It's Left, Right Or Center

President-Elect Obama Speaks

2008-11-23T12:21:00.001-05:00

50 Things About Barack Obama

2008-11-12T10:59:00.001-05:00

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics

• He was known as “O’Bomber” at high school for his skill at basketball

• His name means “one who is blessed” in Swahili

• His favourite meal is wife Michelle’s shrimp linguini

• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father

• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed

• He has read every Harry Potter book

• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali

• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can’t stand ice cream

• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars

• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia

• He can speak Spanish

• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead

• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea

• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn’t

• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia

• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs

• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name

• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister’s fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived

• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy

• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books

• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck

• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.

• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees

• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date

• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker

• He doesn’t drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol

• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician

• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine

• His daughters’ ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)

• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside

• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal

• His house in Chicago has four fire places

• Daughter Malia’s godmother is Jesse Jackson’s daughter Santita

• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry

• He uses an Apple Mac laptop

• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300

• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits

• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes

• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)

• His favorite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire

• He was given the code name “Renegade” by his Secret Service handlers

• He was nicknamed “Bear” by his late grandmother

• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds

• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso

• His speciality as a cook is chilli

• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were “street urchins”

• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life

• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government

Courtesy Telegraph UK

Barack Obama On Abortion

2008-11-11T18:29:00.000-05:00

No litmus test; nominate to Court based on their fairness. (Oct 2008)
1990: Wrote law article that that fetus cannot sue mother. (Aug 2008)
FactCheck: Abortions HAVE gone down under Pres. Bush. (Aug 2008)
Ok for state to restrict late-term partial birth abortion. (Apr 2008)
We can find common ground between pro-choice and pro-life. (Apr 2008)
Undecided on whether life begins at conception. (Apr 2008)
Teach teens about abstinence and also about contraception. (Apr 2008)
GovWatch: Obama's "present" votes were a requested strategy. (Feb 2008)
Expand access to contraception; reduce unintended pregnancy. (Feb 2008)
Rated 100% by NARAL on pro-choice votes in 2005, 2006 & 2007. (Jan 2008)
Voted against banning partial birth abortion. (Oct 2007)
Stem cells hold promise to cure 70 major diseases. (Aug 2007)
Trust women to make own decisions on partial-birth abortion. (Apr 2007)
Extend presumption of good faith to abortion protesters. (Oct 2006)
Constitution is a living document; no strict constructionism. (Oct 2006)
Moral accusations from pro-lifers are counterproductive. (Oct 2004)
Pass the Stem Cell Research Bill. (Jun 2004)
Protect a woman's right to choose. (May 2004)

Obama Makes History In Nebraska

2008-11-07T19:27:00.001-05:00

The Democratic presidential candidate claimed an electoral vote in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District — the first time in more than four decades a Democrat won any of Nebraska’s electoral votes.

The Omaha World-Herald is calling the race after Obama won 8,434 out of 15,039 early votes that arrived too late to be included in Tuesday’s results. They were counted today by Douglas County election officials.

Those ballots give Obama a 1,260-vote lead over Republican John McCain in the 2nd District.

It also added one more electoral vote to Obama’s win over McCain in Tuesday’s election. The electoral count now stands: Obama, 365, McCain, 162.

Party Political Humor

2008-11-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

I was talking to a friend of mine's little girl the other day. I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied, "I want to be President!" Both of her parents are liberal Democrats and were standing there. So then I asked her, "If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?"

She replied, "I'd give houses to all the homeless people."

"Wow - what a worthy goal." I told her, "You don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where this homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward a new house."

Since she is only 6, she thought that over for a few seconds. While her Mom glared at me, she looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?"

And I said, "Welcome to the Republican Party."

Her folks still aren't talking to me.

Over The Rainbow

2008-11-07T15:00:00.001-05:00

'Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Alaska anymore.'

Democrat Wedding

2008-11-07T14:09:00.002-05:00

A woman married three times walked into a Bridal shop one day and told the sales clerk that she was looking for a wedding Gown for her fourth wedding.

'Of course, madam,' replied the sales clerk, exactly what type and color are you looking for?'

The bride to be said: 'A long frilly white Dress with a veil.'

The sales clerk hesitated a bit, then said, 'Please don't take this the wrong way, but gowns of that nature is considered More appropriate for brides who are being married the first time - for those who
Are a bit more innocent, if you know what I mean? Perhaps ivory or sky blue would be nice?'

'Well,' replied the customer, a little peeved at the clerk's directness, 'I can assure you that a white gown would be quite appropriate. Believe it or not, despite all my marriages, I remain as innocent as a first-time bride.

You see, my first husband was so excited about our wedding, he died as we were checking into our hotel.

My second husband and I got into such a terrible fight in the limo on our way to our honeymoon that we had that wedding annulled immediately and never spoke to each other again.'

'What about your third husband?' asked the Sales clerk.

'That one was a Democrat,' said the woman, 'and every night for four years, he just sat on the edge of the bed and told me how good it was going to be, but nothing ever happened.'

Rahm Emanual was on Board Of Freddie Mac When Profits Were Mis-reported

2008-11-07T12:38:00.004-05:00

President-elect Barack Obama's newly appointed chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, served on the board of directors of the federal mortgage firm Freddie Mac when scandal was brewing there, and the board failed to spot it, according to government reports.

According to a complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Freddie Mac, known formally as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, misreported profits by billions of dollars in order to deceive investors between the years 2000 and 2002.

Emanuel was not named in the SEC complaint but the entire board was later accused by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) of having "failed in its duty to follow up on matters brought to its attention."

Is He To Be Trusted?

2008-11-06T22:37:00.001-05:00

Rahm Emanuel: The RNC Responds

2008-11-06T14:02:00.004-05:00

I pointed out in a previous post that the Republicans were likely to complain about Rahm Emanuel's appointment as Obama's Chief of Staff, on the basis that Obama was reneging on his promise to work across the partisan divide.

They didn't waste any time.

An RNC Memo says "After Promising Change, Obama Selects Hyper-Partisan Wedded To Special Interests As His White House Chief Of Staff".

Read the full text here at Time

How Much Damage Can Bush Inflict?

2008-11-06T13:26:00.004-05:00

In The New York Times this morning, it's pointed out that GW Bush, has only a few weeks left in office, but he has enough time to make changes to rules and regulations on the environment, civil liberties, and abortion rights, to name but a few.

There are changes afoot at the FBI, with the Attorney General rushing out new guidelines that permit information gathering from Americans even without any evidence of wrong doing.

The Bush administration has been very busy weakening environmental regulations covering clean air and water, and protecting endangered species.

The Interior Department has been scrambling to open up millions of pristine land to oil companies for exploration, much of which even the oil companies are particularly interested in.

Financial laws are being further weakened.

Bush has also apparently decided not to close Guantanamo Bay, even though he thinks it should be, along with his Secretaries of State and Defense.

Rahm Emanuel to be Obama's Chief of Staff

2008-11-06T13:08:00.004-05:00

Congressman Rahm Emanuel has agreed to be Barack Obama's White House chief of staff.

What do we know about Rahm Emanuel?

Emanuel is a big supporter of the occupations of Iraq and Palestine, and he has been pushing to invade Iran for some time.
He got his place in the House due to his ability to be the Democratic attack dog as the chairman of the DCCC
He is a hard line hawk aligned with the Right, and with deep AIPAC connections as well.
Schumer and Emanuel were the architects behind the Democratic congressional takeover in 2006.

Obama needs someone that can get things done on Obama's terms, and not Pelosi's
Republicans might complain that his appointment sends the wrong message from Obama, who has stated that he wants to work across the divide.

The president-elect said he had made that choice because Mr. Emanuel had “deep insights into the challenging economic issues that will be front and center for our administration.”

Getting Down To Business

2008-11-05T10:45:00.001-05:00

It is the morning after the night before. The parties will have wound down by now. Some people will have a sore head. Some of those sore heads will feel sore that they didn't come through last night; others will be jubilant. However, once all the cheering and crying and consoling have died down, there is the serious business of getting on with business as usual, for everyone of us.

It's my view that this country certainly needed a change. God knows we need a change of direction, a break from the discredited Republican elite that has been driving the global economy into the abyss. I'm sure that the GOP will spend quite a lot of time licking its wounds, and wondering where it went wrong.

Firstly, it had a huge weight around its neck in the form of GW Bush, who has arguably had one of the least successful presidencies in US history. Instead of Bush reaching out to the world, he turned his back on it. In this global age. no country, however big, can afford to do that. Like it or not, it is important to be seen as a friend and a supporter to most of the world, and not simply as a bully that wants all its own way. Just as in school, that is no way to make more friends, or garner support for your ideals. You have to negotiate with people, persuade them that there is a better way, and remember that your own way isn't always the only way, and sometimes isn't the right way for them, even if it seems the right way for you.

Many things that the outgoing administration seem to have held up as the right way, are seemingly not so at this point in time, particularly with the global economy in tatters, largely fueled by a credit crisis that began right here in the USA.

That's another reason why Obama was successful last night. Folks wanted change, and more folks saw Obama being the author of change than they did McCain.

Many folks, myself included, don't have any or very much trust in politicians. They're often seen as self-serving egotists who are 'in it' for their own ends. They speak but don't deliver. Experience tells me this is often the case. Obama might prove to be one of those. I hope not. I always hope not, in any election, whoever is elected.

I'm not afraid of an African-American as President, in fact I look forward to the day we no longer even notice race or gender in elections. It should be insignificant.

I am not excited at the result, not jubilant or ecstatic. I am cautiously optimistic.Then again, that's how I treat life. Never be so optimistic you can't see the hole in the floor because you're dancing too wildly. At any point in time, you're at where you're at, and you've got to find the positive aspects of that, and move forward to where you want to be.

That is true for the United States right now. Things could be a lot better for many people, but things could be much worse, for many many more.

So when the corks have stopped popping, and the euphoria on one side, and the despair on the other, has died down, let's hope that, whoever got your support, that the people in this great nation, can work together to re-vitalize the American Dream.

There is always hope for a better brighter day tomorrow.

US Election Results 2008

2008-11-04T11:54:00.000-05:00

Vote For Whoever You Like

2008-11-03T16:59:00.001-05:00

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

(McCain supporters)
McCain’s the best candidate
With Palin as his running mate
They’ll fight for gun rights, pro life,
The conservative right
Our future is bright
Better economy in site
And all the world will feel our military might

(Obama supporters)
But McCain and Bush are real close right
They vote alike and keep it tight
Obama’s new, he’s younger too
The Middle Class he will help you
He’ll bring a change, he’s got the brains
McCain and Bush are just the same
You are to blame, Iraq’s a shame
Four more years would be insane

Lower your Taxes - you know Obama Won’t
PROTECT THE LOWER CLASS - You know McCain won’t!
Have enough experience - you know that they don’t
STOP GLOBAL WARMING - you know that you won’t

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA
Stick with McCain and you’re going to have some drama
We need it
HE’LL BRING IT
He’ll be it
YOU’LL SEE IT
We’ll do it
GET TO IT
Let’s move it
DO IT!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

I’m talking big pipe lines, and low gas prices
Below $2.00 that would be nice

But to do it right we gotta start today
Finding renewable ways that are here to stay

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA,
Stick wit McCain you gone have some drama
MORE WAR IN IRAQ
Iran he will attack
CAN’T BRING OUR TROOPS BACK
We gotta vote Barack!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Cheney Endorses McCain

2008-11-03T15:01:00.002-05:00

The Drudge-Fox-McCain Bullshit Machine

2008-11-03T14:46:00.001-05:00

Another lot of hooey and hogwash from the Bullshit Brigade

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/11/ohios-gop-senator-mccain-will.html

Palin reminder......

2008-11-02T23:01:00.002-05:00

For our "undecided" readers.

I have more, if ya need it.

Palin Prank Audio File

2008-11-02T12:33:00.006-05:00

Figured I'd put it up for a "grins".

You have to wonder, how the hell this call got all the way to Alaskan Barbie. Morons!

I think maybe "Betsy", is looking for a new job come Monday morning!

The World, is Watching.....

2008-11-02T11:53:00.003-05:00

Check this article out. Interesting. (HERE)

Nope

2008-11-02T10:22:00.001-05:00

Nope
Originally uploaded by j*ryu

Picture says it all

If Only.....

2008-11-01T00:16:00.003-04:00

As we all swing into the Final Weekend of this Presidential Campaign, there are many Obama supporters, including myself, that wish it was next Wed and this thing was over and "our guy" has won. Include even a miracle, that the Dems/us/We, have a 60 seat majority in the Senate. Could it get any better? Dare we dream? Not!

The problem with this wishing and dreaming, is that it is NOT next Wed and "wingnuts, inc" (the GOP) is not conceding anything and in fact have stepped up their efforts, as to be expected. Now, I know I am the guy around here that puts up the "polls" and such, but in truth if you watch them and track them as I do, you would notice a gradual tightening of this contest, based on the "polls". The National average IS tightening. Not a big change, but noticeable, when you take it all in. Over the last week, McCain has picked up a point here and there and by God, he is closing the gap. By the way, to be fair to all, find today's RCP Polling data here.

Point being, as this campaign approaches "election day", nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing is a "sure thing", least of all this election. I have already voted and I hope you, our US readers have as well. Perhaps you are in the Obama camp but it matters not, really. Just make sure you vote! (for Barack Obama !)

Sorry, that just slipped out!

Another Cartoon

2008-11-01T00:10:00.003-04:00

But remember, it's NOT over! (tho it is a pretty funny cartoon!)

Something "Scary" for Halloween

2008-10-31T23:25:00.002-04:00

I'll put a link below.

Find website HERE.

We Won't Get Fooled Again

2008-10-31T10:04:00.001-04:00

Bush's Wonderful Legacy?