The Gap is Closing

Earlier this evening MSNBC showed Obama up 170 electoral votes to McCain's 90. The numbers are getting closer though. Obama is hitting the 200s and McCain is catching up. I'm eager for Colorado to get its stupid numbers in. I want to see if my voice actually made a difference or if everything I've been fighting about the last few months has been for nothing.

Democrat Party

I just got back from the Dem. party at Mesa Theater. It was a little lame. The majority of the people there were well over 40 and drinking heavily. I didn't feel like I needed to watch t.v. I could watch at home in a room full of adults I didn't know. The free food was alright and the atmosphere was welcoming. I just don't think I'm old enough to properly enjoy a political party party.

McCain Rally

I attended the McCain visit. I was surprised by many things. There wasn't any kind of line to get in. It didn't seem like that many people were filing through the gate, but when I got inside I was greeted by a good 1500 people. There were so many little kids, blindly waving McCain signs just as their parents were. I felt like these kid were not getting a chance to make decisions on their own. Despite how young they were, I think they are brainwashed. Mom and Dad aren't always right. McCain was over an hour late. I understand that he's got stuff to do, but by the time he spoke I was almost too pissed to listen. People didn't respond very nicely to my "Change we need" chants. Go figure.

ignorance

I heard some dumb Republican kid say "It's called the White House for a reason" the other day. I've never been more astounded by a person's idiocy before. I don't care if you don't support Obama's agenda, but pulling the race card, especially on such a stupid level, is unacceptable in any facet of American life. I wanted to break the kid's nose and see if Republicans really do bleed crude oil.

the final stretch

The election is a week from tomorrow. I'm starting to feel good about Obeezy's chances. The polls have shown McCain down significantly in the last week, so we may not have to deal with Sarah Palin destroying the white house. It will be interesting, after all the work and trouble we've gone through to help Obama, to see how things turn out. I'm going to be terribly disappointed if my boy loses. I did my part to make this thing happen.

My Pal Palin (Ha)

Sarah Palin's visit to Junk Town stirred up a great deal more controversy than Obama's. Given there were significantly more people at the Palin rally, but people seemed to behave completely different. The idiots that decided to protest by jumping in front of her motorcade make Democrats look bad. Picketing is one thing, but being a dumbass is unacceptable. I don't agree with Palin, but I don't think there's any harm in letting the woman speak and make herself look like an idiot. The Palin visit was more like a rally than the Obama visit. Obama didn't have "opening acts" and big names like Hank Williams Jr. The Republicans do everything weirdly. I don't approve.

Presidential Debate 2

I never realized how old McCain really was until I saw him shuffling around stage at the second debate. The man walks like he's about to fall apart. It's hard to lead a country when you can't stand up. McCain was also taking notes in Sharpie. That is impratical on numerous levels. I mean, that junk bleeds through like no one's business. I think the debate did a good job to portray McCain in a poor physical and political light, similar to the way Nixon was downplayed way back when. Obeezy was smooth, calm, and collected while McCain spoke. During Obama's talks, McCain was literally wandering around aimlessly, like an old person in a building they're unfamiliar with. Tough business. Tough Business.

Obama Takes the Lead

Yesterday the polls showed Obama overtaking McCain by nearly seven points. That's an intense lead in an election as close as this one. I must say, as avid as I am in my Democratic ideals, I'm surprised that Obama is pushing ahead. To be honest, I've been having my doubts about his ability to swing some of the red votes. These last few days have started to open my eyes to the reality of Obama's ability to win this election. I'm pumped.

Election of 2000

We've been going over the Bush-Gore controversy in class and I guess I never realized how intense things got there for a while in 2000. I was only ten, so I imagine a great deal of the drama was lost on me. I didn't realize that it went all the way to the Supreme Court. I guess I just imagined that the whole ordeal involved smart people sitting around a table recounting contested votes. The 2000 election was close and politically violent. I wish I could remember more of how I felt on the issue.

The Real Race

is between Obama and McCain, not Obama and Palin. That's something I think the public is missing. It's understandable that Americans want to focus on the potential president's right hand man (lady), but Sarah Palin won't be a problem unless McCain wins the race. I haven't heard more than a murmur about McCain in the recent wake of Palin criticism. Biden and Palin are both significant factors in the election, but by themselves they don't pose a threat to anybody. So basically what I am trying to say is let's trash on McCain a little too, just to round things out.

Belated Response to the Presidential Debates

I know that the first presidential debates were quite some time ago, but I never got around to saying what I felt prior to the event. I was relatively certain that McCain wouldn't make it to the first debate, a belief many Americans shared. If McCain hadn't attended the first debate, I think public opinion would have greatly changed. Obama would have been able to speak unattested for an hour, something that would give him another foot up in the race. I think it was a wise decision for McCain to take a break from the economic crisis to participate in his nominee obligations. I bet this blog seems really stupid. Yeah, it does.

SNL vs. Palin

I've watched the several Sarah Palin skits that Saturday Night Live has thrown together over the last few weeks. The acts are hilarious, especially when paired with footage of the actual events they're mocking. The woman speaks just as well as George Bush. Though I don't support Palin in any way, I think the SNL skits almost go too far. Palin has to know she got her ass handed to her in the Coureck interview and the VP debates. I think SNL should back off a little and let Palin's own stupidity fuel her personal comedies. But that's just me.

Volunteering for My Boy

Danny and I spent last Thursday night making calls for the Obama office on Grand. Out of 65 people, only about half answered the phone. The majority of people that I talked to were sternly undecided. They wouldn't listen to what I had to say in response to their doubts and concerns. They seemed rather comfortable in their states of uncertainty. Out of 65 people, only 5 were full-fledged Obama supporters. I'm getting a little worried about this election.

The Bailout (R.I.P.)

I was rather surprised to see that the bailout measure didn't pass. From the speech that Bush gave last week, I was relatively certain that the bailout was the way the United States wanted to fix the problem. I'm not sure what is going to happen now. It seems like the bailout was our last ditch effort. Do we just sit back and hope everything fixes itself now?

The Student Body

Last week we handed out the first issue of the Catalyst. The current political situation in the United States left room for a great deal of political stories in the paper. We had a full page photo layout of Obama stuff and personal letters to both Palin and Obama. We also handed out evaluations to select classes. Most people returned them saying that we were a biased publication that only supported Obama. Personal preferences aside, that' s total bs. We went out of our way to find someone to write an anti-Obama article to balance Christian's anti-Palin letter. I'm disappointed by kids' abilities to throw a fit before they look through everything.

Bush's Bailout

I thought it was funny that during Bush's address to the nation last night the price of oil dropped 21 cents. The speech was less than ten minutes long and it was still able to affect the place of oil in our economoy. If Bush had continued to talk we might have reasonable foreign oil prices. If the man had gone on for a good hour we might be seeing $80 barrels.
I'm also a little miffed that the debates might be postponed. It's nice that Bush is letting Obama and McCain have a say in fixing the economy, but it shouldn't be their primary objective at this point, since neither of them is the big dog yet.

Debate #1

This Friday is going to be a big deal. Foxnews.com is all a flutter with news on McCain and Obama's prep for the big debate. Debates make or break candidates, so it's understandable that the two titans would want their best game faces. I plan to get some popcorn and sit down for a great verbal battle.

Obama Merchandise

I've been looking into purchasing an Obama shirt to give my homie some Fruita publicity, but Obama is charging a pretty penny for anything with his name on it. I understand that when you buy merch you are also making a sizeable donation to the campaign, but I'd like to see more affordable Obeezy threads. I don't mind tossing $25 at Obama, but I'd like to think he would rather have me wear his shirt than give him an insignificant amount of money. Oh, and by the way, those Obama superhero shirts are not cool. Come on. Furreal.

Turn Coats

People around the college are saying that, as the election gets closer, the candidates will start showing more moderate colors. I understand why Obama and McCain would want to bend their views to better suit the moderate majority and win more votes, but I think it's a very political move (I mean that in a negative way). It makes sense to want to win the election, but I don't think you should have to reword your opinions to pick up extra votes. I'd like to see Obeezy and McCarry-a-Cane stick to their guns all the way through this bad boy. We'll see what happens.

McCain in Junk Town?

I read in Mesa's paper last night that Josh Penry believes McCain and Palin will come to Junk Town in the next few months before the election. I'm not the biggest fan of either of them, but I think it would be interesting to see what they have to say. I want McCain to look me in the eye and tell me he's going to snake my water. We'll see what happens.

Formal and Informal Change

The Constitution, from his creation, was meant to act as a living, ever adapting document to suit the growing nation it governed. The Constitution, because of its inherent flexibility, can be amended in two different ways: formally and informally. Formally, details for Constitutional change are outlined in Article V, in which the two stages, proposal and ratification, are discussed. On an informal basis, the Constitution can undergo change through judicial interpretation, changes in political practices, changes in technology, and increasing demands on policymakers.
The two phases of the formal amendment process can take several routes. An amendment can be proposed by either a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress or by a convention called at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. Ratification is possible by a three-fourths vote of the state legislatures or by conventions held in three-quarters of the states. The vast majority of proposed amendments have been ratified by state legislatures; the sole exception being the Twenty-First Amendment repealing prohibition created by the Eighteenth Amendment, which was ratified in specialized state conventions. Formal amendments have effectively helped the Constitution emphasize equality and the voice of the majority, balancing out the original economic nature of the document.
Informal changes to the Constitution have taken action without physically adding to the document. Judicial interpretation, defined by judicial review established in the Marbury v. Madison case of 1803, allows the Constitution to change informally at the will of the Supreme Court. The court’s power of judicial review allows the judicial branch to decide upon the constitutionality of actions, something that is implied, but never directly stated in the Constitution. Changing political practices constantly reshape the Constitution, especially when related to political parties and presidential elections. There is no mention of political parties in the Constitution, as they would have been seen as possible faction threats in the early days of the nation. Nonetheless, political parties have developed in America, holding large amounts of political sway and importance. In terms of presidential elections, the role of the Electoral College has drastically changed from its original intended use. The Forefathers intended for presidents to be chosen by state legislators or other elected “wise men.” In contemporary America, Electors generally vote in favor of the states which they represent, informally changing the way elections work without actually altering the Constitution.
Changes in technology, most notably the rise of mass media and the internet, have informally changed the role of the President. The development of nuclear weapons and the ease of electronic communication have put more power in the hands of the Executive Branch, adding to the growing demands placed upon the President, things unforeseen by the original bounds of the Constitution. In the world of international politics, the President has become influential, as the Executive Branch is now burdened by numerous foreign affairs obligations not specifically hammered out in the Constitution. None of these changes to the Constitution have physically altered the written Constitution, though they have become part of an unwritten Constitution that is greatly influential in American politics.
The Constitution’s ability to adapt and change with the growing needs of the United States is a testament to its effectiveness. The flexibility of the document allows the U.S. to change with the times, formally and informally affecting the way Americans go about their lives.

Barack N' Roll

Today was pretty nifty. We were able to get close enough to Obama to touch him and take him in. He didn't really say anything in his speech that we haven't heard already, but that wasn't the point of going today. We saw history being written and I'm glad we were a part of it. Furreal.

The Madisonian Model

James Madison developed a system of government that could prevent tyranny of the majority by separating federal powers, creating a system of checks and balances, and limiting control held by the majority. Madison split the federal government into three separate branches that were to run relatively independent from the others: the Executive Branch (the President and his office), the Legislative Branch (Congress), and the Judicial Branch (the Court System). Power was not definitively divided between the branches; rather it was shared in a manner that allowed each branch to check the others. This system of checks and balances requires one branch to acquire approval from the others to initiate numerous actions, slowly but surely ensuring the safety of the political system if a faction were to take control of a single branch. Madison also believed it was necessary to place most of government out of the reach for the majority, limiting public control held over the entire system. Only one factor of government, the House of Representatives, was in direct control of the public through voting. Most government officials were to be nominated by a select minority in the federal system.
Madison’s system has kept the United States running somewhat smoothly for over two hundred years, but that doesn’t mean it is without fault. Though the system of checks and balances prevents a single house from making tyrannical decisions, it also dramatically slows the pace of politics. It may take months or even years for an issue to move from Point A to Point B, as each branch has to check and compromise with the others. In some cases, compromise isn’t effective and issues are lost within the slow, political dance. The system of checks and balances and the shared powers of each branch prevent factions from taking root in government, but they can also slow political progress to a complete halt.

Palin's Controversies

So much attention is falling upon the things that Sarah Palin does incorrectly in her personal life. I understand how personal action can influence voters, but there's a limit. The fact that Palin has a prego daughter is interesting, and it complicates her personal life, but I don't believe that another little baby Palin is going influence how she could possibly act as Vice President. I'm not in favor of another Republican regime, but I'm also not in favor of judging a book by its pregnant cover. I'm keepin' it real.

I Am

a blogger.
Be gentle, this is my first time.