Change is good...

As I celebrate with the rest of the country on this night, I'm struck by the fact that the truly historic nature of tonight still hasn't hit me.  Although I was born and raised in the United States, I've still grown up as a minority in this country and in some subtle ways have had to deal with the hurdles that entails.  Now, my struggles are in some respects pretty minor compared to other minority groups (and even some in my own minority group).  I haven't had to deal with too much blatant racism, low expectations, or hidden mistrust based solely on the color of my skin.  Still, there have always been subtle reminders growing up that I'm not white.  My entire life, I've tried to shrug off such things.  Much of this is a result of the environment I grew up in, essentially separated from minority groups of my own kind.  Perhaps some of it, too, was my defense mechanism to try and fit in.  But I like to believe that some of it was my way of trying to prove something I've always believed--we're all equal Americans in this country, and the minute I start making categories for anybody is the minute I've become a racist myself.  

I've prided myself in the thought that I had the potential to achieve anything my own intellectual and physical abilities were capable of, and I tried not to see my race as a barrier to my potential.  Yet reminders of the state of this country and the ignorance that still exists becomes more apparent to me day by day.  But as we celebrate the election of our 44th President of the United States, I again see hope that what I grew up believing is truly achievable.  And I'm proud of the fact that perhaps the majority of people that voted for our next President didn't support him to make some sort of statement about race.  They did it because they were truly moved by his words, ideals, judgement, and leadership.  

Thank you, Barack Obama, for reaffirming my belief in the American dream.  You've truly inspired all of us to believe that "Yes we can."

Rants and Raves

Since when did I begin to care so much about politics? It is not so much the outcome of what is unfolding tonight in terms of the election, but how I believe that it unfolded.

It began for me by looking at the election results for my county, and seeing that there is only one contested Republican that won. This does not bother me, what bothers me though is that almost all of the winners won by an amount that is almost completely identical with the number of straight party ticket votes.

I have heard many educated people talk about there being some qualification other than age for voting. Examples include, a certain level of education attained, a certain level of income, or even holding voting to happen on one day. I don't agree with the examples listed, but I do feel like every citizen should do his or her civic DUTY to research the candidates.

Allowing an option for a straight ticket vote only enables an absent civic duty. This goes for both Republican and Democratic parties. I believe that not only should this not be an option when voting, but that there should also not be any party affiliation of one individual listed on the ballot. I believe that then you would end up with people voting the way they do for judges - either blindly or with a well prepared civic duty.

I performed my civic duty before voting. I ended up voting not only for Republicans and Democrats, but I even voted for the Libertarian candidate for some seats. Maybe it is because I have become a parent and this sort of stuff crosses my mind now, but I am going to make sure that my children see the value in civic duty.

[Update: Obama has been announced as our next President. I do look forward to his Presidency, and I hope that the idea of change he has spoken of can happen.]

I don't know about Lando, but Chewbacca definitely has my vote...

On the eve of the Presidential election, here's something to lighten up the mood a bit.  And let's all break out the Colt 45 tomorrow night for whomever ends up being our next President:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

By the way, is that the Washington D.C. subway tunnel in the background that's standing in for some Star Wars locale?

There may be hope for this country yet...

Check out this short video from the BBC.  I say there's hope not because this guy is supporting Obama, but because he's looking beyond race and color to vote for the candidate he feels will do the best job in leading this country.  I'm a bit embarrased and ashamed to admit that I probably would have grouped him into the stereotypical redneck category upon first glance.  I may never automatically make fun of anyone wearing a NASCAR hat again.

And if Colin Powell's endorsement wasn't enough...

I give you the great Stephen Colbert!

I can't believe who's in the news these days...

Actually, I don't really know who he's decided to vote or not vote for:

Damn, I forgot to write-in Brad Esposito...

So I early voted today. What does that mean? I don't have to read or listen to any of the political rhetoric until 2009 when the next President is sworn into office! WOOHOO!

I'm not sure I like these electronic voting booths, though. I don't think you can even call it a booth. Just a little screen with a six inch divider on either side. I'm pretty sure I could have seen who the woman next to me was voting for if I looked over. What ever happened to the full privacy booths with currents and such? I miss my hanging chads!

Man, I've missed this guy...

Not that you really needed another reason to vote Obama...

I've always admired Colin Powell and I've told Lemon repeatedly if he ever even considered running for President, I'd fill out my ballot and give him my vote right on the spot.  He always appears very calm, intelligent, and nonpartisan in any of his appearances and seems to look at things in a very thoughtful, logical manner. His argument before the United Nations that was instrumental in our invasion of Iraq will forever be a black mark on his career, but I still give the guy credit for admitting he was wrong.  That's what I call honorable.

Of course, Powell has said he has no ambition for the highest office in the land, but I still like to listen to his opinion as to who he's voting for come November:



I think political historians will look back on McCain's campaign in a pretty negative light. The whole "lipstick on a pig" crap they were trying to hype up was just the beginning. Since then, his campaign has sunk lower and lower into the mud. I used to think McCain was a pretty honorable man himself, but there's only so much your military career history can stretch to give you a pass. In just a few months, he's gone from someone I admired in the Republican Party to one that's joined the worst of them. He's been saying in all his stump speeches and debate rhetoric that he and his fellow congressmen were "elected into office to change government, and instead it changed us." It's sad that he let the far right change him in this way. Sure, you have to get elected first to get into office before you can change anything, but this negative strategy is not what America wanted or needed right now, and certainly it's not what he needed to get elected.  Some have said that McCain's presidential aspirations will be looked on in a tragic light as a man whose ambitions were squashed twice by George W. Bush. The first being the 2000 Republican primaries and the second being Bush's abysmmal approval ratings making it difficult for any Republican candidate to get elected. Unfortunately, I don't think McCain can blame W. on this one--he'll lose this one all by himself.

Every so often, I kind of fear for my life...

I don't mind people criticizing a candidate's experience, policies, or overall character, but it's so depressing (and a bit maddening) to see Americans who still have such a narrow-minded and racist view of their fellow citizens here in the United States.  I'm actually almost worried about a second Civil War if Obama is elected in November based on the almost hatred these people have for the guy.  

To be fair, if you had a Republican blogger going to a Democratic rally and pulling a "Michael Moore" kind of interview like this, I'm sure Obama supporters would have some critical things to say about McCain and Palin that may look a bit fanatical.  Still, their rants would probably have something grounded in things that they did or did not do.  It would have nothing to do with what their ethnic background was nor with what their name sounds like.  

This video is downright disgusting.  I'd almost classify it as NSFW because it'll just leave you in a foul mood for the rest of the workday.  Be sure your desk is free of things to throw at your monitor before viewing:

Perhaps the only way McCain is going to pull off a win this November...

Something tells me Wander doesn't think such a diabolical ploy is really all that preposterous:

Enough is enough...

For this entire presidential campaign season, I was really trying to keep an open mind about who I would vote for come November, and wait for the debates to decide. I truly believe John McCain is a decent guy and a true patriot. I was even willing to give the Sarah Palin VP pick a pass, 'cause what in the world was he supposed to do to get back in the race other than throw a wrench into the whole gameplan? However, the fact that he allowed this whole "lipstick on a pig" fiasco yesterday to not only grab 15 seconds of traction, but also approved a whole commercial completely distorting the original context of the quote, really rubbed me the wrong way and has totally destroyed any faith I had in the guy that he could truly stay above the fray. Sure, Karl Rove and his underlings are more than likely behind this whole thing (and even perhaps the whole disaster that is our involvement in Iraq), but McCain is still ultimately the man in charge of the tone of his campaign. If he lets sh*t-slinging like this through, I can't imagine what it would be like if he was in the Oval Office.

The worst thing about the whole "lipstick on a pig" business is that it's probably playing to a whole ignorant, uneducated demographic that perhaps saw a five second blurb about it and didn't stay to research the real context of how Obama used the phrase (or the fact that McCain has used the phrase himself in the same manner). We probably have a whole section of America that's convinced Obama is some sort of sexist based solely on the press of this thing.

So my vote is for Barack Obama. It probably won't count for much, given the electoral college system and the state I live in, but who cares?

This could be the smartest thing McCain has ever done.

McCain announced his running mate (tee hee hee), Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, and SHE'S AN ABSOLUTE BABE. I want to be mauled by this cougar. Issu-what? Platfo-what? Gimme eye candy in the oval office!

Is this why Obama didn't choose Clinton as his running mate? Did he know about McCain's choice ahead of time, and didn't want unfavorable comparrisons?

If McCain is elected, I want him to abdicate all TV air time to his VP. I will watch every state of the union address she gives. Repeatedly.

Ahh, politics...

I'm sure most of you have already heard about this little bit about Jesse Jackson making some unfortunate remarks about Barack Obama caught on air while he thought his microphone was off. No big deal, but I thought it was laughable that he comes on today with his apologies and claiming that he and Obama are good friends. If that's the case, may "I just want to cut your nuts off" be the cordial greeting all of us here in the Kool-Aid Gang say to each other whenever we meet.

I'm not sure if this is a good way to get the men's vote or to distract them into not voting at all...

I think Barack Obama has a pretty good shot at becoming the next President of the United States based on the enthusiasm he's drummed up amongst old and young alike. Campaigns like "Boobs for Barack" can't hurt either.

NSFW for lots of hooters. Hey, it's for a good cause, right? Hehehehe...

Another four years?

I was reading this article in The New York Times about some of the infighting and disorganization going on in the Clinton camp, and thought this kind of sounded familiar. It's like what most of the critics of the Bush administration complain about:

Still, interviews with campaign aides, associates and friends suggest that Mrs. Clinton, at least until February, was a detached manager. Juggling the demands of being a candidate, she paid little attention to detail, delegated decisions large and small and deferred to advisers on critical questions. Mrs. Clinton accepted or seemed unaware of the intense factionalism and feuding that often paralyzed her campaign and that prevented her aides from reaching consensus on basic questions like what states to fight in and how to go after Mr. Obama, of Illinois.

Mrs. Clinton showed a tendency toward an insular management style, relying on a coterie of aides who have worked for her for years, her aides and associates said. Her choice of lieutenants, and her insistence on staying with them even when friends urged her to shake things up, was blamed by some associates for the campaign’s woes. Again and again, the senator was portrayed as a manager who valued loyalty and familiarity over experience and expertise.

Just based on this article, I'm not sure Hillary sounds much more competent as a leader than George W. For all the hoopla about how the country needs a new kind of leadership and an end to cronies, I'm not sure the Democrats can provide it either if the Clintons were back in power.

And I actually find it kind of sad how the Dems are yet again screwing up a perfect opportunity to get some semblance of control in the government simply by a bunch of infighting. I'm not sure McCain has to do much except let the two Democratic nominees beat each other up until the Democratic Convention. And this whole debacle with the disenfranchised primary votes in Michigan and Florida--only the Democrats could create such a fiasco. You can always leave it up to the Democrats to shoot themselves in the foot and start the whole contest with a handicap.

Nike had "Just Do It!"

Barack Obama has "Yes We Can."

I saw a little blip on the news tonight about this video put together by Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. Its kind of a catchy video.

This from Pearl Jam?

Based on the results of Super Tuesday, it looks like Barack Obama may have a chance to squeak by Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, which would make me happy on so many levels. Considering John McCain pretty much has the Republican side of things wrapped up (barring Chuck Norris roundhouse kicking him out into space in his support of Mike Huckabee), I can foresee an Obama vs. McCain matchup come November. It's strange that I find it hard to decide which one of these guys I'd vote for, considering that their platforms are polar opposites in many ways. I head this campaign song for Obama, though, that was written and performed by a few members of Pearl Jam which made me think twice. I'm almost leaning back to the right just so I won't have to hear "Rock Around Barack" endlessly on election night.

Pigs are flying...

WTF? Sometimes, I think Ann Coulter just says stuff for the publicity:

That sounds kind of familiar...

I never took Barack Obama for a plagiarist. Perhaps he's just a huge movie fan like most of us here in the Kool-Aid Gang: