I'm going to have to find out more about this Alaskan governor Sarah Palin. On the surface, I am not very impressed from what I have read so far. I am mildly surprised by how soon the world has forgotten that another woman, over 20 years ago, has already been the VP nominee: Geraldine Ferraro. Whether or not this was a smart move or a shot in the foot instead of across the bow...well, we'll find out soon enough.
But all I know about Alaska is they just had some corrupt senator get indicted for accepting various funds through allegedly improper channels. And since Alaska has a population smaller than that of Delaware, I just wonder how much leadership she has over anybody else. But if someone can point me to some intelligent source that provides an unbiased review of her credentials, that would be great.
I am also mildly disturbed with McCain touting her as someone ready to be president. Isn't he running to be president?
Showing posts with label national political news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label national political news. Show all posts
Friday, August 29, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
If Biden is VP, is this a good thing for DE? Absolutely.
For the most part, I have avoided commentary on the national political race (or the state ones for that matter) because whatever my comments are, at least on this particular forum, are going to be lost as white noise. Hopefully my comments regarding Sen. Biden will hopefully come across as more thoughtful than some other random rants I have seen on the internet on this topic. My own political affiliations and philosophy are disclosed below.
With rumors swirling about Sen. Biden being a potential vice presidential candidate, I think it works out much better than the media is letting on. So my point is clear, I think he's a good pick. Will he get it? That I don't know, but I think the answer is yes. At the very least, I'm sure he's in consideration for a cabinet position, which also works out well.
The reason why I think Biden will be good is not just for the wealth of his foreign policy experience, but that he's from Delaware. He will be able to make sure that whatever Obama's economic policy is, it will not fiscally bankrupt the corporate universe. That will have to make Wall Street happy. Whether the average Delawarean realizes the impact Delaware has on the rest of the country is of little consequence; my point is that Biden does, and if he does, and is VP, that means Obama does too. In other words, Delaware, and more importantly, the American economy, should be pretty safe.
Of course, the top 3% of the individual tax world will probably be screwed regardless of who the next president is because our country is on the verge of a fiscal calamity, but I would suspect the ultimate tax plan of either candidate can be massaged to protect those relevant business entities (i.e., those small business owners who are shaking in their boots over worry over how they will be taxed on their less-than-stellar earnings for FY08). Biden only helps to ensure that that in fact happens, or so that's the assumption I'm going to stew over for now. We'll find out in a couple of days of what exactly his role is going to be in this process, and whether Sen. McCain is able to effectively respond with his vice presidential candidate.
Then comes the matter of who will take over for him in Senate. That, of course, will be a much less national issue, but most definitely an interesting one. Go Delaware!
Disclosure: Politically, I am fairly conservative on most issues, particularly financial ones, and moderate on some others. In one sentence, I disfavor big government, favor state's rights, and favor minimal government interference with state's rights to the extent that the government should dictate national policy and provide guidance to the states. To the best of my understanding, that makes me a modern Reagan Republican, although most younger Democrats probably have similar beliefs (which suggests that we probably are closer to a one-party system than the partisan one that plagues the current media coverage). I am not affiliated with, nor endorse with these comments, any candidate for state, local, or national office.
That being said, I may have discussed a few months ago whether Sen. Biden should be considered for the presidential nomination, and agreed with the majority of pundits that the answer was that he probably would not be considered, even though he was significantly more qualified than either of the then-front runners. Personally, right now I am more in favor of Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain, at the very least because he is much closer to my age. I speculate that age will be an underlying issue more than it is currently playing out, but I'll save that commentary for a more intelligent poster. If anything, watching their debate on the tv the other day suggests that one candidate is quick to respond without thinking and the other thinks about what he's going to say, but sometimes it's difficult to get the point. Is one method better or worse? Again, I'll defer that pregnant pause for someone else or another day.
With rumors swirling about Sen. Biden being a potential vice presidential candidate, I think it works out much better than the media is letting on. So my point is clear, I think he's a good pick. Will he get it? That I don't know, but I think the answer is yes. At the very least, I'm sure he's in consideration for a cabinet position, which also works out well.
The reason why I think Biden will be good is not just for the wealth of his foreign policy experience, but that he's from Delaware. He will be able to make sure that whatever Obama's economic policy is, it will not fiscally bankrupt the corporate universe. That will have to make Wall Street happy. Whether the average Delawarean realizes the impact Delaware has on the rest of the country is of little consequence; my point is that Biden does, and if he does, and is VP, that means Obama does too. In other words, Delaware, and more importantly, the American economy, should be pretty safe.
Of course, the top 3% of the individual tax world will probably be screwed regardless of who the next president is because our country is on the verge of a fiscal calamity, but I would suspect the ultimate tax plan of either candidate can be massaged to protect those relevant business entities (i.e., those small business owners who are shaking in their boots over worry over how they will be taxed on their less-than-stellar earnings for FY08). Biden only helps to ensure that that in fact happens, or so that's the assumption I'm going to stew over for now. We'll find out in a couple of days of what exactly his role is going to be in this process, and whether Sen. McCain is able to effectively respond with his vice presidential candidate.
Then comes the matter of who will take over for him in Senate. That, of course, will be a much less national issue, but most definitely an interesting one. Go Delaware!
Disclosure: Politically, I am fairly conservative on most issues, particularly financial ones, and moderate on some others. In one sentence, I disfavor big government, favor state's rights, and favor minimal government interference with state's rights to the extent that the government should dictate national policy and provide guidance to the states. To the best of my understanding, that makes me a modern Reagan Republican, although most younger Democrats probably have similar beliefs (which suggests that we probably are closer to a one-party system than the partisan one that plagues the current media coverage). I am not affiliated with, nor endorse with these comments, any candidate for state, local, or national office.
That being said, I may have discussed a few months ago whether Sen. Biden should be considered for the presidential nomination, and agreed with the majority of pundits that the answer was that he probably would not be considered, even though he was significantly more qualified than either of the then-front runners. Personally, right now I am more in favor of Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain, at the very least because he is much closer to my age. I speculate that age will be an underlying issue more than it is currently playing out, but I'll save that commentary for a more intelligent poster. If anything, watching their debate on the tv the other day suggests that one candidate is quick to respond without thinking and the other thinks about what he's going to say, but sometimes it's difficult to get the point. Is one method better or worse? Again, I'll defer that pregnant pause for someone else or another day.
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Tuesday, March 18, 2008
A double standard for governors and the women they sleep with
This is a rather simple observation: Obviously the New York Governor Spitzer's sex scandal involving a $5500 call girl is all the rave as of late. Ultimately, the embarrassment and nature of the offense led to his resignation and political and personal humiliation. If this event basically undid his political career, why is the same society so anxious to reward his escort, the now famous and in-demand Ashley Dupre? Between music downloads, a book deal, offers from particular movie and magazine companies, she seems to be coming out on top in this situation. It just seems rather backwards to me.
I'm almost of the mindset that if she's been rewarded this much, maybe he was not as in the wrong as the media made him out to be (notwithstanding his previous prosecutorial conduct in that particular area). Almost.
I'm almost of the mindset that if she's been rewarded this much, maybe he was not as in the wrong as the media made him out to be (notwithstanding his previous prosecutorial conduct in that particular area). Almost.
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Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A response to Robert Klaus's "Iowans are usually wrong" letter to the editor
With two plus years of campaigning, and regardless of who wins either nomination and ultimately the presidency, the news will finally have something else to talk about other than the primaries in less than 11 months. In the meantime, I feel compelled to respond, and perhaps will even pen a response if someone else does not, to another "letter to the editor."
This one, written by Robert Klaus of Milton, is titled "Fortunately, Iowans are usually wrong" and appeared on page 5 of the January 8, 2008 edition of the Delaware State News. As he is perfectly entitled to do, he gives his opinion on some of the current presidential candidates, namely Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. I care as much about his opinions as he probably does of mine, but he can form them in any way he wants, and that's the way things are and how they should be. What bothers me is the misinformation he uses to form his opinions, and how his opinions may be used erroneously to misinform others.
Of Clinton, Edwards, and Obama, I agree that none are without their faults, and each have things they can bring to the table. Since he doesn't really speak of the Republican candidates, I'll focus solely on his argument about the Democratic ones.
Here's a thought: If Sen. Obama was a white protestant from California, who also had a Harvard Law degree and was a state senator for seven years before becoming a U.S. Senator, would this election even be close? If you think the answer is no, then what do his race, name, or religious beliefs matter?
I'm not going to do Klaus's internet research for him. And while perhaps I have become a little more colorblind in my old age, I'm not foolish to think there isn't still racism prevalent throughout this country. However, I am a little confused as to Klaus's position about the candidates. Are they really just going to vote for or against someone because they are of a certain sex or color? Perhaps, but I'm more inclined to think that for this particular election, the media would kill, politically, any person who tried to take that position or use it to influence potential voters. Nevertheless, it's already started to happen and I'm sure these "goofs" will continue over the next couple months. While that may be part of running for president, I just hope that this doesn't turn into a contest about race. There are far more pressing issues with our economy that need fixing first.
Klaus argues that "he is reticient about someone as inexperienced as [Sen. Obama] is. I think he has not been tried in stress situations as Hillary Clinton has in national politics and as John Edwards has in courtrooms." I would argue that experience is subjective and since everybody is linking the "change" argument with the "experience" argument now, I think Klaus needs to do a little more research. I further disagree with his contention that Obama is a black Muslim; according to Wikipedia anyway, he is a Christian just like the rest of the candidates. That's my point: make an informed opinion, don't speculate.
This next election is about getting our country back on track in terms of economics and world favor. The best candidate, and I submit, the winning candidate, is going to have to convince the American public that he (or she) is that person. And when it becomes clear next month who the two parties are going to run who believe they can do this, I suspect that come November, the American public will certainly speak out (by a clear majority) who they believe that person will be.
This one, written by Robert Klaus of Milton, is titled "Fortunately, Iowans are usually wrong" and appeared on page 5 of the January 8, 2008 edition of the Delaware State News. As he is perfectly entitled to do, he gives his opinion on some of the current presidential candidates, namely Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. I care as much about his opinions as he probably does of mine, but he can form them in any way he wants, and that's the way things are and how they should be. What bothers me is the misinformation he uses to form his opinions, and how his opinions may be used erroneously to misinform others.
Of Clinton, Edwards, and Obama, I agree that none are without their faults, and each have things they can bring to the table. Since he doesn't really speak of the Republican candidates, I'll focus solely on his argument about the Democratic ones.
Here's a thought: If Sen. Obama was a white protestant from California, who also had a Harvard Law degree and was a state senator for seven years before becoming a U.S. Senator, would this election even be close? If you think the answer is no, then what do his race, name, or religious beliefs matter?
I'm not going to do Klaus's internet research for him. And while perhaps I have become a little more colorblind in my old age, I'm not foolish to think there isn't still racism prevalent throughout this country. However, I am a little confused as to Klaus's position about the candidates. Are they really just going to vote for or against someone because they are of a certain sex or color? Perhaps, but I'm more inclined to think that for this particular election, the media would kill, politically, any person who tried to take that position or use it to influence potential voters. Nevertheless, it's already started to happen and I'm sure these "goofs" will continue over the next couple months. While that may be part of running for president, I just hope that this doesn't turn into a contest about race. There are far more pressing issues with our economy that need fixing first.
Klaus argues that "he is reticient about someone as inexperienced as [Sen. Obama] is. I think he has not been tried in stress situations as Hillary Clinton has in national politics and as John Edwards has in courtrooms." I would argue that experience is subjective and since everybody is linking the "change" argument with the "experience" argument now, I think Klaus needs to do a little more research. I further disagree with his contention that Obama is a black Muslim; according to Wikipedia anyway, he is a Christian just like the rest of the candidates. That's my point: make an informed opinion, don't speculate.
This next election is about getting our country back on track in terms of economics and world favor. The best candidate, and I submit, the winning candidate, is going to have to convince the American public that he (or she) is that person. And when it becomes clear next month who the two parties are going to run who believe they can do this, I suspect that come November, the American public will certainly speak out (by a clear majority) who they believe that person will be.
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