Two Weeks In

So two weeks after the election the euphoria starts to wear down and it's down to business. A very exciting day filled with bourbon, glee and excitement and a new day in America. There is so much possibility, so much hope that could come out of it and indeed I'm proud of a nation that can see past it's racism filled past and present, it's fear of immigrants and change to look at the face of a new America. Seeing President-Elect Obama on 60 Minutes was amazing, the sharp intellect, the youthful image of a wife and children, but now it's down to business. Whatever sea change you compare it to, perhaps not Reconstruction, or the Great Depression but certainly comparable. Two active hot wars going on simultaneously, a "cold war" against terror, an energy crisis, an environmental crisis, the growing pains of globalization and not to mention an incredible international financial and economic crisis. Yikes.

So, as proud as I am of you and I am, it's time to get down to work.

My Letter to President-Elect Obama,

Dear President Elect Obama,

It is with incredible pride and patriotism as an American that I welcome you as my President. It is amazing that 40 years after Dr. King was shot down in Memphis that a man of color has taken the reins of this great country. It sets an amazing example for every young American that truly someday they could be President. That hard work and intellect can take you to the greatest heights.

And that and a buck and a quarter will get you a small coffee. The previews are over and it's time for the main attraction. America is in a weird place right now. Americans have been intimidated over the past eight years with fear both real, perceived and intimated. A certain darkness has come over the nation in many elements, not crushing the American spirit but certainly making it less prevalent and sweeping. Our hopes that working and saving would bring us towards the American dream are much less encompassing, wiped out by fear of losing our retirement funds, our jobs, our homes and in fact our future.

And this is just one of our major issues, there is the general image of American greatness abroad, which has gone from the beacon of world freedom in many eyes to that of an uncaring bully unbridled by world opinion, a drunken cowboy trying to get our way. Simultaneously we have weakened the great fighting force of all history through a constant war with undetermined objectives, taking some our nation's best men and women, junior officers and NCO's leaving the service, leaving us less prepared for our next conflict(s).

And that doesn't even get us started on the issues we had before that, energy and environmental issues that have been ignored by a generation of oil soaked lobbyists and politicians. Mr. President Elect you've got yourself in a tough fix. But I think I have some solutions for some of our internal problems.

RAISE THE GAS TAX
Oh yeah, people are going to go fricking nuts, the right wing will scream about taxobamics, but hear me out. First, you're going to take abuse from the right anyway, regardless what you do, so you may as well do the right thing. Gas prices have dropped over the past few months due to the economic slowdown so it won't be the pain we felt over the past year or so but in fact, gas in this country is too cheap regardless. I'm not suggesting a European style gas tax that would stun and freeze our economy which is built around highways, long commutes and suburbia but a reasonable 50-60 cent increase per gallon. (about 180 billion gallons/year for all vehicles, 74 billion for autos in 2005) Now this money doesn't go overseas but instead to help rebuild America. Of these funds I would suggest that 50% of the funds go into an infrastructure bank, funding highway, bridge and transit projects that meet 21st century standards and are based on proper needy projects and not general pork, 25% would go into alternative energy production, based on an angel capital venture fund model from the federal government with the government have the capacity to retain some capital from successful projects, the remaining 25% would be divided among a new GI bill to fund the veterans of recent wars including COBRA type coverage of TRICARE for military families (perhaps 5%), and the remaining divided amongst deficit reduction and a large, competitive contract for American auto companies to build buses and other municipal vehicles based on plug in hybrids, fuel cells or other alternative energies for use in American cities.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN THE ECONOMY
70% of the economy is based on consumer spending. It why despite the 2001 attacks and the tech bubble that the economy sputtered but did not collapse. What wrong now is that we have this conflagration of the credit crunch, a lack of consumer confidence, a recession and a general lack of regulation from the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

Here's where the issue lies, I do think that just the change of administration and a commander in chief that is engaged with the issues and doesn't talk like he's in the chorus of a spaghetti western will help build some confidence but it's a tight rope to walk. Particularly when it comes to regulation. You have to get people to wade back into the market, whether it be the supermarket or the stock market. Wall St. and their sycophants in and out of the administration and in media have been holding a gun to the head of the American economy in a manner that can only be compared to Somali pirates and sea traffic off Mombasa.

WHEN IT COMES TO THE MONEYCHANGERS: TREAT THE TAXPAYER'S NICKELS LIKE MANHOLE COVERS

Taxpayer money used to bailout companies must be accounted for, where's it going, what's it doing, is it going for Xmas parties and big bonuses? Or is it going to grease the skids for the American economy. Business has frequently said to get government off it's back but those days at least for now are over. The federal government is a partner and stockholder in what used to be some of America's greatest companies. My boy Clubba doesn't seem to understand what the hell is going on, why the hell would you give all this money to failing companies. My comparison would be giving your friend who just ran his car drunk into a tree, the keys to your car so he can drive that one into a telephone pole. Clubba would suggest, if you need to get the capital out in the economy why not give it to healthy, existing regional banks.

Now I don't think Timmy's going to be getting that call to Stockholm anytime soon but that just makes sense. You're going to have to hire the best and the brightest to oversee this lovely transfer of wealth from working and middle class Americans to the ruling Wall St. class regulating this use while at the same time making sure that you don't choke the capital that will assist regrowth of the economy.

ALTOGETHER NOW: FIXED RATE IS FIRST RATE

Second step are mortgages and housing. Damn, it pisses me off as the guy who got the standard fixed mortgage and keeps up his house, to see these foreclosures of sub prime mortgages, flippers and people that just got over their heads buying housing that cost way too much. Arggh.... Too much blame to go around, so how do you save the housing market and have people stay in their homes as well. So I guess it's fixed mortgages for 40 or 50 year periods. Now sure this is complicated and you'll have most people who are basically renting from their bank while building up a ton of equity but there has to be some modicum of control here to protect people from themselves.

I'm unsure whether it would be an FHA arrangement or through a GSE but for people who seem to have the potential to stay in their homes and pay a mortgage and have decent credit this could be an option and still maintain a free market image in the mortgage market.

These opportunities would also allow recent college graduates, working class as well as those transitioning from the military to get into decent housing and rebuild neighborhoods, these deeds would be protected from speculators by requiring that houses sold for more than a certain percentage higher than the initial cost of the home for a particular period of time have a very high capital gains tax.

PUBLIC WORKS ARE PUBLIC WORK

The third piece is to get the American people back to work. An economic stimulus bill, you know like the Bush checks isn't going to do much good. Some of us will pay off our debt, other squirrel it away for an even rainier day. The stimulus unfortunately (maybe) is going to have to go through states with it's inherent bureaucracy. With this being said, on top of the infrastructure building projects mentioned under the gas tax proposal, these funds can be "earmarked" for additional public works projects similar to New Deal projects targeted towards particular empowerment zones.

The strings need not be chains, but there must be some connections to particular needs of that community to help employ the unemployed but also serve a particular service to the community.

So there's my first few shots of advice, more to follow as we move into Jan 20th.

I'll Take Her

This morning, Elena, my wife and I got up earlier than usual to vote. We got there around 6:30 or so and a couple of people were waiting in line. Elena was a little fussy in her stroller so she got her way and I got out, I picked her up a muffin and coffee, Becky and I's little tradition is to get coffee afterwards and some breakfast but everything was kinda rushed, like everything is.

We couldn't get Elena to say vote or as Becky wanted "exercise your franchise". People started to line up behind us, a small wave of humanity waiting to exercise that franchise. I thought today of the billions around the world who can't vote, or vote in fixed elections and thought about our responsibility today as Americans. Casting a vote for the most powerful person in the world. Now that's really something, that power, that responsibility of putting so much power in the American people's hands, from the daughter of an ex-slave http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/story?id=6153625&page=1 to a soldier filling out an absentee ballot, an investment banker, an 18 year old kid in the 'bury getting his first shot at the process, whoever that American might be.

We shuffled up in line as the polls opened, Elena with her mama, me trying to maneuver a cup of coffee, a muffin and a stroller filled with everything my little girl could possibly stow away, a blizzard could come and we'd be prepared,even though it was a 5 minute walk away.

I have no idea who will be elected President tonite, and if that person is elected, what kind of President he will be. I know that there are a lot of men and women who got me up to this vestibule, these cube of democracy. Some of them wore a uniform, served in the sands, forests, jungles and mountains defending our country and making the world safe for democracy. Some of them weren't in uniform and fought the war at home for civil rights and for social justice, some of them fought to put food on our table, clothes on our backs and roofs over our heads, but alas I stand on the shoulders of these giants, casting my vote for the future of our own country and perhaps of mankind on earth.

Wow, so much responsibility. I was never one of those educators who told every kid they could be President. How trite it seemed to say that to a kid who struggled to get to school everyday for whatever reason, usually not a fault of their own. How trite is seemed to tell a kid growing up in OP, Jefferson Park, or Mattapan that one day they may walk those hallowed halls. All of a sudden, maybe I was wrong.

Obama was not my first choice for President, all those things, inexperience, naivete, etc. bothered me and the fact that the Democratic Party would nominate a Black man with a funny name for the post. Typical I thought of my party in it's usual suicidal manner, going with the liberal guy instead of the vital center. As I often say, I shed a tear when Obama gave his speech in 2004 at the Convention. An amazing rhetorician, in fact, that speech is printed out and hangs outside my daughter's door, along from some quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt who inspired Elena's first name. (her middle name is Nieves, my grandmother as I lay tribute to two of the most dominating women of the 20th century)

We made our way up to the polls, and got the ballot. I told my wife, "I'll take her." This was quite a life changing experience voting for Obama and I wanted my daughter to see that. She'll never remember unfortunately, it will be my own selfish pleasure. I voted for all ballot questions first, all the lower ticket items leaving the Presidential unchecked. Elena got to touch the pen before I filled in that final circle. And then the circle is complete.

My mother donated to the Obama campaign, the first time in her life that she donated to a campaign. There is something transformative going on. My hope is that it's good transformation. These are tough times and the next President is not going to cut taxes, is not going to make it easier on people and is going to have to make tough choices for a nation that has been living on fluff and credit for years. It's a scary choice, maybe people later today will avail themselves of the safe choice, McCain.

But I had an opportunity to vote for transformation, not because of the color of his skin but the content of his character. That a man that came from limited means with a dedication to education, intellect and hardwork could make himself at the pinnacle of the most difficult and greatest job in the world.

And you know what, I had a chance to take my little girl with me. While I'll never be President, I can honestly look at Elena Nieves Fuentes and tell her, "baby, you can be President."

And then she'll say "papi, kitty". OK, so it will take some time.

The Eye of the Tiger

The Final Debate
I'm lost without a clue
So how can I undo
The tangle of these webs I keep weaving
I don't know if I should be believing
Deceptive perceiving
But if you don't mind
I don't mind- The Buzzcocks

So the question is, how does McCain take the initiative? Does he go the Ayers/Rev. Wright route and totally sell out any principles he has left. I mean Obama is prepared for that, isn't he, it's like walking into an ambush.

Or does he start going down the foreign policy/national security road? Now this is very important territory but it may be kind of like worrying if your kid is going to drown in the river, while in actuality the house is on fire. It's the economy more than ever stupid, and I imagine that John would rather have Romney on his team right now rather than Sarah Moosenidiot.

Sarah Palin visited New Hampster today. They had a woman on the radio talking about that she was a hockey mom too and it was great to have a "regular" person going to the white house. Now we want regular people for one of the most important jobs in the world, the second for the most important job in the world. I'm sick of regular. I want amazing, I want intellect. You can have empathy for the common man, the regular guy, remember where you came from etc. without having to dumb everything down. Geez.

My favorite quote of the day from my sister about the economy, "wow, this is one of the few times that I feel good being poor". (meaning she hasn't lost anything)

9:00 PM Wolf Blitzer is the Brent Musberger of news, shows up everywhere and you wonder how the hell he has a job. Chuck Hagel's wife is attending with Michelle Obama, damn, think that dude is job searching?

9:03 PM He comes the best part of the debate, it's Xmas for everyone and costs no one anything. Does Obama go into 4 corners here, a little curly neal dribble or does he try to take it to the hoop. This debate is a battle for confidence, Americans need confidence.

9:08 PM Well, John you could always leave the Senate and go into plumbing. The BIG LIE of this campaign is that either taxes will be raised and/or entitlements will be cut. Just stop lying, both of you.

9:15 PM Random back and forth about cutting programs that don't work, etc. McCain needs a soundbite or two for someone to grab onto. He shouldn't refer to the Depression so much, it seems like he actually was there. He really hates that projector. He must have some bullets in his gun, he must.

9:23 PM This is really boring. Again without the whiskey. McCain has disappointed me so far, rehashing the same ideas. I've always liked McCain, is he trying too hard to remain calm, to not be the old angry guy?

9:30 PM Obama has the advantage of just being calm, who is the more medicated candidate. Joe the Plumber is back. It's about John Lewis and Joe the Plumber. And talking about the rallies. Wow, this is really stupid. Can we just give each candidate a two minute timeout.

9:36 PM Wow, a Republican bringing up voter fraud. Does anyone cares about Bill Ayers? I mean other than people who wouldn't vote for Obama anyway? People who think Obama is a socialist?

9:46 PM Hopefully Bob doesn't really want to talk about Climate control. Terrible question, "how many barrels?" John doesn't understand the fungibility of oil and the global economy. Ohio loves clean coal, so does Pennsylvania. Obama also doesn't understand the fungibility of oil either. Or this 700 billion dollar figure, we just want to toss huge sacks of money around.

9:53 PM Obama needs to go to South America. And was just compared to Herbert Hoover.

9:58 PM Is the Entitlement question coming up? Wait, John's gotta talk to Joe the Plumber again. And Barry's concerned about Joe thinking he's a socialist, too.

10:03 PM Would you leave Joe the hell alone? 47 million (who knows) without health care and we're worried about Joe paying a fine for healthcare? Every one of these interviewers/newsreaders/moderators has been terrible, anyone who talks about the federal budget and doesn't follow up on defense, medicaid, social security, medicare or debt service is just an idiot.

10:09 PM What does Joe feel about Roe v. Wade? Lily Ledbetter and Joe the Plumber. McCain is going to adopt all the babies.

10:16 PM The standard centrist education answer from Obama, finally smartening up to know that the teacher's unions aren't going to run out and vote for McCain en masse. TFA gets a shout out from Johnny! I start to stare into space when they talk education.

Thank God, this is the last debate, to me, a tie, but McCain had to win, he still looks angry and annoyed, which is fine if you're me, but not for the big job. Looking forward to writing about something besides debates.

Battle in the Bible Belt

The Battle Begins
I imagine it's a celebration of the working and middle class tonite. It's not your fault, it's the fatcats in Washington/Wall St. Town meeting style, so I imagine all the questions will be about traffic and weather. Or the price of gas and bringing back not existent well paying factory jobs that require only an 8th grade education and pay a living middle class wage.

There is a certain economic October surprise coming up for the first time in the history of the Ownership Society people will be opening up 401K and other retirement accounts in the next couple of weeks and literally see nest eggs that have evaporated by 15-20% even in conservative investments. What is this effect?

9:00 pm Who are these 80 undecided voters? Man, it's going to take them a long time to order pizza.

9:04 pm southerners? An hour and half, as slow as they talk, they're going to get through about 3 questions. Drink every time a candidate says "middle class", if they add family, drink twice. Apparently, the bald are a major percentage of undecided voters.

9:09 pm OK, so we're cutting taxes and taking on bad mortgages at the same time, awesome. Everybody loves Warren Buffett. I do to, Warren Buffett is not walking through that door.

9:13 pm I'm not sure the who took more money from Fannie/Freddie but all these guys are dirty and loaded with financial sector money and supporters. Unsure why Obama hasn't dropped the Hooveresque "fundamentals are sound" line on McCain's head.

9:23 pm McCain has a secret plan to fix the economy. McCain's "my friends" is Obama's "let's be clear". Obama knows gas prices but nobody, nobody wants to talk about entitlements other than we have to work together, the Congressional equivalent of "yeah, I really do need to lose some weight and exercise"

9:28 pm Some of these lines are getting tired. The 4 billion in tax cuts for oil country for one. Sacrifice? Whoa, good question. McCain hates overhead projectors. Apparently those are causing 500 billion dollar deficits. Nobody is going to answer the sacrifice question. Never mind, in theory it was a good question but no one is answering this question clearly.

9:35 pm WhooHoo, McCain's giving away money!!! And Obama agrees, everybody's getting rich and everybody's getting laid! Another attempt at the entitlement question. Obama skates around it, McCain is getting around a table with deceased Irish American politicians from both sides. OOOOOH, a blue ribbon commission........

9:43 pm Not to stereotype but young sister, are you really a young Black woman for McCain? Everyone loves nukes now. Because it's "clean" energy. More of the voted 23 times, 74 times bullshit, give it a rest, how about some details.

9:47 pm Barack, "the chant is drill, baby, drill." Sorry had a mild Palin flashback. Obama loves Bush and Cheney, my friends. And wants to vote for their pork laden bills.

9:51 pm My second debate in a row without whiskey, I totally forgot. Damn these two candidates are underwhelming. John, don't make me do math. Oh, good Lord, he's starting to sound like my wife's grandmother, I'll agree with you if you just stop talking.... Anything you want.

9:59 pm Good line by McCain about on the job training for commander in chief. One thing about these debates, at the beginning of debates can we all agree to agree that we all appreciate the service of our soldiers and that we are the greatest country on earth? It just starts to sound trite and insulting.

10:04 pm The Obama Doctrine, Tom, slow the hell down. Hmmh. An Angry Middle doctrine, I like it.

10:14 pm I don't want a friend, I don't want joe six pack, for the love of God somebody show some leadership! OK, maybe I want to really see a debate by the candidate's advisers. Nice use of the word apparatchiks but this should be the last debate, it's just getting repetitive.

10:21 pm McCain "OK, Professor Obama, it's time for me to take you outside and kick your ass. OK, it's back to who loves Israel more time.

10:31 pm Here is Obama's strength, rhetoric on the American economic experience as opposed to McCain's narrative as an American war hero. Both strong, but unsure if in the next 4 weeks that national security will take the upper hand. The Republicans are focusing on fear, things can get much, much worse without a steady hand, The Democrats have some of loose "hope" thing going on.

I have Obama on points on this one. McCain is OK, but he did come across as old. Wolf is a dooshbag,McCain has "disdain" for Obama, take your lazy non journalistic ass to US magazine.

Biden Time for Palintology

The Battle at WashU
Luke, it's a trap-Star Wars

Pregame Comments: Until I got old, my passion was pickup hoops. Anywhere, anytime. We'd play in the heat of the sun and chip ice off the courts to play in the winter. Between working the morning shift and night shifts at restaurants, whatever. I played with a lot of big guys, tall guys, generally where I used a lot of elbows and shoulders and pushing around. Of the probably thousands of pickup games I played, I played maybe a dozen or so with girls/women that were actually competitive games. Not shooting around with your girlfriend or sister but actually competitive games.

There is nothing worse than having to guard a woman playing hoops, particularly a woman who can play. I go back probably to the early 90's playing a game on the Cape. As the luck of the draw would have it, I was guarding a girl. Oh, but this girl was good, she could sink jumper after jumper, she was a college (D3) player. Eventually, you had to play your game, go to your strength, despite how embarrassing it may look to push a girl around.

Here's the issue that Biden faces tonite, he could be stepping into a trap underestimating his foe. Certainly the bar has been set very low for Sarah Palin here, any modicum of success will look like victory, Jumbly Joe need to go for every rebound, every put back tonite. Joe has got to be the knowledgable adult, not make up any stories and be prepared for the attack dog. My bet is that Palin's strategy is to come out with 4 or 5 zingers or soundbites for the next six weeks. To be repeated and drilled into people's heads. Outside of that, Palin needs to just cede her time and let Biden talk himself in circles. This debate is Biden's to lose, unless Palin just says something crazy.

AND WE'RE OFF
9:00 pm: Gwen shows her bias, a blue shirt Gwen, a blue shirt? "Can I call you, Joe?" See she's just a regular person. Governors are just like us, they call people by their first names.

9:06 pm: See a regular person, go to a soccer game. Right now the Governor looks scared and just keeps saying "John McCain". The Senator applies the "out of touch" retort

9:08 pm Palin celebrates the American worker again. "A team of mavericks?" Is that even possible, is that like an army of anarchists?

9:10 pm Palin celebrates the American worker again for being swindled by evil predatory lenders. Joe Six packs and hockey moms need to band together. Never again will we be taken advantage of. Okay that's a direct quote, that stuff is just awesome.

9:15 pm Fifteen minutes in. Palin keeps on the standard Republican talking points, Biden is attempting to bore people to death. Palin wins the flag contest, and gets extra points for the family service star.

9:17 pm Is there any particular reason that I'm not drinking whiskey, I feel like an in an AA meeting at a Grateful Dead Show. Everytime anyone mentions the middle class the CNN Ohio voters survey shoots up.

9:20 pm Biden is also middle/working class just so you know there are 100 US Senators and 50 state governors, regardless of income none of y'all would be considered middle class. I'm thinking of looking to see if there is a zoning board meeting on cable access, I'm on a charisma jones.

9:23 pm Say it Sarah, say it, say straight talk, say straight shooter. For the love of God.

9:28 pm It's the Wonk against the Hockey Mom. I'm pre-quoting Ed Rollins on CNN, "What the Governor said really resonated with the middle and working class those that are really struggling, she really knocked it out of the park" Look, Ohio voters, oil, cheap shiny oil (paraphrasing Mrs. Angry Middle)

9:31 pm The Sarah Palin science hour. Nice, we are legislating by chant now. For what it's worth, Biden seems to have disappeared and Palin is just swinging all over the place, hitting occasionally. Biden's pancake makeup seems to be taking over his face.

9:37 pm Biden uses the "m" word around same sex benefits (marriage). He's either an idiot, a maverick or is setting a bigot trap. Okay nobody likes gay marriage.

9:40 pm Obama hates America and hates the American troops. Barack Obama wants to wave a flag of surrender. OK, lets be real, no one is cutting off funding for the troops, geez.

9:48 pm More Kissinger love. "They hate freedom" is back.

9:53 pm OK, we all love Israel, let's move on. It's like kissing your sister.

9:55 pm I wish I had an Ed Rollins cam right now, 5 bucks he can't keep his hands off himself. Sarah is tripping all over her words about nuclear weapons, she has to go back to her notes about Afghanistan and building schools for children. Biden can't put her away on foreign affairs, he's got no killer instinct. Throw the elbow, get the rebound, Joe!

10:02 pm Biden starts to talk about his McCainesque travelogue. Finally 64 minutes in, Palin uses the "straight talk" line. Oh did you know she's an outsider and has a state that is rich in resources?

10:09 pm A team of mavericks. Sweet. "Say it ain't so, Joe, dog gone it" Wow, she's a fricking nut. I want to get hammered with her at a BC-University of Alaska hockey game.

10:16 pm This is my last whiskey-less political event. Hey, Joe take Article I and stick it up your @ss, D. Cheney. Sarah Palin is the stepford governor.

10:24 pm Joe actually shows a little energy and reminds me he hasn't overdosed on Lieberman's charisma medicine.

10:30 pm Fighting for average families, like those of a state governor? Is freedom going somewhere? Did I miss the memo?

Debate 1

SPINNING AWAY
The first debate, a rainy night in New England, a delay in a meaningless Red Sox-Yankees game in the middle of a fiscal crisis. After yet another inspiring Presidential speech on Thursday night, I'm on a true leadership bender.


8:46 PM Johnny Walker Red is kind of like the Old Thompson's, RC Cola or Mohawk Vodka of scotches, not your first choice but good to have around for occasions like this

8:52 PM Interesting but disturbing PBS NOW on the financial crisis, what a clusterf$ck. I wish some of our social security money was locked up in this well run free market. So what direction does this debate go in? Does it stay foreign policy? Or is it about the elephant in the room. But more importantly, who has the bigger flag pin, hug or handshake?

8:58 PM Where the hell have they been hiding Christiane Amenpour and Michael Ware? Are they starting to bring out actual journalists for this one? Campbell Brown is starting to impress me, all she has to do is throw Wolf Blitzer to the ground and pummel him and I'll be happy. Wolf just cleared up that the University of Mississippi is in Mississippi.

9:01 PM My US magazine report for Jodie. Jim Lehrer's shirt looks like a JC Penny's standard oxford. Barack wins the handshake with the extra grab. Barack has a little five o clock shadow, small flag, standard red tie in a four in hand not. Could get his eyebrows done.

9:05 PM Obama's first mention of Bush as McCain, also drops in trickle down economics. McCain drops a little thing about Teddy K. in, shows some humanity. Tie looks like windsor knot, more of a mavericks tie with a funky design. Flagless. More maverick like dress. Uses paraphrase of "end of the beginning" speech from Churchill post-Battle of El Alamein.

9:10 PM Eisenhower is the "new black" in American politics. Eisenhower would lead a military coup if he saw the American government like it looks like today. I really like both these guys, I wish both of them would stay in the Senate and lead. Time for the American worker love, I imagine it will soon be followed by the love of the American warrior, right before we try to screw both of them.
am
9:14 PM Score for McCain, earmarks as a gateway drug. Obama won't do it, but he should lead with "dude, there's like 18 people in your state, what the hell would you earmark, a cactus juice farm?"

9:16 PM First of Obama's favorite discourse marker "Let's be clear" Gets a paycheck everyday? Next McCain-Bush reference. Second "let's be clear" clocks in three minutes later.

9:20 PM If I were Jim Lehrer my next question would be "what's your favorite Barry White song, could you sing a line or verse?" Then I would ask why are either of your f#ckers talking about cutting taxes, aren't we giving away 700 billion dollars or about what the federal government spends on education in 14 years?

9:28 PM "What are you going to give up", Obama lists 100 things he'll want to spend on, uses the cut waste argument. McCain drops the "L" word on Obama. McCain goes anti-ethanol and starts talking about reform of defense contracts, well played.

9:31 PM I wondering if there is a way I could watch the Alaskan senate debate with Ted Stevens. Obama drops in the first internet reference Google for Gov't. McCain suggests a spending freeze on everything except where we spend all of our money, defense and entitlements. McCain quotes Pickens Plan commercial.

9:34 PM Nuclear power as an option. 35 new nuclear plants, interesting. Obama "orgy of spending". McCain mentions himself as a maverick, as well as his new partner. McCain seems calm, doing well, unsure why Obama isn't trying to push him off balance a little bit.

9:47 PM Obama hates the troops, he wants them to drive around in K Cars with slingshots in Baghdad. I think he hates America. There are only 4 countries in the world, the US, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Talleyban?

9:57 PM McCain's first I love Ronald Reagan mention but still disagreed with him. Both the candidates have bracelets with soldier's names on it.

10:03 PM Iran is a country as well, so is Israel. Can't allow a second holocaust. McCain steals "let's be clear" discourse marker. "League of Democracies", all I can envision is Thomas Paine with a cape on and a big D on his chest. Obama brings in China and Russia to the conversation, well done.

10:08 PM McCain ain't talking to anyone, he ain't even going to say his name right, I'll call him Teheran Ted if I want to, he and Caracas Carl get sit on their oil and eat crap. Obama will go talk to anyone and bring Michelle's shrimp dip with him. North Korea is also a country. So is it the League of Democracies v. the Axis of Evil?

10:12 PM McCain takes a shot at Obama's seal. Mentions Dr. Kissinger again, who's next Talleyrand, Otto von Bismarck? South Koreans are taller than North Koreans, saw it at the Pyongyang basketball championships. He's known Dr. Kissinger for 35 years. McCain likes Israel. And Dr. Kissinger.

10:16 PM Finally Russia! Nice line from McCain, looked in Putin's eyes and saw a K, a G, and a B. Well played. If Leonid Brezhnev rises from the grave, we got the guy to oppose him, Dr. K and Big Mac. McCain has been everywhere. There has actually been some nice pronunciation going on here. GW would be drooling and rolling around on the floor talking about Texas at this point.

10:26 PM Another disagreement with the administration, bringing on the 9/11 Commission. Safer. Obama intimates that America is the greatest country on earth. Likes veterans. McCain is trying to remember some of the Yiddish that Dr. Kissinger taught him, trying to encourage Boca Raton to have a foreign policy. McCain strikes back, calling Barry stubborn and comparing him to the current administration, touche Senator McCain.

10:35 PM Obama quotes himself from DNC 2004 speech. McCain likes veterans more than Obama.

Debate over. Unsure how Barack managed to not mention that he was at Ole Miss some 4osome years after it was integrated. Let the spin begin. Don't think this debate made much of a huge difference amongst the undecideds.

How to Win

WINNING THE RACE
I know people read the Angry Middle but I rarely get comments, mostly because my very clear points need very little clarification and my readers are quick to fall in line and spread my musings across the free world. I am the left center Rush Limbaugh.

My buddy Jon posted an interesting comment and a really nice description albeit written from his political point of view (although I do agree with him) and it made me think, what would the Democrats have to do to actually pull this election out. And I mean a strategy that wouldn't make me want to register for the Prohibitionist party. So I try to answer the question, what can the Democratic Party do to show that they are the party of moderates?

Most of my answers entail not playing defense all the time. Democrats always seem to be waiting for the next move and look like they have never seen or anticipated what is now a tired Republican playbook. Come up with some new ideas, don't be afraid to piss a few people off, particularly in your base, your base, except for the crazies are not leaving. You need to find the soccer moms, the security moms, the Reagan Democrats to lean your way to win the election. Here are a few issues I would hit, I know they're issues, not something the media really wants to cover or talk about because that would require reading and research but let's roll with in anyway.

It is amazing to think that such a disaster of an administration would leave even a potential for that party to retain the White House, of course part of this that I've been hammering away at for months is the Democratic selection of one of the only two candidates who could possibly lose this election despite their personal intelligence, skill or charisma, while the Republicans managed to nominate the only Republican who could possibly win. Obama needs to explain a simple ugly fact, before one bridge is built, Title I funding sent to a school, national park cleaned up or energy/agricultural subsidy is put out, 70% of the budget is already spent on defense/medicaid/medicare/social security and the national debt and all these are eating up bigger percentages every day, an ugly fact but people need to know, as abhorrent as senseless earmarks may be, they don't touch the big money.

So here's a couple to start with.

National Defense
Always a tough row to hoe, especially with a war hero candidate. The Republican argument will be that (as of Sept 23, 2008) there has not been a terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11. I would also argue that no one in my hometown has been attacked by a polar bear either. The anti-war crowd is yours already, no need to knock on Code Pink's door hoping for an Obama endorsement. You need to work on those who may have supported the war initially by hammering away at the lack of intelligence (both military/political and cerebral) on the part of the administration when the decisions were made and then quickly run to solutions while at the same time dousing soldiers, sailors, marines and airman alike with well earned praise.

Some major issues I would hit on is developing an exit plan for Iraq by talking to, wait for it, both allies and foes alike on how to solve the situation. Obama has got to sell the country on the idea the unilateralism is stupid, and expensive in blood, treasure, and international political capital. It is amazing to think that a country, more an idea really that has been put on a pedestal for so many years by billions of people around the world can now be seen as the biggest bully on the block. This makes some Americans happy, the idea of a whiskey soaked John Wayne walking into a bar and taking no guff and shooting everyone in sight is an attractive fantastic notion, but a little prodding and straight talk (yeah I said it) could make Americans see a different way, a President not afraid to use force when necessary, but sees it not as the first option. I still think there are people that think a Democratic president would have sent flowers to the Taliban asking them to tuck in Osama for them, folks have to be convinced when push comes to shove, the commander in chief will not hesitate to use the greatest armed force in the history of the planet.

A Democratic candidate also has to have a plan on Afghanistan complete with our NATO allies while at the same time looking forward to new threats, a growing China and an increasingly bizarre but petrodollar infused Soviet ehhr... Russia that seems expansionist while we're tying down our best brigades in Baghdad and beyond. These are realistic threats, realistic threats that become bigger as we start to lose junior officers and NCO's as they leave the service in frustration after multiple deployments that seem endless in nature. Obama needs to accentuate the fact that a military independent of political entanglements but strong civilian leadership is important. Officers must have the ability to speak truth to power without losing the prospect of promotion or career.

Good Government
OK, this is the boring one and probably the most self-centered as I am a public servant. The Republican argument is a great one, government sucks, ruins everything. It's a great argument because you can't lose, if the government does well, it's the Republican leadership, if it does poorly it's the entrenched bureaucracy. So how does government revolutionize itself, how can you get high quality empowered employees with great leadership. Government can be transformational, it is the only organization that can do the huge infrastructure projects and in fact can do government's biggest potential job, wage war. There are images both real and imagined of government bureaucrats as being useless, but sometimes it's because they are terrible and sometimes it's because they are hamstrung by political priorities that are not true policy priorities or by who can hire the best lobbyists or lawyers.

Obama needs to trumpet the need for an effective, honest and public service driven government and have ways on how it will be administered from Pentagon procurement to a ranger at Yellowstone to the clerk at the local social security office, government is a huge enterprise, how can it be taken from the power of lawyers and lobbyist to an organization that serves the people. Ensure that you will hire the best people and the best managers and leaders to get the job done.

Be prepared for the Republican response that Reagan "elegance" that government is the problem but lets say with elements like the current financial crisis that that ship has sailed.

OH YEAH, THE FISCAL CRISIS
OK, I own 110 shares of Freddie Mac, which has lost 99% of it's value. Yup, that's the point of investing, it's a calculated gamble, at one point last week I spent more money filling my gas tank than my entire Freddie Mac stock portfolio was worth. But investing is wins and losses. So now we bring ourselves to the current crisis, I broke my first rule, I have no idea how Freddie Mac makes money. The assumption was simple, back up some loans, take a cut, kind of like some cut rate Somerville bookie hanging around Virgie's. But no, that would actually be honest thievery. I can't explain this fiscal crisis and neither can anyone else. That's the problem, all these credit swaps, collateralizing, securitization and the mother of them all derivatives made everything so confusing and intertwined that Hank "the hammer" Paulson, new American overlord, requested one trillion dollars, no strings attached to try to clean up the mess. I have no idea what corner the President was hiding in at the time, but last I looked he won the election, and if I'm going to ask for hundreds of billions of dollars, it's probably a better idea that I ask for it myself.

The fiscal discussion is actually for my next post, I haven't really figured out what the hell they are doing and frankly it's Democrats and Republican fingerprints all over this, with the Republicans dusting off the old "it's Clinton's fault" thing. In fact some regulation is good, and this is a perfect example. Obama needs to hammer away on the need for adults to be in charge, the fact that it is not a good idea to have lobbyists making policy for the regulation of their own businesses but walk that narrow line of explaining that regulation will be able to temper an uncontrollable free market while at the same time saving the potential for the market to innovate and grow. Markets are good, when they are transparent and regulated and honest. I personally hate these bs derivatives and shorting and crap, to me they are all market manipulation. I may be old school, but if you like a stock, buy it, if you don't sell it, why does it have to be anymore complicated than that. If I want to buy a hotfudge sundae, do I have to sell the frozen hotdogs from the back of my freezer to hedge that purchase?

It's a tough line to walk for Democrats, to suggest more regulation but I think there is a good way to tap taxpayer anger here. The taxpayers who are paying their boring, vanilla fixed rate mortgages on time, looking at the huge amounts of interest they are paying over a lifetime and being not able to understand, how the hell the mortgage market could get so screwed up when they are paying so much damn money. (I'm sliding in between the third and first person here in my own frustration) There are the homeowners and others who are living in communities filled with foreclosures in key states like Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania wondering why some Wall St. fatcats are getting a bailout while their communities and home values continue to suffer.

These are tough questions for Obama to approach, certainly the first and easiest approach is to attack the problem with more government largess, but the real way is to stop the bleeding and say it won't happen again. The markets are already crying that the inability to short stocks is hurting financial stock growth. Hold on sister, if your kid crashes your car while drinking, you'll probably wait a while until he can borrow one again, and even longer until he gets to drive it alone at night.

Obama has to be convincing that this bailout money and process will be well managed and feed and prime the economy and not just the hedgefunders with balloon payments in the Hamptons. There is a large populist movement just below the surface that is fed up with the concentration on Wall St. instead of Main St. Obama needs to focus on this populist surge with real, tough talk on economics and not let the uberrich kleptocracy dominate the field of play.

Here are three zones where the Democrats could make some hay, attacking on traditionally Republican issues, veering away from the voting blocs that will already vote for them and may be of interest to the "Reagan Democrats" it takes to win.

PreElection General Musings

MY FATHER, THE LIBERAL?

It's funny but I don't usually think of myself as a liberal. I used to be pretty leftist, but that was until I owned a house and stocks. (little joke there) I'm not hiring Pinkertons to knock the Red's heads in yet but I'm pretty conservative about some things. I wonder how if will look in my daughter's eyes, born in the fear stricken, angry America as opposed to the America of hopes and dreams that I grew up in. (the current stupidity makes Reagan's America look like the Paris Commune)

But then again, on somethings, I'm not conservative at all. I wonder if someday liberals will be almost extinct, I mean there will be some wacky Cambridge types protecting geese and stuff but not necessary liberal families that pass down their values to their children. Some day will my daughter just look at me like I'm crazy and wonder what the hell is going through my head as I talk about things like civil liberties and civil rights and progressive taxation and crazy things like that. It will be a nation that is conquered by the fearmongers and the selfish and self absorbed.

I'm a strong believer in civil liberties, all of them not just the second amendment and those portions of the first amendment that are convenient at the time. I may disagree with people, but generally the basic building principle of this country is free speech and free press. Which makes me wonder about what happened in St. Paul with journalists being arrested while covering demonstrations (sometimes violent stupid demonstrations).

I'm a strong believer in support of other people, a concept that while a ownership society is nice in theory and hard work and innovation should be rewarded but at the same time there are many that do not have the opportunities that others do, and as the richest country in the world, we should be able to provide some modicum of health care, a decent education and access to housing. I guess my concept is that their should be some floor in life, but no ceiling.

I wonder if in my daughter's world, there will be any concept of this. There is currently an income tax repeal in the Commonwealth, brought by small government Ayn Rand type idealists, but likely to be voted on by good meaning people, people fed up by the corruption of government, both real and perceived. Government does a terrible job of "selling" what they do, and certainly there is waste, corruption and laziness, probably like any business. As a government employee it disgusts me more than any one, but there are many, many people who have chosen a life a public service, true believers, who believe in the power of government to positively transform the country.

So I guess this makes me a liberal, a capitalist one who watches his stock holdings pretty closely, is anti-abortion, fiscally conservative, even pretty conservative on security issues, but there are things that government can do (collectively) that individuals cannot. I believe that governments are responsible for the infrastructure that can make all of it's citizens successful, certainly the physical infrastructure, roads and bridges, but also the other things that make this country tick, health care, education, public safety and perhaps equally as important the regulations and rules to keep both corporations and individuals alike and protect the long term interests of the nation from the short term greed and avarice.

So, I guess I'm a liberal. Being American should be expensive. All blessings are expensive.

A NEW AMERICA
I choose not to write about education, because it is my field and it's the only way I could possibly get in trouble blogging about. But this is more about the idea of education as infrastructure. Which is one of my things. My access to public education gave me great things, social mobility among its greatest gifts but also curiosity. Things I will always appreciate. Access to a good education regardless of background whether it be of genetic or situational continues to be a major civil rights issue, and I think regardless of political background you would find agreement on this. Education is the silver bullet. But I digress, the point is not education as a civil rights issue in this section, but instead economic and workforce development.

America is in a weird place in its economic development. The old cradle to grave manufacturing jobs are gone for the most part and we are all puzzled about what the great next thing is. One thing we have figured out from the credit crisis is that we aren't going to all get rich by ripping each other off or just waiting for house prices to keep going up, up, up. An integral part of this is certainly going to be education and workforce development. Not the current structure of education that is preparing us for the industrial and agricultural jobs of the 19th century, but a system that allows us to innovate.

One might say that the greatest economic growth in the history of this country if not the world came after World War II. One argument may be it was the almost confiscatory nature of taxation during WWII and the ensuing Cold War that drove this development. Advocates for education will argue (and it may be hard to disagree) that such efforts such as the response to Sputnik and the National Defense Education Act, or even NASA efforts.

But, I really think the biggest effect was the people themselves. I have a theory on the post war effect of military service on economic growth, not only discipline through service and understanding a common goal but how military service even for enlisted men and NCO's provided them to ironically be independent thinkers, willing and able to take leadership roles within complex systems and an ability to lead when left or given the opportunity. These are some of the integral qualities of the so-called Greatest Generation, and in fact these qualities also were in the women who didn't serve in uniform, who had to work in defense plants etc, in non-traditional roles. Also you had "older youth/young men" who were able to access education on the GI bill, likely a much more serious student than the 18-19 year olds of today. A student who had served on foreign battlefields or even in rear echelon situations with a common cause has a great advantage over a student whose greatest challenge maybe finding a fake ID or not getting the dorm room they want.

So barring the challenges of another Great Depression or a third World War, how can the education system help to replicate the innovation in industry of the WWII and postwar economic boom (particularly the executive functions of innovative leaders) while utilizing the technological advances of the early 21st century? Here is the essential question for me. The vaunted 21st century skills to many appear to be access to technology, mostly because those are skills that 20th century folks are migrating too and having difficulty to understand, not completely wrong of course, but a great deal can be learned by having a common cause and understanding the interdependence of humanity that comes from striving towards this common cause.

So Thomas Friedman in his new book would argue (and I would tend to agree with him) that the greatest challenge of this generation is energy. It is not the Nazis marching on Natick or the Japanese attacking Pittsfield but it is an issue that can and will effect the American way of life in the next century. And not only the American way of life, but improvement of life across the earth as the struggle for energy continues while the rest of the world tries to move up to an American style of middle class with its requisite energy usage.

So the challenge is set. Can the education establishment step up and take to this challenge? Or will it become a self serving institution, much more concerned about the adults involved than the young people or the future of the nation. No, I can't compare this to the freedom of all peoples, there will be no liberation of evil but an evolutionary change in how we do business. Much of this challenge is on the students as well, can we engage them to see themselves as agents of change? With education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics being their weapons against certain environmental degradation and almost as certain warfare over dwindling fossil fuels? The die is cast. Drill, baby, drill may be a stupid if short lived concept, that may bring some short term relief to the adoring fossil fuel sycophants but it is a Pyrrhic victory.

The Day That No One Laughed

September 11th came and went, and becomes more distant in our memories. I always remember as most the exact place I was when I heard about it. I think about it as one of the few days I can remember that the sound of laughter was gone, a day without humor, probably the only day I can remember. Here's last year's entry if anyone is interested.

http://theangrymiddle.blogspot.com/2007/09/beautiful-day.html#links

Randomness

Welcome to the Palindrome
Didn't see this one coming. Who did. As my departed friend Tim Bartley would coyly say "interesting". There is a lot going on right now, a hurricane hitting the beleaguered city of New Orleans is distracting, the delay of the Republican convention and the pick of Sarah Palin being a little off the books for the GOP candidate.

Part of it is very interesting, actually all of it. The choice of a conservative woman from a non-consequential state with a huge history of corruption and graft. And a couple days later, we find out that her teenage daughter is pregnant. (so much for the ole abstinence education) And the left wing starts tripping over itself trying to make points off of it.

So what's the deal? This isn't a Mondale can't possibly win so I'll pick the crazy lady from Queens, this is a major candidate in a very close election. The idiot's (read media) analysis is that all the "18 million voters" will run to the female candidate, as if all these intelligent ladies who put money to Emily's List and pro-choice causes will suddenly fall to the moosemeat eating creationist, anti-choice governor of America's last frontier. But maybe it's smarter than we think. Maybe folks will like the youth to go along with McCain's experience. The comely Palin brings a certain life to a party that has been polluted by a very boring set of circumstances if not dynastic progression of Republican candidates both in the number one and number two spots. If it wasn't the conservative of the week, it was the next millionaire.

So along comes a woman that speaks to the American woman. A young, attractive and active woman with one older son, due to enter the nation's service, an infant with special needs, a couple of middle kids and coming to a nursery really far from you, a daughter that is due to give birth outside of wedlock. One might say, including myself for the 17 year old expectant mother, damn lady, were you taking care of business while trying to count the money coming out of the US treasury for the state? But no, every family in the country can identify with the miscreant nature of youth and certainly the GOP can spin this to their advantage. "What are supposed to kill your mistakes?", certainly a certain pride can be found in every issue of Parade magazine for a vice president as grandmother taking her infant grandchild into her own care in the United States naval observatory.

It's an interesting pick on McCain's part. The refrain across America from us liberals, was what an idiot, why would you choose a woman from a backwater state, having no real experience outside what is considered to be outside of Louisiana one of the most corrupt states in the nation to be part of a ticket? However this works right into McCain's former and beloved maverick roots. A standard Republican would take the next man in line, Romney, a young but stalwart conservative Republican governor, whoever was next in the receiving line, but McCain went off the map, making people wonder, maybe this is McCain 2000, not huggy McBush eating cake on Air Force One, but a real leader.

Some will fret at the thought of an anti-science, anti-choice, inexperienced governor being in the second seat of a former PoW, cancer surviving 72 year old candidate. But many are brought to action, to energy, by someone who "shares their values", a woman who lives a real life, a large life, outside the confines of many of us in the continental United States. It seems funny to me as a crazy, elitist, progressive egghead here on the Eastern seaboard, but maybe John McCain has cast his dice in a way that will re-energize "his base" and bring Reaganism yet another victory in the national election.

EL LOBO
Television journalism is an oxymoron. In fact, I'm not sure it even exists. With Russert gone, a certain

bottom dropped out. Glimpses of journalism can be found, of course Christiane Amenpour is a leader in the field that is frightfully underexposed and there are numerous other sideline reporters that seem to have a good head on their shoulders.

But mostly, it's a bunch of crap. Even with people I used to like. Lou Dobbs, of course, has gone off the deep end, supporting an odd nativist/independent/populist/anti-immigration/Luddite agenda, trying to somehow think he convince the world that globalization is a stoppable force. Lou has become a cartoon character, but you know what you are getting.

The "announcer" who makes me the most crazy is Wolf Blitzer. I seem to remember Wolf as a responsible journalist during Gulf War I, giving out what seemed like solid information and analysis. Suddenly he has morphed into a post-dementia version of an illiterate news reader. To say aloof insults those that are truly aloof. His perfect coiffed beard and hair seem to be his prominent characteristic along with his seeming disengagement with the topic at hand. The issue is that there seems to be some talent around him, such as Suzanne Malveaux, but it's the equivalent of having Butch Hobson managing the Red Sox.

I'm still waiting for journalists to ask the tough questions, to stop acting like they are working the Academy Awards for E or something.

The Road to the Convention

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU

There could be worse candidates than the two that we have now. In comparison to the current President, these two are virtually carbon copies of the founding fathers. I tend to be negative, just because being negative is usually a lot funnier than being positive.

Certainly we can all agree, from all different political spectra that getting the dry drunk out from behind the wheel will help America in the long run, no matter the challenges that we face both domestically and around the world.

OLE PLAIN MCCAIN

McCain the Maverick was a pretty attractive candidate. In 2000, one wonders what would have happened if John hadn't been smeared and bullied out of the top spot by a GOP with a bizarre theocratic, imperial dream of the Presidency. Now 8 years older, he seems a little more feeble, a little more "Republican" but still has a lot more flavor than most members of the GOP.

I sometimes like the angry McCain. It may actually be one of his strong points for many voters. People like emotion, although it might not seem like a good idea to have an angry guy with his finger on the button, emotion usually goes hand and hand with honesty. The scariest people to me are the people that are always calm. Are they ready to explode? Do they have some secret that they are trying to hide? McCain has always been challenged by his speaking his mind, generally you may not agree with him but you know what he stands for.

The veteran McCain is important to many people. Military service and leadership, while not being integral to being President provides a strength that not many of the younger generation understand. In a young population where those who serve is very small, there is not the shared experience of the military, with it's chain of command, the nature of combat outside of a video game, etc. McCain by anyone's measure is a war hero, surviving a horrible experience that would fracture the very soul of a lesser person. Years in a hole and of torture will certainly give you an unique insight to the human experience. Certainly some inherent negativity and mistrust but also a brotherhood and commitment that few can understand.

McCain will not bury this country, probably doesn't have the progressive vision many of us want but certainly will not be beholden to the neo- and theo-crats that have tried to create a twisted American nightmare.

A WANDER OBAMA

Being old is a strength in a weird way, being old usually means you've seen a lot and experienced the world. In my own life, I've seen the post get passed from those of the Greatest Generation to that of the Vietnam generation, and knowing the pervasive immaturity of my own generation, it is difficult to think of this mantle being passed along at this time. It is hard to conceive of children living in the White House, "did you do your homework?", "be nice to your mother".

Experience does matter, I'm not saying my wife's grandmother should be President, but her mistrust of the Russians does but her one better than the current President. Intelligence of course matters, and the ability to know what your limitations are. Perhaps the most important task of a Presidency is whose counsel you take.

I think that Obama will probably realize when he doesn't know stuff and go to the experts. "He doesn't have military experience", well OK, he won't plan the invasion of Colombia then, we have people that are really skilled at that sort of thing. One of W's failings was "general shopping", going around until he found the answers that he wanted. Hopefully Obama, if President, like Lincoln will see that strength in service is often found in those that you may not be in line politically or agree on every issue.

MIDDLE AGED WHITE GUYS: THE NEW NICHE VOTE
Who gets the fat white guy vote? That's your next President. Every Sat and Sunday, if I were a candidate, I would just go tailgating at football games, talk to people, eat brats and play with kids. HS Friday nights, Sat college, Sunday pro's, every other demographic is a wash, there ain't no prius drivers for McCain, there ain't no pro-life evangelicals for Obama.

Obama gets 30-35% of this fat white guy vote that just wants to be left alone and drink beers and he wins in a landslide, instead we parade a bunch of NARAL, AFT, MTA and SEIU people up in front of the podium. The preaching to the choir, the pep rally that is endemic to conventioneering.

It's not just white guys, of course, that are in this particular demographic but a ton of people who seem to be missing from the big tent as I watch the Democratic convention. Working guys who may be Asian, Black, Latino, what have you, who want to be asked for their vote, who want their voice to be heard, but then left the hell alone, they are the non-activists. There is no Bubba's List that I know of, to elect moderate, lunch bucket/Hardee's/pizzeria candidates for local or national office.

You'll hear all sorts of pandering to the working and middle class over the next couple of months, of people out of touch, etc. A call for more tax cuts that will actually leave the middle class less secure in their future but it sounds good as a sound bite, etc. Crap about gas prices and drilling that have nothing to do with securing health care and retirement. You know, what we in France call f#cking lies.

You want to win Barack, go talk to real people, people who have been smitten by fear, rattled by ineptitude and tell them why they should vote for you. Not why they shouldn't vote for the other guy. All this wonkish, policy stuff is just fodder for us egghead, intellectuals to toss around, while the vote is decided by real worker. You want those votes, you got Barbara Streisand's, you got Ben Affleck's, move on.

A Democratic Bucket of Spit

So we're off with Democrats. With no real no-brainer here that will seal the deal, who's the person that will go down in flames in November? Here's my random list, probably none of who will be nominated.

THE DELIBERATIVE FELLAS
There are a number of folks in the world's greatest deliberative body that may have a chance for the no. 2 spot. In a meritocracy, to make the trains run on time, Joe Biden is probably a strong choice. He knows foreign policy, would be a strong speaker on the use of smart or soft power, etc. But he brings you Delaware. I'm unsure if Delaware is a big deal in the electoral math. He's also a little bit goofy. Bayh is another guy I'm sure on many pundits short lists. I honestly don't know much about him. An authentic midwestern guy with strong Democratic bloodlines, former chair of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council and well regarded Governor of Indiana, yeah so he will play to all 837 independent, undecided centrist voters who vote on good management and free trade all across the country. None of these guys fit into the electoral math.

JOHN'S MONKEY BUSINESS
How the somewhat mighty have fallen. If you believe the tabloids, John Edwards "Two Americas" consist of a girl friend on the west coast and his lovely wife back in North Carolina. It's a good thing the endorsement of the Angry Middle didn't carry Edwards to the nomination. John may have taken his RFK mantle just a little two seriously. John won't be the VP candidate whether his hands were in the cookie jar or not, but I couldn't help myself in making an RFK and Gary Hart reference in the same paragraph.


THE THIRD VIRGINIAN
Jim Webb would have probably been the most interesting of VP candidates, providing a cache that a Navy Cross winner, former Republican with a Iraq vet son could provide. As a hot head, the debate would have been something, I like Jim Webb, but I like him in the Senate a lot better. Mark Warner also seemed like a strong Virginian, but along come Governor Tim Kaine. I got no problem with Kaine, no one is ever going to confuse him with John Edwards and the $400 haircut. Kaine is part of the movement that is turning Virginia blue, a key state in the election. He is also one of the Democrats that will piss off the liberals in the party with his pro-life views and ironically may bring some non-Democrats to vote Democratic because he pisses off a few liberals, nothing make people vote Democratic more than a Democrat that pisses off liberal. Also as a Governor he brings that executive experience that will likely balance out a Governor that will be nominated by the GOP.

THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE
If the Democratic Party machinery really just wants to throw 2008 away and save some money for 2012, nominate HRC for the vice presidency. This way people who are sexist or racist will both have a reason to vote the other way. Hillary was likely the most polarizing political entity in recent history until George W. Bush's recent escapade to run the country into the ground. Honestly despite commentary to the contrary, there are about 17 knucklehead Clinton supporters that are going to stay home or vote for McCain in November if she is not on the ballot. There are very few candidates who will elicit bumper stickers that say Defeat Hillary when she is no longer even running for anything. Again I don't really know what it is, what really pisses people off about her. A powerful woman? An opportunist? A feeling that being the wife of a former two term President doesn't necessarily entitle you to the Oval Office? The selection of HRC as VP is a sign of surrender, not just for this election but for the entire Democratic party, if this is the choice just fold up the tents because you have become totally out of touch with America.

THE GENERALS
With Senator Obama's short national security resume in a time of a Global War on Terror, the Generals become a very interesting choice. I'm a Wesley Clark guy, hard to put anything past a combat vet who's a Rhodes Scholar who was head of NATO and ran a war in the Balkans. He is often slandered "for almost causing WWIII", which in this time would just be considered some posturing and toughness with the Ruskies. In a campaign that's just stupid, even commenting about someone else isn't allowed unless it's a personal attack on someone, so his comments about Senator McCain and national security were just seen as a personal attack instead of reflecting on someone's real credentials. So it's difficult to see if Clark is a front runner. General Anthony Zinni is another attractive if not hidden candidate, if in fact he would want to give up the fat jobs of corporate directorships and teaching at Duke. Zinni was an early anti-Iraq war general referring to it as the "Bay of Goats" If not as VP, Zinni would be an outstanding NSC chief, as another combat vet with an incredible mind, not appealing to his patriotism to serve again in a post-Bush America for either party would be a loss.

THE ELDER STATESMAN
You know what this ticket is missing? An old white guy from the south. I had kind of forgotten about Sam Nunn. Always knew him as one of those hawkish Democrats. His nomination would be considered to be "the adult in the room" nomination, similar to the selection of Dick Cheney in 2000, and that worked oh so well. I'm not comparing Nunn to Cheney but that was the initial intent way back there at the turn of the century. I like Nunn, why he would give up teaching at a school that's named after him is beyond me, to do the real hard work of redefining Executive power in the post-Bush years. But maybe he's the adult we need.

THE OTHER WOMAN
In any other election, Kathleen Sebelius, the Governor of Kansas would be an interesting candidate. Democratic governor of a red state, known for working bipartisan angles, likely a good VP to work across the aisle. I'm not sure if the country is ready for search a "diverse" ticket. And the fact that she too is lacking in national security cred does not work in her favor. Barry and Katie leading the US into a post 9/11 world may not resonate with middle America being that on 9/11, Obama was a state senator and Sebelius a state insurance commissioner, not exactly the two jobs that inspire you in a war against Islamic extremism. Sexism is sexism and a guy is always going to appear tougher.