You F-ed Up, No Problem!

The Wall St. bailout plan really sickens me. Let me run a little scenario by you. Lets say you take out a loan to start a new business and that business unfortunately goes in the tank. You knew the risks going into it, so the financial ruin that came with it shouldn't have been a surprise to you. Unless you are a big Wall St. firm, then it's OK! Apparently what is good for the goose isn't good for the gander.

A bailout plan proposed by the president would attempt to keep companies solvent, but take responsibility for their mistake and place it on the taxpayers. Adding to the dilemma is the plea from the administration and economic leaders that without this plan, the American economy is dead in the water. The absolute last thing I want is seeing my tax dollars and the tax dollars of my fellow citizens going to bailout somebody who made a dumb decision and then turn around and not make that person pay for it.

If I was in charge for a day (and a long day that would be), I would press criminal charges against the CEO's of all those major companies in exchange for "bailing out" their companies. In addition, the U.S. government should get stock in all of the companies being bailed out, they would have limited CEO compensation privileges and would be subject to frequent auditing.

The Media Mentality

In this past February, I attended a Barrack Obama rally in Wilmington, DE to check the guy out and to see what he was all about. That part went over well as I got a pretty good feel for him as a person and I stood only fifteen feet away from him. However there was something that did piss me off and that was the denial of my media pass!

For some reason, last night I had a dream that my pass was accepted and I had gotten full media rights for the rally. I have no idea why I dreamed this but thats what my dream was! When I applied for the pass as a blogger, I thought I'd have no trouble getting one, as I viewed myself as a respectable member of the media (although technically mainstream). I even thought to myself, man I am really a big honcho now, once I get this pass. Sadly that was not to be the case, they didn't think I was "real media"

I think it is bloggers who actually drive the spread of "real news" around this country. It was bloggers who outed the Dan Rather story about having evidence that Bush wasn't in the national guard. It was bloggers and average people who defeated the "inevitable candidate" in Hillary Clinton and instead chose Obama. It was also bloggers such as Matt Drudge, who brought down Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. So with that said, can I officially be in the media now?

The Obama Train Slipping Off Of The Tracks

Obama's lead in the electoral college is starting to slip away before our eyes. The upper Midwest (states like MN, WI, MI) is starting to slip away and places where he was competitive before (MT, SD, NC) are starting to move more towards McCain. The strange part to me is that Obama has been under greater fire during previous spots in this election. I thought the Jeremiah Wright situation, "they cling to their guns" and the Hillary Clinton drama at the convention should have all been worse moments than right now.

However I am going to make a few bold predictions. I will say right now that Obama will win the election handily. By this I mean he will win more than 300 electoral votes. You are probably wondering how I came by this figure. First I look at the InTrade prediction market which I have a click able picture up above. Obama is currently around 51% to win election while McCain is at 49%. I figure the polls used to calculate this figure don't include young voters who primarily use cell phones and aren't included in land line polls like Gallup. These figures also don't include minority voters as these voters are much more unlikely to participate in the survey or have a land line phone. With this in mind I increase Obama's percentage in every state by 2-4%.

With that change we can immediately add Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Virginia, Ohio and possibly Florida. This also means he holds onto all the previous Kerry states. This takes into account young voters and minorities actually showing up at the polls. I think there is still a high enthusiasm for him which will push him into victory. If he can survive the "lull" before the debates he should be set for victory.

EDIT (10/19/08):

Looks like I was right!

September The 11th

How far would you be willing to go to defend your family, your country, your home and your freedom. Would you give your life for it? Every year when September the 11th approaches, I think about the lengths I would go to defend the things I believe it.

September the 11th was an ordinary day, it was a Tuesday in the middle of September for cryin' out loud, so you know nothing exciting was going on. You would think the type of people to take up the call to defend freedom would be superhuman, extra-ordinary or above-average in some regard. The truth is that these people were moms, dads, sisters, brothers and friends. Some of them gave their lives intentionally such as firefighters, policemen and first responders. Unfortunately some of them had life stolen.

You owe it to these people to know and defend what America has always stood for. In a word...freedom. The freedom to speak your mind, practice your religion and be anything you want to be. Never forget the sacrifice these people made in the name of their country.

Delaware Governor Day

Tuesday September 9th will be a huge day in Delaware politics. At stake is the governorship of the state and a chance to shape Delaware politics for decades. John Carney is the establishment man having served as the Lieutenant Governor under the administration of Ruth Ann Minner . He has quietly waited his turn, towed his party line and waited for his chance at higher office. Jack Markell is the progressive, rabble-rousing, underdog challenger who has served as State Treasure.

The issue in the election is how much value voters should place on experience and party service. Carney has served in the administration of the state and was endorsed by the Delaware Democratic Party. However, Markell brings fresh ideas to the table and is not tied down to the policies of the unpopular Minner. Carney may be obligated to continue these policies to create some sort of legacy and not appear to be changing his horse mid-stream.

Markell has put a lot on the line. He was almost assuredly offered the position of Lt. Governor and I am certain without a doubt that party leaders told him he would be the next next Governor if he just waited his turn. Markell has a huge lead in fund-raising and has an impressive grassroots support system. Carney has bigger name recognition and this has mattered in the past (see Beau Biden). Tuesday's showdown will ultimately determine who will be the face of Delaware Democrats for years to come.

EDIT: Markell won with 51% of the vote. Obviously a huge upset. Chalk this up to Markell's superior grassroots ground effort. I volunteered for Markell in January/February of 2008 and was stunned at the efficiency and depth of his ground network. Markell's people were relentless, dedicated and intelligent and helped him get through this squeaker.

Michael Phelps: The Gold Medal In Creeping

What would you do if you had just won eight gold medals? I would sure as hell become a massive creeper and try and hit on every girl possible, in efforts to score some sort of sexual conquest. Why don't you know it, apparently Michael Phelps feels the same way. After that female model (I can't remember her name) trashed Phelps and laughed when asked if she would ever be interested in him, it's only natural for him to want some vindication.

So what does he do? He goes straight to Vegas and hits on anything with two breasts and a pulse. If you click on the above picture (courtesy of RadarOnline.com) you will see an obviously intoxicated Phelps petting a girls behind. Thought he could pull an 'ole fast one. Notice how he pretends to look into her eyes as if his hand somehow accidentally ended up there. Now if you or me ever did something like that we would be slapped, kicked or punched in the face so fast we'd see stars.

Not Phelps, apparently he had the moxie to call girls over to himself all night long. Way to go man! Mr. Gold Medal Winning, Butt Grabbing, Chiseled Bodied Swimmer, we salute you!

Sarah Palin: A Hot MILF?

Lets get one thing straight before we continue. Sarah Palin is a hot MILF. In case you are not familiar with the term, please reference it here. Unlike most people, I had heard of Palin before 2008. When she ran for governor in 2006 I watched with mild interest because she was about to become the first female governor of Alaska. However after being inundated by constant media coverage surrounding her, I am really enjoying my daily dose of Sarah.

Not only does the woman like to hunt and ride motorcycles but she is also into fishing, camping and other "outdoorsy" things. That right there definitely moves her to the top of my "short list"! Looks like John McCain and I are twins! I had been worried for months that I would have to watch Mitt Romney's perfect hair follicles dominate my TV but we got to trade Mitt for Sarah Palin. That is like taking your beat up Datsun to the auto dealer and getting a Mercedes in exchange.

Palin is extremely conservative but if she makes it to the White House, we will have four years of media coverage on her to salivate over. I can just imagine the headlines now: Things are Steaming Up In Alaska, Global Warming Or Crotch Warming? or even Palin: The First Ever GILF? That is a lot better than having to listen to Mitt Romeny drovel on about how he is Regan reincarnated. Why can't we just vote for Obama/Palin '08?

The American Portrait: Debunker Central

There are a lot of crazy myths, strange stories and pointless coverage coming out of the election news these past two weeks. I am starting to wonder who the media loves to cover more, Barack Obama or Sarah Palin. It seems every political story is revolving around Palin ever since she entered the race last week.

1. Sarah Palin's Daughter is News: Actually I think it's pretty disgusting that the media is all over Bristol Palin like white on rice. I remember the first time I saw her on TV, I thought she was older and was very cute. The fact that she is keeping her baby and has not withered under the intense media pressure only elevates her in my opinion. The baby's father is going to make an appearance at the RNC. He really should have been through her side throughout this whole thing but has been MIA so far.

2. Sarah Palin & Barack Obama are Inexperienced: Experience is what you make of it. Barack Obama has served as a state senator for seven years and as a community organizer before that. He has had to deal with people on a daily basis for most of his life. Just because he doesn't have a lot of high media scrutinized experience does not mean he is an "average Joe" off the street. As for Sarah Palin, she has been a mayor, governor and has sat on various committees throughout her time in Alaska politics. While she doesn't have the "typical" experience wanted, she isn't running for president she is running for vice president. The role of that job is to complement the president with your life experiences and background.

3. Barack Obama & John McCain are Mavericks Who Work Across the Aisle: This is very untrue. Obama is very liberal and McCain is very conservative. There hasn't been such a difference in the candidates running since possibly Mondale and Reagan. McCain likes to call himself a maverick because he has disagreed with his party on a few well publicized events. Just because you became an outcast in your party doesn't mean you are a maverick. Likewise Obama has been a reliable democratic vote. I actually think Hillary Clinton is more centrist than he is. However his independent appeal makes him seem centrist.

4. Sarah Palin was Vetted: It really seems like John McCain made a spur of the moment pick with Palin. My gut tells me he was going to go with Ridge or Liberman and at the 11th hour somebody talked him out of it after he had already called Romney and Pawlenty. Palin was such a surprise pick that even some of McCain's staffers were surprised. The fact that the Republican party is just now sending a team of lawyers to Alaska to make sure no more "surprises" come out, is a pretty big sign that this was a rush job. I think if Palin and her family can make it through the convention they should be fine however the stress it is putting on her family would not be worth it if it was me.

5: The Presidential Race is Close: Barack Obama may be headed to a landslide victory in the electoral college but a slim popular vote majority. He is very close to McCain in states such as Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. The problem for McCain is that Obama has had excitement from his base since January. He has extensive operations in all of these states save Florida and Michigan. I would not be surprised if Obama took most of the states previously listed. I was skeptical about Florida but there are internet rumors that link Sarah Palin to Pat Buchanan who is despised by people of the Jewish faith. With Florida's large Jewish population, Florida will get closer.