Is There A Glimmer Of Hope?

Obama seems to be motivating the people like no democrat has in many, many years. A record turnout for the Caucus, twice as many as in '04. The youth vote is making a n impact. Something both parties have been predicting every year since 1980, but never delivered. Obama did. Women voters are turning out, but not where one would think. They are not voting for Hillary, Obama is winning their support.

Do believe that we are witnessing history...all the buzz about change...but it will be more about making history than making change.

So yes, there is a glimmer of hope for the people of the US, but we will have to wait and see if it is a false hope or something wonderful.

Candidates Profiles

Following are brief profiles of the main contenders:

DEMOCRATS:

HILLARY CLINTON, 60, would be the first woman U.S. president. Is a senator from New York and was first lady when her husband, Bill, was president from 1993 to 2001. Has emphasized efforts to insure 47 million Americans without health coverage and criticized opponents for lack of experience. Has led most national opinion polls by double digits but is locked in tight fights in Iowa and New Hampshire.

JOHN EDWARDS, 54, is a former one-term senator from North Carolina and was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004. Has made combating poverty a major campaign theme. Called his voting to authorize military action in Iraq a mistake and now urges withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. His wife, Elizabeth, is being treated for a recurrence of cancer.

BARACK OBAMA, 46, is a first-term U.S. senator representing Illinois and would be the first black president. Gave the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention before he was elected to the Senate. Has opposed the Iraq war from the beginning and tried to cast himself as a Washington outsider. Has pulled nearly even with front-running Clinton in recent polls in Iowa and New Hampshire but trails nationally.

REPUBLICANS:

RUDY GIULIANI, 63, is a former New York mayor and has tried to boost his candidacy by speaking repeatedly about his leadership during the September 11 attacks. Widely shunned by many conservatives because of his support for abortion rights, gun control and gay rights, but received endorsement from Christian evangelist Pat Robertson. Has led most national polls but is behind in early primary voting states.

MIKE HUCKABEE, 52, is a bass-playing former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister from Hope, Arkansas, the birthplace of Bill Clinton. Has used his religious beliefs and support for constitutional bans on gay marriage and abortion to boost support from conservative voters. Known for his wit, but criticized for lack of knowledge on foreign policy.

JOHN MCCAIN, 71, a senator from Arizona, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and was shot down in 1967 over Vietnam. Would be the oldest first-term president, at 72, if elected. Spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war. Has been a pro-business conservative and abortion foe. Supports the Iraq war and argued for additional troops to quell the violence. Slowed by staff turnover and overspending in early days of his campaign but now building support in Iowa and New Hampshire.

MITT ROMNEY, 60, is a Harvard-educated former Massachusetts governor. Has tried to cast himself as a more conservative alternative, opposing gay rights and abortion rights although he once supported both. Romney, whose father sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1968, would be the first Mormon president. Has turned to negative advertising and mailings as his poll leads in Iowa and New Hampshire have eroded.

Candidate Endorsements

Nader has come out for Edwards, Kucinich has come out for Obama, at least in Iowa; all this is just lovely. But it looks like the media pundits are doing the same. What! MSNBC's Tucker appears to be quite taken with Ron Paul. And MSNBC's Joe Scarborough seems to be leaning to Huckabee. Of course, none had said, "I endorse", but the attention they pay to the candidates is a bit suspect, IMO.

I cannot say about other media pundits, for I listen to Air America and watch MSNBC, other than they, I cannot say what they are doing. But i would assume that the same applies with those outlets as well.

After the iowa Caucus we will see if the winds change to yet another candidate.

Free Markets! Stop It!

STOP IT! Stop talking about free markets! They are not free. The involvement of the government in the functions of the markets preclude them from ever being know as free.

Free trade is there--meaning that there is trade among countries without tariffs and such--but nothing about them are near free markets. Just look to the government bail out of financial institutions within the subprime debacle. The government is protecting the business of mortgages, not the people that got hood winked by the practices of the shady organizations and practices.

The American people are just there to prop up business, seldom is anything done to protect them from the vultures in the business world.

The Political Hawks Speak

With the death of Bhutto, the Hawks have come out of the woodwork. Most top tier candidates have used the assassination as a platform to spotlight their foreign policy stands. Everybody has an opinion, they are like a/holes.....

Clinton jumped on this with both feet, she knew Bhutto and her kids.....that is not just a policy thing but a warm fuzzy moment. Clinton will fall in line with the stand of the admin.....

And then there is Rudy---as Biden had observed earlier, everything Rudy says has a noun, a verb and 9/11--the assassination was no different. He will rise in the polls now, because he used his only strength and he has returned to the headlines....you may thank the media for that.

All the candidates, top tier ones, are hawks, regardless of their words they are business as usual when it comes to the world.

Benazir Bhutto and the Politics of Chaos - The Lede - Breaking News - New York Times Blog

Benazir Bhutto and the Politics of Chaos - The Lede - Breaking News - New York Times Blog



Yes, she is dead and yes, she will be martyred, and yes it was a tragedy, but.........there is always, "the rest of the story".

Two Parties----How Absolutely Boring

First of all, the concept of a two party system breeds mediocrity. It helps keep the old saying, "business as usual" political plan in business. There is NO real political progress. When was there any substantial progress in the political arena?

Since the Reagan days, that all conservs want so desperately want to resurrect, the media has been one of the main marketing agents of the 2 party system. They alone choose the candidates for the people. They push the candidates that will be the best for their interests, not what is best for the country. OK, some are "conserv" or "liberal" which is just crap! take a long look at the candidates they push--none are truly different from the other--all are spokesman for the status quo.

True candidates of change, either right or left, are not given adequate air time. They spend time trying to discredit these candidates by asking stupid, moronic question like "do you believe in UFOS?" Questions like that help make a person a "fringe" candidate.

It is sad that the American voter allows this type of manipulation to continue.......I guess the lack of education in the No Child Left Behind program is doing its job well.