Sharp Memory

Donald Rumsfeld and wife Joyce have given $40K to Republican election efforts thus far this election season - zero to John McCain. Is it possible that Don remembers McCain saying that Rumsfeld will "go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history?"

Four and No More

I predict that the next president is a one-term president.

No matter who is elected, McCain or Obama, he will (no more ‘he or she’ sentences!) serve only four years and be out. Why? Let’s take today’s financial news as a primer. Today stocks fell to a 21 month low and oil hit an all time record high. The net net is that the U S economy is in the tank and will not resurface anytime soon - and not without considerable pain to be shared by all but a very few who have the money to profit no matter what happens. The new president is expected - promising - to have solutions to this nosedive. Neither candidate has solutions. McCain, having been born before the dollar, had no idea until recently that ‘the economy’ was even a topic. Obama is running for orator-in-chief, so he has no solutions - only speeches. And honestly, there is not much the president can do about the economy anyway. So, the economy will bottom out during the next administration. That administration will be blamed for the worst economy in U S history. Thus, four and out for the next president.

Which party would like to have blamed for the worst economy ever?

Condi and Co

I just returned from Israel. I was on a tour of the sites precious to the faith of every follower of Jesus Christ. While there, our Israeli guide made this statement, "Condoleezza Rice is here all the time. We think that she must have a boyfriend in Israel. She's over here talking all of the time but nobody listens to her. She just talks to herself."

Sometimes it's good to get out of the USA and hear what some others are saying.

By the way, I find it interesting that people 'on the street' that I talk with Turkey think that McCain will win while people in Israel think that Obama will win. (Which makes sense of the Israeli government official's comment that they need to take action against Iran's nukes now because they 'don't know that the next administration will be as friendly' to Israel.)

Longest Question

Here is the longest question ever asked on the campaign trail. If you have time, click the link:

Longest Question of All

Tim Russert

Tim Russert collapsed and died today at the age of 58. The top names in journalism and politics were quick to offer praise for the talents of Russert and sadness at his death. He was by all accounts a person of integrity and intellect. He will be missed.

Russert's sudden death calls to mind a verse written by the half-brother of Jesus Christ, James:

"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone." James 4:14

Survey Says

(CNN) — Barack Obama is continuing to extend his lead over John McCain in a head-to-head matchup nationwide, a new CNN poll of polls indicates.

That from today's CNN.com. Modesty keeps me from pointing out the last sentence of my June 4 post for you review. I'll not mention it.

The Likely Event

"Israel must ensure defensible borders before Obama is elected," said one Israeli diplomat. "The [Israeli] leadership is motivated by many factors, but one of them is a drive to conclude a deal for a Palestinian state and talks with Syria before the likely event of an Obama administration."

from WorldNetDaily.com article

The Answer is No

Hillary is out, finally. I must say that I predicted that she would be out by the weekend. I was just eight weekends too early! It's amazing that such a political dynasty and ruthless machine could be defeated by a novice to national politics. But the 'negatives' on Hillary and the Clinton name were just too great to overcome. Though, in fairness, it must be said that 'under Republican rules," she would be the Dem nominee. But the Dems 'more fair' and 'more representative' way of counting delegates gave the nod to Obama. Will Hillary be the VP. No.

Oil Spikes Dow Dives

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 395 points, or 3.1%, its biggest one-day decline on both a point and percentage basis since February of 2007, at the start of the subprime mortgage crisis.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 3.1%, while the Nasdaq composite lost 3%. Both saw their biggest one-day declines on both a point and a percentage basis in more than four months.

The unemployment rate shot up to 5.5% in May from 5.0% in April, the government reported, marking the biggest one-month surge in over 20 years. -- from CNN.com

The GOP answer: John "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should" McCain

Blinded by the Light

"My God, Obama is larger than life!"

History Made

Barack Hussein Obama is now officially the ‘presumptive nominee’ for President of the Democrat Party. (Make nothing of his own spokesperson in an interview with CNN calling him ‘the punitive nominee.’ If it was any Republican with such a slip it would require days of apologies. Anyway, in this case, I’d just chalk it up to ebonics and let it go.) It’s the first time in history that a black person has become the nominee for president of either major political party. Further, to do so he had to defeat the most well-oiled political machine in the country - and the most ruthless.

How did he do it? Obama is seen as representing four things:

1. The ‘new’ multi-cultural America. Up until now, it’s been a quaint idea that minorities from everywhere come to America to enjoy the benefits of America --- while remaining in the minority. No more. The minorities in composite are fast becoming the majority. There is a ‘minority majority’ in many areas of the country already. Obama should better be seen as a ‘person of color’ than a ‘minority’ candidate. Of course, to take it even a step further, he is the son of an inter-racial marriage. He is all that is urban America.

2. A generational shift. Obama is the first presidential candidate whose adult life is completely after the Viet Nam war. He was a kid at the time. There will be no questions about ‘what did you do during the Viet Nam war?” Moreover, he and Ron Paul were the only candidates that inspired participation from new and especially young people (think youtube, facebook, myspace). This election pits not just a white man versus a black man but just as significantly a young man versus an old man.

3. Perceived Change. People are worn out with the same-old. Never have the approval ratings of the both the Congress and the President been so low. People’s homes and retirements have lost value. People’s real wages are down. The dollar continues to fall against world currencies. And there is ‘the war.’ People are weary of it. They are looking for somebody, anybody who might embody change. Of all the candidates in both parties, Obama has been most able to sell that hope.

4. Charisma. He has it. Whatever ‘it’ is, he has it. The intangible aura of energy, vitality, optimism, hope, oratory, and inspiration. Except for a week or so during the Jeremiah Wright thing when Obama looked tired and ‘off his game,’ he has from the beginning out-youthed, and out-charmed all opponents.

My prediction all along has been that he is the next President. I stick with that prediction. I think that the polls will show a widening lead for Obama over McCain, at least in the short run.

Indiana Civics Lesson

I was a delegate to the 2008 IN GOP State Convention yesterday. Here’s my report.

The State GOP Convention by the numbers:

1700 - There were approximately 1700 delegates in attendance.

9 - The nine Indiana Congressional Districts ‘caucused’ in the morning then the actual State Convention met in the afternoon.

4 - All convention business was conducted in four hours.

3 - Three delegates to the national convention were elected at each congressional district caucus in the morning. Those to be considered were nominated by the chairman and no other nominations were considered. That’s because....

1 - One big rule change was magically enacted by the State Convention on SATURDAY, MAY 30TH, two days before the convention, stating that there would be no nominations for any office ‘from the floor’ of any meeting. How long has the IN State GOP been in existence? Somehow this rule is rushed through here in 2008? Why? Could it be that there were a lot of new faces at this year’s convention and those currently in charge got spooked? Holding on to power is an interesting instinct to observe.

250 - There were about 250 “Ron Paul” delegates at the State Convention.

2 - Two men ran to be the GOP nominee for Attorney General. John Costas, the mayor of Valpo, was endorsed by Gov. Daniels. Greg Zoeller, the current Deputy Attorney General and past Chief of Staff for Dan Quayle, was endorsed by current AG Steve Carter and nominated by Prosecutor Brizzi. The Ron Paul delegates were organized in support of Greg Zoeller. Zoeller won by 250 votes.

All in all, it was an interesting experience but of little value. People I have spoken with have said, “oh, yea, I did that in year X.” One time is enough because there little actual participation by the delegates other than affirming the pre-determined slates of candidates and nominees. It was interesting that the “party platform” committee gave a brief report about their arduous efforts in putting together the 2008 IN GOP Party Platform. The presenter made mention that the platform “had been distributed’ to the delegates. None of us had one or saw anyone else that had one. So, “at least 250 people” voted against the platform. We asked various seemingly official people if there was a copy but those people didn’t know where to find one. We asked at the Lt. Gov. Beck Skillman’s well-staffed booth in the lobby, no idea where to find party platform. Have any of you seen one? No. We asked at the Governor’s table. No, haven’t seen the platform. So, we voted on adopting a platform that nobody has seen, including the candidates that supposedly will be running on said platform. Wow.

The one bit of good news was that Gov. Daniels gave a good speech and assured us all that life is much better in Indiana than in Ohio, Illinois or Michigan - all because your Indiana GOP has brought 'change that works' to the State government.

IN State Delegate

Monday, June 2, I will be serving as a delegate from Congressional District 5 to the Indiana Republican Convention. I was elected in the May 6 primary. This should be an interesting civics lesson in Indiana GOP politics. At the convention we will be electing the delegates to the GOP national convention. We also choose the Republican candidates for Attorney General and the State Superintendent of Schools. I will give you a 'full report' when the day is done.