the region, to promote the common good, to establish social stability, and to secure, self-governing states of Lebanon and Palestine.

Whereas, the Consensus of Nations recognizes the new nations of Lebanon and Palestine, but will also provides significant assistance, in the promotion, of regional security, to weaker states.

Whereas, Lebanon establishes its current borders, and Palestine and Israel sign a 50/50 compromise forming a parallel that starts at the Jordan Border and passes through Jericho following highway 1 as it extends to the Armistice of Agreement Line of 1949 just north of Jerusalem.

Whereas, the new Palestine State would inhabit all the lands north of that demarcation ceding and vacating the southern cities to Israel and thereby requiring Israel to halt, vacate all Israeli settlements in the new Palestine state.

Whereas, requiring the new Palestine state to halt, vacate all Palestinian settlements south of the new southern border of the Palestine state.

Whereas, the Consensus of Nations would raise the capital, and resources necessary from the world community, to facilitate the move and repatriation of people and lands between Israel and the new nation of Palestinian.

Whereas, the Consensus of Nations would establish a binding, equitable “Treatise on Water” by establishing equitable rates and agreed distribution of water resources between regional signatory countries of the Consensus of Nations.

Whereas, the Consensus of Nations would halt the proliferation of Nuclear Arms and Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East Region, and plan for a progressive timetable for the elimination and dismantling of existing nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, Asia and around the world.

Whereas, the Consensus of Nations would use the structure of the “Treatise on Water” to further review, enhance, and facilitate trade between member nations, and the world at a specific time and date.

PRESIDENT O's FIRST MAJOR FLIP - INSIDE THE BUBBLE

Charles — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:41:17 EDT

President O’s First Major Flip-Inside the Bubble

May 13, 2009 Tampa, Fl

We are seeing the full effect of the Bubble. Where are all the President’s advisors on this and who has his ear, let alone his mind, and heart? Today’s White House news conference stated that the President O. seeks to review and delay the eminent exposure of the pentagon’s file on pictures of torture, based on National Security reasons.

It goes against the courts approval to release the in-famous torture pictures, and smells of Bush era smoke screen tactics, but moreover his delay screams of power (his corrupting Presidential power) the same power he campaigned against, which opposses honest law and due process.

It raises immediately these questions: The president is impinging First Amendment rights by not abiding by the courts decision by raising a legal position outside of the original FOIA rules, thwarting First Amendment rights which prohibits against government intervention in FOIA approved releases?

What is different now as opposed to when the Abu Ghraib pictures were released? Where we actually made less safe when those pictures were released or were we made more aware of the damming injustice of torture? No, we were not made less safe! The war raged on.

But we were alerted to injustice! Again, the real questions are: Who is President Obama listening to and who made him flip on the issue, and why? The President’s Flip on the issue resembles Bush tactics to skirt the law and impinge our constitutional rights for unknown or vague National Security Interests.

The President’s release of this change of position raised more questions, created more doubt, and made people more leery of his Presidency, and wasted a considerable amount valuable political trust/capital from his contract with the American People. Was it worth it?

The report of our own soldiers killing their own out of rage and post traumatic stress disorder has marked the immediacy of ending an unwarranted war, but also marks the importance of coming clean with our sins against humanity and our selves.

Since transparency is more about being honest and forthcoming his White House press conference May 13, 2009 created big sink holes in his promise of transparency, honesty, and integrity by being vague, and incoherent, by ineptly using borderline statements that seemed to skirt the issue.

Whether the release of the pictures makes it less probable or more probable for future picture taking is irrelevant of the main verity of being transparent with the American Public.

As a matter of opinion video graphing and picture taking should be codified as a requirement in the interrogation process across every level of government, including the CIA, FBI, and destruction of those tapes should be made a federal offense punishable by federal law because it keeps everyone honest.

Giving President O the Benefit of the Doubt

“Pragmatic” is President O.’s new middle name, but how it is delivered to the American Public is in serious need of review and it is now remanded and relegated to the President to fill in the craters he and his staff have created. First it must be made clear to the American’s why the President chose to “Flip” on this issue, and it must be advocated from a point of responsibility.

“Discretion is the better part of valor”, and according to wise counsel of Proverbs: “It is good to be brave, but it is also good to be careful.; If you are careful, you will not get into situations that require you to be brave.”

First, be honest with the American people by making it clear that this is not a political ploy or a play to rouse partisan bickering, but an honest and careful examination under our moral and legal standards.

It must be made clear that he is not playing cat and mouse politics with the Constitution against the veil of National Security agency to avoid the serious scrutiny and impact these pictures represent to the moral psyche and healing of the American conscious. He must release them, and tell the country when he will.

It is also not clear how National Security would be negatively impacted by the release of these pictures, as compared to the release of the Abu Ghraib pictures. But moreover it must be made clear that he is not stepping in the way of legal justice by using a seemingly arbitrary decision to tact the delay of the release of the Pentagon’s pictures of torture through a legal ploy.

Second on that basis the President should advocate that he felt it would be inappropriate to release the pictures on Memorial Day, and give our service men and women a black eye when it should be a day of reconciliation and honor to fallen heroes of all branches of service and security.

Third, and most importantly he must uphold and honor the value of the constitutional First Amendment without abdicating our country’s sins by using National Security as a convenient veil to hide the truth, of the injustice of torture.

Anything intended to be transparent or anything that “hems and haws” or that seems illicit or anything that falls into a casting shadow of doubt becomes obscure and un-transparent, and loses all the effect of honesty.

Take counsel from Frederick Douglas:

“He is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins”
Frederic Douglas

Dear Senator Coleman

Charles — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:54:55 EDT

Mr. Coleman,

"I don't blame you one iota for feeling as you do. If I were you I would undoubtedly feel as you do." D. Carnegie.

My name is Charles Wheeler and a stranger to you. You have had a hard fought fight for a job, and a passion you enjoy. It is traumatic not only to you but those closest to you.

However the situation in Minnesota has grown so tenuous that it seems you are hurting yourself, and despite that -others seem to be happy and willing to use you, oblivious of your expense.

You may end up suffering more serious damage personally, and emotionally than you may perceive. You have made great personal sacrifices in this race, more than most men.

But those you love and those you serve may well be the ones who will suffer the brunt of a possible personal shut down, and all at the possible expense of your political career.

It is a pity that you have to go such extremes, and it is almost inconceivable that you lost by so little of margins.

Yes you should battle to the end, but it will cost you much more time and treasure, but that is nothing in comparison to your reputation, and the scars your closest ones will suffer.

I sympathize with you Mr. Coleman-from a distance I can see it is not easy, but there are always new battles to fight, who knows maybe ending this valiantly will payoff in your better political development.

Tell Norm Coleman to concede his Senate race for his good and the good of Minnesota.

Or copy and Paste this link:

http://www.democratsenators.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NehMFYSEplH5l1eKWwYHMbs90eWVe8Ty

Avigdor Lieberman Tough Rhetoric Shows Eminent Fear but Underscores Apodictic Two State Path

Charles — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:16:33 EDT

Avigdor Lieberman's tough words underscores the worst and the best of Israel's fears and expectations. Eminent War is something all humans fear but when backed in a corner by continuing threats from Iran, and neighbors, Israel will not back down, and in turn that creates a fear in the Arab/Muslim diatribe.

Israel acts out of fear of annihilation for they have a stark and vivid memory, of an attempt, of once being exterminated.

But looking closer Avigdor Lieberman's "bark may be louder than his bite at the moment." The tough language is not a threat to any other nation but underscores the nature of the kind of negotiation, and foreign policy that Israel is returning to and which is prevalent in the Middle East known as "Tough Bargaining."

Avigdor L. statements are no more than a declaration to say that their is a "New Sheriff in Town." He is distinguishing himself from the Foreign Ministry of Tzipi Livni, and the failed Annapolis approach. However in a war prone region his words can be taken as a threat.

More importantly, it introduces A. Lieberman to the world in a big way by breaking from the slave mind numbing tone of protocol, and failed concessions. Although this might be a reach; He maybe also positing himself for a future spot as prime minister.

If he was thinking Prime Minister spot he may have thrown that opportunity "Out the Window," but that will all depend on his acumen and ability to reach a real two-state solution. Herb Keion further analysis Avigdor Lieberman's comments when writes at the Jerusalem Post, in his article titled: Analysis: Avigdor's accent, Arik's voice

But, again sounding like Sharon, Lieberman said that the road map must be adhered to by the letter, and it must be implemented phase after phase. What this means is that negotiations for a final agreement are to take place at the end of the road map, not at the beginning: not before terrorism is eradicated, not before Palestinian institutions are created, not before the Palestinians show real security capabilities.

What this means is that Israel wants real peace, and not a "head-fake." The terms are honorable to the future Palestinian state, but also realistic, tough, pragmatic, necessary, and attainable if the players are willing to undergo real change.

The real promise of "the tough negotiator" is their willingness to abide by the agreed upon conditions, in other words Mr. Avigdor Lieberman is willing to follow agreed upon rules, and it reveals his pragmatism and willingness to reach a two-state solution. In fact according to Keion, in The Jerusalem Post, Lieberman has "pledged allegiance to follow the road map which is called "A Performance-based road map to a permanent two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

For further analysis read Herb Keion's short but insightful article in the Jerusalem Post here:

or copy and paste this link:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1238562884900

DID THE PRESIDENT’S MEDIA BLITZ FOR THE BUDGET GIVE INTENDED RESULTS, NO!

Charles — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:16:05 EDT

Read the Headlines:

The New York Times Reports:

Obama Tries to Rally Nation to His Agenda
By PETER BAKER
Published: March 24, 2009
WASHINGTON — President Obama tried to rally the nation behind his ambitious agenda Tuesday night, hoping to channel outrage at Wall Street excess into support for changes in tax, health care and energy policy that face skepticism even within his own party in Congress.

The Washington Post Reports

President Pleads For Patience on Recovery Efforts
He Points to 'Signs of Progress'
By Michael D. Shear and Scott Wilson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, March 25, 2009; Page A01
President Obama asked the American people for patience last night as his administration struggles to balance a surge of populist anger at Wall Street against the need to assist some of the financial institutions that helped create the economic crisis

Reasons for Failure: Not all Lost, but Need to Re-Double Efforts:

1.Opponents sidetracked the President Obama’s budget with noise from AIG bonuses in the News-Cycle, and LOST “PUBLIC SENTIMENT” FOR HIS BUDGET!

2. Re-emphasize and re-establish a clean break from problems of previous administration; name out President BUSH, and signal the BUDGET AS A NEW BEGINNING to tackle those problems.

3. The Public are not accustomed to an open discussion about the Budget.

a. Make the Budget discussion like bread and butter, life and death, kitchen table issues.

4. The White House Public Affairs Office (PAO) is operating and slumping in business as usual.

5. PAO has no clear focus for an Offensive.

a. Break up PAO slumping by bringing in mentality of the campaign.

b. “Everything is a Campaign in the White House”

c. IF PAO is Limited use OFA to launch joint AD campaign with DCCC.

d. Team up to inform public and engage their “Public Sentiment.” with PSA's.

6. The Message has not been made in clear and beneficial specific terms to the public.

a. Break down the consequences to the public even further.

b. Paint the picture of what will happen if these reforms are not passed.

c. Give affirming details of where our country can be with or without this budget. Make it

personal to arouse “Public Sentiment”

d. Paint a picture in words.

e. Create the demand for budget.

f. PAO needs to become “Disney Imagineers” and promote the President’s Agenda.

7. Public has no “Public Sentiment” what is missing President Obama’s media blitz?

a. Establish Media-Ad Blitz Offensive.

b. Public does not see how impacting this Budget can be.

1. Explain what Lobby Controlled Legislators want to tear out of the Budget.

2. Identify Publicly Democrat or Republican influenced by Lobbyist money

3. Line up Publicly those opposed to the Budget and those For it

4. Campaign vigorously for Moderates

c. Create the Demand for the Budget through Traditional TV and Radio Commercials

1. Set Radio campaigns by influential well known “Einstein Type” scholars.

2. TV Campaigns Create MTV type ad saying:

“I want my Education,” “I want my Healthcare,” “I want New Energy,” “I want to be Out of Debt!”

3. Use Congresspersons and Senators to promote his Budget

4. Use More Analysts on All News shows to promote this Budget.

5. Send Out Mailers

8. The Political Hawks sense the President is on the Defense. The Pres. Is “Pleading” Congress.

He should be demanding it From Congress with the voice of Public Sentiment.

a. Why does he sound like he is begging? He does not have the full wind at his back

—There is NO PUBLIC OUT CRY for this

He does not have full “Public Sentiment.” Got it! (forgive my repitition and simple mind).

b. Big business is using all lobbying leverage on Moderate and Conservative Democrats

– They are pulling their money strings to rip (R.I.P.) apart and initiate Bills/Laws to destroy

his Budget.

c. Political hacks are crying louder and are taking the wind out the President’s proverbial sails.

d. Big Business/Washington Status Quo/ are banning together to divide the Democratic caucus.

e. Listen to Lincoln’s Loud words in his “House Divided Speech

"A house divided against itself cannot stand."
I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free

f. Obama government will not endure if the Democrats are divided.

g. AGAIN – arouse “Public Sentiment” for His Budget

h. Reid and Pelosi must work hard to keep Democratic Caucus United.

9. Reframe the Argument as a Public Demand based on “Public Sentiment!" with a MEDIA BLAST

a. Then President Obama and staff must re-double efforts about his Budget.

b. He alone can not win Public Sentiment. Everyone must rally and be a part in this effort.

"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed."
- Abraham Lincoln

ADD your reasons, offer your solutions and pass it on.

" TEN - things you should know about Obama's Plan ... (but probably don't)"... BUT IS WORTH REPEATING.

Charles — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:05:16 EST

Many People received this message from MoveOn.org, but it is worth repeating.

After reading the change I felt as though the nation was now going to receive the oxygen it was so desperately in need of. You can almost breathe in the fresh air.

It now means we have a second breath, an extra burst of energy. Our work has just begun it now means we have to re-organize and mobilize ourselves for the next stages of strategy in:

How to "DEFEND AND COUNTER"the "PUSH BACK" we are starting to get from the "STATUS QUO."

Here is what President Obama and the email said:

"President Obama called his budget "a threat to the status quo," and trust me, the status quo noticed. Oil companies, big banks and insurance companies are already mobilizing to stop it.2"

__________________________________________________________________

Want to see what change looks like? Real change?

Well, here it is. Last week, President Obama unveiled his budget—his blueprint for America—and it's ambitious, amazing, and unapologetically progressive. As Paul Krugman said, it will set America on a "fundamentally new course."1

President Obama called his budget "a threat to the status quo," and trust me, the status quo noticed. Oil companies, big banks and insurance companies are already mobilizing to stop it.2

Unfortunately, most folks don't realize how far-reaching and progressive the plan is—that's where we all come in.

Here are 10 really incredible things about Obama's plan. Check them out and then send them on to your friends and family so that millions of people will have the information they need to fight to make this vision a reality.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 things you should know about Obama's plan (but probably don't)

The plan:

Makes a $634 billion down payment on fixing health care that will go a long way toward paying for a more efficient, more affordable health care system that covers every single American.3
Reduces taxes for 95% of working Americans. And if your family makes less than $250,000, your taxes won't go up one dime.4
Invests more than $100 billion in clean energy technology, creating millions of green jobs that can never be outsourced.5
Brings our troops home from Iraq on a firm timetable, finally bringing the war to a close—and freeing up almost ten billion dollars a month for domestic priorities.6
Reverses growing income inequality. The plan lets the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire and focuses on strengthening the middle class.7
Closes multi-billion-dollar tax loopholes for big oil companies. 8
Increases grants to help families pay for college—the largest increase ever.9
Halves the deficit by 2013. President Obama inherited a legacy of huge deficits and an economy in shambles, but his plan brings the deficit under control as soon as the economy begins to recover.10
Dramatically increases funding for the SEC and the CFTC—the agencies that police Wall Street.11
Tells it straight. For years, budgets have used accounting tricks to hide the real costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts, and too many other programs. Obama's budget gets rid of the smokescreens and lays out what America's priorities are, what they cost, and how we're going to pay for them.12

This is the change we voted for. President Obama has done his part, now we need to do ours.

Can you pass this on to your personal network and then click here to let us know how many people you told, so we can track our impact together:

http://pol.moveon.org/budget10/?id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=1

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Tanya, Peter, Justin and the rest of the team

P.S. Turns out there are way more than 10 amazing things in Obama's budget and we couldn't resist sharing just a few more.

Stops unnecessary government subsidies to big banks, health insurance companies and big agribusinesses.13,14,15
Expands access to early childhood education and improves schools by investing in programs that make sure every child has a qualified, strong teacher.16
Negotiates for better prescription drug prices using Medicaid's tremendous bargaining power.17
Expands access to family planning for low-income women.18
Caps the pollution that causes global warming, and makes polluters pay to support clean energy innovation.19

Sources:

1. "Climate of Change," The New York Times, February 27, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/opinion/27krugman.html?em

2. "Obama Calls His Budget Sweeping, Needed Change," The New York Times, February 28, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51201&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=2

3. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=3

4. "Obama Expects Fight Over $3.55 Trillion Budget Plan," Bloomberg News, February 28, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51203&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=4

5. "Energy Budget Is Sunlight After Eight Years of Darkness," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51204&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=5

6. "The Economic Cost of War in Iraq and Afghanistan," The New York Times, March 1, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/weekinreview/01glanz.html

7. "Tax Cuts," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-tax.html

8. "Energy Budget Is Sunlight After Eight Years of Darkness," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51204&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=6

9. "Student Loans," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu.html

10. "Obama unveils budget blueprint," CNN, February 26, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/26/budget/

11. "Obama budget would boost SEC, CFTC, FBI," Reuters, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51205&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=7

12. "Obama's budget," Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51206&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=8

13. "Student Loans," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu.html

14. "Health Insurance Stocks Dive on Medicare Advantage Cuts," The Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51207&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=9

15. "Agriculture," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-agri.html

16. "Investing Wisely in Our Children," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51208&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=10

17. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=11

18. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=12

19. "Setting 'Green' Goals," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51209&id=15687-14444884-.eXEbPx&t=13

SENATORS ARE CUTTING OUR "SACRED COW": EDUCATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE WORTHWHILE

Charles — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 01:45:43 EST

Education should be "Our Sacred Cow." Cutting Education is a "knee-jerk" Reaction to balancing Budgets. It is a common Political Ploy. It is the common way of doing business in Washington. It doesn't Hurt them (the lawmakers) but it Hurts Our Schools, Our Teachers, Our Students. It hurts everyone.

How else will this nation pull itself out of the whole. Education is money well spent. It is the best investment this governing body can do for its people. It is the best money an individual will ever spend. Cutting Education is Stupid.

It is near sighted and ignorant of lawmakers to cut the Educational Budget allotment in this stimulus, when our schools are bursting at the seams with record high enrollments, and have record budget shortfalls during this recession!! EDUCATION NEEDS THIS MONEY NOW.

Some Politicians are narrow minded and operate with "small thinking" when they cut our EDUCATION BUDGETS. Rather than approaching this from an open "Expansionist" point of view. How can we grow our nation with "small thinkers"??

I'll say it again - If we cut our $700 billion dollar habit on dependence on Foreign Oil in one year we can re-coup what we spend on this bill.

We should be saying: It's time to invest in America! and all the money we invest will be used here, spent here, taxed here, and recycled here. It's time to spend on our nation and in ourselves!

Call your Senators and tell them to replace the money they cut for Education!!! and everything else they've cut!!! Today. Make them afraid of our voices.

OPEN LETTER TO THE REPUBLICANS

Charles — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:17:00 EST

It is astonishing that you have taken a purely political stance in your vote of "NO." It is clear where you and your peers stand in NOT helping America prosper.

Your group were only interested in appearing strong under a united NO vote, but it only showed how weak you and your peers are.

Your NO vote made you an embarrassment and have made you appear naked before the Nation and your Florida Constituents.

It is a shame that you clenched your fists and fain a smile at the extra and out of the ordinary extension of bi-partisanship that President Obama extended to you and your colleagues.

Remember the President knew he didn't need your vote to pass the Stimulus Package, but he went out of his way to get your input, and you failed.

President Bush did more to show graciousness and openness than you or your colleagues did.

You miss the point of the stimulus plan. You view it as spending. NO, it is an Investment. It is a down payment on the investment on the re-building of this country.

You have politicized Our desire to invest in America. What the Republicans for the last eight years have done is spend on other countries, wars, on the elite, giving tax breaks when it was not needed, and dug US into a hole. You created a climate of gluttony and greed and it exploded in Our faces.

It is time we spend on our selves, our nation, our cities, our schools, our universities, our infrastructure, and everything else that is crumbling in our Nation.

Our nation's mall needs to be the shining example of this country. Yes let's re-sod our Capital. It should be a kept like a jewel. Sod farmers in Florida, Georgia would be thankful for a 20 million contract. Yes, lets spend a few million dollars on contraception to keep our population from exploding like China.

It keeps our clinics and doctors employed, our pharmaceutical's operating. Let's keep our nation healthy and keep STD from becoming as dangerous as AIDS, but you view that as pork. No, it is an investment in ourselves.

You miss the point-a dollar invested in America is a dollar well invested in America. Ok lets use your term; A Dollar spent in America is a dollar well spent in America. No matter what it is-it is an infusion into the American economy, and that is what WE need.

You have used the carrot of tax breaks to create gimmicks to benefit a few at the detriment of the middle class just for purely political gain.

We are tired of receiving the bait and switch, and eating the crumbs you have been spilling off of your table, and drinking the drops of water that comes off your chins.

Tax breaks are like giving a starving person a fish it means death is staved off to another day.

We need good paying long term jobs/careers instead of tax breaks to spur this economy. Long gone are the jobs you can hold for thirty-fifty years.

Our businesses have exported out those type of jobs creating this volatile economic climate, and hence the instability on our economy.

Tax breaks are great when a person is making money and is gainfully employed, that spurs investment, but when the majority of people are unemployed, or are under employed, we get what we have today, deflation and a looming depression.

Receiving a tax break with our current economy just delays the in-inevitable; a horrible depression racked with disease, crime, poverty, and futility.

We are in the Golden Hour of reckoning, and our nation needs a massive infusion of Capital Work projects. We don't want to squander our resources or our planet, but you have done that.

NPR reports: Even as the Fed wants to use all tools available to battle the crisis, it is mindful that there are dangers: the potential to put ever-more taxpayers' dollars at risk; sow the seeds of inflation in the future; and encourage "moral hazard," where companies feel more comfortable making high-stakes gambles because the government will rescue them.

Our Federal Reserve Bank is at its brink, and there is nothing it can do anymore to fix this crisis. Nor do WE want or expect them to squander our money over to bad. It is time for huge government intervention in the form of public works programs, and long term job creation.

We have seen The Industrial Revolution—1771; The Age of Steam and Railways—1829; The Age of Steel, Electricity and Heavy Engineering—1875; The Age of Oil, the Automobile and Mass Production—1908; The Age of Information and Telecommunications—1971. What age will be known for? The age of greatest social-economic catastrophe; what age will we usher in?

The American people should not shoulder or encourage bad business practices for the sake of the whole. No, those businesses should sacrifice for the whole.

We are now battling a three headed snake: the housing crisis, the bad credit market, and a crumbling financial market, and to kill it we must chop off its heads and break up its body into several pieces so that it never rears its ugly heads again.

You don't understand that WE want to rebuild America, WE wan to re-invest in American technology, WE want to build a transportation grid that DOES NOT use fossil fuels.

WE want to contribute to the energy grid and with a solar panel on every home in America we can, but that is not politically expedient to you because your vote has been bought by those entities that want to keep this country hostage to eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century cronyism.

Your view is myopic. Republican and Democrats spent us into this recession. You are used to spending on pork, but when we want you to invest in America, you VOTE NO.

We hear YOU. But, if we were to stop buying 700 billion dollars worth of fossil fuel, we would in one year pay off this minuscule stimulus plan.

Rather than joining the thinking and saying OK what can I do to spur the economy in my state, and how can I invest in Florida wisely and with transparency through this stimulus plan-YOU have opted to VOTE NO. Nothing will come our way because of your NO VOTE. It is stingy thinking.

We will remember your NO VOTE, and when it comes time for re-election we will VOTE NO for you.

" I wrote my Congressman. My hope is that it spurs you to write yours.
Sincrely,
Charles Wheeler"

OBAMA THE TRILLION DOLLAR PRESIDENT

Charles — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:08:55 EST

The Rebuilding of America by President Obama will require “Guts” by himself and politicians to reinvest in “Trillion Dollar” terms, and in the legacy terms of long term thinking and planning. Let’s face it the nation knows our country is in dire straights. The nation has just undergone a multi-system trauma, and we are bleeding economically with no end in sight. We need resuscitation.

According to the US House of Representatives Committee on the Budget, report dated February 4, 2007, Bush inherited a 5.6 Trillion Dollar ten year surplus, and the Bush’s Republican policies took the nation’s coffers to a 8.8 trillion dollar nose dive into the red, ending with a 3.2 trillion dollar deficit, and we are arguing over a measly 825 billion dollars.

The Golden Hour

Poetically, “We” are at deaths door and there is no bright light at the end of the tunnel. The end of our republic is near, and congress is operating in the twentieth century of stinking thinking, partisan short-term positioning for the 2010 elections, and not in the long term survival of the nation. If we all survive this trauma then that means both the Democrat and Republican will survive.

If “We” as a nation were a patient loosing blood at the rate of economic loss-one would know we are about to die-and so it is with our economy and our nation. Our economy is critically injured and “We” have arrived at the critical juncture between life and death called the “Golden Hour.”

R. Adams Cowley, MD, from the University of Maryland states, "There is a ‘Golden Hour’ between life and death. If you are critically injured you have less than 60 minutes to survive. You might not die right then; it may be three days or two weeks later -- but something has happened in your body that is irreparable." The University of Maryland (http://www.umm.edu/shocktrauma/history.htm), tribute to Dr. Cowley also states,” the “Golden Hour” emerged based on the importance of speed and as well as in the skill in operating procedures.”

Doing nothing and not using skill in the “Golden Hour” of the implementation of our “stimulus procedures” or of deploying the stimulus package would be tantamount to negligence. It can mark the beginning of the end for President Obama’s presidency if he allows the Republicans to keep him in the mire of short term thinking, and partisan politics. If we don’t get this right we will be squandering the “Golden Hour” we have to infuse the economy with the Trillions “We” need to keep us from falling into irreparable damage, and it will be the Republican’s who will be at fault, if they keep blocking or delaying this measure.

It is Time We Invest in Ourselves.

President Obama has reached out during this economic catastrophe, and continues to reach out not to further the Democratic agenda, but because he knows why he was elected, to save the nation from economic catastrophe. President Obama is thinking of America’s best interests and its survival not politics-he wants this to work, and “We” know this. “We” the people also see who is undermining his efforts, and we will let our voices heard in the poll booths. Speed and skill is needed to pass this stimulus package and “We” understand that we need to invest “Trillions” not billions.

“Billion dollar” thinking ended when our governments budget reached the Trillions, and our GDP hovers in the Trillions, and John Boehner arguing over “Other projects included in the stimulus proposal are: funding for contraceptives, $50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts, $44 million for repairs to the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters, $200 million for the National Mall, including $21 million for sod, and $400 million for "national treasures," is chicken feed. It is small thinking compared to the trillions we need to get this right.

Just to get the economy to base we have to spend at least 3.2 Trillion dollars just to break even. Let’s put this in real terms and think in terms of economies of scale. What will do the most good for the most people? If we stopped spending 700 Billion dollars on imported oil in five years we would recoup the 3.2 Trillion needed for a real Stimulus Plan, and one year to recoup the paltry 825 billion Congress is now working to pass.

Investment vs. Spending

Some Republican’s and people like John Boehner are stuck in the twentieth century. President Obama has repeatedly stated that he does not want pork, and some Republican’s are screaming “bloody murder” because we want to repair our Department of Agriculture, make our National Mall a jewel to see and visit, avoid a population explosion like China, support the Arts-our culture and our “national treasures,” but it is obvious they have not travelled the country and have seen our decaying cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, or our crumbling infrastructure-they live in a bubble.

Cities like New York seem “Old World” compared to Beijing, Madrid, Paris, Dubai, and Shanghai and Singapore. Philadelphia gave birth to the American Revolution and American Independence, and Philadelphia should be a showpiece of early American history, because they made the hard decisions despite politics, but the unfortunate thing is it is not. Today, it is run down and worn out. Our founding fathers legacy to us was to provide the framework in their long term thinking to see who and what we are today.

Our legacy can be that at the “Golden Hour” of our greatest needs our generation made the hard decisions to invest and see our country thrive and prosper well into the 23rd century. If our economy was a person it will take action, the right medication at the right time, and right now we need a massive infusion of 3 Trillion Dollars “stat.” Like blood we need it typed and crossed and ready to go.

The Republican’s view this as “Spending” and this is where they miss the mark. “We” see this as an “Investment” to a more prosperous nation. “We” need the stimulus package skillfully constructed and know it is the foundation of the figurative house President Obama is gutting and rebuilding. Like President Truman reconstructed the White House President Obama will be carefully and skillfully re-constructing our nation.

“We” are Patient but Exacting

“We” the people know this will take a long time to recover and we are willing to “hunker down for the long haul” if we have accountability and transparency. “We” are willing to forgo immediate tax relief if the foundation we set today will carry the nation to long term prosperity. “We” can shoulder the current tax burden if there is fiscal responsibility in the “Investment.” “We” can endure austerity if Congress and the states and our nation’s cities are willing to implement an austerity plan with us and use performance measures to improve government.

We have seen runaway spending in the Republican lead era of the eighties and in the Bush era and that is what Politicians have become accustomed to when they take power. We have seen the resurgence of the $5,000 dollar toilet seat, the crazy junkets, the gaudy spending of the rich and famous. “We” are willing to go “Quid pro Quo” but only if what is required of “Us” is not squandered by short term thinking, and unmeasured and unbalanced double standards.

Tax Breaks and tax relief have become political ploys and gimmicks to gain our vote, and we are tired of short term political efforts to reduce taxes when it just digs the nation into a bigger grave. All tax incentives should be removed from the stimulus package and be discussed when the tax reconciliation period ends in 2010.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published this article titled: JOINT TAX COMMITTEE ESTIMATE SHOWS THAT TAX GIMMICK BEING DESIGNED TO EVADE SENATE BUDGET RULES WOULD INCREASE LONG-TERM DEFICITS; By Joel Friedman and Robert Greenstein. The Minutiae of tax reform can be discussed when the Bush tax cuts expire. Right now, the patient needs a massive 3 Trillion dollar infusion not a prescription on tax policy or a paltry 825 Billion.

“We” need Home Values stabilized. Our colleges and Universities need funding. “We” need a plan to create jobs that is part of the “Investment” in America. “We” need our manufacturing sector restored. “We” need to see our infrastructure, and our cities rebuilt. “We” need mass transportation and electrical grid re-configured. “We” need to bring train travel into the 21st century by creating new hubs of 300-400 mph Maglev trains. But more than anything “We” need the government to think in the terms of economy of scale that “Trillion Dollar Thinking” can do to create opportunities, by demanding our economy to be off of fossil fuels, in the next five-ten years. Here is where the nation and our businesses can create the opportunity in “New Industry,” but first we need resuscitation.

THE OBAMA POWER NAP: The answer to late nights, long hours in Obama White House

Charles — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:55:29 EST

President Obama and his incoming staff will inherit daunting and extra ordinary challenges that will require both peak and optimum mental and physical performance from his staff and his cabinet.

President Obama is known for his physical and mental strength because he works at being fit physically, and mentally. He is known for working long hours into the night calling his staff at 11pm and working on speeches and reading, sometimes until 2 am.

The White House is expected to revolve around this schedule, by all accounts his Chief of Staff; R. Emanuel can burn the candle at both ends. He is often calling his staff as early as 6 am, and working late into the night, as well. Coming of a grueling campaign schedule, enduring the transition, and then stepping into power Pres. Elect Obama may find his people cascading like dominoes.

A partial answer to maintain peak mental performance can be the Obama Power Nap! The second equation to this conundrum is requiring a series of physical activities for White House Staff, where staff can choose any number of physical activities that allows them 30 minutes of aerobic activity each day.

The Power Nap has it origins in the siesta, but is far from being a siesta, in its truest form; the Power Nap is truly American. Imagine a nation that works out for 30 minutes, eats for 30 minutes, and naps for 30 minutes, and produces more, while combating fatigue, in an hour and half lunch break.

Unlike, a siesta in Spain, Mexico, and other Latin American countries a siesta shuts everything down for 3 hours that is un-American. “The siesta for shops and businesses is from approximately 2pm until 5pm while bars and restaurants close from about 4pm until about 8 or 9pm, according to about.com.”

The answer: The Obama Power Nap! A nap after lunch is proven to improve your performance according to research web site Health, they say:

Therefore it is true; a nap after lunch can improve your performance. There is a wealth of evidence and research to support the validity of this claim. Napping is a very effective way of combating fatigue and lifting productivity in the work place. Only 15 minutes can lift someone's performance and concentration levels greatly.

"We actually have a dip in our core body temperature rhythm after lunch and that coincides with the sleep patch we have after lunch. And that happens even if we don't eat anything at lunchtime. So we're physiologically programmed to slow things down in the early afternoon," says Adelaide-based sleep researcher, Dr Sally Ferguson.

So, it is no surprise then that over 60 percent of workers are actually sleep deprived. Most other animals on the planet nap and humans have not evolved past this basic need.

So, it is no surprise then that over 60 percent of workers are actually sleep deprived. Most other animals on the planet nap and humans have not evolved past this basic need.
People are not getting nearly enough sleep at night and it's causing us to be less effective at work and bringing with it a whole host of health problems, which ultimately can lead to increased costs for businesses.

New York entrepreneur Arshad Chowdury has come up with the ultimate corporate kip — nap pods for rent.
"For the last 50 years in the western world we've been working longer hours and sleeping less every single year. This is the trend that's not going anywhere and something has to give," says Arshad.

If you nap for more than 20 minutes during the day, you'll slip into the deep sleep cycle, which means it'll take you longer to recover so a nap pod is designed to induce faster sleep by recalling your favorite nap settings, from music to contour preferences. By the time you freshen up after your nap, you'll be in and out in just 30 minutes.

According to Arshad, one in three Americans nap and he thinks this holds true for much of the western world. Therefore if we are given the opportunity to take a nap during the workday, one in three of us would choose to. He says, it's things like work culture that actually prevents us from doing so.
Nap pods are making their way to Australia.

A wise Pres. Elect Obama will see the benefits of a “Power Nap” and Nap-Pod’s may make their way into the White House especially if the grueling schedule continues, and if he wants to keep his staff from flailing, and falling like flies.

WHAT DOES THIS INAUGURATION MEAN TO YOU?

Charles — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:57:20 EST

It means: Inspiration to me!

Intangible yet real, it springs from a persons deepest core. It is a feeling that emanates from the sub-conscious to make you aware of the achievable. It is the amorphous inducing substance that makes you sob, smile, and shout all at the same time.

It means in essence that I have entrusted my life, the well being of my country, and of future generations into the hands, mind, and heart of the incoming President.

The inauguration means I have given him my trust: Which has my unselfish care for change, and it carries my charge, custody, and confidence with the positive expectation of our hope.

Charles Carlos Wheeler

THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST BUT PLEASE NO RETREADS MR. PRESIDENT ELECT

Charles — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:39:32 EST

The test balloon has been floated, and Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is being fleshed out in the public while the transition team thinks over who would be the best and the brightest as Secretary of State, and other cabinet posts are being vetted behind the scenes. The great benefit of such a leak is that it works to publicly vet highly public figures like Senator Clinton. But if more leaks of less notoriety follow then staffers and transition team members, the transition process, and the Podesta team is in danger of showing to be weak, suspect, and undisciplined.

Change was the platform that Senator Obama ran on for President. How can he epitomize change when in essence he is re-creating or creating a third Clinton Cabinet? One of President Elect Obama’s favorite saying by MLK is “The arch of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Obama’s MLK quote addendum can be, “The arch of change is long…” “…How long, not long…” in other words change won’t be much, if he continues down the same well travelled path. If he continues doing the same things over and over again and can we expect a different result or do you think we will get change as he promised?

Speaking in the wisdom of others President Elect Obama and his transition team should consider these wise words:

We are most effective as a team when we compliment each other without embarrassment and disagree without fear. - Unknown
What we need to do is learn to work in the system, by which I mean that everybody, every team, every platform, every division, every component is there not for individual competitive profit or recognition, but for contribution to the system as a whole on a win-win basis. - W. Edward Deming
Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. - Vince Lombardi
The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team. - Lewis B. Ergen
The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime. - Babe Ruth
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. - Henry Ford
Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another and of strength to be derived by unity. - Vince Lombardi
It is better to have one person working with you than three people working for you.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
It’s easy to get good players. Getting them to play together, that’s the hard part. - Casey Stengel

Lincoln’s chutzpah in selecting “a team of rivals” was overstated he had to do a lot of convincing and endured countless hours agonizing and analyzing ways to prove his leadership, to his team of rivals. He had to undo distrust, disdain, and contempt, from discordant factions within his cabinet which he accomplished. The downside is that dissonance spilled over to his military leaders, and that almost became his undoing. It was evident with the lackluster insubordination he received from generals like McClellan. President Elect Obama absolutely can not waste time undoing the disparagement, nor does he have the time, treasury, or life to spare from hidden dissension from his cabinet or from commanders on the field as President Lincoln did.

“Why retread an old politician into a new role”

Selecting Hillary is a dam good player but she can easily be considered either a bad or bold choice. Offering Senator Clinton the post creates obvious and not so obvious deliberations. First when you get Hillary you get Bill whether you want him or not so the questions to ask is do I want Hillary enough to get Bill? Keeping Hillary’s interest as Secretary of State will be enough for her to succeed, but keeping Bill Clinton engaged beside Hillary is the other challenge. You just can’t emasculate a person like Bill Clinton and not expect any drama, no on the contrary Bill Clinton must have something to do. What can Bill do at the side of Hillary if she is Secretary of State?

Hillary has a lot of good qualities she is hawkish and can be megalomaniacal. She has ambition and allegiance. She is smart and skillful, but her baggage trails like Zsa-Zsa Gabor’s. The question the transition team needs to ask is: Are they willing to re-hash and re-live the public drama of the Clinton’s and risk ludicrous embarrassment? Will she be able to devote her interests truthfully and completely to President Obama, or will divide them between hers, Bill’s, and President Obama?

Why fish in the same pond? Nixon was successful with Kissinger. Carter was successful with Brzezinski even though Brzezinski served as National Security Advisor. Clinton was successful with Albright. Why retread an old politician into a new role, when President Obama can have an assertive intellectual at his side to provide him with day-to-day advice and guidance on foreign policy decisions. How about Thomas Freidman for Secretary of State, he speaks and writes Arabic, and Hebrew. The point here is to think out of the box.

David Ignatius, of the Washington Post raised an even more cogent point, on MSNBC’s 1600 with David Gregory:

“Just to say one thing about this issue we are all talking about Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State in my conversations with foreign leader’s people abroad who are watching this amazing election. The sense of excitement they have about this new President, about his ability through his personality. His amazing history – to turn a page – to show the world a different face of America is crucial. The one thing I think for Obama should be careful about is not dissipating that opportunity by having a superstar as the Secretary of State. The game in the world right now is Barack Obama. It’s Barack Obama who has the ability to meet with people – make things happen, and go through doors that wouldn’t exist but for him, and if he gives it – if he sub-contracts that to Hillary Clinton, I worry that the impact he could have might be lost.”

GAINING EQUAL RIGHTS IS AFTER ALL THE STRUGGLE.

Charles — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:11:32 EST

"So, over the course of the many years I have had discussions about the "marriage" v. "civil union" and most GLBT's I have talked to about it feel that it must be marriage or nothing." Cindy Jaffe

Why does the GLBT insist it must be marriage or nothing? Isn't that being narrow minded?

Wouldn't that be like an African American insisting on wanting to be called white when he/she is black when arguing for equal rights? Isn't the objective equal rights for all involved? That is what I support. I think the country has arrived at a decisive juncture.

The majority's message is "marriage" as a label is a term they want to keep defined as the union between a man and a woman. The GLBT community wants to change the label "marriage" and redefine it as a term used in GLBT relationships and want to force the change politically and socially, as in "it must be marriage or nothing." And that to the majority is a violation/usurpation of what has been traditionally a man/woman term not a GLBT term.

Isn't that kind of stance one that incites violence and unrest? The majority think the GLBT are treading on the majority's ownership of the term "marriage." That is the stalemate we have now. It is not so much about equal rights but more a fight on the definition of marriage, and who owns it.

Now if one was arguing to redefine marriage then the amendments that have passed recently in so many states is a push back by those who want to preserve the term "marriage" between a man and a woman.

Being new to this discussion I would argue that if these amendments strip away the label "marriage" from the GLBT, and equality under the law, then the fight should be to restore equal rights under the law for the GLBT, and not so much to force a change in the definition of the label "marriage," in society and the courts of law.

The issue is that the term "marriage" for thousands of years has been an institutionalized and established by and between a man and a woman. If it had been institutionalized to include GLBT, during that same time period until now then we would not have the institutional issues we are facing today.

What is required now is an agreement to disagree on the definition of "marriage" as an issue. The important part of this discussion is to ensure equal rights under the law for all in the GLBT community. The majority feel marriage belongs to them, but the battle must be ensued on the basis of attaining equal rights for all in the GLBT minority movement.

Ceding the definition of "marriage" as the union between a man and a woman is not a loss, and of little consequence. GLBT losing the rights and benefits a man and woman receive in their unions is an justice, and is trajically a loss.

It is important as long as the GLBT community want to have a homologous long lasting relationship with one person for the rest of their lives that they should receive equal rights benefits under the law.

Couldn't GLBT still have partnerships or unions with equal rights under the law without legally calling it a "marriage," and still call it a "marriage" within the GLBT community? Why couldn't the Federal Court create a mandate to all states affording civil unions the same rights under the law as a marriage between a husband and wife?

Gaining equal rights is after all the struggle.

OBAMA’S IMPROBABLE PRESIDENCY MAKES LAST MINUTE ROUSE

Charles — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:40:29 EST

John McCain is using reverse psychology and is arousing empathetic sentiment to close in and overtake Senator Obama with voters. He is again making the election one about choosing between characters, him and Obama, rather than one of choosing a presidential candidate based on the issues.

Historically America’s penchant for the underdog will underscore and over take any lead Senator Obama may have in the Polls, this is what he is doing by going on these popular shows like SNL and Letterman. Expect a close to matching effort in an across the board voting.

Despite Senator Obama’s groundwork of GOTV this is still in large part a defensive play to ensure electoral votes. The ground work as important and vital as it is leaves open winning the electoral vote of undecided voters, in swing states, as more crucial and important. It is the offensive part of the campaign that needs to be ignited in the last hours to score points, and win independent voters.

Because of the historic nature of his candidacy Senator Obama must win in a landslide, no less is required. The polls are fickle as much as voters are transient in their thoughts; hence, the urgency of the now is not only for the GOTV but for the undecided voters.

News, and media coverage now is not so much about Obama’s lead in the polls but more about McCain’s last minute surge in the minds of undecided voters. The battle we now have is in the minds of the battleground states. Leads of 9, 10, 11, points should not be taken as leads despite all calculations, because some of the undecided vote ranges within the same spread. Likewise, leads of 3, 4, 5 points also fall within the margin of error, and discounts his lead.

People are listening carefully to what the pundits are posing and it is the penchant of undecided voters to go against that predictive grain. Right now, what needs to happen beyond the gut wrenching work of the grass-roots campaign is the stirring of the undecided voter, to a new zeitgeist level.

What has recently stirred the populace in the same level of enthusiasm towards Senator Obama has been the crash of Wall Street. It represents some of the same stirring but on an almost ephemeral level. Some of its initial fervor has worn off.

What then will electrify the remaining electorate in these last two days to tilt the balance in Senator Obama’s favor? It can be a call to action in unexpected states like Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Georgia, or it can be a declaration, of an issue.

McCain and his Neo-Republican supporters on the same hand realize they have no standing on the issues, and are making the last days an issue of character. Here is where most independent voters choose to vote on, character. Senator Obama needs to point out the rift in the Republican party. It is split between Neo-Republican’s and moderate Regan Republican's who have come over to Obama because they agree with Obama on the issues. If left untouched the remaining independent voters will be swayed more by McCain's character attacks than by the issues.

The small shift by McCain and the Neo-Republican’s to focus on character can cause a great electoral shift, and an important part and aspect of sailing in these electoral winds is to keep the campaign in trim moving to elect Senator Obama.

So the effort of the campaign must be to trim the sails of the campaign to garner the electoral whims of voters who are more concerned about character issues, by presenting them with further evidence of the Bush improprieties, and shifting the focus to the issues that affects those most.

It must be a valid declarative point that is so simple and poignant that it takes the focus off character and brings it back onto the issues. It must allow Senator Obama to call for justice, and it must be framed as “the straw that broke the camels back.” Truman did this when,

He electrified the audience when he said, ‘Senator Barkley and I will win this election and make the Republicans like it–don’t you forget it.’ It was the first time during the convention that anyone had spoken of actually winning. Truman then praised the higher wages, higher farm income, and greater benefits for Americans he claimed as Democratic accomplishments, and went on to condemn the Republican Congress. He spoke with scorn of the recently adopted Republican platform, contrasting the programs it contained with congressional inaction on similar programs he had proposed.
Truman roused the convention to a standing ovation when he announced his intention to call Congress back into special session to ‘ask them to pass the laws to halt rising prices, to meet the housing crisis–which they say they are for in their platform.’ When this special session did convene it accomplished little, as Truman expected, but it gave the president a campaign issue. The country’s woes, he asserted, were the result of the ‘do-nothing’ Republican Congress.

In the same manner Bush’s last minute efforts to deregulate can be used by Senator Obama to call Congress back into special session to halt the Bush/Neo-Republican Congress deregulation of the rules to protect consumers, and STOP this travesty. A change in “These rules "will force Americans to choke on dirtier air for years to come, unless Congress or the new administration reverses these eleventh-hour abuses," said lawyer John Walke of the Natural Resources Defense Council.”

"...it is never too late, to side on the side of the American Public."

If allowed to pass it would take enormous effort on the newly elected president to undo the injustices and personal harm Bush will inflict upon his fellow citizens through his late term deregulation efforts.

The rules are in place to protect people and having them abolished will negatively affect almost every facet of American Life: This is a real cause to take up even, at this time; it is never too late, to side on the side of the American Public.

Carry this cause, bring it to the American people make it an issue, bring it to the forefront. Call on Pelosi and Reid and make it the issue of our time, and declare it the symbol of what is wrong with Washington, Bush, Cheney, McCain, and the Neo-Republican Congress.

"We want policies that promote prosperity, and do not encourage decay."

People want hope, prosperity, and new strategies in energy, and infrastructure not policies that chokes us with dirty air, and infects us with dirty water, and destroys us with an unlivable environment. We want policies that promote prosperity, and do not encourage decay; we want policies that promote the health and welfare of the nation. Frame and expose the destructive policies that the Bush/McCain and the Neo-Republican Congress have done in destroying America’s prosperity, by running us into the ground.

Make it an issue not about spreading wealth so much, but about protecting America, about making everyone wealthier, about lifting everyone to a higher level of prosperity. A richer middle class makes everyone in the country richer overall.

But more importantly take away McCain’s last minute character attack strategy of framing this election as a coronation of Obama, which leads to a corrective move by independents to vote against an “imperialistically framed Obama.” Make it more a referendum of the divisive policies of Bush/McCain and the Neo-Republican Congress. Make it a call to action, a call for change, a fulfillment of hope, a rebirth of America.

MY STORY IS ROOTED IN THE AMERICAN IMMIGRANT STORY.

Charles — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:08:39 EST

My story is rooted in the American immigrant story. My Love for America started 41 years ago when my mother immigrated to New York to join my father who had immigrated one year before. I was five and my sister was three, and I entered first grade knowing no english.

My parent’s education stopped at sixth grade, but that did not stop their dreams and aspiration for themselves or us (their children). My father and mother now own their own home free and clear, and are living the American Dream.

After a life of work they are proud to be American, and are thankful for the light and life this-their country has afforded them.

My father has always known that the only way to get out of the working class is education. Education of any sort, but how to accomplish that for his children was out of his grasp.

Here I stand forty one years later out of work but still a proud American, still hopeful of my future. I am not ashamed of my right of passage. It has spanned 41 years of my life.

I've endured the ridicule of public school antics, as a child. I was got caught in the mediocrity of an unguided life that comes from parents who are involved in financially keeping the family above poverty.

My parents worked four jobs, two full-time and two-part time jobs, for many years that almost destroyed our nuclear family. As factory workers blue collar, and domestics I give them credit for sticking together.

As a young adult I served my country in the US Navy, I became an emergency medical technician, and helped save lives, witnessed tragic deaths. I found myself medically helping babies, mothers, children, families, and my fellow service members and I loved it, and loved serving my country.

In my thirty's I became a volunteer for a religious organization for 17 years, and loved serving people of all races, colors, and religious affiliations.

My memory of politics goes back to when Nixon was caught with Watergate. I was 11 years old and found the issues intriguing and found them connecting to a certain part of my psyche. I found Kissinger inspiring as a Hispanic child, because he was Jewish. I got involved marginally with Carter's campaign.

"My future does depend on what happens in these elections. Now what I am and what I become will solely depend not on what I am not, but on what I can become."

Now at 46 I am more involved as this campaign, than ever before. Nor have my parents who are 75, and 68 been involved in the issues as much as we are now.

As immigrants/residents we felt like third-class persons, disenfranchised outsiders looking in. All we did and knew was work. Now as citizens we have a voice and have crossed the threshold of legitimacy and validity, in this country.

Living in America, as Latino's working, paying taxes, purchasing property, attending America's public schools, participating in every aspect of society and not voting has been dehumanizing.

I am a human now, I am American and I Love it. I have always been proud of being American. The interesting thing is that I have always been American, but because my skin color was brown I felt I wasn't.

My future does depend on what happens in these elections. Now what I am and what I become will solely depend not on what I am not, but on what I can become.

This is the hope this election has given me, this is the hope Senator Obama has given me, and my family, and this is the reason I support Senator Obama for president.

My father and mother and sister are all voting for Senator Obama. Come election night we will witness history. It would be mind blowing and beyond expectations if one of them would be able to witness firsthand with their son American Politics at its best, nevertheless our vote is for Senator Obama.

30 MINUTES TO THE PRESIDENCY: OBAMA’S PROTOTYPE ADDRESS

Charles — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:38:19 EDT

Senator Obama’s thirty minute address to the nation will tread new water, and break new ground. It is a brilliant idea; it carries a huge upside and a huge downside. The upside is obvious his presentation to the nation has to offer a vision of the future. The vision will frame his proposed policies and state of affairs to be employed in his presidency. Like a TV pilot for a new mini-series the 30 minute spot will be a prototype of his presidency. The thirty minute spot must serve not only as an introduction to his possible presidency, but it must establish it, and make its premise clear to the American voter. It must be the hook, of the campaign as in a story or a song.

The thirty minute spot must not be a recap of his stump speeches, or a regurgitation of the same, but it must give a general idea of the look and feel of his proposed presidency, and offer the voters a glimpse of what the nation will look like with him as President with the support of a strong democratic down ballot. He must offer a preview of the beginning of a cooperative congress ready to work for the good of the nation. He must paint a picture of the trust that the nation is about to place in his hands. He must propose, and determine as FDR “…to make every American citizen the subject of his country's interest and concern…”

The public must come away wanting to vote for Obama.

The huge downside is if the thirty minute address is regurgitation, or a recap, or a motiveless appeal the downside damage will be irreversible. It will be the turning point in the campaign. The country will turn off their TVs and switch the channels, and ignore his address, and will vote for McCain. It will be the October suprise McCain is hoping for. Senator Obama would in effect by his own error would choke and give the presidency to the waiting McCain/Palin ticket.

Furthermore, every gesture, every facial expression, every movement, every hand gesture, every breath, will be analyzed, and matched to every word for authenticity, and appeal. If the message misses, Senator Obama will be torn apart and re-analyzed and it will open him to irreversible criticism he will never be able to recover from.

Failing a lack of execution it could be the October surprise that hands the presidency to John McCain. But the even more important point to recognize is that the campaign will not get another opportunity to re-work the presentation, or re-draft its theme, for a future broadcast, as might a TV pilot.

The campaign must get it right the first time right out of the gate. Analysts, state that by this weekend voters will have decided in their minds who they will vote for on November 4th, and if Senator Obama fails to connect because of content, lack of substance, presence, emotion, or vision then the presidency becomes his to loose.

Senator Obama’s task will be to frame the morass, the mundane, and the mechanics of the McCain campaign and paint his presidency in clear believable, understandable terms, any person can grasp.

Note: Watch how the following people express their messages, compare and ask yourself if Senator Obama misses the mark (in tone, word, and action), if the answer is yes, then one must re-consider, the 30 minute spot now in the vault:

Colin Powell: As he expresses his views and when he endorses Barack Obama, note the movement of his body, the expression of his face, matches his words, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0bN-jnpQXA&feature=related
Regan and Bush, Sr.: as they discuss taxes. Reagan holds his own against Bush in the grasp of details. Note Bush’s grasp of the details, as almost mechanical. Note Regan’s argument for reduction of taxes. But note Regan’s wrap up as he brings his argument home to the people. He uses “Phony decrease of taxes” to describe Carter’s proposal. Bush talks about our link with the world economy. Risk of loss of revenue vs Reduction of spending, sound familiar? Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edchtf9MS7g&NR=1
JFK: Watch Kennedy’s response, and use of his body, and his hands, his face, and his inflection of his voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNhMfBLBDGg&feature=related

Read Franklin Roosevelt’s second Inaugural address, as he speaks of change; and ask did Senator Obama paint the picture and make his case for President? As transformational as this election is we have been here before and it is the same struggle, only this time if we miss our opportunity, it will mark the beginning of the end, of the middle class and what we know as the American Way of Life:

“…Our progress out of the depression is obvious. But that is not all that you and I mean by the new order of things. Our pledge was not merely to do a patchwork job with secondhand materials. By using the new materials of social justice we have undertaken to erect on the old foundations a more enduring structure for the better use of future generations.

In that purpose we have been helped by achievements of mind and spirit. Old truths have been relearned; untruths have been unlearned. We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics. Out of the collapse of a prosperity whose builders boasted their practicality has come the conviction that in the long run economic morality pays. We are beginning to wipe out the line that divides the practical from the ideal; and in so doing we are fashioning an instrument of unimagined power for the establishment of a morally better world.

This new understanding undermines the old admiration of worldly success as such. We are beginning to abandon our tolerance of the abuse of power by those who betray for profit the elementary decencies of life.

In this process evil things formerly accepted will not be so easily condoned. Hard-headedness will not so easily excuse hardheartedness. We are moving toward an era of good feeling. But we realize that there can be no era of good feeling save among men of good will."

"For these reasons I am justified in believing that the greatest change we have witnessed has been the change in the moral climate of America…”

Among men of good will, science and democracy together offer an ever-richer life and ever-larger satisfaction to the individual. With this change in our moral climate and our rediscovered ability to improve our economic order, we have set our feet upon the road of enduring progress.

Shall we pause now and turn our back upon the road that lies ahead? Shall we call this the promised land? Or, shall we continue on our way? For "each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth."
Many voices are heard as we face a great decision. Comfort says, "Tarry a while." Opportunism says, "This is a good spot." Timidity asks, "How difficult is the road ahead?"

True, we have come far from the days of stagnation and despair. Vitality has been preserved. Courage and confidence have been restored. Mental and moral horizons have been extended.

But our present gains were won under the pressure of more than ordinary circumstances. Advance became imperative under the goad of fear and suffering. The times were on the side of progress.

To hold to progress today, however, is more difficult. Dulled conscience, irresponsibility, and ruthless self-interest already reappear. Such symptoms of prosperity may become portents of disaster! Prosperity already tests the persistence of our progressive purpose.

More Importantly Like Roosevelt Senator Obama must express what he see’s America to be:

Let us ask again: Have we reached the goal of our vision of that fourth day of March 1933? Have we found our happy valley
?I see a great nation, upon a great continent, blessed with a great wealth of natural resources. Its hundred and thirty million people are at peace among themselves; they are making their country a good neighbor among the nations.
I see a United States which can demonstrate that, under democratic methods of government, national wealth can be translated into a spreading volume of human comforts hitherto unknown, and the lowest standard of living can be raised far above the level of mere subsistence.
But here is the challenge to our democracy: In this nation I see tens of millions of its citizens--a substantial part of its whole population--who at this very moment are denied the greater part of what the very lowest standards of today call the necessities of life.
I see millions of families trying to live on incomes so meager that the pall of family disaster hangs over them day by day.I see millions whose daily lives in city and on farm continue under conditions labeled indecent by a so-called polite society half a century ago.
I see millions denied education, recreation, and the opportunity to better their lot and the lot of their children.
I see millions lacking the means to buy the products of farm and factory and by their poverty denying work and productiveness to many other millions.
I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.
It is not in despair that I paint you that picture. I paint it for you in hope--because the Nation, seeing and understanding the injustice in it, proposes to paint it out. We are determined to make every American citizen the subject of his country's interest and concern; and we will never regard any faithful law-abiding group within our borders as superfluous. The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Franklin_Roosevelt's_Second_Inaugural_Address

18 DAYS TO VICTORY, ITS FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT OR DIE FOR OBAMA

Charles — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:25:51 EDT

“Tell me what company you keep and I’ll tell you what you are” - Cervantes

David Brooks wrote an op-ed for the New York Times entitled “Thinking About Obama.” He begins with “We’ve been watching Barack Obama for two years now, and in all that time there hasn’t been a moment in which he has publicly lost his self,” and ends with, “But over the past two years, Obama has clearly worn well with voters. Far from a celebrity fad, he is self-contained, self-controlled and maybe even a little dull.” And he posits the following: “It could be that Obama will be an observer, not a leader. Rather than throwing himself passionately into his causes, he will stand back. Congressional leaders, put off by his supposed intellectual superiority, will just go their own way. Lost in his own nuance, he will be passive and ineffectual. Lack of passion will produce lack of courage. The Obama greatness will give way to the Obama anti-climax.” Dull might be a correct description if you are not a careful observer of Barack Obama, but Brooks offers a more ominous conclusion, an eventual Obama loss. In the end, using a baseball analogy one could say he “choked,” if nothing is done to change the current trajectory of the campaign.

Dull or Determined

People like Mr. Brooks miss what has made Senator Obama successful; it is the achievements and love of his family. First his mother nurtured and guided his disposition by inculcating three things into him: discipline, high expectations, and her example: she became an anthropologist, wrote an 800-page dissertation on peasant blacksmithing in Java, worked for the Ford Foundation, championed women's work, helped bring microcredit to the world's poor, according to Janny Scott of the IHT. His father’s example of oratory and intellect fueled his search and command of knowledge and challenged him to attend his father’s Alma mater: Harvard. While he lived with his grandparents, he witnessed his grandmother’s Midwestern uncomplaining work ethic; while she climbed the corporate ladder this helped fuel his determination, to toil without complaint.

Or if you were an observer of Obama you would of noticed the signs of aging on Barack Obama’s face, in the week following his successful foreign trip. He came back with bags under his eyes, wrinkles in his face, and aging caused by thousands of miles of travel, and little sleep. If you would have looked closely at Senator Obama’s speech at the American Foreign Legion you would have noticed his rigid stance, his expanded chest, and his cupped hands behind the podium, and would of heard the firmness of his voice, at the questioning of his patriotism. You would notice the white hairs growing, while he travels almost tirelessly across the trail of the stump. It has been these values that have brought him almost unflinchingly through the turmoil of these last two years.

Class Warfare

The bet out on the circuit is: Senator Obama chokes and loses in the last days of the election. Wisdom of the Obama campaign will have it otherwise. The hidden often overlooked ground game and strategy of the electoral map is sometimes overshadowed with the highly visible action game of the stump. Senator Obama rises to the occasion when he is challenged with excellence. He rose to challenge and won the hard fought and hard won democratic primaries against a very eloquent and formidable opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton. Those primaries yielded the most prepared candidate to face John McCain.

We are finding that much like the primaries where Senator Clinton ignored the caucuses’, Senator McCain is playing behind the eight ball by ignoring voter registration, on the ground in all the critical swing states, and in some of the traditionally republican states. He is behind, hence McCain’s attack on Acorn, and McCain’s current call for class warfare.

Senator Obama or the DNC has to defend Acorn, because an attack on Acorn is like attacking community organizers, re-covering alcoholic’s, re-covering felons, the under privileged, the poor, the jobless, the homeless, and regular people who just needed a job, to tide them over to help pay their bills until they found a permanent position. This is John McCain’s and the republican’s attempt at class warfare, the rich against the poor. Moreover, John McCain supported Acorn before he was ever against it.

The Pendulum Swing

It has never been Senator Obama’s strategy to fight McCain in the mud, but because McCain realized they could not win on the issues, he assailed and slandered Obama and unflinchingly Obama has survived the character defamation reminiscent of Bush and Karl Rove. Not to be swift boated he has had to respond in his defense. Now, after three tumultuous weeks of an economic meltdown, the winds of change moved in Senator Obama’s carrying him to the lead.

Yet, again one senses that the political pendulum is starting to swing John McCain’s way. Not because of McCain’s grasp of the issues but, because of another round of Republican’s attacks. Effectively changing that momentum, they now know the pendulum is starting to swing their way. They have stopped the swing of the impact of the economic meltdown, with the force of the recent character attacks and negative “robocalls,” and negative spin by the Republican Party and their surrogates.

The problem here is that Senator Obama has not fervently disavowed these attacks and the campaign has not actively sought to reframe and build Senator Obama’s image with high profile endorsements, or through videos that build his image as a law abiding citizen, as a father, as a professor, as a lawyer, as President of Harvard Law Review. Etc. Senator Obama needs to get impassioned in his plea for justice regarding these attacks. It is obvious that McCain’s intent is not about Ayers, and his scant relations but it is about framing Barack Obama as a terrorist. For Senator Obama not to defend himself is political malpractice. He must shoot back at McCain and “Object, and Demand an apology” and call his attacks “slanderous, and defamatory.” People and surrogates are not saying Senator Obama is not a terrorist. Yet McCain when attacked by accusations of association with Wallace, etc., McCain was quick to refute and object.

Incite the Base to Get the Vote Out

Don’t’ be fooled by McCain’s panicky attacks they serve three main purposes; to incite the republican base to “fired them up and riled them up” and it is done to close their minds (watch this video) from voting for Obama, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY it is used to get the vote out for McCain. People are saying, “The Blacks will take over,” “He is not a Christian,” “You got a negro running for President you need a first stringer, and he is definitely a second stringer,” “He is a wolf is sheep’s clothing”, “He is related to a known terrorist,” “he is friends with terrorists of this country” “he must support terrorists” “the Muslim thing is unnerving, ” “concerned that he is anti-white, that he might hide that” “He thinks white people are trash.”.

All those issues are undercurrents that are now surfacing with McCain’s attacks, and must be handled openly the way he openly handled the race issue. Listen to these attacks waged by McCain at his Miami, Florida stop and gauge the response of the crowd from a clip on MSNBC video labeled McCain: Glad Joe asked Obama questions. The point is that the Republican’s have closed the enthusiasm gap, WITH HATE AND FEAR and NOW have an enthusiastic base buzzing with anti-American rhetoric. What the republican’s have done is to turn the fears of 9/11 on its ears by creating a sense of fear from a false internal attack, via Obama. Tack on the “Underdog” status and McCain is perfectly positioning himself for victory in November despite what the polls show now.

The Real Issues and the Turn

Senator Obama has to turn up the heat by taking on the fight, fight, fight mentality of Hillary Clinton, and infuse it into his speeches, to rally the faithful, and to motivate the newly faithful to vote. It will be important to take this stance now and follow it through until the end. McCain is already taking this approach. Although Obama was declared the winner of the last Obama/McCain debate, McCain scored the right points by breaking from Bush, with his “I am not Bush line” and by using Joe the plumber as leverage to swing the minds of the middle class towards his camp, and by his inference of race and class warfare. Despite McCain’s angry disposition it served to score the right blows to incite McCain’s base.

It all comes now to how Senator Obama can finally connect with the country; it is down to the individual voter. Most people would rather vote for a person they know or can read, such as John McCain even with his flawed dispositions. When a person has a hard time reading Senator Obama and sees him as opaque, self-contained, or aloof, it becomes hard to get to know him, which is why some people still don’t know him.

HE MUST AVOID THE PITFALLS OF THESE CANDIDATES: Don’t get caught being too intellectual like Dukakis, and be framed as lacking passion. Don’t get framed as “Flat-Faced” like Carter, emotionless. Don’t get caught flat footed like Kerry when he was swift boated, and never responded in kind to his personal attacks, and held back on spending in some critical states.

Now the suggestion is not for Senator Obama to publicly lose himself but to show the public his “vim and vigor,” His fight, “the right stuff,” that wins Super bowls, and Championships, to separate and distance himself from John McCain. What Senator Obama unleashes may not be along the lines of a George Foreman, Charles Barkley, RFK, or McEnroe but along the lines of MLK, JFK, M. Jordan, or Ali, but may be along the lines of a more contemporary champion Usain Bolt. The object is to wow them, and motivate every voter we’ve registered to vote for Senator Obama, and to drive the vote down the democratic line as far as possible.

More Strategy

Realistically, every network and cable organization is talking about race as being a factor. Senator Obama and the campaign must factor in the Bradley effect which is about a 10-12 point spread, if this spread is factored in then the Obama campaign is in trouble, we are behind.

Senator Obama’s “don’t get cocky” statement went around the world, from NY, to Taipei, to London, and may have served to dampen everyone’s expectation for victory. Rather than serving as a rally cry for victory it sounded as a signal to put on the breaks and proceed with caution: A discouraging defensive and losing stance. He must restate and use different words to rally the campaign and put it on the offense.

More evidence of the shift is found in the polls as offered by AFP, Thursday October 16, 2008, they write, “The Gallup daily tracking poll Thursday offered McCain a glimmer of hope, putting Obama's lead at six points at 49 to 43 percent, down from seven points a day before.” Factoring in the Bradley effect is just smart politics, or shall we call it the new standard. If Senator Obama is up by six points be prepared to loose by four to six points. That is why the urgency of now needed.

McCain needs to be re-attached to the Republican’s, and Senator Joe Biden needs to unleash a barrage of attacks and use undeniable closing arguments on McCain linking McCain along with the republicans so that they will be found guilty of all the failures our country faces now; Making it virtually almost impossible for McCain to distance himself from Bush or the Republican’s.

Even more so now condemn McCain for being erratic on the economy, call him a right wing convert on policy-no longer a moderate, call him hotheaded and untrustworthy with national security, undependable with social security, bought by special interests groups, lobbyist’s, and big oil. Label him reckless with women’s issues. Call him a quasi-reformer out of convenience and for political solvency. Call McCain a Friend of a convicted Felon, G. Gordon Liddy, of Nixon Watergate era, who was a Hitler fanatic as a child. Call McCain on the carpet for his associations with Liddy, in 1998 Liddy hosted a fund raiser for McCain’s re-election, at Liddy’s house. He received $1000 in 2008 from Liddy, and considers him a friend.

Senator Obama has to bring out his own Joe the plumber, Jane the mom, Jake the student, and Mr. and Mrs. Joe, Sr. as standard bearers for Healthcare, Education, the Economy, Energy Independence, to inspire the democratic base. At rallies, and events have our people start chanting USA, USA, USA, USA, take that rally cry from the Republican’s.

Unite forces of Senator Obama and Senator Biden, and keep them together, and have then roll play good cop bad cop, together with their stump speeches. The goal would be to play an attack offense. There are enough days to cover all the swing states. The objective would be to flood each state with a Blitz of Media Attention and coverage by having both candidates starting in the same city, in the same state, and then having them split into different parts of the state. This could be done on a rolling basis all the way through Election Day, and each swing state can be covered twice, if implemented now. Note Senator Biden is still not getting his message out to the media.

The Close

Two years ago Senator Obama started with a theory, a thesis based on hope and change. Like a Doctoral dissertation he has outlined and given us his introductory statements, and over the last two years he has developed the body of his thesis. We know his stance on War, Healthcare, Energy, Veterans, Social Security and the most important his Economic recovery plans, now he needs to conclude his dissertation by giving us his closing arguments. His aim will be to connect and convince the undecideds, and to rally the millions of people he will need to vote to win.

Finally, in trying to remember what made the primaries so electric, and enthusiastic we have to look at Senator Obama’s opponent Hillary Clinton. It was her “battle and never give up spirit” that almost garnered her nomination, but it was in the end Senator Obama’s consistent strategy that won him the nomination for democratic presidential candidate. Here are four of her main victory speeches, which give insight to why she was so popular and effective but they also give insight to why Senator Obama was able to achieve so much. They are worth review just for the quality and the content of the phrases she used, but to get insight on the tone she used to win those states, and to consider hiring her speech writers (if not done already) for Senator Obama, and or Joe Biden.

Hillary’s Kentucky Victory Speech Hillary’s New Hampshire Victory Speech Hillary’s West Virginia Victory Hillary’s Super Tuesday Speech

OBAMA’S THIRD DEBATE AN ATTEMPT TO HIT THE BULLS EYE

Charles — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:31:41 EDT

Hitting the Bulls eye in the last Presidential Debate mean’s the complete utilization and refinement of every stratagem used in previous debates. The object is simple to get in as many arrows in the Bull’s Eye within the time allotted.

The Bull’s Eye is the central issue the electorate deems important, each surrounding ring is tangential to that central point, although each surrounding ring has a value it is not as valuable as an arrow that lands in the Bulls Eye, so importance and emphasis is given to land the arrows in that circle .

The Bull’s Eye is the hearts and minds of the electorate, and the goal in the debate is to win them over. Each venue has variables, climate, temperature, wind speed, range etc., that an archer has to consider, and in much the same way a debater has to consider his stage.

Senator Obama has to consider these outliers:

The close up and the Art of Body and Facial expressions

1. Camera angle

2. The Rule of Thirds

a. first third-face left to right

b. second third-head on shot

c. last third-face right to left

3. Know your camera-when directing a response must know which camera gives the Senator the best angle.

a. call it the aim, and the pivot.

4. Posture

a. a straight posture connotes honesty and straight talk

b. avoid camera angle that gives that appearance of speaking from the side of mouth (the liar angle).

c. avoid the mug shot-from the neck up.

5. Facial Expressions

a. the frown, the smile, all convey a message.

b. Each facial expression must match his tone, rhetoric.

c. Simply avoid the Carter “Flat Effect”

1. Which signals to the people

a. limited emotion, a phoney, liar, not-authentic

b. various emotional or psychological disorders

6. Allow for expression of real emotion, that expresses authenticity.

7. Hit the Bull's Eye

IN DEFENSE OF SENATOR OBAMA, OPEN LETTER TO CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER

Charles — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:50:41 EDT

Mr. Krauthammer,

Your words trailed like a babbling railer, in your op-ed Obama & Friends Judge Not? . The slow grind of your mind shows it disposition and avarice towards McCain, and a respect but racial disdain for Senator Obama and it has both you and McCain spinning and blowing smoke like a funny car on drag strip going nowhere.

Your column is at best trendy showing the classic signs of secondary mania. In your case it shows delusional thinking bordering schizophrenia. Your ideas are delusions of grandeur, and for decades you have shown a steady psychopathologic continuum that has stemmed from the heady intoxication of the Pulitzer Prize of 1987. That is why no one ever knows what you’ll write or say next.

Your words are bizarre and contradictory. When you wrote, "Obama is a man of first-class intellect and first-class temperament." ”But his character remains highly suspect. There is a difference between temperament and character.” You just described the content of his character, sir, it is first Class.

A lot can be said of your past. You sir are a reckless human being. In 1972 you almost lost your life, and were paralyzed for over a year, because you were in a serious driving accident. Maybe you were drunk and lost control of your car. Should we hold that against you? No. Thank God you are alive, and have a wife that loves you and a son in Harvard, but your arrogant thuggish rage is still evident in your writing.

You describe Obama's cynicism and ruthlessness, but you yourself are serving your own aggrandizing views, and using his candidacy to make a buck, in your own ruthless and cynical way. I say you yourself because you have two self opposing views. You don't think he is as bad as the gang of three, but then yourself condemns his associations, and pronounces him guilty, with your poisonous schizophrenic commentary.

I agree Equanimity is one of Obama’s virtues, you are right he has an evenness of mind especially under stress. Nothing has disturbed Senator Obama’s equanimity over the last two years of his candidacy. He has the right disposition to lead this country. The obscenity of your column is at best tolerated, despite its odiousness. It depicts the tragic state of your mind; it describes your temperament and the irascibility of your character.

Mr. Krauthammer, that is why you are stuck in the mire of political mudslinging, you are mad at McCain for not acting sooner, and you can’t bring yourself to vote for Obama, even though you know Obama is the right person, at the right time for the job. He is the brightest, the best candidate we’ve had since JFK.

Moreover, in your column you have ignored the weightier matters of the fatherless, the needy, and the dire state of our country. The question you should ask yourself is: What is the right thing to do for the benefit of the country, and when you consider John McCain’s erratic behavior, and then picture going through four more years of what we are going through now, you naturally have to choose Obama.

I forgive you nonetheless, but I am not apologizing, because you have conveniently taken out of context what the writer wrote before and after JUDGE NOT? And it is this:

Jeremiah Chapter 5 verse 28 They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

You once stood for those rights, in your article “Federalism’s New Friends,” but no longer, you are too cynical, and no longer pragmatic, you’ve become a “meshuggina with a loch in kop” or a crazy with a hole in the head.

Read Krauthammer’s op-ed: Obama & Friends Judge Not?

Mr. Krauthammer, our nation has come too far to fast to go back and there are millions who will not stand for your type of smear and disparage. Don’t attempt to throws us to the back of the bus, or even under the bus with your underhanded comments. Our Society has changed because of many before you and by some of your progressive views, and writings, but you’ve veered away from your beaten path. Listen to Donna Brazile, get her perspective.

“I’m not going to be afraid anymore.” “…At a time when we are in crises I want the best, I want the brightest, I want somebody to take me where we have never been as a country, perhaps we have been too stuck in the past that’s why we can’t go forward, So let the next 31 days be about ideas, about inspiration, and about strength of character, let be about something that brings us together not tear us apart…Don’t let people trick you, divide you, or distract you...”

Your loose association of Obama is wrong, and your charatcer attack is repugnant, and it seems obscene enough for you to hang him on some thing less like cynicism and ruthlessness, and for living in Chicago. You might as well move from Washington, DC, you must really be corrupt. He is not a terrorist, and He is not a criminal. He is not cynical. He is not ruthless. It is as flagrant and far-fetched as you declaring Bush’s second inaugural address as “revolutionary” and as expansive as JFK’s first inaugural address was for universal freedom. McCain has his own tangles as reported by MSNBC's Keith Olberman, but you are not speaking or writing about his lurid associations, judgment or character.

Its not that Obama is opaque, self contained, or unknown, it is that he has virtually nothing you can hang your hat on, except his associations. Talk about racism, who is the racist here? You are Mr. Krauthammer by your insinuations, and McCain omissions. You’ve lost your chutzpah, and your pen has lost it's political insight. It is easier for you to give John McCain a pass, because it will take too much energy for you to dig that out, besides if you do, you might not be able to bilk the Fox money cow anymore.

Move over sir, others are right behind you, and are beating down your path. The Jewish World Review, no longer is archiving your articles, pretty soon you will no longer be a valid commentator, or op-ed writer; your lasting legacy, will be to be forgotten forever.

10. 7. 2008 OBAMA DEBATE TO PARRY AND ATTACK

Charles — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:50:07 EDT

PARRY AND ATTACK

The next slippery slope that will face the Obama campaign and the upcoming debate will resemble what McCain is doing with the Latino Vote in Florida. McCain will re-surge the slippery slope fallacy of associations that Senator Obama faced after the winning the democratic nomination: framing him as the “Risky Black Guy” stereotype. McCain will use every fallacy in the book in an attempt to persuade emotionally or physhologically, using statements that decieve or mislead, and Senator Obama will have to parry them by offering constructive proof and refutation, with great care he must carefully choos the points that will make the most impression on the hearers, postponing a refutation until constructive proof has been advanced that requires refutation.

Now I say this not to infer that he is risky but to say that Senator Obama is not risky nor is it to inject race into the campaign again, nor to place that doubt in the psyche of the campaign, or to remind him not to defend from that position of weakness as he had before by warning us that what McCain will do. No don’t waste your time on this.

Just the opposite it is to remind the campaign that Senator Obama has to argue from a position of strength, he has to use the media to his advantage. It is to raise the point that McCain will seek to rear the ugly head of this snake again. It is to remind the campaign that McCain took this weekend off and is planning to do this now at his Arizona home and that this strategy of attack will surface the night of the second debate before millions of voters.

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20

Remember, that the weekend before Senator Obama came back from his foreign trip, McCain gathered his people at his Sedona property and it was from there that they decided to pound Senator Obama with that series of Brittney/Paris smear and attacks. Today, Sunday October 5, 2008, an Obama surrogate on MSNBC and FOX News cable surreptitiously suggested in an almost “sit back- do nothing kind of way” stated that the public will just realize that these accusations are not true. If the campaign has not realized this now, the voting public will not come to this conclusion by themselves. What has changed their minds drastically has been the state of the economy, It is the straw that broke the camels back!

McCain’s aim will be to cast enough doubt and fear into public with this debate and will pursue his negative attacks until November 4th to win the election. McCain will spin the slimmest of negative information against Senator Obama, to place that fear in the hearts and minds of voters so that come November 4th they will not vote for Senator Obama. It is happening now with Palin, as she attacks Obama’s ties to William Ayers, by using this weekends NYT article. Now these issues are secondary in the minds of most voters, so Senator Obama must keep those issues on the back burner by effectively refuting these accussations, and rebuilding his image.

How Senator Obama responds in the debate will be vital to his campaign. The debate prep should have every concievable angle McCain will approach rehearsed, and then Senator Obama should watch Bush's 2000/2004 debates to get a feel for the type of rhetoric he will use Tuesday night given the retread of Palin's talking points, as posted by MSNBC's K.O on countdown. He must defend against the slurs in a human way, like any other person might with emotion and then he must counter with an attack of his own, framing McCain as the risky choice given the current state of our economy.

Senator Obama must tie all his policies from the perspective of the economy. The economy is the hub of the wheel from where the spokes of his policies can deliver the changes our nation needs. He must be able to communicate how we will create a strong economy and how we will be able to carry out the energy, defense, education, and healthcare policies. If he could explain it with a story, that would be great or Senator Obama may even quote FDR and how his policies lifted a nation out of poverty, and how it mirror the changes we must accomplish to make our nation viable in the 21st century:

...In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone. ...More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment. ...The money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit. ...Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.
FDR's first inagural address

Evenmore, Senator Obama must frame McCain as the enemy of change, and he must talk about himself and our nation in the “we” narrative. Senator Obama must elucidate that WE must band together to “Save America.” He must win over the nation, and create the buy-in, for November forth. He can create news by pushing the right buttons and making McCain lose his temper. Rachel Maddow spelled out three things that come out of a debate(s): 1) News, in case anybody makes any news. 2) There is overall impression of what a candidate is as a person. 3) Soundbites, not corny rhetoric or schtick.

In the debate, the objective of the campaign will be to foil all those negative statements immediately within the tempo of their attacks. Responding and then answering the question that is allways on voter’s minds “what is in it for me.” He can use words like “this is what we will do together.” He can call for the tempo of the debate and the tempo of the campaign from here on to be as orgainzed and powerful as the two minute offense in football, and as quick and nimble as Olympic fencing:

The basic principle of priority is that the hit of the fencer who begins an offensive action first will prevail over his/her opponent's hit unless the original fencer's action fails. A fencer's action fails when it falls short of his/her opponent, misses, or is parried. When one fencer's action fails, the other's current or next offensive action gains priority, unless they delay too long (longer than one period of "fencing time" - the time taken to perform one action at the current tempo of the exchange), in which case the previously defending fencer loses this right

BE IN THE MOMENT

Senator can create an internal video memo rallying the troops for the last 30 days of this campaign. The objective is to begin with an offensive action immediately, because the campaign who scores first, whether it is fencing, football, or politics will likely be the one who prevails, whether in the upcoming debate or in the days following up to November fourth. Note the Iowa win, got Senator Obama the democratic presidential nomination. If McCain’s action fails or falls short and misses it is Obama’s current or next action that gains priority, so that is why it is important not to wait too long, but to have a quick offense. Remember, we will have a quick work at the end.

We know in today’s hourly news cycle waiting one day to respond to McCain’s or Palin’s actions is the difference between defeat and victory. The opponents scores points and the accusations stick. Here is how: Obama staffers can generate a quicker response time (this may be in operation already).

Obama staffers would travel with Palin and McCain at their events. Once an attack statement(s) are made by a candidate(s), the staffers would call over the attacks to where Obama and Joe are holding their campaigns. Staffers at that event would write the attack verbatim from either McCain or Palin, and draft a response, for the candidates to use directly in the campaign or in a video repsonse which can be created there at the scene by that team, which in turn can be uploaded almost instantaneously to any news station anywhere.

Now to do this they will need to work out a means of communicating with Senator’s Obama and Biden, so that either through the teleprompter or through an ear piece a response could be relayed immediately, like breaking news. Once in the hands of Senator Obama or Senator Biden their response would be in the moment of the McCain/Palin attack and can thereby position the response as part of that days instant news cycle.

Time is of the essence, with less than 30 days left no long response gaps can be left open and unanswered.

FLORIDA LATINO VOTERS OUTMANUVERED BY MCCAIN

Charles — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:29:29 EDT

Despite Senator Obama's good polling numbers with Latino voters he is being hammered by John McCain in Florida. Latino's in Florida hate Chavez, the Castro Brothers, and any radical revolutionary of this sort, and we need their vote.

The downside is that Obama's willingness to sit down with said people is being manipulated and played as a weakness, and it is sticking in the mind’s of Latino's. I say this because my father has been holding this view. I was surprised to hear him say that he was not going to vote for Obama knowing that he had voted for Obama in the primaries, because of that simple association with Chavez and Castro, but what recently changed his mind was the economy. Regarding the economy “He has had enough, that’s it” he said, “I’m voting for Obama.” These negative associations with people of these sort gets traction with Latino Voters against Obama in Florida, especially those who vehemently oppose Chavez, Castro, etc.,

The Campaign needs to produce TV ads, radio spots and have Spanish surrogates that can counter this form of attack. The greatest salvo that can be launched is that Obama needs to say that he is willing to place an exploding cigar in Raul and Fidel Castro and Chavez's mouth, if they are not willing to talk with the United States. Secondly, expounding the problems of the economy and offering real solutions gives Latino voters a dose of perspective reality. Thirdly, advocating the removal of trade embargo against Cuba is a third rail issue, if you want to loose the 650,000 Cuban voters.

Understanding the lay of the land in Florida is important. The Miami Dade county vote is still strong Cuban, with a 70% percent voter turn out, with a smathering of other Latino Voters. North of Miami-Dade County it changes and is less Cuban, and more Puerto Rican, with a greater influence of South American's, particularly Colombians, Brazilians but the issue that is crossing these Latino lines is the economy. Latino's like everyone else know we are all in this together and when the economy is failing we are all failing, that resonates with Latino's. Latino's are tired of Bush/McCain.

See: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/orl-diaz2608sep26,0,339213.column

JOHN MCCAIN IS NO JOHN WAYNE!

Charles — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:10:38 EDT

...when we serve causes greater than ourselves.

What is sacred these days? Is it the love between a man and a woman, the bond between mother and daughter, father and son? Is it one’s word found in the shake of two hands? Or is it more existential as in one’s relationship with one’s God? Or is it just one's relationship with self?

There is no greater cause when men and women today find courage and sacredness in serving another human being. Here we find life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Furthermore, what we consider sacred has an inherent valor that develops courage, bravery, heroism, boldness, and fearlessness.

We aren’t born with these traits, but they are traits we develop, when we serve causes greater than ourselves.

...our light upon the hill has been blown up.

But when Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is interrupted and exterminated by forces out of our control, we find it vital to defend it.

We find it our duty to serve our country. Our leaders find it their duty to root out and destroy that which sought to destroy us, but that has not completely happened.

What we are saying to our leaders is that we are willing to entrust our lives into their hands, into harms way, because an enemy has treaded upon our liberties and freedoms, and threatened our very existence.

This is the sacred trust this country has between its military members, its veterans, and its people. We don’t join the military in droves because we want to take life, or love war, but because we want to uphold the liberties others have died, and fought to obtain and protect.

Terrorism is this era’s threat, and it hit our shores on September 11, 2001, much like the Empire of Japan did on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Sixty years ago. Two months and fours days short of that date of infamy on 9/11 we were caught by surprise, and for a brief moment in history our liberties were robbed again.

Terrorism has disgraced us. Our shore has been ravaged by a cagey enemy, and our light upon the hill has been blown up. We can handle that, we can rebuild, and defend against that enemy, but when we become our own worst enemy the insult becomes injury.

Despite its face this current administration has cut off its nose...

Despite its face this current administration has cut off its nose, and has violated its sacred trust with its people, its soldiers and its veterans, by placing us unnecessarily in harms way.

George Bush, and McCain during the last eight years, have violated and sullied this sacred trust. Our veterans and their families have suffered, and have become second class citizens.

Our economy is in shambles, we are loosing our jobs. We are loosing our homes. We are heading into a recession. We are in someone else’s war, and are facing a second war spending more in life and treasury than we can afford. It seems we are about to implode.

We will implode if John McCain takes office and if no changes are made, because John McCain has supported all of George Bush’s policies, sadly we will have more of the same.

Senator Obama and Senator Joe Biden have a plan to “Save America.” Beginning with our veterans they will modernize the VA. Senator Obama has passed legislation to improve the care for our wounded soldiers.

Our Veterans who are the first to engage, the first to sacrifice and the last ones to be remembered need to be placed at the forefront of healthcare. They will have a VA that is ready to take care of their needs.

Advocated and co-sponsored by Senator Obama, the New GI Bill will ensure our veterans and our nation starts on the road to recovery.

Despite John McCain’s status as a veteran he has not learned the lesson from the Hanoi Hotel. He has along with Bush have violated that sacred trust, putting politics above people.

McCain voted against bills or measures that would protect veterans, and recently opposed the New GI Bill. He has not learned what it means to serve another human being. No, John is not fit for office in the Senate or in the White House. He is no unsung hero. He is no Maverick. He is no John Wayne.

THE BIDEN PALIN DEBATE, THE CHARMER VERSUS THE PITBULL WITH LIPSTICK

Charles — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:22:36 EDT

The most anticipated Vice Presidential debate pits a charmer against a pit-bull with lipstick that is willing to throw a punch with a smile, that will make you cringe and others smile. New York Times front page on the web posts a video outlining the pitfalls for each candidate. The winner will be the person who connects the most with the voting-viewing and listening public. In the video, Katharine Q. Seelye, of the NYT, lays it out plain for Senator Biden. Senator Biden needs to avoid being long winded, aggressive, and sounding off as a know it all. Sarah Palin’s non-responses should not exasperate Senator Biden, as her opponents were in the gubernatorial race in Alaska. A non-response response by Gov. Palin will show her inexperience and naiveté, without having Senator Biden having to point out the obvious. He should in turn use his time to unmask John McCain, and connect Senator Obama with the voting public. People will not want to know what he knows, because the public knows he is well versed and experienced, but what they will want to hear from Senator Biden is for him to tell them what’s in it for them.

People must relate to what it is [Senator Biden] is trying to say. They don’t care about the who, what, where, and when. The only question the listener has is why should I care? They want you to tell them a story that has them in it. Something that can make them, or save them, more money, saves them time, or reduces stress. The subconscious mind says "what's in it for me? if nothing, then leave me alone!"
[Senator Biden] will have to entice the listener with something that’s far more interesting than what they are thinking about. The skillful use of words can offer the listener a thought more interesting than what currently occupies their mind. The common, predictable, [mundane] and average will be ignored. The intriguing, fascinating, and unusual are immediately examined. It's not that the listener is not paying attention; it's that they simply have too many other things to think about. Justin Taylor copy writing techniques, http://www.voiceimage.com/copywriting.htm.

The objective of the debate is to cause the voters to act and vote for the Obama Biden team come November 4th, not to score political miss congeniality points, but to have the average viewer see someone like them taking the opportunity to connect directly with voters, as Ms. Seelye points out in her video. Know that Sarah Palin knows the value of connecting with the voters, and has done it effortlessly and effectively over and over again. Also know Sarah Palin has had at least 23 debates under her belt, enough to be dangerous and do damage.

It will not be the sharpness of Joe’s rhetoric or his over confidence but the smoothness of his charm that will put him over in the debate. Containing himself (a defensive strategy) will just stifle Joe Biden while pouring on the charm and wit (an offensive strategy) mixed with intriguing, fascinating, unusual and clear interesting words will capture the minds and hearts of the viewers. Ms. Seelye, says Joe has to contain himself, and make sure his is not too overbearing. He doesn’t want to look like he is beating up on Ms. Palin but he has to make his answers sharp. These are givens, but what Senator Biden has to do is take the offensive by putting on the charm and his funny wit. His answers must be clear and succinct. Rather than talking about the differences in their world views as he says in the video article he should concentrate on connecting with the voters, with their world views.

Joe needs to avoid some of these pitfalls:

The Seven Deadly Sins Of Debates:
Failure to attract the listeners attention.
Failure to appeal to the listeners self interest.
Failure to use words that paint pictures.
Being so clever or creative that you fail to sell.
Failure to give a listener a reason to act.
Cliché filled rhetoric, cliche filled copy.
Too long winded, too much copy!

By Dan O’Day modified from his Seven Deadly Sins of Radio Advertising, the only thing modified was the title, and sins 6 and 7.

The bottom line is listeners and viewers will want to know how everything He says will personally affect them.

“BAILOUT SCHMAILOUT” OBAMA RISKS HIS PLATFORM WITH THIS RESCUE

Charles — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:14:18 EDT

The plan was defeated by twelve votes, and what that has done is buy more time to think this thing through. The old adage must be raised here: “Are we throwing good money after bad?” The issues are simple, as analyzed by MSNBC producer John W. Schoen: 1). the mechanics of this plan must be clearly understood; right now how this will work-out is not clear. 2). the executive cap of compensation has loopholes; executives with current contracts will get what was negotiated regardless of the legislation, except clear language imposes fines as required by the bill. 3). No true value can be assigned to properties in a depreciating unstable market, 4). The SEC, the banks, the mortgage market, lenders, the Treasury, Wall Street, and the courts are not capable of resetting the terms on the paper of these illiquid loans. The government has to create a quasi-legislative arm to manage and steer the country out of this quagmire. That requires partial forgiveness of debt in many cases and/or a debt for equity swap, which was done during the great depression, as recommended by Janet Tavakoli - September 25, 2008

The logic of this rescue, bailout, buy in, is basically an acknowledgement by government that Wall Street and the country is bankrupt, and Paulson’s objective is to hook the public.

Paulson a capitalist is forcing Congress to interfere with the economy, by asking it to socialize Wall Street.

Wall Streets economic dire straights resemble a Trump bailout: Trumps failure would cause greater loss to the local institutions that financed him, so they in turn had to turn to foreign banks like Credit Suisse First Boston to rescue Trump and his holdings. Wall Street is Trump and Wall Street and others like Trump have run out places from where to get money from. Who do they turn to? but none other than the Golden Boy from Goldman Sachs, Henry Paulson, who has his fingers our pockets. Paulson knows no one else has the deep pockets to accomplish the divestment of these illiquid assets. But that is not the answer, the American citizenry has said so 300:1, and they are demanding a break in the chain of this dependance, there are other options.

The truth is that there is credit available, but the sobering fact is that the ones who have credit to issue are the Chinese, the Asian Markets, the European Union and certain Saudi/Middle Eastern markets, in 2007 they began “tightening the belt” and are now saying, “No more cheap credit, if you want credit from us it will be on our terms, and oh, by the way we don’t want your worthless paper.” Since, June 2008, the Asian markets have been keenly aware of the subprime mortgage crisis and are afraid of the domino effect, and are in essence saying, “We are not going to be raked over your coals. You wanted your owner’s society, well now own up to it.”

The Fact is America’s credit rating is teetering around the world. Feeling the pinch and the narrowing of the credit noose around Wall Streets neck Bush/Paulson are now trying to slip the noose over the public’s neck, and are pitching it as a last resort. The truth is in Paulson’s own words on Meet the Press pitches it as a benefit: “...and this is for the benefit of the taxpayer that were doing this to the American Public.” He is doing this to the American public, he is not doing it for the American public, and as for the benefit to taxpayer he can give no guarantee, since the value of these assets have not settled. All this is being done to save the taxpayer, are you sure, it isn’t to save your own neck, at the behest of Wall Street?

Paulson’s mismanagement of this crisis’s comes with the strategy of an adult child that has made some bad investments who goes to his parents (US-the taxpayer), because he knows they have the deep pockets. Paulson says, “Oh, its bad mom and dad, but I’ll be ok if you give me…” first asks for 25 billion for Freddie and Fannie, and comes back requesting saying, “…Oh, I just couldn’t let what you gave me go down the drain.” “I am in trouble Mom and Dad, really all I need to stop this runoff is…” asks for 85 billion for AIG, and now frantically he comes back, saying “it’s a catastrophe” and he needs 700 Billion dollars to save the market, NOW, no strings attached, no assurance of a return, and by the way if anything goes wrong I want a “Do not go to jail card” just in case (his golden parachute). “WHAT” exclaims the parents, “Look Henry, we’ll get back with you.” Paulson says, “Mom and Dad, hurry if you don’t do anything it will be your neck and mine, and then all will be lost.”

Obama by signing on with this plan will be automatically putting his Presidency into “Lame Duck” status even before he wins the election. The reality of this catastrophe is that it will be what will frame the next president; From “Day One” he will carry the 700 pound Gorilla. The next President will inherit a country with a debt of close to 10 trillion dollars, which is almost more than three times what Regan left America with when he left office: The cost of winning the Cold War. Under Bush’s 2 terms our nation is now again the largest debtor nation, and the ability to borrow domestically is severely hampered and abroad is almost non existent. Point in fact both Senator’s Obama’s and Senator McCain’s healthcare plan will cost over one trillion dollars, over ten years, voting for this bailout, will put their plans under the bus. If they need to spend for Defense, Education, Social Security, the 700 pound Gorilla with its 10 trillion debt will say, “You can’t.”

The biggest missing piece of the puzzle in all these discussions is the implementation of spending restraints. Neither candidates have spoken about its need but more surprisingly Senator Obama has touted very little of this in his town hall meetings. Senator Obama’s economic plan mirror’s President Clinton’s plan: It raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers, while cutting taxes on 15 million low-income families and making tax cuts available to 90 percent of small businesses. Additionally, it mandated that the budget be balanced over a number of years and the deficit be reduced. This was to be achieved through the implementation of spending restraints. The economy got moving again, it worked, but Senator Obama has eluded talking about spending restraints or has very little rhetoric about it. It will be important to breach this discussion before he is framed otherwise.

The question that must be answered as posed by Paulson, “What can be done to stabilize the Markets?” “Then once we get behind this and gets this stabilized there is a lot we can talk about in terms of reform.”Step1: Stabilize, Step 2: Reform. The second question that has to be asked is can we stabilize the market without a chinking the credit card with $700 billion Dollars worth of debt, on the backs of the American Public. Here is Karl Denninger’s Genesis Plan:

How To Fix Our Banking System, The “Genesis” Plan, by Karl Denninger, karl@denninger.net
It is clear that we must act to stabilize our financial markets. What is also clear is that if we act imprudently wewill destroy our financial markets and system instead of saving it, and are likely to usher in a Depression.
What Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke have proposed will do the latter, not the former.
The root cause of the current lack of trust in our financial markets is threefold:
1. Nobody can trust a balance sheet. This is due to off-balance-sheet vehicles (which were supposed to bebanned after ENRON) and “Level 3” assets, which nobody can analyze the true valuation of, asidentification of the claimed assets and their valuation models are undisclosed.
2. Credit Default Swaps (CDS) are “over the counter” (OTC) transactions with no margin or capitalsupervision. As a consequence nobody knows if their “counterparty” can pay. In fact huge percentagesof these people can’t pay – but nobody knows who they are.
3. Leverage. The SEC removed broker/dealer 12:1 leverage limits in 2004. Every firm that has failed – allfive (Fannie, Freddie, Bear Stearns, Lehman and AIG) had leverage far in excess of 12:1. The draft billis even more dangerous as it accelerates a provision intended to go into effect in 2011 that allows BenBernanke to increase financial firm leverage by dropping reserve requirements on banks to zero shouldhe so choose. It is excessive leverage that got us here in the first place, and this bill actually makesit worse.
The solution to the trust issues in our financial system is elegant and it will work.
1. Force all off-balance sheet "assets" back onto the balance sheet, and force the valuation models andidentification of individual assets out of Level 3 and into 10Qs and 10Ks. Enact this requirementbeginning with the 3Q 2008 reporting period which begins next month. Total taxpayer cost: $0.00
2. Force all OTC derivatives onto a regulated exchange similar to that used by listed options in the equitymarkets. This permanently defuses the derivatives time bomb. Give market participants 90 days to getthis done; any that are not listed in 90 days are declared void; let the participants sue each other if theycan't prove capital adequacy. Total taxpayer cost: $0.00
3. Force leverage by all institutions to no more than 12:1. The SEC intentionally dropped broker/dealerleverage limits in 2004; prior to that date 12:1 was the limit. Every firm that has failed had double ormore the leverage of that former 12:1 limit. Enact this with a six month time limit and require 1/6th ofthe excess taken down monthly. Total taxpayer cost: $0.00
Once 1-3 are put in place then send in the OTS and OCC examiners and look at every financial institution in theUnited States. All who are insolvent and unable to raise private capital immediately are forced throughreceivership where the debt is converted to equity and existing equity is wiped out.
With the CDS monster caged the systemic risk is removed, the bondholders provide the cushion forrecapitalization (as it should be) and the restructured firm emerges with no debt while the former bondholdersare now the owners (of the equity) in the resulting firm.
With a clean balance sheet the restructured firms remain in business and open the next morning able to raise and attract capital.
For the few firms that have an insufficient debt-holder capital cushion to successfully complete this process, weare left with two options – a capital infusion or liquidation. There will be few of these and in fact each of thosefirms is a regulatory failure, as we should have never permitted a firm to become so far "underwater" that thebondholder's capital is insufficient to capitalize a restructuring.
For those firms, give the FDIC (or if an insurance company, the appropriate state and federal regulatoryauthorities) primary control. As the CDS monster has been caged, the primary threat is now loss to state andfederal guarantee programs. If these regulators deem that this firm’s liquidation would result in an unacceptableloss to the system’s guarantee programs then recapitalize the firm as follows:
The government shall be issued senior preferred debt ahead of all other debt and equity in the capitalstructure, paying a floating coupon of 3 month LIBOR + 8% adjusted quarterly, in an amount sufficient tobring regulatory capital above minimum limits.
All dividends are suspended for as long as the preferred remains outstanding, and during that period noemployee of the firm may receive any form of compensation exceeding that of the President of the UnitedStates for a corporate officer, and no more than that of a United States House member for any person who isnot a corporate officer. At the issue of the preferred stock all outstanding deferred compensation, includingoptions, are deemed cancelled.
The firm may retire the preferred at its option by repurchasing it at the issue price.
The appropriate regulator shall have primary authority to “call” the above debt issue at any time and forcebankruptcy (along with recovery of invested amounts) should the firm fail to execute an effective turnaroundplan.
Finally, drop the silly shorting restrictions. Liquidity in the market stinks and this is a big part of why. Startprosecuting aggressively the rumors and other manipulation that leads to stocks both rising and falling.
This plan will instantaneously stabilize the credit markets as balance sheets will be transparent, the CDSmonster will be permanently de-fanged, leverage will be returned to reasonable levels and the forciblyrestructured firms will have no debt on their balance sheets and be able to access the capital markets. Firms thatwould fail once they have disclosed their true liabilities and result in unacceptable insurance program costs willbe recapitalized with a reasonable expectation of the taxpayer not being stuck with the bill. Systemic risk willbe removed.
Best of all, it will require zero taxpayer dollars with few exceptions, and for those instances where taxpayerdollars are required the amount of taxpayer risk would be small and well-protected.This plan is very similar to what Janet Tavakoli proposed on September 25th in an open letter released on theweb.i Ms. Tavakoli is an internationally recognized expert in these matters, is an adjunct professor ofderivatives, and is widely published.
This and other alternatives must be examined before our nation embarks on what may be a disastrous path.
i http://www.tavakolistructuredfinance.com/TSF8.html
Watch Karl Denninger's video: The Solution: By Karl Denninger - 9/21/2008

SENATOR OBAMA DON'T GET CAUGHT HOLDING THE BAG. DON'T LET THE AMERICAN PUBLIC BE DUPED AGAIN AS WE WERE WITH THE IRAQ WAR. PLEASE PROPOSE AN ALTERNATIVE, WHILE YOU CAN. BE AS CAREFUL GETTING INTO THIS AS CARELESSLY AS BUSH/PAULSON/MCCAIN HAVE BEEN IN TRYING TO SEEK THIS TO PASS.

THE RIGHT ACTION IS NEEDED, NOT THE WRONG ACTION. WE ARE DOWN BUT NOT OUT. WE ARE HEADING INTO AN ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN BUT WE ARE NOT IN A RECESSION, AND ALOT OF US ARE STILL WORKING, AND SOME OF US STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF SAVINGS TO TIDE US OVER. WE CAN SACRIFICE IF WE KNOW WE WON'T BE SOLD OUT.

PUSH FOR YOUR SECOND ECONOMIC STIMILUS PACKAGE TO BE HANDED OUT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. CHRISTMAS IS COMING IF WE DON'T HAVE MONEY TO BUY OUR GAS AND HEATING OIL, AND OUR FOOD AND RENT HOW CAN YOU EXPECT US TO GO OUT AND SPEND US OUT OF THIS TAIL SPIN THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON.

HELP US GET THROUGH THIS WINTER AND THIS ELECTION, IF YOU DON'T WE MIGHT BE IN THE THROWS OF A RECESSION/DEPRESSION BY THE TIME YOU TAKE OFFICE IN JANUARY.

“THE MCCAIN FEIGN”: MCCAIN’S DECEPTION OF AMERICA

Charles — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:48:54 EDT

All warfare is based on deception (s.tzu). McCain and his campaign have been masters of deception! McCain has never had footing as a contender for the Presidency, barely winning the republican nomination; He is not a master of the issues, and when caught with his hand in the Keating cookie jar, he painted himself as a false reformer, deregulating society for the benefit of the rich and entitled as himself, to the detriment of the average American. Not able to give a speech he resorts to town hall meetings, like a child he cry’s “Obama doesn’t play with me” meaning Obama doesn’t want to join him at his town hall meetings, at McCain’s beck-and-call. Not able to compete with Senator Obama’s charisma; McCain has sought to soil it with innuendos, mockery and lies. Not able to rally his base he resorts to hiding behind the skirts of Sarah Palin, and then muzzles her from the press and the nation, treating her as a pawn rather than as a capable woman (this is a valid issue the campaign and Senator Obama can raise against McCain, proving McCain is not a champion for woman suffrage, but is a user of women for McCain's political gain). McCain’s proves his incompetency on the economy, and now feigns to be the “cure-all,” and “know-it-all” of the economy. McCain has become the bighead of this presidential election, the Tricky Dickey of this century closely imitating Nixon's subterfuge.

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Sun Tzu

Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans;(s.tzu).

1. Senator Obama has to balk John McCain’s deceptive practices and call him out on his deception to suspend his campaign, as not being honest with America.

2. Senator Obama needs to point out that John McCain politicized the process for his political gain.

3. Senator Obama needs to point out that if the situation was so dire why he didn’t go straight to Washington, the day he announced his suspension. Instead he went to CGI, held interviews, and had surrogates attack Senator Obama, and ran TV ads against Senator Obama further entrenching his suspicious tactics.

4. Call McCain’s bluff, and tell him that by not showing up at the debate he might as well forfeit the campaign. Hey if there is a scheduled game and the opposing side doesn’t show call it a forfeit, game over. Might as well tell him that he should really end his campaign now, and call it quits.

5. A hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults (s.tzu), Use Senator Biden as the second punch by calling John McCain, “chicken” (in a political direct way) or directly for not going to the debate.

6. A delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame (s.tzu), have Senator Biden shame McCain for deceiving the public. Make it an issue, and call it a dereliction of duty for,

a. for bringing confusion and division to congress, and delaying the process to “Save America”.

b. for denying the American public the opportunity to view their debate, to choose their next leader.

The next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces; (s.tzu).

1. Senator McCain went to Washington to rally the Republicans to argue against the Bush/Paulson/Democratic Plan, therefore showing himself as different from Bush,

2. McCain is unifying the Republican’s against the “Bailout” and will paint Democrats as “sellouts”: reinforcing the tax, and spend liberals, moniker.

3. Frame Bush as McCain’s puppet master pulling the last Presidential strings to de-rail the election process, and disrupt congressional progress on this bailout, by calling yesterday's do-nothing meeting.

4. Re-enforce the point to America that the Bush/McCain Republican’s are again dividing America, instead of uniting America.

5. Callout President Bush/Paulson for being dishonest about the urgency of the request, and for using the fear tactics of the Iraq war with this Financial crisis. Point out that the market has not crashed or “cratered” as McCain had said to David Letterman, when he cancelled his spot, with him, and then appeared with Katie Couric. The market actually gained 100 points yesterday 09/25/08.

6. Not placing blame, Senator Obama can call for more light to be placed on this crisis; the more this goes on, the more this crisis passes the sniff test of corruption. He must request a criminal investigation. It must be launched with the aid of “the press,” the “SEC,” and congress.

a. Senator Obama can call for a CSI type team of an investigative body to weed out the perpetrators.

b. The IRS makes it a point to prosecute tax defrauders. Why shouldn't congress do the same? Leading the way in this Senator Obama can say, “There is a New Sheriff in Town,” by requesting the investigation and prosecution of the worst offenders. This would show his leadership, give him the offense, and control of strategy, and the media. The last recourse: The next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities (s.tzu).

Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive (s.tzu).

Given the incessant coverage of McCain’s feign, McCain has effectively stolen the ball from Senator Obama, so now it is up to Senator Obama, Senator Biden, and the campaign staff to get it back. If the campaign thinks we are secure with the status quo think back, and remember how much the campaign suffered after Senator Obama’s foreign trip, or how much we lost ground with the Palin pick. Think Offense to defeat McCain, because he will orchestrate a move to show and claim victory in making the Bailout happen.

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans (s.tzu).

How outrageous is 700 Billion Dollars? How realistic is 700 billion Dollars? If this is meant as stop gap measure, isn’t 700 billion Dollars over doing it? Just to restore confidence on Wall Street? Do we really want to create a dumpster for wall streets trash?

Think about it, if the economy just had a heart attack and it straight lined, meaning that the patient’s heart stopped beating (which it hasn’t-wall street is still functioning) then desperate CPR, and defibrillation, with quick measured doses of medication (epinephrine) would be needed to resuscitate the heart and bring life to the patient. If the patient is given too large of a dose of medication, or if the CPR is done incorrectly (too hard-too fast), then there is the chance of overdosing the patient, and breaking the patient’s sternum and rib cage causing a tear in a blood vessel, or worse yet a puncture of a lung.

Wall street is our patient, Paulson and Bernanke are wall street’s parents, their baby is in trouble and they rightfully in panic have called for help, but it is up to the medical team to fix and save their child, and that is where congress and the economists, the think tank comes in not other wall street players.

Let’s put this in real terms From NBC's Domenico MontanaroJust how big is the proposed Wall Street bailout? Let's look at how it compares to some other numbers...
-- $700 billion: proposed Wall St. bailout
-- $695.4 billion: GDP of Taiwan. If the bailout were a country it would be the 21st largest GDP, larger than most nations.
-- $653 billion: cost of Iraq war (so far)
-- $515.4 billion: proposed 2009 Pentagon budget
-- $315 billion: McCain's nuclear energy plan
-- $295 billion: amount Pentagon overspent original budgets by.
-- $150 billion: Obama's energy plan
-- $50-$65 billion: Obama's health care plan, per year
-- $59.2 billion: proposed 2009 U.S. education budget
-- $10 billion: McCain health care proposals, per year
-- $38 million: Hank Paulson's post-2004 salary as Chairman, CEO of Goldman Sachs
-- 16.1 million: number of median Ohio household incomes ($43,371 as of 2004) that would add up to the bailout
-- or about THREE Ohios.

Keith Olberman, with Howard Fineman, from Newsweek, pointed out the risk’s of John McCain’s rash move, in this clip from his show 09/25/08. It reveals John McCain’s need to play and lay claim and credit for making the deal happen. If McCain pulls it off then he will frame Senator Obama and show him as a do nothing sitting in Oxford, Miss. Olberman revealed a more telling number, at time marker 6:30, off of the same clip, regarding the crisis: the actual amount of all the ill-liquid assets is 100 billion dollars, not 700 billion dollars that was requested by the Bush/Paulson. 600 billion of those assets actually have value, and can be sold elsewhere.

If this number is true then Senator Obama can move to request the amount, of the Bush/Paulson bailout, to be lowered to 100 billion dollars, plus whatever is needed to protect foreclosed homeowners, pension funds, with the same stipulations. It would immediately show his handle of the economy, his ability to make the right changes at the right time, he would show that he is not a tax and spend, spend, liberal, and moreover it would show the public that his best interest is for Main Street, and that once in office he can draft a more comprehensive plan, to bring wall street into the 21st century. He can call it his “Save America Plan.”

OBAMA'S DEBATES IS HIS BIGGEST NATIONAL AD CAMPAIGN

Charles — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:56:58 EDT

Launching a successful debate parallels “…launching an ad campaign…” A debates sole purpose is to create voter buy-in of the candidate an organization it represents. So like a good commercial a good debate “…is not one that entertains, or that is produced well, it is a debate that creates the buy in to create the voters needed to turn the election your way. To advertise [campaign] effectively today, you have to understand the listener’s reluctance to believe the claims that are made by advertising [campaigning]. We have to volunteer the proof they need. Loud music, screaming announcers, and worn out clichés are no longer convincing people that they are getting good value [a good presidential candidate].

It is no longer enough to simply tell bigger lies in as louder voice than the next guy. If you want the advertising [debate] to be productive, you have to tell a story, and tell it persuasively.

The radio ad [debate] arrives as an uninvited guest. If there is nothing to make it familiar with something in the life of the listener, the subconscious will not allow entrance. During the course of the debate However, if there is something that is even new and unknown, yet touches the familiar and known of the listener it is more quickly accepted.

People must relate to what it is you're trying to say. They don’t care about the who, what, where, and when. The only question the listener has is why should I care? They want you to tell them a story that has them in it. Something that can make them, or save them, more money, save them time, or reduce stress. The subconscious mind says "what's in it for me? if nothing, then it says, “leave me alone!"

Most ads [debates] about the [candidate] product or the company that makes it yield disappointing results. The best ads [debates] are about the customer [voter] and how the product [candidate] will change their life.Medical science tells us that it takes 29% longer to understand the written word than it does to understand the spoken word. This is because the brain must translate the written word into the spoken word before it can be understood. It is the sound of the words that we remember, not their written form. Even when we read something silently, we are hearing the words in our mind. So it can be argued that in debates and in TV campaign ads that it is better to sound off the evidence and the facts you want the viewer or listener to understand.

Put simply, you can remember what you hear easier than what you saw. A properly implanted spoken statement will cause the prospective customers to think of your clients company or product when they have a need for it. "Are you listnening?"

Entice The Listener [Voter]

You have to entice the listener [voter] with something that’s far more interesting than what they are thinking about. The skillful use of words can offer the listener a thought more interesting than what currently occupies their mind. The common, predictable, and average will be ignored. Senator Obama’s stump speeches lines, rhetoric, and often repeated slogan’s will be ignored. The intriguing, fascinating, and unusual are immediately examined. It's not that the listener is not paying attention; it's that they simply have too many other things to think about. Remember a spot [debate] that sells [convinces], is a spot [debate] the motivates the listener to act [vote for Obama]!

As long as you can present the information from the listener’s point of view, not the advertiser [candidates] you'll have a spot [debate] that works. The listener is the Art Director. What essential need in the consumers [voters] life does this product or service satisfy and how can you best tell them. Focus on the listener [voter]. The "look how great we are" spots [debates] do nothing to command interest. Dan O'Day puts it like this. Bad print and TV ads just fail to sell. Bad radio ads [debates] fail to sell and they drive the listener away. Radio allows the listener to escape by simply hitting that annoying little button. A lost ear is lost revenue [vote].

Good commercials, liners, promos, [including debates] etc. are a radio station's [campaign’s] secret weapon. It keeps the listener [voter] tuned in longer, and more often. The image of the radio station should not take a vacation during a stopset. It should be every 60 minutes of every hour. The image of a candidate should not take a vacation, given our 24 hour news cycle.

Writing The Copy [Scripting the Debate]

Focus your message. Nothing messes up a perfectly good idea like a cluttered, unfocused radio spot [debate]. A good spot [debate} should punch one key point, [at a time]. When you try to mention [many debate points] 3 product lines, 2 services, 8 locations, and multiple phone numbers, listeners [voters] will be lost! The entire spot [debate] and the message will be lost. If you must deliver several different messages, create several different spots [debates]. Focus!

Despite what you've heard, the first few seconds are not for establishing the client's name. They should be reserved for only one thing - hooking the listener [voter]. Let the listener [voter] know that this is going to be 60 seconds worth listening to.

The first few moments of your spot [debate] should set the scene. Where is it taking place? Home? Work? Outer space? Remember that context can usually establish the location even if you don’t identify where you are. The context can usually establish the location in the voters mind even if they know where you are in the debate. For example, sound effects and ambient sound can establish a train ride, restaurant, etc. A relevant example can bring the mind of the voter to the place you want them to be.

You should also establish your character(s) [candidate]. Who is this person or persons talking to me. A doctor, lawyer, friend, fast food attendant, what?? Keep in mind as you write that the most important word to use in writing copy is the word "you". It makes the listener a participant in your spot. It engages the imagination of the listener.

Get to the point of the spot without a lot of chit chat. Don’t waste a lot of time on introductions. Get right to it. As you write, work your words into real, believable speech patterns and not a classic novel. Be conversational in your choice of words. The key thing to remember is that you must hook the listener. Skip the clichés and the unbelievable claims. Claims like 80% off, or sale, sale, sale.

Consider not only the content, but the perspective of your copy [debate]. Instead of standing in front of your home movies and narrating everything as you bore everyone, point the camera (or the copy) at the experience. Let the listeners imagination be the participant in your movie. Let them experience the adventure instead of telling them just how it is.

The stage in radio [the debate] is small, even though the audience maybe very large. The debate does not give you a lot of time. Each word must be perfect. Telling the listener that the grass is green does nothing new. It's boring. Tell the listener something unique and defining about the grass. Describe the texture, brown patches, the glisten of morning dew. Look for the things that are unique.

Write your copy [script of the debate] too long. Then start to edit. Edit out the needless words and phrases. Keep editing until you come in at under the time limits. Less is more. Carefully choose your words and don’t clutter. Don’t jam too many copy [debate] points in and try to avoid addresses and phone numbers [irrelevant information in your comments]. When the listener [voter] needs the product or service [gets the message] they will find the client [the candidate at the polls].

Yellow pages, websites, etc. are an easy way for the listener to find the client. Don't waste valuable time on phone numbers and addresses. How many times have you stopped your car to write down a phone number you heard on the radio? Does McDonalds use one? Microsoft? Outback Steakhouse? you get my point. Now if you simply have to use a phone number, write it out. One-eight-hundred- four-seven-eight-seven-nine-five-three. See what I mean. Wasted words that wont be remembered.

You should be writing [scripting] an ad [a debate] that will be remembered when the prospect [voter] has a need [to vote for Senator Obama] for your product or service and not as a means to generate immediate traffic. If I am not in need for a car, why do you want me to go to Joe's Ford and eat the hot dogs this Saturday from 10 to 4? When I am in need of a car, I need to be able to remember what it was that the Joe's Ford spot I heard last August told me about. Was it the lifetime free oil changes, loaner car, and car washes, or the free hot dogs? When the voter goes to the polls they need to remember what it was that Senator Obama told them in the last debate.

The plain truth is that X number of people will buy a car [vote] on any given day. You won't change that. But when the time comes for each of those consumers to have their turn, give them a reason to buy it from Joe's. Give them a reason to vote for Senator Obama.

After The Copy [Script] Is Written

Read it out loud. Read it out loud. Does it flow? Are there any phrases that don't come off right in spoken form? If so, change it. While you read it out loud, time the spot. Don't assume that the talent will probably read it faster than you because chances are that they will act the read and take longer. Aim for under :60 or under :30 safely.

Radio commercials [debates] are heard not read. Faxing the script to your client is a big mistake unless you can present your script orally at the same time. Better in person, acceptable on the phone, but always best as a spec spot demo especially if it's a new client. Do the demo. Go the extra mile to present your concept.

Clients want you to write all these wonderful things about them but in all honestly those spots rarely work. The listener simply doesn’t care if it doesn’t affect them personally. Present your demo to the client [voter] and explain the concept to them from a radio professional's [presidential candidates] point of view. Your client can’t hear a script in paper form. They must hear the message in spoken form.

Checklist
Before you actually begin writing your spot [script], ask the following:
Who is the sales target?
Who cares about the benefits offered by this product or service?
What will this product or service do for the listener?
What is so exciting about this product or service?
Why should the listener act now?
What questions might the listener have about the product or service?
What objections might the listener have?
Why should someone patronize this sponsor and not some other merchant?
Ask the client: What's so special about your store?
Ask the client: What's so special about this product?
Ask to speak with some of the client's patrons and ask them what they like about the client's product or service.
What did you see happening at the store or when you used the product?

According to Dan O'Day these are the Seven Deadly Sins Of Radio Advertising:

Failure to attract the listeners attention.
Failure to appeal to the listeners self interest.
Failure to use words that paint pictures.
Being so clever or creative that you fail to sell.
Failure to give a listener a reason to act.
Cliché filled copy.
Too much copy!

Commercial Cliches

The do not use commercial copy or [political] babble samples:

Going on now - Now is the time! - Wont last long - Service second to none - It's midsummer madness time -Its happening now - And what's more!. - Not to mention - But wait there's more - That’s right - We've built our reputation on it -You're going to love the - See you there- You heard me right - Anything using the word "receives" -The time is now -You owe it to yourself - Do yourself a favor -Be there - Dial There's never been a better time - New and Improved

I'm sure you can add a few to this ever growing list yourself. Simply put do not use these tired old cliches in your spots [debates]. Period.

Production

Once the actual copy is complete and ready to be produced in final form, submit it with your traffic instructions. Give it time to be produced. Don�t try and start the schedule tomorrow morning. When you write your copy, and if you anticipate an "update" version (i.e.: tomorrow, tonight, etc.) submit those updates at the same time.

It is easier to produce an update version at the time the original is produced than it is at a later time. If you anticipate that spot to return at a later date "as Is" with no changes ask that it be archived rather than having it produced again.

Provide a pronunciation guide with your copy. Try not to over-plan, and always expect changes to occur.

Remember Murphy's 11th law. "It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious."

Go have a killer debate!

Source: http://www.voiceimage.com/copywriting.htm

AMERICA TO THE REPUBLICAN’S BUSH/MCCAIN, “STRIKE THREE YOU’RE OUT”:

Charles — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:07:35 EDT

Republican’s Bush/McCain created the Crashing Economy; STRIKE ONE!

Republican’s Bush/McCain steered US into a Needless Iraq War: STRIKE TWO!

Republican’s Bush/McCain caused the current Energy Emergency: STRIKE THREE!

YOU’RE OUT!

The Republican’s had their way, Bush had his chance, while John McCain the former commerce committee chairman had his hand in deregulating the country into a crashing economy, into a bankrupt financial system, into a corrupt mortgage crisis, into a spiraling energy emergency, and steered us into a needless war and the Republicans now want the American public to entrust them with the reigns of this country, No Way, No How, Never.

KEEP THE OFFENSE ON THE TV AD’S

Create an ad: Debunk the McCain Issues: Show the Republican’s Bush/McCain/ issues, by creating a TV ad, having an umpire officiating John McCain’s record, calling the Strikes.

Scene 1:        Picture John McCain saying I don’t know anything about the economy, and saying the Fundamentals of the economy are fine. Show the Keating Five, show today’s banking debacles, and have an ump Yell Streeike One.

Scene 2:         Show John McCain voting for the war and then have family members, mothers, fathers, sisters, wife’s saying I want my son home, I want my brother back, I want my husband back, I want my daddy/mommy home. Have experts say the War was wrong, put facts and figures on the screen under each witness with the number of dead, number of years since war, number of money spent and under each person, and then have ump say “Streeike Two!”
Scene 3:         Depict John talking about deregulation, show the frenzy of the stock market, show people losing their homes, show the long lines at the banks, show a person with a red plastic gas can putting gas into their car, and the price of gas. And ask a citizen: Are we better Off now than we were eight years ago? Have them answer, NO!, and then have the ump yell, Streeike Three! –Yerrr-Out!
Flash:              Vote Barack Obama, the Change We Need.

PUSH THE OFFENSE

Keeping the offense on and against John McCain is a simple as keeping the defense for Senator Barack Obama. Let me explain, when we were keeping the defense for the last 19 months we were introducing, proving, sustaining, re-introducing, innovating, getting the vote out, fact-checking, spending, and building the infrastructure to get the ground game moving. Now with that in place we can sustain it and must keep it moving with the motivation we gain from the excitement the offense creates.

What will sustain the hard effort of our defensive troops (the ground game) from here on will be the success of the offensive campaign. We see it now. So to keep the offense on it toes and on track the focus can and must be as easy as the cadence of the defense. Step 1, Demystify John McCain’s Character. Step 2. Debunk John McCain’s policies and issues. Keep this pace fervently like a two minute offense and we will win this.

STEP 1

The focus to debunk John McCain’s policies/issues must be consistent and daily. Paul Begala’s, former campaign manager to President Clinton, enunciated his strategy on the Rachel Maddow Show, on 9-18-08. Here is his very interesting point, starting at minute marker 1:57, on the MSNBC website, the video is called “the right moves?”:

Economic issues can continue to be hammered home given today’s current crisis, adding mention of the Keating five corruptions, and the influence Keating had on John McCain, pointing out how John McCain as chairman of the Commerce committee subverted regulators, and is the cause of today’s deregulatory failures.

A real powerful pivot, as suggested by Paul Begala, from this can be to show McCain’s disregard of seniors, by having John McCain defend his proposal to privatize social security, if we were to follow McCain's advice he would have had us place a losing bet in the casino of the current market he created. We would have lost approximately one quarter of our investments in the stock market today (per Begala). Seniors should know this, and if we followed McCain’s policies millions of senior's would be without that safety net that FDR created to protect for the nation in “old age,” even FDR’s grandson warned McCain: Keep you hand off our Social Security.

STEP 2

McCain’s character needs to be revealed and exposed, over and over again, in different ways. CNN did some revealing of their own, and even Fox news did their own fact checking, both created extensive documentaries on John McCain, that footage must be used to frame McCain for what he really is as a confused, and out of touch candidate and as an ethically challenged senator (dubbed by Paul Begala on the Rachel Maddow show, 9-18-08).

The confused part of John McCain we know but eleven gaffs in recent history is a little too much, don’t you think? We know that our retention span is limited. The Obama’ campaign offensive task at hand would be to constantly list and raise all of John McCain’s gaffs/missteps/confusions; and never let the public forget them. That effort cannot be left to the media. It must be led by the campaign, to make it an issue. Rachel Maddow listed a very comprehensive list of these that need to be hammered home by the campaign by creating a series of TV ads, based on this issue: McCain is confused in foreign policy.

The Rachel Maddow show has the video on the MSNBC website listing John McCain’s foreign policy gaffs, in the video called, Foreign policy problems:

1.                  Spain is our adversary
2.                  Iraq and Pakistan share the same border
3.                  Czechoslovakia still exists
4.                  Confused between the Sudan and Somalia
5.                  Doesn’t know the Troops difference between US Troops and Nato Troops
6.                  Doesn’t know what the Troop levels are in Iraq.
7.                  Confused Iran’s relationship with Al Qaeda
8.                  Doesn’t know the difference between Suni/Shia
9.                  Putin of Germany
10.               Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran

Proving he is “an ethically challenged senator” should not be a hard sell, either. You can start with the nasty commercials McCain's campaigned has waged on Senator Obama, by calling them fraudulent, and scurrilous. The Obama campaign can fill this out better with other known ethically challenged positions McCain has taken in the past. Lastly, McCain must be scrutinized about his health. The question of health must be raised again, and again, A DEMAND must be made to have his medical record scrutinized more than just by a few reporters for three hours. Finally, the Obama campaign can jokingly frame McCain as hiding behind Palin's skirt, and a SNL skit can be created with Senator Obama in it making fun of McCain hiding behind Palin's skirts.

Keep this pace fervently like a two minute offense and we will win this

SARAH PALIN IS GEORGE BUSH IN A SKIRT: The Republican's want a tussle, but do we have to play into their hands?

Charles — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:31:18 EDT

Two questions must be asked: Who advised Senator Obama to attack Palin? Who advised him to use the Pig ine? Or the dead fish wrapped in newspaper? We lost today with that. It took him off mssage, and led Senator Obama into the Republican’s hands.

It is obvious Senator Obama does not like the Bad Cop role. Give him humor to counter his attackers. Hire a comdedian, or enlist the help of a comic writer, to help him.

Can’t we just twist and use their lines against them like:
Palin is stubborn but she is no bulldog. A Chihuahua in red lipstick is still a Chihuahua, all bark and no bite.
The problem with John McCain is if he got a call at 3am, He'd have trouble getting out of bed, and he'd say, "honey would you get that."
Do you know the difference between John McCain and Sarah Palin? The white pompado.
God forbid if we had another 9/11 and John McCain was vacationing in one of his homes, Sarah would say, "tell me again what does the Vice President actually do?"
The other day John Mccain was confused and he looked over to Sarah, and said, "Sarah I can't balanced the budget" "John I told you if you don't understand something just use your magic veto pen."
John was calling "Change is coming, Change is coming" he called over to Sarah, and asked "Could you do me a favor, could you come over and change my depends."
John was exhorting the crowd the other day, Pa-lin, Pa-lin, Pa-lin, and then all of the sudden he stopped, the crowd went silent he said, "OOPS I forgot, Obama is something or other...what is it?"
John was explaining to an audience, his grasp of the war, he said "Sonny and Cher" are the two warring factions in Iraq, Palin leaned over and said "No John it is Suni and Shia" "like the two Russian neighboring states of Georgia and Alabama."

We will loose, if we continue in the vein of republican mudslinging, too little time is left to waste getting off message, but we can stay on message and keep them off balance by using humor. Have Joe tear into Palin. Write short Hemmingway stylized talking points that are sweet and to the point. Keep him on the attack of Palin, by reiterating the news media exposure of her incredibility. Joe needs to hammer home the taliking he he gave the day of his introduction of his acceptance speech in Illinois. Keep Joe out of the harangue and morass of the vicissitudes of the minutia of the campaign.

PARODY PALIN

The best strategy that can be used against Palin is to parody her, in the style of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Much in the same way Hillary was parodied. Use humor to Kill ‘em, and create ads to parody all she has said, and refute her lies.

Analyze her and you will see Palin is George Bush in a skirt. On every issue from abortion to stem cells research to everything else, she is George Bush in a skirt.

On Aug 2nd on the O-site, I wrote :

Obama’s Referendum on AmericaAug 2nd 2008 3:17 am

The Republican’s want a tussle, and want to engage and draw the Obama campaign into the psychology of Hate, and paint Obama their way. Avoid this trap. It happened to Kerry, he was so frustrated and full of anger about the Republican’s he could not think straight, and it showed in his speeches in his campaign, in his strategies, and he didn’t even know it, and didn’t know how to counter it. One thing is to respond, defend, and contradict with reasonable fact and certainty, and another is to attack out of pure hate, and anger.
Hate breeds many other ills such as insolence, disdain, evil, sickness and most of all confusion. These forces suck the very life force of creativity, and knock us off course. The course is to stay focusd to win the White House.
Counter the energy of hate with the power of love. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used Love, the strongest power on earth, in the most powerful of peaceful protests.

In my very first blog, on the O-site, in a letter to David Plouffe I wrote Can Barak Rise Above Petty Politics to Win the Presidency?Jan 25th 2008 7:55 pm

When Barak speaks well, while delineating his points, he rises above the others in moral character in the eyes of the public. His personal character/charisma/image ingratiates the public and the McCain has nothing to counter it. Lead with his strength.
The strategy should not be one of a “reactive recover defense tactics,” but He should continue to move in the higher plane of the universal moral principles, he holds and espouses, (his best offense). Holding those principles must be consistent and present at all times.
Such a powerful offense can be put into action without putting Barack in “bicker/comparison politics.” Barak's fight for President must rise out of principled justice, and his task must identify the injustices caused by those opposed to moral principles. He must provide clear measurable identifiable solutions based in justice.

THE PRESIDENTIAL FIGHT REPLAYED

Charles — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:21:46 EDT

The 2008 Presidential Election rides very much on a candidate’s ability to debunk his obfuscating detractors and the ability of a candidate to anchor and link their appeal in the most genuine way, in universal truth, to the pressing social issues of their time. Washington with the founding of our Nation, Lincoln with the emancipation proclamation and its Civil War, Monroe’s Doctrine proclaiming freedom from European intervention, Theodore Roosevelt promised the Square Deal, Taft’s use of Dollar Diplomacy, Wilson’s Fourteen Points to create lasting peace in Europe after WWI, FDR’s New Deal and New Deal Coalition to bring the country out of the Great Depression, and created the Arsenal of Democracy against WWII, the Truman Doctrine which used to point American foreign policy from one of détente to containment of the Soviet expansion. All were carefully crafted slogans that resounded and vibrated to the core of the essence of the problems of their eras.

One defining slogan

The problems that face America today are a mixed bag, and have been hard to define in one clear slogan. “Change” has become an over used oxymoron because of who is trying to promote it, a politician. The American public primarily has developed a long-hardened disdain, and believe the term “crooked politician” as a veritable truth. If a person is to believe that a politician will bring change to Washington, it is like saying honest politicians exist, it is a far fetched idea to the public, and that is the detachment the voters have with the candidates now. The truth is if Obama does not figure a way to re-invent himself and the campaign now to the public he will lose and all it takes is one all defining slogan to win.

The Insider v. the Outsider

McCain a political insider is stating that he will bring change to Washington with the help of an outsider, in Palin, and Obama, an outsider is saying he will bring change with the help of insider, in Biden, hence the statistical tie. The political bases are aligned but the general publics have not decided. The adage reincarnate I’d rather pick the Politician I do know (McCain) over the Politician I don’t know (Obama), might be enough to bring the victory to McCain, if the Obama campaign keeps it status quo, (the same).

1988 Mirrored in 2008

The fact is that this election, as historic as it is, has the markings of the 1988 Presidential election, where George H. W. Bush, appeal to moderates was won with the pledge for “a kinder gentler nation.” It had the normal liberal slurs, annunciated by Dukakis’ renunciation of the Pledge allegiance, Obama is attacked for not raising his hand at the Pledge Allegiance, and not wearing a lapel pin.

No Guts No Glory, Sometimes a Day Late to Respond

The error of Democrats has been and is the lack of defense they employ to block such attacks or their slow, late and weak rebuttals;that leaves open air for the public and the republican machine to fill in for themselves their negative views. The late developing or lack of pivoting strategy to render credible offensive and timely salvo to discredit their attacks and high light McCain/Palin weakness.

Dukakis goaded for his ignorance on military matters staged the greatest public relations blunder ever in modern history; the phrase “Dukakis in the Tank” put him in the tank. Similarly, Obama is goaded for his lack foreign policy experience and pulled off what was an amazing successful public relations coup, which was summarily ridiculed and denigrated, to the success of the Republicans, framed through slanderous un-requited character assassinations.

Similarliy, Palin's likeability can be framed by her incredibility, her affability can be contrasted by her cold demanding and calculating demeanor, and you can frame her to the far right, as a neo-con, as someone who is underhanded, deceitful, intimidating, frightening, and ill-reputable, or even better yet you can comically deride her to the Legally Blonde2 character, or create an SNL type of spoof of her. Hire a comedian to spoof her, and impersonator. and run an ad spoofing her character. Use Apple's strategy to spoof Microsoft, to spoof Palin. Use the old addage kill-em with laughter.

The Republican Playbook

The Republican playbook is at force here again; note the elder Bush’s running mate was Dan Quayle, whose sole purpose was to appeal to the younger generation. McCain’s choice of Palin exactly mirrors elder Bush’s selection. Her appeal has been to rally the base and excite the appeal of white men as well as ladies, with her sex appeal and novelty, to both groups and in her role as attack dog. McCain said of Quayle, "I can't believe a guy that handsome wouldn't have some impact." Well it is happening again! McCain remembers this lesson well!

The same arguments are being made of Palin, she is just a heart beat away from the president, that she is unqualified to be vice president, etc., IT DIDN”T WORK.

Don’t Expect Debates to be the winning Turn and River Cards

Going into the last sixty days both parties are running have with a head wind of enthusiasm, but the winds favor McCain/Palin, out of pure novelty. The Democratic head wind is strong but needs a push over the top and the rallying call can only come from one source, and that is Senator Obama. If Senator Obama leaves the discrediting of Palin to news, hats off, it’s all over. If McCain is left to volley his unsolicited, unscrupulous salvos, it’s over. If Palin continues to deride Senator Obama without impunity, there will be nothing for Joe Biden to defend, game over. If Senator Obama thinks with self-assured confidence that the debates will bring him over, think again, because anything can happen at the debates.

Expect this from the Republicans, as they “sick” Palin, the bulldog with lipstick, on Obama/Biden, for the attack:

Quayle had sought to use the debate to criticize Dukakis as too liberal rather than go point for point with the more seasoned Bentsen. Bentsen's attempts to defend Dukakis received little recognition as greater attention given to his Kennedy comparison.

The debates can be a roll of the dice or the turn of the river card, no one has full control of what happens, but more importantly if Senator Obama mirrors his performance at the Faith Forum, like Dukakis at his second debate: pack your bags.

His performance was poor and played to his reputation as being cold. The most memorable moment came when reporter Bernard Shaw asked Dukakis whether he would support the death penalty if his wife were raped and murdered. Dukakis's answer analyzed the statistical ineffectiveness of capital punishment. Several commentators thought the question itself was unfair, in that it injected an irrelevant emotional element into the discussion of a policy issue, but many observers felt Dukakis' answer lacked the normal emotions one would expect of a person asked about a loved one's rape and death. Tom Brokaw of NBC reported on his October 14 newscast: "The consensus tonight is that Vice President George Bush won last night's debate and made it all the harder for Governor Michael Dukakis to catch and pass him in the 25 days remaining.

Too Cool to Fight

The recent criticism of his reticence may be proof to his own undoing, the charge that is surfacing is that Senator Obama is “Too Cool to Fight.” You saw it in the Keith O. interview. The point is that the troops are ready to fight, but if they don’t have a clarion call, from their leader, all is lost. Without a battle cry for the troops to rally around the enemy will not be defeated, without a slogan to catch everyone’s imagination, it will hard to mobilize an army of millions of volunteers to move forward, and win this election. Remember the biblical cry’s in battle, the drummer boy, and bugle horn, cry for “charge.” With out an endearing slogan moderates will never come out to vote for him, after McCain’s reverse engineering of Senator Obama’s message of “Change” hearken to the mistakes of 1988 and create a reversal of fortune for yourselves. The fight is for the moderate voters is here again as it was with the elder Bush platform:

“Vice President George H. W. Bush had the support of President Ronald Reagan, and pledged to continue Reagan's policies, but also pledged a "kinder and gentler nation" in an attempt to win over some more moderate voters.”

He pledged for a "Kindler and Gentler Nation" what will Senator Obama Pledge to do? What re-engineering can be done now to win those voters and win the election? It doesn't have be large like the reach of the brifge to nowhere, It has to be logical, progressive, and authentic.

The Media, and the Power of Truth

Charles — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:06:26 EDT

A Powerful Opinion of Truth

30 or so Days ago NBC suffered the loss of Mr. Russert, NBC’s woes are now brewing to the surface, and its woes and infighting all point to a lack of leadership. The real conundrum for GE/NBC/Universal still is finding Tim’s replacement, to bring order to the NBC camp. The brilliance of Tim was his objectivity but the transcendence of his role at NBC was the deft bridging honesty of his commentary that kept opposing views at bay. Part of the vacuum Mr. Russert left is not only his insight but his ability to call the shots, and the mediation he served between the ascendance of cable news and the descending nature of network news. Tim Russert was the Executive Director, the General Manager, and the Coach of the NBC news team; he was “the Boss,” in the most positive sense of that label. The most valuable characteristic of any leader is the grasp of the intangible sometimes elusive human factor and that is what Tim had has his finger on. He understood people and was both a student and a professor of the human spirit that created an amalgam of honesty, straightforwardness, humor, toughness and sensitivity that is rare in a broadcaster. Tim brought clarity where the spin pundits, newscasters, politicians, and opinion stators bring haziness. Mr. Russert by grasping the minutia of the arcane and then translating it into understandable terms a child could understand, with truth as his ally made his opinion powerful.

Old v New

Old and new News Broadcaster’s today are scrambling today to do that, to express an opinion that bears the weight of truth, which cuts to the chase. Tim Russert said what was important without delay, and that is the magic of all brilliant newsmen. Today these same newsmen haven’t grasped that -the Brokaw’s, the Williams’ are the glorified news anchors of old, that lack the definitiveness of opinion of Cronkite, the Dobb’s, the O’Reilly’s are the one sided opinion-stators that lack the stoicism of Cronkite. Seasoned as well as newer broadcasters play to the outrageous or to the “hip” to stir controversy, without actually being notorious or hip.

The success of shows like “The View,” “Hardball,” “Countdown,” “Oprah,” is that they tap into a well of expression that is as deep as the human spirit, and as old as language itself. Language is what we have found to express our thoughts our emotions, our inner selves. The flood of opinion-stators, pundits, blogging, list servers, e-mailers, is fundamental to the overwhelming need of people to be understood through expression, and a news show, a business, a politician that captures that will succeed. People who love news don’t just want to receive a news item they want to discuss it, to be informed about it.

Opinion Biases and the Public

News people want to have an opinion that counts but what they fail to do is to connect A to Z in order, but rather jump from A to Z without going through its middle. Rather they assume that their take on the world is a qualification to a valid opinion, when they leave out objectivity. Here they assume that their audience will connect the dots and fill the gaps, to come to their conclusion, and when they don’t and the public comes to a different opinion, they feel offended that they are called biased. It is not a matter of ideals but a failure of execution, a failure to complete the picture. Here the audience in essence takes over the keystroke of the Newsman’s ideas and defines it in their terms. A good example is the lack of investigative reporting and the seemingly insidious omission or ambiguous report of the 9/11 commission. It has led to a run up of a social movement of sorts, desperately seeking to quench its quest for truth as they see it. A good newsman analyses and as much interprets all the corollaries and then expresses his opinion, which is really an obvious expression of an allegorical truth, an expression of power. Cronkite, Murrow, Koppel, 60 minutes, and Russert all attained that.

The Right Side of History

A newsperson and his audience are connected to a universal principle for seeking the truth in a story, isn’t that what brought Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward to the forefront of reporting. Newspersons today forget that basic tenet that the public, who themselves are imperfect, are not seeking perfection or entertainment, but expect the truth in reporting, would rather have a more substantive discovery and discussion of the issues that lead to truth, than to sit and listen to someone rant. This is what makes news it can only be found in truth-objective reporting. Here is where you build your loyalty. Ranting, opinionating, varicose bellicosity empty of substance is subject to ridicule, but when weighted by a visceral yet factual objective truth, the truth itself, chooses your side, against the obfuscator of truth. The important thing is to be on the right side of history.

The Stumble

Here is where news networks, cable news shows, politicians, businesses stumble, and where people like Russert succeed-they end up on the right side history making history. Newspersons, politicians, business people, athletes, entertainers, doctors, professors, and almost every profession known to man who are of renown sometimes color their commentary from their personal perspectives but what pervades in color is substantiated by a universal truth. Historians, statisticians, and accounts, and people report their successes when these people execute the most difficult of tasks, with the aplomb of a child.

OBAMA BY BASICS AND BOLDNESS CAN MAKE HISTORY BUT MCCAIN BY HOOK AND BY CROOK CAN TAKE THE WHITEHOUSE

Charles — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:16:46 EDT

The presidential election is won by the candidate that strikes the largest impression, of an equal balance between Character and Believable Policy, across the largest swath of the American public. The candidate that accomplishes this can be accorded the words of Gail Sheehy:

"He cut a bold and even sacrificial swath across American politics."

The New York Times writes, Miss Sheehy's work stands squarely in the American tradition of Thoreau, Emerson, Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale - with all the positive and negative qualities those names bring to mind.

So here we are fresh out of the halls of the conventions, in the greatest presidential race this country will ever witness. The campaign has hit the mark of its last sixty days.

Its anticipatory rush swells like a wave that starts from the navel of your soul, rising up surrounding the beat of your heart to a point of breathlessness as though something was stuck in the path your throat. Releasing the tension and taking a deep breath a person can realize what is at store. The reminder looms will we win or loose? Like all campaigns whether in sport, in politics or in war, the prize is given to whoever executes most efficiently and boldly in the end. Whoever is left standing will step into the beginning of “Change” giving meaning to the word “New.” They will earn the right to taste victory, in the amazement of humbleness and experience the true happiness of a savory win.

ONE LAST HURDLE

Senator Biden is pouring it all out and leaving it on the field for all to see how amazing he can be. Senator Obama as blazing as he has been, has “One last hurdle,” to cross over and settle in his mind. He has to declare that Race is not an issue. It is not a wall so impenetrable that he can’t go through it. It is paper thin like the giant hoop and banner that football players run through when they break through on their way to grass field, with their heads down, shoulders hunched they break through with ease and excitement. Once Senator Obama breaks through that barrier personally the whole nation will be able to follow him without fear or hindrance knowing that they also can break through.

We have the excitement and the fervor of this campaign to bring him to the victory. We will burst through this stronghold, we will free the heavy hearted and put to rest this burden and guilt. In one loud voice we will shout: “MOUNTAIN BE YE MOVED!” Not new to the scene, as Palin may seem, she will hear that shout and will move accordingly.

Once Senator Obama knows that he can breakthrough he will drop the defensive defeating rhetoric and tone our opponents wants us to believe and repeat. By taking on McCain Senator Obama will have to take on the offense of boldness to tear down McCain’s defenses. Yeah, “by the way did you hear he is a Muslim” will never cross his lips. We will stop assigning any percent of change to McCain and start calling McCain Mr. Fix it. We will breakdown his overused shield of heroism, and let him know that he doesn’t hold the corner on heroism, or experience. National security is not his “baby.” Speak to him in his vernacular and say “Listen here Pal; you’re the problem, not the solution.” “You’ve been doing nothing to keep the country from falling to were it is today.” All is fair in love and war with an arsenal handed to us by our opponent, what was used against us will be used against him, against his will.

BOLD IS BEAUTIFUL

New to the ways of Chicago politics Senator Barrack Obama suffered his first loss in politics, in his race with Bobby Rush. The reminder is not for foreboding a loss, but for marshalling the forces that only defeat can bring for Victory. The race is similar and the stakes are higher. The only difference is this time his opponent is John McCain, who is just as entrenched, and whose stronghold is overwhelmingly white and working class. Senator Obama has to marshal the “Bold Young Obama” out of the lessons his old streetwise veteran taught him in 2000, to boldly execute what I call the “Basics of Obama.”

McCain knows that in order to be authentic two things must be in balance Character and a Believable Policy. Understand this, which is why they made it an importance point to belittle, begrudge, and destroy his Character. Senator Obama’s policies they could not touch and are now adopting because they know Senator Obama deftly has his finger on the pulse of what ails Americans. His answers and solutions are what Americans know and need as true. With that imbalance People are not connecting as they should, or as they did when he first started, when he was free of the incessant vilifying attacks! The reason for the closeness of the race is not the weakness of his character but the doubt they cast upon his character. Top Surrogates, His Senate peers, Senator Biden’s job is to cast the light on their dark lies and re-build what character and policy he has lost.

The cadence is: Step 1 Build his Character, Step 2 Build his Policy while keeping those in balance constantly. Come November there will be NO DOUBT of who Barack Obama is and what his policy is. The voter will have the guttural connection that his authenticity is trustable. The campaign, the character, the message will be one force; a clear image will be formed in the mind, and heart of the voters. People will see Senator Obama’s name on the ballot and will vote for him.

The effort to keep McCain off balance will be central to the contrast needed to distance Obama from McCain’s own record, when they are compared it will show that Obama has done more in 2 years in His service in the Senate than McCain has done in twenty six years of McCain’s Senate job. It will be crystal clear in the minds of voters that Senator JohnBush McCain will handle the Presidency like a job.

WAR OF WORDS

Effective marketing dialogue must be spearheaded by a relentless push of TV ads pinpointing markets that best serve Obama’s campaign and that forces the McCain camp to leave traditional and non-traditional battle ground markets unanswered. The war of words through TV Ads would serve to be divided into regions, manageable by headquarters in Chicago.

The war of words uses our opponents own words against them. For example we can use Tom Ridge’s flub and start calling McCain, “JohnBush” or “JohnBush McCain.” We need to repeat recognizable talking points and match them with hard data to create greater stick ability. ie: McCain is More of the same, because…and fill in the blanks.

We must shout and repeat from every mole hill, in every hamlet, in every city, in every barrio, WASHINGTON IS BROKEN AND MCCAIN BROKE IT by not…” they must be linked with Republicans, incessantly. Just say, “Palin is just plain misguided,” because …fill in the blanks,

Newscasters started counting the words that were repeated over and over again, and you get the picture of their strategy. Use that tactic against them; drill it down, to reinforce our message and our candidates, until it is clear that everyone knows who and what they are.

They want a war of words, they got it. Note the Republican strategy has been to not mention BUSH/CHENEY/REPUBLICAN. The name or word BUSH was used twice/CHENEY has been holed up somewhere in a cave with BIN LADEN/the REPUBLICAN term was a ghost in the RNC.

You can argue that they have abandoned ship, calling “May-day, May-day everyone abandon ship!” - BUSH was the first to go. “Why can’t they say “I am proud to be a Republican” because the country is in shambles? We have to make the “Republicans Own Up to It.”

CLEARLY JOHN MCCAIN IS NO UNSUNG HERO BUT IS A WAVERING TRADITIONALIST.

John McCain’s path is as crooked as the sliver spoon he was raised with and as recognizable as the path of a snake that crosses the desert. McCain was a poor student was given a highly desirable contested slot in one of the Nation’s most renowned learning institutions the Naval Academy. Out of pure nepotism and influence of McCain’s father and the legacy of McCain’s grandfather, John McCain received entry into the academy but veered so much off course, that he was at the point of expulsion, and it was his fathers intervention and influence that saved him.

As a fighter Pilot, in his bombing mission to Hanoi he admittedly said that went too far into enemy territory, he went against orders, and was shot down. He paid for that mistake, because of the help of his cell mates he survived, and lives. But he did not take that experience to heart, as XO in Florida he was chronicled as having extra marital affairs, and fraternization with subordinates, which is a UCMJ violation. JohnBush was never charged or tried for it, and was transferred before he was caught or tried and it was this behavior that led to McCain’s divorce of his first wife Carol. In his book, The Nightingale's Song, Robert Timberg chronicled McCain's post-Vietnam military assignments and some of his "adulterous" behavior leading to his divorce from Carol and marriage to Cindy Hensley.

McCain’s Senate Voting Record: John McCain’s Two-faces.

Supports Veterans healthcare Didn’t Vote for Healthcare for returning soldiers

Hunt Bin-Laden to gates of hell Didn’t Vote for legislation to do this

Protects our Troops Denied funding for roadside bombing vehicles

Protect our Shores Didn’t Vote to make our Ports/Mass transit safer

Supports Katrina Victims Denied aid to victims of Katrina

Supports Children Denied Children’s health insurance program

Supports AIDS victims Denied aid to Africa

Supports War on Drugs Denied monies to combat Narcotis

FISA Didn’t Vote

Provide Child Health Insurance Vote No

Pledge to Protect America Didn’t vote on 9/11 Report to protect America

Open Government Didn’t Vote AG Gonzalez abuse of power

Support our Troops Denied Aid to Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Open Government Voted No against transparency in Congress

Support Our Troops Voted No Vet Affairs Medical/Outpatient care

All this evidence can be used to launch a re-information TV AD campaign to expose McCain’s inconsistencies. McCain’s paltry voting record and list of congressional accomplishments can be surmised on one page. Its conclusion gives us a picture of the poor job JohnBush McCain will do if he makes it to Washington.

PALIN AT RNC DOLES OUT MCCAIN’S KOOL AID WITH EXTRA SUGAR TO REPUBLICAN HOPEFULS

Charles — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:30:17 EDT

The RNC provided the fodder for the fire in what was seen as the most derisive and divisive speech, America has ever witnessed, to fire up the most lackluster convention the Republican’s have ever convened. The Republicans are the linking reason for America’s failing economy, a two nation unrequited war, and the impoverishment of the greatest country this world has ever seen. The republicans are groping insidiously through the morass of their mistakes, in the most beguiling, alluring, but hurtful manner, just to keep power.

The republicans turned the page back in American politics by recalling the tactics of the culture wars of the civil rights movement and McCarthyism. The Bush, Palin, Giuliani, Romney speeches fire hosed Senator Obama, his family, his campaign and the American psyche by attempting to destroy his bid for the Presidency with a series of unsubstantiated charges, and bold faced lies. The republicans have resorted to attacking and bullying the media into their submission, conniving to pronounce a sense of guilt in the media. The Media will have none of that! Twisting logic, and common sense they used the word Liberal, intoning the obsolete notion that millions of American’s are crazy radicals, extremists, and then went further accosting and humiliating the American soul, by positing their sole possession of what America is by chanting USA, USA, USA.

Unseemly, Bush-Cheney-McCain look to have re-formed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), hiding behind the guise of the AEI (The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research), to heighten American and republican disdain against dissenting views, by espousing the radical extreme right of neo-conservative views, in the same zealot salivating McCarthy way. The Republican’s are connoting the word Liberal, bourn from Democracy and Liberty, as un-Democratic and un-American, tingeing it with anti-communism rhetoric of the shameful history of the McCarthy era, and with same obfuscating manner of the real president of the United States, Dick Cheney, which reminds us of the other “tricky Dick” we had in the White House, Richard Nixon. The problem is Dick Cheney and his “cabal” actually goes back to Richard Nixon, where there he and Rumsfeld staged a coup and purged the White House of a veteran journalist TD Altman who recounts these events:

"Having turned Ford into their instrument, Rumsfeld and Cheney staged a palace coup. They pushed Ford to fire Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, tell Vice President Nelson Rockefeller to look for another job, and remove Henry Kissinger from his post as national security adviser. Rumsfeld was named secretary of defense, and Cheney became chief of staff to the president. The Yale dropout and draft dodger was, at the age of 34, the second-most-powerful man in the White House" (Rolling Stone, August 25, 2004).

You can now see clearly why Cheney, is seen as turning the Vice-President into one of the most powerful positions in Washington. He is the influence peddler calling the shots, using Bush as the mouthpiece. The demise of Baroody who led the AEI and who penned the AEI slogan, "Competition of ideas is fundamental to a free society," died in 1981 and marked the beginning of the end of the AEI. The Reagan administration marked its zenith.

The powerful Reagan images were embodied in the “freedom fighters,” but it is the lack of Regan style and strength in leadership and the Baroody ideas that left AEI to the hands of the disdain, despondent, tyrants, of such as Rumsfeld and Cheney. The real puppeteers and policy makers in the Ford administration and in now the G.W. Bush administration. Dick Cheney and his “cabal” proves the real danger of electing a weak president. Take in point the complete buy in of McCain into the “Rovian Tactics” and embrace of Bush Policy and use of “Bush Aides,” and the conventions reach to embrace and cover themselves in avuncular lore of Reagan Americanism.

The problem is McCain/Palin cannot cloak themselves with the Regan shroud, it doesn’t fit. McCain is no Reagan. How can the square radical right wing neo-conservatisms values of Bush/McCain that ran our economy into the ground, ran up the debt to 4 trillion dollars, created the largest most mismanaged government, worn down our greatest resource of treasure and life, American service men and women, fit in the round wholesomeness of true American values?

It is obvious in their overdrawn, winded, clingy and tired overture of patriotism. If McCain has to constantly show the nation his patriotism then that begs the question, is McCain really patriotic? If you have to show something to be something then you’re really nothing. The power and resonance of the DNC was that Democrats were able by pure authentic excitement to demonstrate their love of country, love of family, and love of people.

The same persons (Bush/Cheney) that have been abusing power have watered down the effect of carrying a “Big Stick.” Preferring the use the power over the real power of carrying a “Big Stick” destroyed the “Détente” of Kissinger, during the Ford administration, and now you can understand the sudden disappearance of Henry Kissinger from public life. You see that rhetoric again and again with ad-hominem attacks of Barack Obama and his advocacy of Deterrence. People have not forgotten how effective Kissinger was and how Détente is Deterrence. Barack is all about deterrence. A Kissinger, a liberal republican, endorsement of Senator Obama would be sensational.

The plagiaristic paradox of the Republican’s, Bush/Cheney/McCain/Palin is that without asking for forgiveness of the America people, for its gross errors they are assuming that the public will soon forget that it was the Republican’s who got us into this mess and it is now McCain/Palin who is asking America to trust them to fix Washington. How dare them, what gall! Remember, the republicans have ignored what was good about Reagan’s appeal, and adopted what was wrong with the Reagan administration’s wasteful spending and fiscal irresponsibility you saw it towards the end of his term. PALIN/MCCAIN IS MORE OF THE SAME! WHAT THEY OFFER IS A HAZY DOUBTFUL TEMPORARY FIX.

“The levels of deceit and ignorance are so high that we cannot even begin to understand how bad overall American fiscal irresponsibility is,” said Mr. Isenberg, a research fellow at the Independent Institute and senior research analyst at the British American Security Information Council.

The $600 dollar toilet seat is back and the ones using it are the republicans who have wastefully and wantonly dropped the dowry of our future and the future of our sons and daughters into the draught of the sewer, never to be retrieved again. In this light how can we trust John McCain/Sarah Palin to FIX Washington? You Can't!

Palin the self proclaimed bulldog with lipstick, has been trained and let loose as an attack dog by McCain with the aid of the republican attack machine. Palin may have chomp off more than she can chew. What was considered by republicans as full course of red meat and gory blood reminds you that “too much of a good thing can cause problems,” for Palin, a verse would remind her, what the Bible says about this:

While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of YAHWEH was kindled against the people, and YAHWEH struck the people with a very severe plague. So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy." (Numbers 11:31)

Is this wishing her ill, NO! But I am saying be careful what you say, because what goes around comes around. Following the playbook of republican tactics, Palin has comfortably, and defatigably defied the low standard accorded a neophyte of national politics. A heroine to the republican right Palin has infused republican veins with the vitriol a heroine addict craves when needing a fix. A fix she is not, nor can we expect Palin and McCain to fix Washington. What we can expect from McCain and Palin is more of the same! And worse! Broken promises rift with corruption shrouded by promise to do well, who will never doing anything for the people who suffer, but will do everything for special interest groups, conglomerates, big business, and big oil, and cronyism. Never asking what they can do for the people (their country) but asking what they can do for themselves. All these 8 years and to some extent during Regan’s term they made sure they had their cut of the American Pie, trickling down crumbs to dumb dogs they thought couldn’t bark. Well we are BARKING NOW and we are BARKING LOUDLY. WE WANT CHANGE!

Figuratively, look at America, our skin sticks to our bones; we can see the roll of our rib cage, the squalor of our infrastructure. We can see raggedness and disarray of our mane, our economy. We can see the lifeless stare of our eyes, an America with no Hope on how to live or how to go on. Well, they can have their pie and eat all now, but come November 4th, NO MORE! - NO MORE! IT ALL WILL END!

What I do see is the light at the end of the tunnel, the ray of sunshine bursting through the clouds, what I see is the vigor of a child running across the horizon, the calm after the storm. What I see is the rebuilding of cities, the jewel of New Orleans. The greatness of the freedom tower and the restoration New York Cities pride. I see a nation linked together by fiber conducting business at the speed of light. The day will come when we will have the first transcontinental Maglev train running across, transporting more people faster and cheaper than ever before. I see Detroit building the next generation of cars, trucks, buses built by American hands for the America people and for the world to consume, scurrying to their jobs, their schools, and to our bustling markets. I see a clearer day when Hurricanes and Tornados cease to destroy, and the polar cap stops melting.

Barack Obama is the true author of change! Not John McCain! Not Sarah Palin! Can we expect McCain/Palin to bring pride back to America, NO! Can we expect them to restore our standing in the world with the same BUSH policies? NO! How will they fix Washington when the roots of atrocity continue to be hidden in the republican cloth of deception, and lies? NEVER! Rather, Palin/McCain are carpetbaggers ready to loot the “Revolution of Change” a grass roots movement Senator Obama has carried to the national consciousness of American thought. It has been the enduring effort of campaign organizers and grass roots activists who with the toil of their hands and feet, who with their hearts and minds and the sweat of their brow have unified to become the rallying force for change. He has owned this theme since he first ran for political office. It has been his enduring cause, a Change he has envisioned for his country over twenty years ago, when Senator Obama began his public service, his service to his country, and to its people.

Serving ones country is not just going to war, and flying a plane, loosing limb and life in an unecessary war like Vietnam or Iaq. Serving our country is Mothers organizing against the drunk drivers who have taken their child's life. Serving our country is being a firefighter fighting fires in inner cities and countrysides. Serving our country means getting shot at from Drug runners and gang members. Serving our country means protecting our children from the disaster of Columbine. Serving our country means sacrificing a career and lucrative job for the knowledge and joy in knowing you will mold a young mind to achieve greatness in sport, science, business and society. Serving ones country is working in a factory, working as a waiter or waitress while you work for your education. It is getting up at 4:30 in the morning catching a bus to catch a train, to catch a bus to take to your job, to start work at 7am, getting off at 4:30pm, and then taking another bus to your second job, washing dishes, or stocking the shelves and working until 9:00 pm, and taking a bus and train home, so that you can do it, again and again and again, until it hurts and you forget that you are a mother to your children and a husband to your wife. Yet the drone of duty compels you to serve, for your children, for your survival, you pay your taxes and you pay your bills for the family you have and the country you love. That is service to ones country; it is not just serving in the military, as John McCain touts. Service to one's country is being an unsung hero.

McCain’s tenacious and irreverent cut throat style divorced his wife who faithfully waited his return from the Hanoi Hilton. His wife never faulted him for his passion, but his extramarital affairs while in the Navy were iniquitous and were violations of the Uniform code of Military Justice (UCMJ), when he served as Executive Officer and squadron commander in the service to his country. McCain’s legacy of inconsistencies started before that divorce. McCain has a tragic persona he is really the UN-MAVERICK.

In his book, The Nightingale's Song, Robert Timberg chronicled McCain's post-Vietnam military assignments and some of his "adulterous" behavior leading to his divorce from Carol and marriage to Cindy Hensley.

Timberg wrote, "in the fall of 1974, McCain was transferred to Jacksonville as the executive officer of Replacement Air Group 174, the long-sought flying billet at last a reality. A few months later, he assumed command of the RAG, which trained pilots and crews for carrier deployments. The assignment was controversial, some calling it favoritism, a sop to the famous son of a famous father and grandfather [both were Navy admirals], since he had not first commanded a squadron, the usual career path."

While Executive Officer and later as Squadron Commander McCain used his authority to arrange frequent flights that allowed him to carouse with subordinates and "engage in extra-marital affairs." Such behavior was a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice which rules against adultery and fraternization with subordinates.

Timberg wrote, "Off duty, usually on routine cross-country flights to Yuma and El Centro, John started carousing and running around with women. To make matters worse, some of the women with whom he was linked by rumor were subordinates . . . At the time the rumors were so widespread that, they became part of McCain's persona, impossible not to take note of."

McCain’s character and brazen shrewdness is evidenced by his quick marriage into wealth, when he married Cindy Hensley-McCain two or three months after his divorce from Carol. McCain purchased a house with Cindy’s money and with less than a year as a resident of Arizona ran for congress. A true carpetbagger, and in a scheming underhanded way McCain looted Arizonians and used his heroism to gainsay his detractors and enter the halls of Congress. McCain despite his heroism was part of the Keating 5 who help defraud the nation in what has been the greatest failure of savings and loans banks since the great depression, all fueled by the same predatory mortgage lending we have today. We don’t learn do we, but not this time, OH NO! NOT THIS YEAR. It is time for a CHANGE!

Consider Palin, the Barracuda, who with a smile and sharp teeth tore into the psyche and weakness of the divisiveness of American diversity, ignoring the deep desire people have to unite and be free of the vice of this discord. Adopt, attack, divide and conquer is their strategy. Moreover, Palin’s husband is a member of the AIP a party that advocates the secession of Alaska from the United States. Palin’s, attacks belied the consoling nature of a mother and revealed the fierceness of her true demeanor. Palin is no saint! Palin is no Hero! Palin is no Shrinking Violet. Palin is no victim. As a matter of record Palin has won the Miss Wasilla Miss Congeniality Award in 1984. Congenial in a disarming way that contradicts her cold steely nature. The “Barracuda” that she is she must stand as a woman and take it like a man. Gender or Race are the not issues, the issue is the unproven character of Palin’s person. Despite her infamy, her detractors are many. Palin like McCain has taken campaign contributions from contributors in Sen. Steven’s indictment and corruption case, Palin has her own set of problems, and is currently under investigation and indicted for her abuse of power, as Governor of the State of Alaska, in the review of allegations for improperly ordering the firing of the public safety commissioner.

Recently, Palin revealed her 17 year old daughter was pregnant out of wed lock and under age. This is not a personal attack on her family we all make mistakes, but is an observation of Palin’s political view of abstinence, and fight against contraception, and opposition to Roe v Wade. Everyone has a right to life but do we put ourselves in God’s shoes when we take away someone else’s God given will to choose? That is what would happen if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Scientifically you can say that when a sperm and egg join (conception) you create a life (the zygote) that has the 46 chromosomes and DNA that identifies a person from birth to death. The zygotes existence should not negate the will God gave men and woman to choose. In an imperfect world, If we all look back into our mothers womb, almost all would choose life. It takes a village to raise a child, without the mother a child would have no chance for life, without a village that mother and chiild would have a poor chance to live in life, without that interdepence humans would be the most dysfunctional beings on this planet.

Palin’s daughter Bristol decided to have the child, but that was her ultimate decision, that was her choice, one that also involved her boyfriend, and their respective families. An unwanted pregnancy is a difficult position to be in so it is our moral duty to do everything in our power to prevent this, but the decision to choose to birth a child, or have an abortion must be vested in the hands of a woman, of a husband and wife, of a family, and when a woman is destitute and unable to make a decision, it falls in the hands of the moral authority of state and the doctor who cares for her. Furthermore, overturning Roe v Wade would be like instituting prohibition again. People will continue to drink, and people will continue to have unwanted baby’s. The dark ages of backroom clinics are over, just as speakeasies and moonshine is a figure of a day gone by. We don't want those dark days back.

Compare that to John McCain, who lived in the shadow of the legacy of His father or grandfather, knew he would never outdo them in the Navy. McCain decided to outdo them by deciding to match the ego of his father and go one further to become President, out pure ambition, not to reform, not out of patriotism, but to take his one shot at the prize A goal McCain has sought as quest to outdo his father; For his own self aggrandizement, to fulfill the ego of his self esteem and the id of his impulsiveness, to reduce the sour nature of his temper, all traits found in persons obsessed with power. MCCAIN IS NO MR. FIXIT.

It is a dual obsession and a major character flaw of the McCain/Palin ticket, a dual headed snake in the grass, if you may. It is time for all of America to rise beyond Republican tactics and histrionics. It is time for the Republicans song and dance to end. It is time to put an end to the deceit and the Republican ruin of the economy, the run up of a 4 trillion dollar National Debt, yearly deficits, higher taxes, bloated government, wasteful spending, and a worn down military. It is time for the lady fat cats and fraternization pals to get out of town.

THE BUSH CONNECTION OF McCAIN'S PALIN SELECTION

Charles — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:45:41 EDT

Bush and staff met Palin before the Olympics, as Bush travelled to China, they stopped in Alaska. His staff were very energized to meet with Palin and may signal the source for McCain's choice for VP. This sheds further light into a very puzzling, risky, and "out of tough nature" of McCains decision making process. When it links his most important decision as a presidential candidate, to President Bush, now the considered by some the most irresponsible President this nation has ever selected. As reported by Hans Nichols in Political Capital, on Bloomberg, with Al Hunt. Hans Nichols travelled with Bush while going to China.

The clip is

http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=David+Axelrod&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1

The Title is: David Axelrod on Obama's Speech:Political Capital with Al Hunt...

Dated: 2008-08-29

Click: Play Icon

Clip Found: 14 minutes into video

Another Bush-McCain link! The reason why Palin doesn't pass the sniff test, and why this smells of Bush, and points to McCain's vascillator temperament.

McCain to Obama I’ll Call You and Raise You One, I’m all in

Charles — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:20:04 EDT

Pat Buchan, an old hand of Republican politics calls Palin, John McCain’s choice for VP, as the most risky choice he has ever seen in political history. John McCain has thrown the long ball, to a political neophyte that is un-tried in national politics, and calls to question her ability to sprint and maneuver her way through the grid iron of politics, in 60 days, to receive his pass, and sway voters come November. His decision to choose Palin is being described by some as the twenty year Republican itch. His choice brings to surface, the dangerous tendency of his temperament, and judgment to risk his credibility with a nation that is wary of cowboy politics, and unbranded politics, and offers a scoping image of what is in store for this nation if he is elected. What more can be said when he has only met with her once before his decision, and is aligning himself with Bush again by following the advice and vetting of President Bush, when the President stopped by in Alaska, to meet with Palin, on his way to China, as reported by Hans Nichols, on Bloomberg’s, Political Capital with Alan R. Hunt.

He not only is willing to risk the rising career of Mrs. Palin, but the national security and the future of this nation. He is so out of touch he can't make his own VP decision without input from Bush. He brings to mind the desperate tactics of a loosing team, down on the chips. Out of duty to one’s country Mrs. Palin, Gov. Palin has graciously accepted the nomination of the Vice-presidency of the Republican Party. One can also say that John McCain who is at the end of his career, has chosen to lay a bet down, on a hand that can only have a 10% chance of winning the argument for Change that Senator Obama predicted John McCain would try to hold and that Senator Obama has held for over twelve years, since his political career began. Moreover, Senator Obama is a tried, tested and scrutinized candidate that has come out of an arduous primary season, but is a candidate that has shown judgment, foresight, temperance and leadership in National Security decisions, but who has the pulse of the plight of the middle class, and the solutions needed to rebuild America.

John McCain, in his choice for VP, is a person who is at the twilight of his career who is willing to sacrifice more for glory than he is willing to err on the side of prudence, in what is seen as a pure political move. He gives a new meaning to the phrase “if you can’t beat them join them.” John McCain as pointed out by Senator Kerry at the DNC and as has been seen by the nation is a candidate who again contradicts and belies his own standards. He stated that a VP looks for the welfare of the President, casts a tie breaking vote in congress, and who is ready to step in the shoes of a President. He disagrees with himself in his own choice for VP, by choosing a person who her self has said naively, “What is it exactly that a VP does everyday, I’m used to being very productive and working real hard…?” How can we as a nation expect her to govern and step in as President of the United States given that statement? John McCain is “The Contradictory Agent for Change,” and raises the question again, how can John McCain be trusted?

History shows us the effects of a well chosen VP candidate when the “inexperienced” John F. Kennedy, chose Johnson, to be his running mate. It showed something more, a man who was comfortable in his own skin but someone who had the temperance to use diplomacy, to keep us out of a costly war, and who knew the value of life. It can also be said that John McCain, didn’t learn the lessons that war can teach a man, which is “the value of life is more precious than war,” when he sided with Bush to send out troops, to fight an unnecessary war, and still holds the stubborn view that it was the right thing to do.

I’m sure Gov. Palin will make a formidable opponent who is not willing to shirk her call to duty, and Democrats must not take her decision to run on the ticket dismissively. America has a penchant for the unsung hero or in this case a heroine and dismissing her would be tantamount to giving her that status. More importantly, what require noting are the contrasting issues she holds and represents. The ongoing investigation and question of her Abuse of Power, but more importantly, nothing must be taken for granted. Everything and more must be known about her, her style, her diction, her strengths, her weaknesses.

The Democratic analysts and talking heads at the cable shows and network stations must be briefed on the Obama playbook of persuasion, so that everyone is one the same page. Mock debates must be held with a look alike Palin and McCain, with Senator Joe Biden and Senator Obama, to prepare them for their upcoming debates. Every angle must be analyzed, the 20 year cycles must analyzed, so as not fall into their traps. But more importantly the offensive line, the ground game must be mobilized in what will be an epic battle of the most important election this country will ever have.

Nothing can be taken granted in this sprint for the white house. We can’t sit idly by waiting for river card to turn in our favor, a positively relentless campaign must be waged, and ever more defensive stance must be taken against their offense. Every lie must be answered, every rumor must be stopped, and every negative attack must be blocked and countered. Every distraction must be exposed, and every copy and counter strategy must be foiled. The very life of our country, the liberties we hold, the freedom we have fought for, and the very future or our country is in our hands, and lies in the balance.

No Drama for Obama, 2008 DNC Blood Bath Averted

Charles — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:54:05 EDT

The drama for Obama as postulated by the speculation of old and new pundits, goaded by the Republicans who wanted to see the greatest meltdown in American politics ever seen in modern history, has been prevented. The drama couldn’t have been written any better, as the Democratic Party struggled to unite. The major players were both making history in their own right, in the most contested primary American politics has ever seen. Each candidate presented themselves as the first most viable presidential candidate ever produced in terms of race and gender in American politics. The first viable African American presidential candidate and the first viable female presidential candidate, a country could produce. Each fashioned from the most likely of political parties, the Democrats. One a creation of the upper middle class family, originating from a business minded father and a stay at home mom. The other from a slice of Americana, and the dowry of a single mother grounded with Midwestern values. Both were not only making history but were the fulfilling dreams of yesteryears heroes.

Senator Clinton was representing the suffrage movement of many millions of women. Senator Obama representing the dream of MLK, Jr., carrying the unspoken hope of finally bringing to an end the unstated shame and guilt of slavery this country has carried for over two hundred years. Each seeking to unite a nation divided and lost in the mire of prolonged cronyism, antagonism, and apathy. A nation that was founded and shaped by the words “where all men are created equal,” nominated an authentic leader, in Senator Obama, to inspire the minds and hearts of people into action for change, to signal to the world, that we are what we say, when they read “…to form a more perfect union.”

Out of that historic struggle America just witnessed the most inspiring, positively, authentic convention the Dems have ever convened. The Dems have come home to America like a long lost battle worn son or daughter. After decades of divisive politics and liberal lashings, what was lacking in odium and hand waving histrionics, gave way to most impassioned embrace of the values we endear so much: Love of family, integrity, responsibility, self determination, honesty, humbleness, preferring others before oneself, and the complete awe inspiring honor to serve our country, that humbles a sixty seven year old man, and sends chills down ones spine, when we see him cry. It is what makes a child cry out in wonder, when she sees her father. It is what enchants a nation and what brings it to tears, when a mother in the emotion of her voice, describes the care she has for her child, and the love she has for her husband, and the struggle she had as a child.

It was a convention where the dignity of humanity was treasured above the divide of politics. All the speakers kept at bay their personal feelings from exploding into personal affronts, and below the belt blows. It was a convention that didn’t destroy the spirit of a person but that made hardball distinctions and contrasts in policy, and direction.

Pundit and political animals beat their knees and scratched their heads, at missed opportunities. Some red eyed blue ranting Dems along with other expert’s shook their heads and called out the missed opportunities to pounce on their enemy, and were befuddled at the stoic nature of the convention. Some missing the political bashing they were accustomed to called it a waste and miss use of time, since there were only four days in the convention. Analysts seeking for angles, offering insight, looking for the disaffected actually found themselves asking what approach is better: “negative or positive politics.” Finding little red meat and no spillage of blood on the DNC floor the experts at the end of the fourth night of the convention left jaw dropped amazed and puzzled at what just transpired.

If this was an indication of things foreboding the fall of the Republican Party come November, it foretells the nature of the last day of the DNC, where a microcosm of humanity gathers at a venue of Super Bowl proportions. The Objective: “Obama’s Big Sell” can predictably be compared not only to MLK, but to a man that speaks from a point that is earlier in the Horizon of American History, Abraham Lincoln, and his Cooper Union address: A speech that spoke about the inhumanity of slavery, and the call to “stand by our duty, fearlessly, and effectively.” So it will be Senator Obama call’s to America to defend our right to stand against an enslavement of a different kind, an impoverishment of the soul, the eroding of the American way of life. Here is what was written about Abraham Lincoln’s the speech then:

Herndon, who knew the speech but was not present, said it was "devoid of all rhetorical imagry." Rather, "it was constructed with a view to accuracy of statement, simplicity of language, and unity of thought. In some respects like a lawyer's brief, it was logical, temperate in tone, powerful - irresistibly driving conviction home to men's reasons and their souls."
The speech electrified Lincoln's hearers and gained him important political support in Seward's home territory. Said a New York writer, "No man ever before made such an impression on his first appeal to a New York audience." After being printed by New York newspapers, the speech was widely circulated as campaign literature.
Easily one of Lincoln's best efforts, it revealed his singular mastery of ideas and issues in a way that justified loyal support. Here we can see him pursuing facts, forming them into meaningful patterns, pressing relentlessly toward his conclusion.
With a deft touch, Lincoln exposed the roots of sectional strife and the inconsistent positions of Senator Stephen Douglas and Chief Justice Roger Taney.

It is my hope that Senator Obama accomplishes that and exposes "the roots of sectional strife and inconsistent positions" of John McCain, and Bush/Chenney, in clear language that mirrors the words of Abraham Lincoln own words:

“Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the Government nor of dungeons to ourselves. LET US HAVE FAITH THAT RIGHT MAKES MIGHT, AND IN THAT FAITH, LET US, TO THE END, DARE TO DO OUR DUTY AS WE UNDERSTAND IT.” Abraham Lincoln

Obama's Big Sell in the 2008 Presidential Election

Charles — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:42:01 EDT

The Linnean classification of human beings is Homo sapiens. What is obvious in the objective almost sterile impartial lens of a successful scientist is their ability to train their thinking to free themselves from the confining thoughts of bias and preconception. The Human experience as diverse as it is in race, color, creed, and background spans every continent creating a hue that is a varied as the color spectrum. What describes and frames the human experience are the personal subjective experiences that connect persons to the world they live in.

The American experience is exceptional because it was formed out of the dreams and aspirations of the persons that founded it. It is even more exceptional in that it was built by the extra ordinary effort of people from all around the world, whether slave or free. As we delve closer to the part of the world we call the United States of America we see the embrace of a microcosm of humanity that has come to define America. Its embrace of peoples from the far flung corners of the world has made us the strongest country in the world.

But what has been our strength, in some ways has become our weakness, and threatens to destroy the fabric of what America was founded upon: Dreams and aspirations. We have to go back to abolitionism and the civil war, which was the eminent struggle for the direction the country, was to take. It was a struggle for power of self determination and was the test of the ideals and goals our founding fathers penned in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The Civil War was that defining moment, but has remained the bloodiest contest this continent has ever known, that has left a deeply scarred nation in the wake of its success.

Senator Obama’s run for the presidency of the United States of America is the final catharsis of that event in history and is the test for America people to close the chapter on race and end the stereo typical vilification of Black America. The American soul is shackled by the pain of that experience it runs far to the decision to adopt slavery and deep to the amount of blood that was shed, and the bitterness that ensued through the protest of civil rights, the enactment of affirmative action, to the deeply seated biases of today.

In a report by David Greene, titled Obama: US cannot afford to Ignore Race Issues, he writes about the response of the Rev. Ellis Washington, pastor at St. Matthew AME Church in Philadelphia: Washington confesses that Senator Obama worked hard to bring a balance to the issue of race in America from his speech in Philadelphia. David Greene continues:

“Washington said he feared that the headlines about Obama's speech could miss the nuance of his message.”And they did. “Those headlines were already moving across a big news ticker on a building across the street from where Obama spoke. Rabbi Michael Bernstein saw the headline as soon as he came out of the speech.” "I have to say, I was looking across the window to where the ticker is and already it says, 'Obama disavows pastor, but refuses to disown him,' and I'm afraid people will get that message; he only went halfway," he said.

Today, by all accounts and at the intuitive response of Rabbi Bernstein, Senator Obama has to go all the way and finish what he started. You may say that he completely disavowed Rev. Wright. The issue the Senator must remove is the stereo typical fear of the Black Guy. Starting at the DNC, and after it doors are shuttered and during the rest of the Presidential race, Senator Obama has to finish the sale.

Americans are not completely convinced because what America is really saying to him, when they use certain words to frame him, when they say they "feel afraid” or view him as being “too risky,” or “too inexperienced” or “that they just don’t know that much about him,” is the code behind the use of those words that says, they don’t trust the black guy. Much like the confessed fear his loving grand mother had, when she passed a black man, that is what people face when they see him, in his own words he describes his grandmother as:

“…a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me."

This is what some people in America are struggling with. Senator Obama has burst onto the national scene and only now some people are being engaged and asked to vote for this Black man they know little about. This will be the case all the way up to election day, on November 4th. He is literally crossing the horizon of America, and passing into people homes, as they sit at their kitchen tables, and in their lounge chairs, sofas and beds and much like his grandmother and some are trying to make the connection with his values and character, while others are struggling with this lingering fear.

The onuses are on Obama, his campaign, his surrogates, and it’s up to them to pull out all of his endorsers to surgical remove this fear, and give people an honest picture and reason for their vote. He is the only one who can eliminate that fear and replace it with confidence. We are the ones who can remove the preconceptions and make it clear in the eyes of the people of this country that he is someone they can trust, someone who is a part of them, someone who is a safe choice, the right choice.

Obama’s Greatest Offensive Strategy is John McCain’s Acerbic Negative Assaults, Raises a bigger question “Can John McCain be Trusted?”

Charles — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:11:03 EDT

The notion of “gutter politics” is defined by many people in many ways. It began and spans the time of man’s existence here on earth. Given the infancy of our government it can be said that “gutter politics” in America started from a coercive or hidden abuse of power, having great power or force or potency or effect to discredit one’s opponent. The effective abuse of such power has ruined lives, has caused countless amount of loss of life, liberty, property and happiness. The disturbing worth of “gutter politics” is that the modern contingent of the political horde has found it so effective that it has taken it from the recesses of backroom offices of political power brokers, to the cultural forefront of the modern American psyche.

Its open contentious use has transformed and reduced the decency of a political career to that of an unscrupulous and illicit career criminal. The constant use of “gutter politics,” has now become the common place of a politician, where what was once considered errant behavior is now considered normal and expected by the American people. Removing the distinction between an honest and dishonest politician, the modern cultural definition of politician has assigned it a cadre of negative connotations such as crooked, twisted, warped, bent, dishonest, criminal, and corrupt.

“Gutter Politics” is so damaging that when it was waged against President GW Bush, they decried against it and defined it as “trolling for trash for political gain.” “Gutter Politics” changes what was once considered good, twisting its definition to make it seem bad. The Fallacy of such an approach is measured against the character upon who it is waged. McCain and his cadre have failed to realize that such attacks do not work against genuine people, politicians, and campaigns.

The sports analogy of “gutter politics” is the equivalent of what “doping” is to sports. The harmful attacks give anyone who uses it an unfair competitive advantage. It is hyped hypocrisy masked in personal accusations, and when used against any person it is particularly painful and disturbing because it is personal. “Gutter Politics” is so insidious in its attack that when it is used openly and overtly it causes a greater breach in the political divide, as witnessed in the last eight years of the Bush Presidency. It causes such a bitter hatred and partisanship, and launches such a painful affront on the American psyche that the public becomes painfully sick and nauseous of those attacks.

McCain’s relentless use of such tactics will be to his own un-doing, much like “doping” to an athlete is akin to his destruction. “Gutter Politics” is so destructive that it needs to be legislated as a criminal offense, much like the use of steroids, the offender must be disqualified, and stripped of the opportunity to compete for any legislative office. McCain’s “Gutter Politics” also reveals the ire of his personality, and the offensiveness of his and his campaigns hidden rage against Senator Obama, it is shows the unraveling effect of McCain’s campaign “DO AND SAY ANYTHING” approach to win the election. The unremitting attacks become a clear sign to the public of the desperate temperament of John McCain.

McCain’s befuddlement and consistent gaff’s is giving traction to the fact that McCain is “Out of Touch” with the American public. In Foreign Policy and National Security, McCain doesn’t know the difference between Shia and Sunni, how can we expect him to know the enemy he said he will protect us against? He is demonstrating consistently poor judgment by advocating staying 100 years in Baghdad, when the Iraqi people want a timeline for withdrawal, how can we trust him to handle foreign policy, to keep us out of any future wars? He voted for an unprovoked war, and unnecessarily put our youth in harms way. McCain advocated for a surge that has not worked for what it was created for: to create space for Iraq to find the political solutions it needs.

He advocated immigration reform amounting to amnesty to illegal aliens without consulting the American sentiment or first providing protection of our Southern Border. McCain upstaged the President in the Georgian/Russian conflict, and showed the rant of his rhetoric. Most recently when asked he doesn’t even know the state of his own household affairs, or how many houses he has. As we face another possible banking crisis and a mounting housing crisis McCain’s painful past reminds us of his deep connection to the Keating 5, and the billions and billions of dollars lost in the Savings and Loan Crisis that emerged from the burst of the Real Estate bubble of that era. He admittedly has no basis for a sound economic plan of his own and has vowed to follow Bush’s failed economic policies. Raising the question, can John McCain be trusted with America?

Yes, Obama best offense is John McCain’s attacks, but that doesn’t mean we have to live in the same gutter of disgusting politics, and respond in like manner. No, what Senator Obama and his campaign need to continue to do is to be relentlessly positive about his platform of change, succinctly explain to American public how he will accomplish these measures, and redefine and expose John McCain for who he really is time and time again. As far as McCain is concerned let him lie in his gutter but persistently knock down, halt and contest all of his negative onslaughts, defamations, and hypocrisies. Obama owes that to himself and to the American people.

Obama’s Slow Defense Cost Him Valueable Points going into the DNC

Charles — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:12:12 EDT

The huge character assassination waged by Hillary and now by McCain’s onslaught, torrent, and blitzkrieg of negative attack ads has proven one not so obvious thing, the potency of Barack Obama’s character, and his appeal to voters across the board. Despite the detractors in the primaries and in the recent shower of negative attacks by John McCain by all accounts his opponents and people behind the scenes, and even pundits are under their breath saying and wondering why Obama has not lost his lead and fallen behind his opponent?

A simple answer is the attacks on Obama have not worked as well as they would of liked, because they reflect, and reveal the personal flaws and the myth of John McCain’s own character and candidacy. Notwithstanding, in the attempt by his detractors to make this a referendum on Obama, inadvertently, McCain is actually building and creating a narrative and giving real insight to the Electorate and the voters, as to the vigor and temperance of the Obama presidential candidacy, while under the microscope of the political fire of his opponent. The primaries have proven his foresight, judgment, and appeal. The general election is now proving Obama’s composure, resolve, and wisdom.

The problem is not that the attacks ads raise questions and place doubt about Obama, which they do, but that the defense of the campaign is still slow to counter and is unprepared to defend, and respond in kind to these series of attacks. The danger of not blocking, not responding, of ignoring, or even of offering a weak response to an opponents attack is that it creates talking points that stick, in favor of the opponent that waged the broadside. The greatest example of this is the string of thought, which has now become a web of doubt that has been building around Obama since the primaries: Obama’s inexperience. The campaign was never able to defend against it and today a good dose of skepticism has been built to support it. The unanswered attacks builds the case in favor of the candidate that waged it, so that when the final vote is cast all the sticking points accrued will amount to a route to office of the President of the United States of America.

Senator Obama has been waging a strong offense to the credit of his character and campaign manager. His gains on the other hand have been disadvantaged by the lackluster effort of his communications director, the defensive coordinator of the campaign, and his failure to defend Senator Obama, from the negative attacks of John McCain. Senator Obama consequently has found himself having to play both offense and defense, often being caught unaware of the derision of his character.

The negative attacks were trivial and ridiculous in the most obvious way, but effective because they despoiled his character and muted the success of his overseas trip. Childish at best, the picture associations spoke volumes more than a thousand words of a thousand surrogates could ever do to speak against it. Damage done it served to tighten the race and erode his lead in the polls, and allowed John McCain to attach another detractor that was raised by Clinton; Is he ready to Lead?

The Challenge will be to pit candidate with candidate, and answer picture with picture, surrogate to surrogate, TV ad with TV ad, book with book, radio with radio, internet with internet responding to all attacks, perceived and implied, thinking in terms of strategy analyzing two, three, four steps ahead of the opposing camp, in a timely well constructed way.

Kerry’s loss came from his unabashed challenge of Pickens and at the hand of the same people that handled Bush’s campaign and the diatribe attack of the Swift Boat. It was Kerry and Mr. Gibb’s, Kerry’s former communication director, and now Obama’s current campaign director’s, inability to match in intensity, the repudiation of the Swift Boat attack of Kerry’s wartime service record that added to the uncertainty of his candidacy. Kerry was also slow out of the gate and weak at the finish assumed too much, and dismissed even more, was less organized and underestimated his opponent and allowed his rhetoric to become bitter, thus losing the presidency.

His opponents, on the contrary were very organized wrote a book, had affidavits, had living testators that corroborated each other, launched a TV ad backed by millions of dollars. Kerry presented conflicting evidence, and little testimonies, no affidavits, if I remember never shot back with a TV ad and never initiated a serious repudiation of the book or its authors. Kerry and Gibb’s were not able to get a copy of the un-published book and failed to garner the full power of the internet to their favor. Much to Kerry’s dismay the damage needed was done by August.

Kerry’s failure can be Obama’s success, but that has not been the case coming off the last McCain onslaught. No obvious plan or strategy was or is barely in place to protect the home front, just as McCain decided to go on the attack, after Obama’s world wind tour.

The Obama campaigned still seems disoriented, disorganized, lacking a true compass, operating as though no one is at the helm, and as though no one had access to the clips and tapes needed to produce serious rebuttals, to undo the incessant attacks of John McCain. Without leadership and with a sensitivity to uphold Senator Obama’s pledge not to engage in negative attacks it seems his staffers have stalled. I think it was almost five days and at least 5 attacks later that the communications team arose to the defense of the campaign, by producing and posting a real rebuttal, a little too late.

Yielding to McCain’s spin and smear attacks is like playing in the US Open against Roger Federer, and allowing him to hit you a blazing backhand full of top spin, while getting caught flat footed unable to defend his attack, and then expect to win the US Open. Fortunately, for the campaign, Senator Obama found a reason to get fired up about, the constant questioning of his Patriotism, facing possible loss come the fall, he made up his mind not to loose and pivoted making the referendum all about McCain, a fantastic move.

The communications team still isn’t up to par. Immediately, following breaking news of Senator Obama’s decision to pick Joe Biden, McCain’s campaign had already dropped off a video at CNN early Saturday morning before the Obama text message was sent out, the video was already contesting his pick. Consequently it has been running at CNN’s expense since early Saturday morning, all day Saturday and into Sunday. Senator Obama’s campaign and communications team must match and surpass the brevity, and intensity of the hits the McCain is doling out against Obama.

Going into half-time period of the Presidential Race at the DNC, Senator Obama has found traction, in pointing out some of McCain’s character flaws. McCain’s issue of competency and how out of touch he is with the America. Senator Biden did a great job handcuffing McCain to Bush policies. His pick of Biden again shows his wisdom, something even McCain himself conceded as a “wise choice.” Senator Biden has been preparing for such a time as this, 36 years to be exact. Two unlikely persons from opposite sides of our country as different as Hawaii and Delaware can be have been united at the most critical juncture of our country to unite the old and the new, experience and foresight, to bring our country into the possibilities of the new century.

Coming off the miracle of the Olympics and the awe inspiring Olympic Spirit America will be tuning in to the DNC, to witness the fulfillment and the upholding of the greatest promise our founding fathers could ever think of and anything that causes antipathy, ill feeling, or catastrophe will effectively kill the good buzz of the Olympics will not bode well for the Democrats come November.

``The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.'' Alexander Hamilton, 1775 The Declaration of Independence was the promise; the Constitution was the fulfillment.

The Declaration of Independence

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The Constitution of the United States, the fulfillmentWe the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

From the fulfillment of the greatest promise we stand at the precipice of the fulfillment of the extended vision of our founding fathers so eloquently pronounced “…as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself.” In the volume of the human nature of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. here are the words we will be able “…to live out:”

MLK March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. This will be the day; this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!" And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

We will be witnessing a spectacular moment in the history of our country with the passing of this landmark. Its historic importance was unfathomable to most people over forty years ago. When we realize that this campaign is greater than ourselves we now have the reason that unites us. Issues will arise, but more importantly if people rally around these words with the intensity and passion of forefathers. Bygones will be bygones. The quickness of the campaigns, and the vitality of the response to defend Obama/Biden and refute all negative attacks will be amazing. The turn to foil the McCain smear machine and make McCain the referendum will be easier. “The time is now!”

Senator Obama’s Possible Turn Key VP Candidate in the West to East Strategy Road to the White House

Charles — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:36:36 EDT

Old vs. New

The 2008 election is a referendum on old vs. new, it is about transformation vs. stagnation, and so it follows that Senator Obmama's VP choice will be touted or criticized in these terms. The decision to choose a VP candidate can be further defined in two other terms: Political Pragmatism, or Political Nouveau. Political pragmatism simply means you choose a VP candidate based on simple and common sense terms for political convenience, or politics the old way. Political Nouveau means the VP candidate he chooses will be innovative to American political scene, original because the choice will bring a change or improvement. Simply the VP choice will be different, and offer a politically bright, unsullied, fresh approach to politics.

Quid Pro Quo

A politically pragmatic decision bends to politics quid pro quo, and will resemble the moribund of politics as usual. A political nouveau position liberates a candidate to carve a new path and create a new horizon and end typical politics. Both strategies provide a path to victory each contain pros and cons, but both must be weighted by the platform of the campaign. The question that Senator Obama must ask is how do I want to win the Presidency and what is he willing to give in exchange, is he willing to go quid pro quo, or go green as he chooses his VP candidate?

Political Nouveau

The political nouveau strategy embraces Senator Obama’s platform of change, the political pragmatic approach may cost too much and in the end he may just end up giving away the store, but that is decision he must make. Take John F Kennedy’s decision to take Johnson as VP, you can see it was a decision the Old Regular Democratic Party forced on JFK, and that is the very same issue Obama has on his hands, the co-mingling of Democratic Party lines, and how much personal political liberty is he willing to give up in order to unite the party and win the White House. Or is he willing to forgo politics as usual and travel down the less trodden path of Political Nouveau, offering new solutions, new ideas, and change, being true to his platform in his choice for VP.

The JFK Dilemma

This is a replay of the JFK election, knowing what we know now JFK would not have chosen Johnson as VP. He was dammed if he didn’t and dammed if he did. Obama faces the very same issues everywhere he turns he is dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn't. The best strategy he can hold is to err on the side of discretion of his platform and be true to him self and dam the others, and trust that the American people will make the right choice, in him and in his choice for a VP candidate.

The Platform

The platform that got him this far can take him farther, but that just means that the road will be harder, not necessarily a bad thing, it just means Senator Obama and his campaign must outwork, and out campaign his opponent. It is understood that cutting a new path means creating new strategies, creating and using new tools, and new strategies to thwart the republican attack machine. It also signifies that his choice for VP must reflect the strategy of his platform or ignore his platform of change to embrace of politics as usual.

Tow the Line or Risk Obama's Authentic Image

Staying true to his platform will do more to authenticate his image. It will make him a better candidate for president; it will keep him authentic in the eyes of the American public. So the question becomes how much authenticity is he willing to give up if he has to bend to tow the old line if he has to make a quid pro quo choice for a VP Presidential candidate? Choosing the right VP candidate must not detract but enhance his authenticity in the eyes of the voters.

A New Pair of Shoes

Choosing a VP Candidate is like trying on a pair of new shoes. The VP candidate has to look right and fit comfortably with Senator Obama, right from the beginning. Any hint of displeasure, disagreement, doubt, lack of quality, image and policy variance perceived or otherwise must be taken into consideration as a factor in eliminating the wrong candidate.

Gravitas a VP Foil to Obama Constructs a Clearer Campaign Image

The VP candidate must offer Gravitas, contrast, balance, Wikipedia defines it as foil: A foil is a character that contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, and so highlights various facets of the main character's personality. Likewise the VP Candidate chosen must highlight the Senator Obama’s personality. A foil usually has some important characteristics in common with the other character, such as, frequently, superficial traits or personal history. The author may use the foil to throw the character of the protagonist into sharper relief. The objective is bringing Senator Obama’s life story and platform into a clearer image in the minds of the American people, when choosing a VP.

Avoid the VP Misnomer

Avoid naming a Quayle, Edwards, or a Romney as a VP candidate. The misnomer is that a good looking candidate translates and makes a good candidate for VP. The record shows it doesn’t, Kennedy was a rarity. The broader question to ask: If the VP were the actual Presidential nominee would they pass the sniff test, and be considered a legitimate presidential candidate in their own right? Using a mathematical term, "Do they square?" Are they a carbon copy of each other? You wouldn’t want to select someone with identical backgrounds, offering no contrast. Does the candidate cast a shadow over Obama? You want to avoid the Ken and Barbie look or the Ken and Ken look, these are a few of the things to avoid in a VP selection

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

People would say "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't" but “familiarity can breed contempt” as in the case of JFK choosing Johnson as VP. The Kennedy’s viewed Johnson as cloddish, crude, and I am sure the feelings were mutual for Kennedy from Johnson. Avoid the political pressure and status quo, and the antagonism a similar choice would bring Senator Obama, in the White House. He must win on his own terms, and if he loses he will lose on his own terms and will have no one to blame, but choosing the right VP will be the right step in having a Presidency free of animosity.

Governor Schweitzer: A “Turn Key” VP

If Senator Obama chooses Gov. Schweitzer he will have a “turn key” VP candidate ready to lead and that will embody the blend of the campaign, and will continue to legitimize and amplify the resonance of Senator Obama’s platform, and image. Governor Brian Schweitzer for these same reasons would be a perfect candidate for V.P. In an excerpt from an interview with Charlie Rose, Gov. Schweitzer’s views are summed up in these words, after the Ms. Raddatz, intro:

Schweitzer On Ethics

“People don’t have to agree with all the issues that you take up. They just want to know that you believe it, that you will do the right thing that you are not phony. Politicians who are hypocritical; Politicians who take one position one day, and another - another day, - that doesn’t resonate with folks.”

Schweitzer On Middle East and Oil

“As long as we use oil, as long as we import oil, as long as forty percent of oil moves through the Straight of Hormuz, in the Arabian Gulf, we will have a military presence in the middle east, and the threat of Iran.”

Schweitzer's Background

He speaks Arabic, has lived in Saudi Arabia for six years, and knows the culture. He advocates avoiding the use of “saber rattling terms” to keep from scaring the “Moderates” in Iran from defeating the “Mullah’s,” and is open to talking to them. Agrees to withdrawal from Iraq, and advocates keeping a base in Tikrit, and maintaining a bases in Kuwait.

Schweitzer On the Economy

He used a term called the Restoration Economy, which speaks to every level of business and the economy in Montana, and he has created a full time position for the restoration of Montana’s economy. Those two words capture what is on the minds of American’s across the nation Today, restoring the economy.

Schweitzer on Energy Independence

He speaks of “Bridge Fuels,” and Coal gasification. He states we consume 6.5 billion barrels of oil, a day, and out of that we import 4 billion barrels of oil a day. A 4 billion dollar import replacement can be accomplished through decrease of consumption by 1 billion barrels, one billion of bio fuels, and 2 billion coal conversions to liquid fuels, and can see energy independence in 15 years. He recommends a $40 floor on domestic energy, and a cap and trade CO2 emissions.

Schweitzer in the West to East Strategy to win the Presidency

Governor Schweitzer will bring gravitas, and be the foil that Senator Obama needs to make his message crystal clear to the America. Gov. Schweitzer can be vital in moving the undecided states like, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nevada, Colorado, who have a combined total of 24 electoral votes and can help solidify places like Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and his unsophisticated manner may even move Virginia, into Obama’s camp. He is folksy, he offers gravitas, is well educated has a populist message and an independent spirit, and connects well with his electorate.

Another Reason Why Barack Obama is Ready to Lead

Charles — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:35:53 EDT

Another Reason Why Barack Obama is Ready to Lead

The employees of Big Oil are showing their support for Senator Obama, while it is clear that Senator McCain’s campaign pockets are being lined by $1.3 million in cash infusions from Big Oil. Showing extraordinary leadership Senator Obama despite Exxon and Chevron contributions, Senator Obama plan’s to levy windfall profit payments from the Oil companies and is putting pressure on Big Oil to step up to the plate to alleviate the immediate dire straights the American people find themselves in. After enjoying years and billions of dollars in tax breaks from the American Public it is about time Big Oil pays it forward and pay’s America back. A good will gesture from Big Oil to America.

Senator Obama is making the tough decisions, using good judgment, and collaboration to get things done. His foresight and energy policy will start us in the right direction, to get the country back on its feet. Another reason why Barack Obama is ready to lead.

NOTE: It is important that the public know why Senator Obama is ready to lead but the candidate himself has to publicly delare it, say it, and prove it.

In one hundred fifty words or less, can you think of another reason why Barack is ready to lead, if you do write it and post it in this blog.

Obama’s Referendum on America

Charles — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:17:46 EDT

Obama’s Referendum on America

The Strategy

The pivot Senator Obama needs to make is to remove the spotlight off himself, refute the negative attacks and assert his trustworthiness, judgment, and insight (the opposite of risk), using highly respected and reputable third party political figures, as rapidly as the McCain has shot off his attacks. Shoot some undeniable, unquestionable, reputable, above board, authentic, shots across McCain’s bow. Raise real questions about who McCain really is. Depict McCain’s riskiness (the polls show him as risky also), in policy, and his decisions, define him in real terms exposing his errors. Ignore the critics and run the campaign above the fray, and then shift the 2008 Presidential election to a Referendum on America.

The Republican’s want a tussle, and want to engage and draw the Obama campaign into the psychology of Hate, and paint Obama their way. Avoid this trap. It happened to Kerry, he was so frustrated and full of anger about the Republican’s he could not think straight, and it showed in his speeches in his campaign, in his strategies, and he didn’t even know it, and didn’t know how to counter it.

One thing is to respond, defend, and contradict with reasonable fact and certainty, and another is to attack out of pure hate, and anger. Hate breeds many other ills such as insolence, disdain, evil, and most of all confusion. These forces suck the very life force of creativity, and knock us off course, and the course is to win the White House. So as corny and existential as this may sound the energy of hate must be converted to the power of love. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used Love, the strongest power on earth, in the form of peaceful protests.

Converting the energy of hate to the energy of winning, is an easier leap. But absolute adherence to positive affirmations, resourcefulness, creativity, openness, and all internal hate and external hate to others must end. Every statement, every comment, every press release, every interview must be free of hate, and anger, and must never be directed to a person. Every person from Senator Obama, down through David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Mr. Gibbs and down to the last person, must stop the hate and personal attacks and convert the energy to the power of love and to the intention of winning the white house.

Referendum on America

America must choose and Senator Obama has to remind the American people that no one is held the reigns of country, in white house, in the former Republican led congress, and Senate. Linking McCain to Bush is important, but one thing Senator Obama needs to do reframe the issues on the greater picture or group called the Republican Party, and remind the American public, of its improprieties, and that the referendum is the Republican Party.

America’s referendum must be focused on the Republican Party failed handling of the war, economy, etc. Take a lesson out of the Truman’s last campaign, blame the Republican led Congress, and Senate, and keep it impersonal. It is the failed policies of the Republican’s party, its leader George W. Bush, and McCain that has gotten us into this mess.

The Referendum on America must address it fears that is the job of the Campaign and Senator Obama. The referendum must talk about what America needs to decide to do: Enter the 21st Century as the leader of the free World or abandon and succumb to mediocrity.

The Referendum on America must ask American’s what kind of economy it wants to have. American’s have a choice to fulfill the vision our founding fathers had for our country. America’s referendum has to be about bridging the racial divide, and bring healing. He must tell America that Black American’s bleed the same red blood, breathe the same air, eat the same food, go to the same schools and love this country just a much as the next person.

American’s referendum must make it clear that we must stop being afraid of our self’s, and that we are at a point where we need to start a process to heal and correct our social ills. The America referendum is about energy independence, choosing to build our aging cities, towns, and infrastructure., it is about our children, our schools, our society, and our future.

McCain, the Emperor with no Clothes. The McCain Complain-Campaign Schizophrenia

Charles — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:49:57 EDT

McCain, the Emperor with no Clothes. The McCain Complain-Campaign Schizophrenia

Senator McCain has come full circle in the life cycle of politics, John McCain, started in politics as a war hero, became a maverick politician, with in-dependant ideals and values drafted progressive laws, but has awakened five years too late from 20 years of hibernation. At the end of his cycle, the US Senator, is trying to become the next president of the United States. He has awoke like an old white polar bear, coming out of the den, of the senate, into the cold hard politics of republican partisanship, so hungry to become President, that he has become an angry old man, ready to eat his young, rip apart his enemies, and destroy his reputation and legacy, destroying his image as the happy old warrior, and confusing himself and others raising the question: Who is John McCain?

Senator McCain is offering the public a complete picture, of an insolent presidential candidate, who complains too often and who has developed a politically induced schizophrenia. In his desire to become the next President of the United States and under the hands of the swindling politics of the RNC and post Bush campaign managers, the narrative of his campaign has been much like the fable, the Emperor’s New Clothes.

The story goes to say that the emperor McCain who has cared too much about becoming President, has hired swindler’s to fashion a political suit, from the most beautiful cloth from the Republican-Bush attack machine. This cloth, they tell him, is invisible to anyone who was either stupid or unfit for his position. McCain and his staff think that the American public is so stupid that we will be duped by his negative attacks. McCain cannot see the non-existent cloth, nor can he see that we are on to him, but feigns that his attacks on Obama are so ludicrous, that the American public will swallow them line, hook and sinker, but for fear of appearing stupid, he and his campaign ministers do the same, pretending it is working.

The McCain campaign produces commercial after commercial and as McCain continues to make mistake after mistake, gaff after gaff, the swindlers he hired from the Republican-Bush campaign are telling him its working. The Emperor McCain then goes on procession through town hall meetings, TV ads, radio spots, in capitals around the country, to show off his new clothes, but the child cries out “but he has nothing on.”

During the course of a procession, at a town hall meeting, a child asks him if he will raise taxes, and he declares, NO! but the crowd along with the child feels awkward and yet applaud. The people know that he will have to raise taxes, given our $500 billion dollar deficit, our 4 trillion dollar debt, a war we can't afford anymore and our out of control governmental spending. McCain is caught naked, insolent, and disrespectful of the American psyche, and showing the signs of political wear and tear, stuck in a political schizophrenia, in the use of these tactics. The child can cry “But he has nothing on,” but McCain the Emperor nevertheless holds his head high and continues his procession, and his imperious, arrogant campaign.

McCain complains throughout campaign that the media has been unfair to him. Unfortunately, he no longer is the media darling of the news, because he brings nothing new, nothing fresh. The Media and the nation have discovered a fresh new face, a new brand of politics in Obama and it has resonated around the nation and the world. Yet he has gotten break after break from the media in unprecedented ways, and people ask why Obama hasn’t sealed the deal. McCain’s straight talk express has become a loud squeaky wheel, and it has been oiled by the many and the media. It is wobbling and about to fall off. A prudent wise person who is about to go on a long journey will perform maintenance and replace that wheel. The American people will do that come November.

Eight possible reasons for the toss-up/downturn in the polls for Senator Obama’s ’08 Presidential Bid and the Next 100 days

Charles — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:18:18 EDT

Eight possible reasons for the toss-up/downturn in the polls for Senator Obama’s ’08 Presidential Bid, and the Next 100 days.

EIGHT POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THE TOSS-UP/DOWNTURN IN POLLS

1) “Underdog” status plays well with voters, and John McCain has played out well the old story book tale of the tortoise and the hare, and is filling the role of everyman’s man.

2) Lack of trust has consequentially translated to a downturn in confidence, and increased the risk factor in the minds of the voting public.

3) Election polls are inaccurate indicating an overestimation or underestimation of the people’s actual vote.

4) McCain’s criticism’s of Obama has actually caught some traction and is playing to his benefit.

5) Media over exposure is creating a negative effect with the public: Too much of a good thing.

6) Never take for granted that because Senator Obama is a more polished and accomplished speaker that he will be the easy winner.

7) Foreign dignitaries’ overture and Presidential treatment of Obama raises eyebrows and may bode badly with American Voters.

8) The Bradley Effect is working in two dimensions, with white voters and black voters.

Resistance along the black vote is supported by 2004 Census and recent polls. The 2004 Census reports NY, FL, and GA, has 25% of the total black population of the United States. Votefromabroad.org data polls show he is ahead in NY, even in FL, and down 9 % in GA. Marginal states where he should have a lead like NC, and VA show him at a dead heat in VA, and in NC the state is trending Republican. The top ten most populous states with a black population are: NY, FL, GA, TX, CA, IL, NC, MD, LA, and VA, and should be a focus of TV, radio, and newsprint ads. The Numbers are there but the polls show he can’t take the black vote for granted, and that to gain political ground it is the combined Black, White, Latino vote that will do it for him.

Resistance with the white vote may found in pockets of resistance with the old hard-line white regular democratic organization, an area he needs help from with the Clinton’s, to shore up. Take a lesson from Kennedy’s 1960 campaign and expect a division of support in the regular democratic organization. Keep continual massive new voter registration drives, and poll monitoring, at all levels to ensure a vote for Obama, but also factor the white vote in with the black and Latino communities, and know that the retail management of the confluence of their combine vote will be the difference makers in this campaign.

THE NEXT 100 DAYS: CARRY THE CAMPAIGN TO THE VOTERS

What can he do?

1) He can reassert his judgment by the pointing out how the Bush Administration followed his judgment to send troops to Afghanistan, how the Bush Administration has sent a US Diplomat to speak with Iran on Nukes. Remind people how McCain has shifted his stance and has adopted his 16 month withdrawal timetable, based on conditions on the ground. Explain the humbling hospitality he received overseas. Relate to American’s that the average American is still very much appreciated by the average European. It’s the linking of erroneous policies abroad to a person that causes resentment, and is where the vitriol begins.

2) Establish Trust with the American People by giving more information about Senator Obama and how he behaves.

Some solutions may involve giving more accessible Bio’s and voting records. You may describe his ability to manage his finances well and relate it to his character, as oppossed to John McCain and his family mismanaged millions. If one can't handle your families finances how can a presidential candidate handle the American economy? Involve more political high profile third-party evaluations of his performance, like Dr. Brzezinski, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, you may bring out more “High Profile Recognizable” endorsements like a possible Colin Powell endorsement, and put them out in a TV ad to bolster his credibility.

Colin Powell himself was victimized with a warning of the Bradley Effect in his consideration to run for President, and maybe on the strength of that knowledge he can be persuaded to declare his endorsement of Barrack Obama, just to undo the so called “Bradley Effect.”

In 1995, when Colin Powell’s name was floated as a possible 1996 presidential candidate, Powell reportedly spoke of being cautioned by publisher Earl G. Graves about the phenomenon described by the Bradley effect. With regard to opinion polls showing Powell leading a hypothetical race with then-incumbent Bill Clinton, Powell was quoted as saying, "Every time I see Earl Graves, he says, 'Look, man, don't let them hand you no crap. When [white voters] go in that booth, they ain't going to vote for you.'"[20][12]

President Bill Clinton, can add the weight of his political reputation and fully defend and endorse Senator Obama with the white vote. Name recognition, political public trust and clout Clinton has can weigh heavily in the public mind to help shift the trust factor in favor of Senator Obama.

Trust is a depository of goodwill, honesty, authenticity, and the confidence that the people of the United States places in a presidential candidate. Senator Obama trust agreement has to focus on the promises he intends to keep and as he begins to care for the interests of his democratic party and ultimately the goals of all of America. Every campaign stop, every speech, every interview, every question answered, every person he touches, every person he listens to Senator Obama makes a deposit in the trust depository of the American people. The plain fact is that he has to work twice as much, with twice as much effort, in a much more condensed time of the Next 100 days, to accomplish and surpass what has taken John McCain, 25 years to build, if he is to win the Presidency of the United States of America. It can be done Lincoln, Kennedy, Regan, Carter and Truman all did it.

3) Take a lesson from the Truman campaign, and you will find that out of sheer work and dogged determination Senator Obama can foil McCain, by carrying the campaign to the voters. Here is a narrative from the book: THE LAST CAMPAIGN: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election, by Zachary Karabell Knopf:

Harry Truman never catered to the popular view if he thought it was wrong. This proclivity repeatedly landed him in hot water in the early years after he succeeded FDR. It was the tumultuous postwar period when the country was making the painful adjustment to a peacetime economy. Not only was the White House frequently embroiled in political warfare with the Republican-controlled 80th Congress, but it also had to cope with labor conflicts and shortages of consumer goods.
Truman bore the brunt of the blame, and by 1948, his popularity had sagged to 35 percent. Almost everyone echoed the gibe of one prominent Republican, Clare Booth Luce, that Truman was "a gone goose" in the upcoming election. It was taken for granted that the more polished and debonair GOP nominee, New York Gov. Thomas Dewey, would be an easy winner. In fact, long before the 1948 Democratic convention in Philadelphia, there were rebellious calls for another candidate: The New Republic screamed across its April 5 cover "Truman Should Quit." Although FDR had personally tapped Truman as his vice president in 1944, the entire Roosevelt clan felt he was an unworthy heir and should be dumped. James Roosevelt, one of FDR's sons, energetically promoted a Good-Bye Harry movement aimed at drafting Dwight Eisenhower.
Truman would not be swayed. He persevered and won the nomination for a full term at a chaotic but gloomy convention. For one brief shining moment, the delegates came alive when Truman gave a rousing give-'em-hell acceptance speech ripping into Congress for disregarding the country's social ills. It was a clear signal that he would not go down without a fight, revealing a gritty side to his character that had largely gone unnoticed but would become a decisive factor in the fall race.
Still, Democratic unity was shattered. Truman's espousal of civil-rights legislation had angered the once solid South and spawned the third-party conservative Dixiecrat candidacy of South Carolina's youthful Gov. Strom Thurmond (a Democrat in those days). On the left, Truman's tough stand against the dangers of communism had stirred Henry Wallace to desert the ranks and launch the Progressive party.
This splintering left Truman unfazed. He proceeded to carry his campaign directly to the voters, criss-crossing the country by train, whistle-stopping some 31,000 miles, lambasting "the do-nothing" Congress at every stop. He was indefatigable, never seemed dispirited, and his friendly, folksy off-the-cuff style resonated.
It didn't seem to matter. The Roper poll stopped querying voters in September, announcing that the outcome was a foregone conclusion. The press set about preparing the country for the transition, with Newsweek releasing a survey of the country's top political reporters and commentators, including such giants as David Lawrence, Walter Lippmann, and Arthur Krock. All 50 forecast a Dewey landslide (prompting Truman to remark that "I know all 50 of those fellows and there isn't a single one who has enough sense to pour sand in a rat hole").
On election eve Life magazine published a front-page photo of Dewey, referring to him as "the next president." At the Washington Star, veteran political writer Gould Lincoln began his election-day front-page story with the assertion that "Thomas Dewey will be elected president of the United States Tuesday."
“All of this is lively fodder for The Last Campaign…”

Obama Off his world tour, time to define best strategy to connect to America

Charles — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:16:15 EDT

Obama Off his world tour, time to define best strategy to connect to America

Rest and Sleep

Let Senator Obama get some rest and sleep. Let him recharge his batteries.

Step 1 Image: Conduct College Hall Meetings

The best strategy to build image and policy is to mix up the venues, drawing down from stadium events, which is proven he can fill, to holding College Hall meeting across America, with a Question and Answer session at the end of each session, and one on one interviews with Broadcasters and journalists. Knowing Senator Obama’s popularity and strength with college student’s, holding College hall meetings, at colleges and universities, and theaters across America, would offer the most viral way to get his message and image across to people. It would send a message to America that college is where America needs to go. College is the place to have these discussions.

After all change in America starts in our Universities and they are known as the bedrock for change, and for change to occur it starts in the minds and hearts of young Americans. Engaging their minds and hearts is fundamental to the future change in America, and critical to his campaign. It is still the most effective way to convey his message, build his image, and reach the most number of people, in an intimate but public setting. I believe this venue is vital in many other ways, and this type of public gathering has many other advantages.

A College Hall meeting offers other benefits that Broadway and Movie theaters all across America know, and that is intimacy, and in the moment experience. The ability to see white of one eyes, an expression, and tone of a voice, a gesture, the ability to sense the reaction of others, and have their sentiments conveyed to other person just by being in the crowd, is lost with big crowds. Again, the ability of the campaign to offer an up close and personal portrait to Barack Obama is essential to creating the success he needs with all of America.

Theaters and College Hall meetings offer better crowd control, and it also gives the people an opportunity to sit and relax, and think about what he is saying and see how he is reacting in a personal way. No other venue offers the power of both of these worlds than a theater or college auditorium. The best debates are held in college auditoriums by most of the news channels because they engage the public, and create a venue of closeness and connect ability.

The One on One Interview

One on one interview’s will also continue to give Barack the opportunity to be more candid like a fire side chat, but be very careful how the camera is framed in these interviews. Super close ups tend to give the person a sense of being interrogated. Compare the last two interviews on MSNBC conducted with John McCain with Kelly O’Donnell and Barack Obama with Brian Williams and you will see Senator McCain never had a close up, nor did Kelly or Brian. We never got to see John McCain’s real age, his wrinkles, and his bulging cheek, that constantly reminds us of his bout with cancer. He was always video graphed from the waist up.

Senator Obama on the contrary was captured from the shoulder up, and that is a technique news people use to make the interviewee look as though he is on the defensive, and is not very favorable. The camera angle is used frequently when journalist interview suspected criminals; it reminds you of a prison mug shot. Note the tired look he had on his face, the evening shadow of a mustache, he was showing wear and tear and jet lag on his face: A reminder that one on one interview must be conducted and recorded at the Senators highest possible stage of alertness, both physical and mental. A person must be aware of these things, and an alert be made to either to shave or reschedule, and make sure the Senator is interviewed as favorably as possible. Still, it will be at these venues that Barack will be able to address and connect to people in their homes.

Step 2 His Message/Policies

I believe the next political move he must make is to accept and counter, the surge, by stating that the war in Iraq is over, and that we are now in efforts to help Iraq arm and police their nation, if that is what really is occurring. The American publics at times of war have the tendency to pick a person to lead the country who represents the least risk, one of the reasons Bush was elected in 2004, that is something reflected in the polls now, so public opinion has to be changed about what is happening in Iraq.

If McCain is painted as the “least risky” person to lead us out of Iraq and Senator Obama’s is painted as “risky,” the public will choose the least risky candidate, and Obama will loose the election. The riskier choice is keeping everything status-quo, and doing nothing and expecting a change. A change will occur when the people realize when we can't continue what we are doing.

So, Success can be the new mantra, and the Senator Obama must continue to voice to American public the courage and success of the combined effort of our military and with that of Britain and other countries, and the Iraqi people themselves. He must state that it is not about whom gets the credit for the success but that we actually have progress and success in Iraq. Success is what everyone wants to hear, but success must be tempered by the continued war on terrorism, the difference. Congress cannot fund a police action, but it needs to fund the war on terror.

Senator Obama must continue to reverberate what he has said all along: “We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as the Bush administration and John McCain was careless in getting in.” He must make it reverberate and make it clear to the American people! That the current administration is to blame for getting us into a war that should have never happened.

He must counter, and double down and lead the discussion in Energy Independence, National Security, the Economy, and treat these three issues as interrelated. Double down on HealthCare initiative, and argue for Social Security safekeeping, and College Education reform, as well as immigration reform. He must have a plan for immediate relief from pain at the pump. Focus on “Meat and potatoes issues,” and “kitchen table platforms.”

A politician is not worth his salt if he cannot connect with the American people. Barack has connected but now its time for bring the message home.

Energy Independence, National Security, and the Economy, "All for One and One for All"

Charles — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:22:05 EDT

“Energy Dependence, National Security, the Economy: ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL”

The economy, national security, and energy dependence, are all interrelated, and the beginning of a solution to those issues will require a shift in thinking. A start in the new vein of thinking is that more American’s must re-think and re-engineer the way it moves, and uses energy. The pro-genitor’s of this change is the convergence of energy dependence, national security issues, and national economics woes.

Higher energy costs have awakened the average American to these realities. The hinge pin in all this is energy dependence. Right now we are seeing the effects of energy dependence on our national security and our economy. We have come to know too well that if the flow of oil is stopped or slowed by any known measure seen or unseen that our national security is threatened, economic volatility occurs, and our economy suffers.

The end of this suffering and the beginning of this solution comes in the form of unlikely source the Maglev train. The image of this future is the Maglev train, speeding through time and distance transporting and delivering people, goods, and resources, in a clean, safe, efficient oil independent manner.

Time has come for the next leap in American transportation: The creation of a National Maglev Train system. It is time for divesture of Amtrak to private enterprise, in a joint venture with government, private business, and higher learning for the sole purpose of creating a new national mode of transportation involving Maglev trains, as way to prompt energy Independence, national security, and economic growth.

The catch-phrase “Energy Independence means National Security” has two clear goals and one unstated benefit, the spurring of the economy, but it requires an all-encompassing shift in how America moves, and thinks.

“Energy Independence means National Security” signify to American’s the need to shift their thinking and change how things are done at all levels. The way to start is by changing the way we travel and transport our people, and our goods and services, from oil dependent technologies to oil independent technologies. “Energy Independence means National Security” can be attained through new technology, efficiency, and the effective planning. “Energy Independence means National Security” can be the greatest collective undertaking of its kind.

“Energy Independence and National Security,” is an easily understandable concept, but when it has a face and becomes a goal, and has a timeline, it becomes an unstoppable force for change. The Maglev train can become the unifying symbol of American technology, economy of scale, shrewdness and resourcefulness at work. The Maglev train project can accomplish that and more, it also demonstrates several things at once. UNCW published and stated when comparing Maglev trains to conventional transportation, the Maglev train has some very clear advantages: it will be quicker and cheaper. Causes no environmental pollution, and uses less energy (25 % of aircraft, 50% of car), and makes almost no noise.

Two, of some the greatest advancements the last century has produced is the mass production and adoption of the automobile (for the transport of people), and the internet (the mass transport of information). The greatest challenge we will face this new century will be exponential population growth and what infrastructure we will have to support that growth. A country that is successful in supporting that growth will be the most successful and powerful country of the world. The new century will have similar challenges, how to move people, products and resources efficiently, while becoming oil independent and environmentally protective.

Entering the new century, we see how the proliferation of the automobile and products that are oil dependent are impacting our self sustainable environment. The start of the 2008 Olympics, in Beijing, gives us a clear picture of uncontrolled pollution. It is proven that the airlines and cars and their related industries are a part of our problem of energy dependence. Green house gases, pollution, and global warming reduction is possible as evidenced by the dramatic drop of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels after the United States placed a moratorium on air travel after 9-11.

America must abandon its current model of growth fueled by oil dependence, for it to survive and prosper. Airline travel as we know it today is not sustainable, and must re-focus to trans-ocean travel, trans-continent travel where flights are more profitable, and logical, and where the bounds of long distances are only bridgeable by air flight. The gaps created by this divestment of airline capacity will be filled by clean, efficient, Maglev mass transportation. Cars must be made to operate on a different engine platform using a different energy source(s), that doesn’t affect our food supply. American and independence are synonymous terms, but a country bound by oil is not free or independent at all.

“Energy Independence means National Security” will force the reshaping of our infrastructure and will drive a combined effort at all levels to spur education, business, and government to bring change, to build a better, stronger, more prosperous America, while not isolating ourselves from the rest of the world.

“Energy Independence means National Security” has to be the new watch phrase. So, If going to the Moon, the New Deal, and SDI, was those administration’s way of focusing America around a national theme to beat the Russians to space, to provide for a way to rebuild America, to disintegrate communism and unify Europe and end the cold war, then creating an integrated national transportation system where maglev trains lead the way, can be the symbol we need to put America back to work, and restore it’s confidence, and resourcefulness. It can be the symbol we need to jump start our journey to energy independence. It would mark the beginning of the end on our dependence on oil to bring America and possibly the world to a new level of prosperity.

Obama: Keep America Moving, Offer a “Gas Rebate” Now!

Charles — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:05:59 EDT

Obama: Keep America Moving, Offer a “Gas Rebate” Now!

Immediate relief at the pump can come in mysterious ways, but pain at the pump is not a secret, everyone feels it. The issue is clear when someone profits another looses, and in the case of high fuel prices, the oil companies have garnered huge profits at our pain.

American’s gave Big Oil tax breaks, sweetheart deals, and tax loopholes so they could compete and profit, when times were tough for them. Now it is time for the Big Oil companies to return the favor and good will of the American public. Big Oil works just as hard as the next person, and we do realize how tough it is to drill a well, build a pipeline, and work on an isolated platform in the middle of the sea. Yet Big Oil is now enjoying a bonanza, the huge profits they are enjoying are out of the ordinary, above the level of excellence, it is mind bogglingly brilliant. It has been unfathomable.

The disparity is that today American’s are suffering and Big Oil is prospering at a number reaching more than one half a trillion dollars ($556 billion) in profits. The reality of all this is that Big Oil has an opportunity to serve a greater purpose bigger than their own: The saving of America. Yes they have the opportunity to save America from the brink of collapse.

Given our current economic climate and at the rate things are going Big Oil won’t have customers that can buy their gas. A collapse of America means a collapse of themselves and the free world. Sorry to be so bleak but the markets are giving us the signs. You say how can things collapse, take a lesson from history 1929, America looses confidence, and you know the rest.

American’s don’t need much all we ask for is a fair shake, and hope to know that we are not alone. We can conquer this or anything else, but only as one country, one nation, united to withstand anything that may come our way. Think about it.

Where can we start? Immediately we can start by rescinding the tax breaks of 2004, 2005, and ask for the payment of those tax breaks and of the royalties for oil extracted from the Gulf. It would be Big Oils chance to “Give Back to America” through a rebate we can call a “Gas Rebate.” (americanprogress.org calls it a “Fuel Price Relief-bate”). The amount would range from about $200 to $450 dollars per person per family. Out of good intentions it is in the best interest of all concerned if this occurs this year, at the highest pain, America is suffering.

In 2004 and 2005, big oil companies also received tax breaks worth over $17 billion over the next decade, including avoiding at least another $7 billion to $9 billion in royalties owed to the U.S. government for oil and gas extracted from federal areas in the Gulf of Mexico. (This is how we pay for the Gas Rebate.)

All we are asking for from Big Oil is $26 Billion Dollars, in “Gas Rebates,” and if you do the math it would be approximately less than 5% percent of the $556 billion they received in profits already. Big Oil has stated they do not need “special tax breaks” and “sweetheart deals,” anymore, but more importantly along those lines we can eliminate all the loopholes and recover lost royalties, for the long term energy recovery of the country. American’s don’t want to rake the Big Oil companies over the coals, because we know that their survival is our survival. What we need is relief.

Obama “Keeping it Straight:” Overseas Campaign Rally Not Official Government Trip!

Charles — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:17:11 EDT

Senator Obama is building on an already historic campaign. Image is everything in politics, and political positioning is equal, hence the start of Senator Obama’s historic journey, through the world stage. Conveying his Image and Message is important but will be tempered under the rubric of planning and under the host of issues that can and will arise. Avoiding McCain's own debacle in McCain's trips to Europe and the Middle East, should be an understood task for Barack Obama and his campaign. Rather than get in trouble with FEC, calling it an overseas campaign rally will keep things straight. Travelling as a presidential candidate, rather than in the capacity of a sitting Senator will keep scrutiny on the better side of valor

Mr. Obama’s historic nature of this trip also makes it the first of its kind setting precedent for future presidential campaigns. Senator Obama out of good intentions has raised the bar to a new height in the quest for one of the most coveted positions of the free world. The paradigm is that every succeeding American presidential candidate can no longer just campaign in America but will have to run his/her campaign, which is inclusive of the new world. The fast pace of this overseas trip, the foreign press, foreign cultures aided by technology will introduce special dynamics in the campaign no one has ever faced.

Our awareness and the new dynamics of our interrelated economies have created this new world, and are affecting how politics is played. We are becoming one people in one world rather than many people from many cultures from many different worlds, for example the Third World is joining the New World, in technology and economies. Today, what affect us in Zimbabwe affects us in Schenectady, what affects us in Darfur affects us in London and New York. What affects us in Haiti, affects us in France, and Miami. What affects us in the Middle East affects us the world over. The Old World Order is dead.

We are more attentive of each other, and the intense interest of this campaign is fueled by our technology, and instant news cycles. Our technology impacts what we say and we do, and it all comes under much more scrutiny. So in the face of this historic trip, the new watchword should be: Rebuilding Alliances. The world will be watching and listening, and has been watching and listening, as the presumptive democratic presidential candidate enters the world stage.

The Power of Hope

Entering the world stage Senator Obama, is placing his bet and will be walking his talk in a historic opportunity to “risk it all or win it all.” The hedge is that he will win the hearts of people in the United States and all over the world, with this trip. Why? Because we are at a time when the despondency of the world is at all time highs, the world is tired of hating America. People are thirsting for hope and hope is what he offers. Obama is a new brand of politics that engages in having ethical discussions and positive rhetoric. He avoids avoiding damming vengeful politics, and is shaping events around positive affirmations of Hope and Change. His Hope is bringing people to a new level of inspiration and affirmation.

In a bold move to shape his image and positions, in the volatile world of politics the campaign is converging time, resources and is banking on the in-fatigable character of the human spirit’s desire for hope. Affirming and re-affirming hope to the whole world.

Avoid the Pitfalls

Given the bright optimism this trip offers there are many pitfalls to avoid. We may be figuratively or literally be standing at the brink of the end of the world given the limit and uncertain nature of our natural resources, and the volatile nature of the human ego. Yet, people will argue that he will be on a big ego boosting trip, the campaign must watch and work heartily against that pitfall. A wise king once wrote the following proverb:

“Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and who so trusteth in Good Intentions happy is he”

Here we are in the big game of life, called “Chutes and Ladders,” the Senator and everyone involved in his campaign will “lay everything on the ground” to build his case, but if the campaign does not handle this wisely we may find ourselves in a chute quickly descending into a construction bin, like discarded building materials, of a newly constructed high rise, or at the summit of success and happiness if the trip is handled well.

Give this trip a theme: Rebuilding Alliances

A possible name can be: “The Power of Hope,” like playing off a song “The Power of the Dream” by Celine Dion, or maybe not. My point is that the trip needs a rally point you may be able to work on what Robert Gibbs stated Wednesday, when he said:

“This trip is going to be about substance on the issues that we all have to tackle together. If we’re all going to be successful, part of that is rebuilding the alliances that we have throughout the world.”

You might call it “Rebuilding Alliances.” The reality is that Senator Obama touches people at their deepest core: People still see that “America is the country where you can make it," and Senator Obama embodies that.

In an article in the International Herald Tribune, a correspondent writes:

"With Obama, a certain idea of America is back: that of a generous society where equality of opportunity is not an empty promise. Hope and change, key words of his campaign, reinforce this rediscovered ideal, which resonates as much inside the country as beyond."

The hope of America’s restoration resonates deeply in Europe, because our mutual success is still heavily linked to Europe, by our economies, and our world interests. Many in Europe would prefer to distance themselves from us, as seen in the unification of Europe, and the creation of the Euro. American transfer of wealth to the Middle East and China has been divesting us of our prosperity, and the most stable relations and allies we have enjoyed have been with Europe and Great Britain, Israel, and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East. It is this transfer of wealth that is of concern to Europeans as well as American’s.

Avoid the European cultural trap

The risk of the trip is the offence it may generate, the old resentment Europe has had for Americans: Here is another typical arrogant American. He must avoid this European cultural trap:

"But the (European) media often stoke the fires," he says. "Their media portray Americans as culturally inferior, ignorant of world politics, arrogant in our interaction with the rest of the world and, worst of all, the bully of the neighborhood." (From an excerpt in USA Today).

The challenge for Senator Obama in this world wind tour will be to dispel that image, and build his own, while reaching out to America, showing he is a capable leader. He must show and prove that “equality of opportunity is not an empty promise,” by his actions, words, and understanding of the issues.

Our good intentions are sometimes thwarted by our ignorance, in some respects that view is true because we go to those countries knowing so little about them, being ignorant of their issues and challenges. If some how Mr. Obama is seen as ignorant, and arrogant all is lost. Mark Eleanor Roosevelt’s words during the Kennedy campaign of 1960:

What we paint of the United States as going on, in the United States, has great effect in Latin America. For instance, if we make, in this campaign a tremendous religious. It has a bad effect in countries, not only in Latin America, but the countries of Europe, and of other parts of the world, because they feel that they know an enormous amount. This is a very curious thing. They know a great deal about our Constitution. And, in fact, our Bill of Rights is one of the things that you will find repeated many, many times in countries all over the world. And they say, "But, you say that a man shall not be asked about his race or religion. You let your citizens go to war and die for your country, but you're not going to let them serve their country as public servants." This has a very bad effect in countries that have different religions from ours. And I think that one of the things that we can do is to show that we really understand the difference between a man's right to run for office and to be elected to public service,

Tangibly, 48 years later Senator Obama is disproving this incongruence, and is showing the world that as a nation the United States is fulfilling the intentions of our founding fathers. We now “…really understand the difference between a man’s right to run for office and to be elected to public service…”

Back At Home

Senator Obama will face some detractors throughout his trip back, and he will also face some campaign challenges while he is away, the real question is how will his campaign keep it together back home. It will be a testament of the discipline and leadership of his organization, while he is away if his campaign can advance and defend the cause at home. Who will be put in charge while he is away will be important given the kind of attacks the McCain campaign can launch

Marc Ambinder wonders whether the McCain campaign will continue to attack Obama while he's overseas, since a "frontal attack on Obama's experience while he's in harm's way would strike many as tasteless, but not providing a response would be political malpractice." McCain could leave the attacks to the third parties, or he could just "use the week to drill down on economic policy" as "he'll have the whole country to himself." [Atlantic] —Dan Amira

That would pose a good defensive posture for those holding up the rear of the campaign. But a good defense is a strong offence, so in many ways McCain must be opposed and challenged at every level. His TV, radio, newspaper ads must be answered and countered, his surrogates must be contested, and knocked back, on the much failed issues they espouse. The McCain campaign must be kept on the run; he must be challenged given his failed economic policies, and clear espousal of Bush policy. Barack’s economic policies must be introduced and re-introduced and a case against McCain must be built given the failed economic plan Phil Gram’s has authored, weighed with his negative comments of the American people, these thing must be linked to McCain, over and over again.

The Tough Questions

The real fact is given the limit and scope of the trip some tougher questions must be asked and assessed, in an article, titled “Obama Faces Overseas Audition” for Time/CNN, Karen Tumulty sagely relates the following:

And doing that means showing, in his words and interactions overseas, that he is no pushover. "We would like to demonstrate in this trip his comfort and his capacity to deal with the serious challenges that face this country — that he's comfortable and he's sure-footed, and he knows what he is doing," says one of Obama's foreign policy advisers.
She concludes:
But that is, in many ways, little more than stage management. What will be far harder to discern will be what Obama himself is getting out of his trip. As Haass notes, "The real question is what he learns and ultimately incorporates into his thinking."

What the Presumptive Democratic Nominee learns will be important, and the alliance he builds even more important, but how will the campaign connect and elucidate Obama’s trip to the American people, is the biggest question? How will the campaign succeed to accomplish Obama goals in such a short period of time? The answers will be found along the way, I assume. He may find that Europe does not have the universal remedy to the world’s problems. He may find that they face parallel problems, similar to our own. He may find a different way to look at the same problems and reach a better solution.

He may find a key to help our ailing economy when visiting successful German factories or he may gather some good ideas from France’s Healthcare, touted by the World Health Organization, as the world’s best.

What will he face in each country?

Iraq:

The NYT reports this article,

“Mixed Feelings About Obama and His Troop Proposal” “But his support for troop withdrawal cuts both ways, reflecting a deep internal quandary in Iraq: for many middle-class Iraqis, affection for Mr. Obama is tempered by worry that his proposal could lead to chaos in a nation already devastated by war. Many Iraqis also acknowledge that security gains in recent months were achieved partly by the buildup of American troops, which Mr. Obama opposed and his presumptive Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, supported.”

A visit to "Our Troops" will be pivotal. He must gather as many troops as possible. He must shake their hands and speak with them. He Must bring a piece of our Hope to them personally, in the spirit of Bob Hope.

Germany:

Given Merkel’s displeasure and her obvious ties to President Bush, she will face tremendous pressure from the German people given her political conservative roots, and Obama’s popular appeal, a possible clash.

Will giving a speech at the Brandeburg Gate: Risk the Demagoguery of Politics, and brinish his Image of Hope and change? Kennedy's speech addressed Germany’s problem of the Cold War, and the east/west divide that faced Germany then. Regan’s words demanded, an end to Communism and a united Germany.

What will Obama’s Speech focus on? Trans-Atlantic issues? But what problems really face Germany?

Linked here are some: current challenges: In 2008 Germany was still grappling with the effects of unification of the democratic Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the communist German Democratic Republic (East Germany) on October 3, 1990. It has been the greatest Transfer of Wealth from the prosperous west to the struggling east.

The German people are grappling to unite and break the grip of the deep psychological divide the dogma of communism has created. The east/west divide has split Germany's identity and it is still their struggle.

Mr. Obama might be able to echoe President Kenndy's speech, by entitling it: "I am still a Berliner:" "Ich bin immer noch ein Berliner" despite the division, despite the desparity, despite the seperation, Germany is uniting in Hope, no longer a divided Nation!

Speech Location:
The speech may be held at the public square in front of the Rathaus Schöneberg (where Kennedy made the famous speech) It may prove a possible location, It is historic and it is legendary. Click on the link: "John-F.-Kennedy-Platz" You’ll get a good picture at what the venue may look like.

Middle East:

Campaign officials are not even divulging which officials Obama plans to meet with, though some details have begun to leak. A diplomatic source tells TIME that King Abdullah II of Jordan plans to press Obama to promise that, if elected, he would place a higher priority than Bush has on the Arab-Israeli peace talks.

France:

The IHT repots the following:

France’s/Sarkozy Challenge: But none of the 577 members of the National Assembly are from France's first- or second-generation immigrant population. Sarkozy has also quietly abandoned a campaign pledge to introduce affirmative action for ethnic minoritiesIn no other segment of France's population does this ideal inspire more than among minorities. One in 10 of the nation's inhabitants are of Arab or African origin.Kama Des-Gachons, a 28-year-old Frenchwoman, was one of about 600 young men and women flocking to a panel discussion in Paris on Tuesday about the "Obama Effect in France." Her eyes lit up when she spoke about Obama. Not because he is a Democrat or because he opposed to the war in Iraq. But because his father was an African immigrant, like hers.
"He makes me dream," said Des-Gachons, whose parents came to France from Mali. "I even bought a T-shirt with the American flag. America is the country where you can make it."

Affirming hope to the hopeless without fear, reprisal, or discrimination.

Britain:

In a direct quote from the AFP:

In Great Britain, Obama will have the standard handshaking photo-op with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and the two should hit it off. But will the press mention Brown's Defense Minister declaring, "I'm no fan of timelines in changing operational environments like in Iraq or Afghanistan" last week? Will that difference in policy even come up in their meeting?

Israel:

The New York Times has reported, he will meet with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and the head of the opposition, Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu. He is also expected to see Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The anticipatory question here will be what will be expected to be on the minds and hearts of the people he will meet with, especially in Israel? Answer: Iran? and their right to exist as a nation.

Be ready for harsh words Anti-American Sniping

Anti-Bush Rhetoric will play to his side, while being careful not to be pro European, anti- American. As reported in USA Today, One veteran Europe-watcher thinks the average American is still very much appreciated by the average European. It's when the policies of a nation are pinned on an individual that the sniping begins.

Obama, a Serious Competitor: the New Yorker’s Unethical Libelous Slander

Charles — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:33:12 EDT

What is slander?

“A type of defamation. Slander is an untruthful oral (spoken) statement about a person that harms the person's reputation or standing in the community. Because slander is a tort (a civil wrong), the injured person can bring a lawsuit against the person who made the false statement. If the statement is made via broadcast media -- for example, over the radio or on TV -- it is considered libel, rather than slander, because the statement has the potential to reach a very wide audience.”

No one should ever shrug their shoulders at slander, especially the kind we have witnessed with the New Yorker, which is libel. Firebrand Politics like the New Yorker’s is shameless, offensive; its libel is unacceptable. The best way to fight fire is with Fire.

A good illustrative example of this is from an excerpt of Herman Badillo’s book One Nation One Standard. Mr. Badillo in 1960 was running a store front operation in NYC for Kennedy, when he encountered resistance against registering blacks and Puerto Ricans. He recounts the following:

Team Kennedy was particularly interested in East Harlem because the number of registered voters was so low and higher registration levels and increased turnout would benefit Kennedy.

In Mr. Badillo’s effort to organize and register new voters he encountered the following opposition:

The people of East Harlem responded with enthusiasm. During this period, long lines of Puerto Ricans and blacks formed in front of schools so they could take the literary test and register. The Regular Democratic Organization (RDO) responded with its usual tactics. Schools magically ran out of the Literacy test. Teachers suddenly became unavailable to administer the test. Registration inspectors crawled like slugs in hopes that registrants would tire of waiting and simply leave as they had arrived-unregistered.
I travelled from school to school to combat these tactics. Fortunately, the Santangelo organization did not know who I was. Since I was tall and slim and spoke with authority wherever I went, it never occurred to Santangelo’s captains that I was their opponent. They thought I was a lawyer brought in from downtown to help out.
At one point I walked into the school at about four o’clock in the afternoon, and one of Santangelo’s captains said to me, “You can’t believe the garbage [sic] that’s coming in here.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He answered, “This guy Badillo is bringing in all these blacks and Puerto Ricans to register, and he’s going to beat us. We’ve got to stop him.”

Step 1 Keep the Message Strong

Mr Obama has to stand up to negative demoralizing campaigning and media; it is his platform. He will not waiver in bringing ethical conduct to every level of Politics and Journalism. He must not waiver to bring respect to all American’s whether black, white, or Latino.

Note to the campaign if it registers more American Latino’s in the southwest, East coast, and Florida, and get’s the vote out for large number of African American’s throughout all the States, especially where the battle is tight, and the margins are small, Senator Obama will win the white house.

Here is the rest of this account:

“What do you have in mind?” I wondered.
“The school is supposed to stay open till ten-thirty P.M.,” he said, “but what I’m going to close up at nine o’clock, when the biggest crowds come in.”
Sure enough, promptly at nine, the school closed. I was waiting outside with a pad and pen. I jotted down as many names and addresses as I could, with details of how long people had waited I line. I drew up affidavits and a computer and filed a lawsuit with the Board of Elections.
I persuaded fourteen Puerto Ricans to testify at the trail. As a result I won the case, and the complainants were allowed to register after the registration had expired. It was a small victory because these were only fourteen people out of thousands who had been turned away throughout the district, but it had huge symbolic significance: That the first time in New York History that there had been legal proof of discrimination against blacks and Latinos by agents of the Board of Elections. Moreover, it gained me recognition as a serious and effective competitor.”

Step 2 Protect Senator Obama’s Image

Any slight to his image is an attack to the already wounded Psyche of our nation, and this is no slight, it is a Libel. A response to defend his honor, and the honor of all American’s, would be to file a lawsuit. Like what Mr. Badillo did. This is a matter he must choose to engage and win. The Senator must file lawsuit with Anti-Defamation League, the ACLU, the NAACP against the New Yorker for this injustice. It would serve notice to people like the New Yorker and McLaughlin’s around the country that America no longer will stand idle to this sort of masked libel, they call lampooning. No one is laughing!

This can be the first time in America’s history when a presidential candidate sues to keep libel out of politics, moreover as it did for Mr. Badillo, it will bolster Barack’s image and give him recognition as being a serious contender and effective competitor, a fighter for just causes, thereby setting the standard for future elections!