slumpolitics

2009-01-07T23:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts everybody. Its been a long while since I or my partner in crime for that matter posted anything on this blog. Since its far to late for me to wish anyone a Merry Christmas or Happy New Year, I'm hoping this picture can illustrate how I feel.

Pardon the absence, but winter break from college course work is just wonderful. So wonderful in fact that one tends to forget about blogs and blogging, and spends their leisure time online watching episode after episode of Lost (I had to catch up for season 5). But alas, all good things must come to an end as the spring semester is just around the corner. I have decided that I might to come back to do some occasional blogging, just to release stress and add my 2cents on the happenings of the world.

The Most Epic Vote Ever Captured on Film

2008-11-10T23:40:00.000-08:00

McCain Congratulates Obama, And gets Boo'ed!?

2008-11-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

Soon after word the Barack Obama won the presidential election, Senator McCain spits his little congratulatory speech, for Obama, to a mob of bloodthirsty supporters. While sending his praises to Obama for such a historic moment, the mob express thier displure with boo's and chants when the names of Obama or Biden are spoken. This is not new really, as we've seen this MANY of time before in previous campaign rallies.

And the 44th President Is.....

2008-11-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

**Drumroll please**

~~Senator~~ PRESIDENT Barack Hussein Obama II

Im really feeling to hyped up right now to even write this post so please forgive me for any excessive use of exclamation marks in this post! Today is a very historic day indeed. Today Barack Obama is name the 44th President and the first BLACK president!! It's been a long, well run campaign by ~~Senator~~ PRESIDENT Obama and its paid off! But this isnt the end(Hell this isnt even the beginning he hasnt been sworn in yet!), there is still a long road to go and many promises to uphold.

Voting is a Pain in the @

2008-11-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Wow, I just finally put in my vote! This is the first time I've ever voted in my life, and I'm not sure what to feel. But man, whoever wins- everything is going to be different.

I have a very long video that I will post, documenting my treacherous and torturous journey to cast my vote.

To say the least, this process took me 4 hours. Stay posted for the video!

McCain Pulls A Switcheroo!

2008-11-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

I could have sworn red equals republican and blue equals democrat.

Voting Day

2008-11-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'll be voting in a few hours here in Dallas, and I'll be taking my video camera with me. I haven't decided what questions to ask exactly, and if whether or not I want to do this with videothevote.org

Been watching the "Most Viewed" section on YouTube hourly and while there is a plethora of attacks from both sides, the media war feels a bit sedated as people seem to have made up their minds already. But that's just me- I actually haven't decided for myself.

I guess we'll see what happens in a few hours.

Can Asian-Americans Swing the Vote?

2008-10-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

Now that we're in the last few days, talk of swinging the vote is getting more notice, and it looks like the often overlooked "model minority"; the Asian-Americans, may hold the swing vote.

As an Asian-American, I can tell you that culturally, Obama doesn't seem like the likely candidate for our demographic. Why? Because most traditional Asian families don't find much comfort in "change", instead generally opting for safety and reliability. Even moreso, Asian Americans are generally passively impartial to voting in general. In fact, according to the NAAS Survey, 43% of Asians who were polled were still undecided.

But Obama's got the Asian vote.

Sen. Barack Obama leads Sen. John McCain 42 to 20 percent in New York and 37 to 18 percent in New Jersey, according to a recent poll of Asian Americans.

source: Asian Journal

If McCain wants to scrape in any remaining votes, he better start going after the 43% undecided Asian-American demographic, who are generally not affiliated with any particular party. It may very well be a pivotal difference.

Now let me rant for a second: Everyone talks about slavery in the states, but who are the Chinese Railroad workers? We all know tons about the Holocaust but who here is taught about the Rape of Nanking in school? Did anyone hear about when the biggest hip-hop station in New York made a "humorous song" about tsunami victims with lyrics that include "swim, chink, swim"?

Didn't think so.
And now, Asian Americans matter all of the sudden.

.

Collin Powell Flips The Script

2008-10-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Collin Powell annocunced today that he will be supporting Senator Barrack Obama for this upcoming election.

So does this really mean anything? Eh, not really. Collin Powell is was a long time republican serving under Reagan, George Bush Sr. and George Bush stupid. Seeing him switch parties is weird, but can you blame him for choosing the better candidate?

I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change and that's why I'm supporting Barack Obama - AP

Political commentator Pat Buchanan can. He blames Collin Powell's decision on race.

This coming from a guy who publicly expresses white dominance.

“What I would like is — I’d like the country I grew up in. It was a good country. I lived in Washington, D.C., 400,000 black folks, 400,000 white folks, in a country 89 or 90 percent white. I like that country.”- TP

A guy who stated that Martin Luther King Jr. was a "divisive figure".

Obama-Biden Tax Calculator vs. "Rhetoric vs. Record"

2008-10-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

The day is getting closer, and both parties have launched new web 'resources' for us little people to tinker with.
This is pretty ingenious

If you earn over $200,000 a year, you get no tax cut. The lower your income, the greater the tax cut.
Check out McCain's allegeations of Obama's "Rhetoric vs. Record".

It's very straightforward and easy to understand.

I can see how McCain's "Rhetoric vs. Record" can work, but in terms of visual appeal, Obama's camp once again beats out McCain's use of media. The calculator displays tax cuts from both McCain and Obama, with Obama's tax cuts up to 10 times more than McCain's. This isn't the most 'educated' response, but after using the calculator I don't really care about what Obama can't do right now.

The biggest blow from this calculator is not shown: when you enter $20k, you get $0 dollars in tax cuts, but what's crazy is that if you do over $200k, you get a

"You will probably not get a tax cut under the Obama-Biden plan"

What you don't see is how much you get from McCain if you make over $200k. Ouch.

The biggest issue here is accountability. McCain's site attempts this by providing proof as to how Obama contradicts himself. But Obama's camp takes a bold punch by sticking this calculator here, so that even if Obama contradicts himself, he will be held accountable to the T, the tax cut that you just found out that you will get.

Free Buck$!!!

2008-10-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

Someone thought that it would be just HILARIOUS to to stick Obama's face on(get this) a ten dollar US food stamp WITH: a rack of ribs, a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Watermelon, and The Kool Aid Guy! Actually that someone was Diane Fedele. President of a womens GOP group called the Chaffey Community Republican Women. Check out her reponse to this bs:

"I didn't see it the way that it's being taken. I never connected," she said. "It was just food to me. It didn't mean anything else." - The Press Enterprise

So I guess she randomly selected some items and put it on a bill? So this means she's innocent. She's the victim now right? Wrong. Why would someone KNOWINGLY resort to such dirty tactics as to racial stereotyping to promote their opinions on why they think a candidate is inferior? Just more American ignorance for you.

Obama & McCain Roast The Sh*t Outta Each Other!

2008-10-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

Not really, their writers came up with some funny jokes for the candidates to tell at Alfred E. Smith's Memorial Foundation Dinner. Nonetheless, some of the jokes were quite funny.

Obama getting at McCain.

McCain getting at Obama.

Ha Ha Ha. Good ole jokes from one of our future presidents. They sure do have some excellent joke writers. Lets not worry about the about messed up economy when you can just laugh off your worries with one of our future leaders.

Who Won The Fianl Presidential Debate of 08'?

2008-10-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Last night was the last presidential debate for McCain and Obama. If you missed it you can check it out here on Youtube. There were quite a few things I found interesting about last nights debate(you can check that out on my twitter) but mainly the fact that ...
McCain was getting at that ass. He was trying to get Obama cornered with quick one-liners(Senator Government?) and witty statements about the economy. The Pundits are ate it all up saying that McCain "won" last nights debate. But, really who looked more presidential? That's what really matters, especially for the undecided voters. McCain sure didn't win with all that damn blinking and heavy ass breathing. Obama looked just as calm, cool, and collected as he has ever been. Hell, I'm pretty sure if you look it up somewhere you'll see that Obama must have graduated from Cooley High, cause that guy is too cool to look like a fool. But, honestly we all know that America doesn't vote solely on soundbites. This isn't 1988, were Newspapers and TV dominated mainstream media . We have Youtube! Anybody can watch and re-watch AND watch remixed versions of how a candidate FAILS to look presidential, 24/7. We vote based on appearance(Which is sad but true). Kinda like American Idol. The vote always goes to the singer who looks good in front of the American People. McCain did not look good in last nights debate. Obama was clearly the victor in terms of visual style and apperance.

Live Blogging On Twitter!

2008-10-15T18:02:00.001-07:00

You can catch me live blogging the debate on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/SlumPolitics_LA!

"When you got a Negro running for president..."

2008-10-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this short news report from Al Jazeera( English).

Honestly, where do these people get their information from. "He's a terrrorist ", "He's related to terrorist", "He thinks us white people are trash". Pure example of American ignorance created not only by manipulative comments made by McCain and Palin but by racist connotations expressed throughout American society. The people in the video are as human as it gets. What they do not know they fear. They fear a man they know nothing about. But why do they not know about a man who has announced his candidacy for president since February? Why do they not know about a man who is deemed, by the McCain Palin Party, the Biggest Celebrity In The World?

Dirty Tactic From McCain-Palin Party EXPOSED

2008-10-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

In a recent article from Factcheck.org, there is a detailed analysis of a recent McCain ad which attacks Obama's integrity as a truthful president. Throughout the article they argue and disprove the merit of which McCain attacks Obama. One of the major claims of misrepresentation was the case of Infanticide.

"Infanticide"
The second Obama quote comes from an interview that he did with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network, and it was not directed at either the McCain campaign or the National Journal. Obama was attempting to clarify his position on "born alive" legislation in Illinois. This is how that part of the conversation went:

David Brody, CBN News (Aug. 16): Real quick, the born alive infant protection act. I gotta tell you that's the one thing I get a lot of emails about and it's just not just from Evangelicals, it about Catholics, Protestants, main — they're trying to understand it because there was some literature put out by the National Right to Life Committee. And they're basically saying they felt like you misrepresented your position on that bill.

Obama: Let me clarify this right now.

Brody: Because it's getting a lot of play.

Obama: Well and because they have not been telling the truth. And I hate to say that people are lying, but here's a situation where folks are lying. I have said repeatedly that I would have been completely in, fully in support of the federal bill that everybody supported — which was to say — that you should provide assistance to any infant that was born — even if it was as a consequence of an induced abortion.
For the record, we wrote about the back and forth between the National Right to Life Committee and Obama, regarding his votes against "born alive" legislation during his time in the Illinois state Senate.

The thing that I find most interesting is the fact that when you go to the link for the press-release about the ad and then click on the so-call official youtube link for the political ad, you will notice that the video has been removed.
"This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc."

Now why would Youtube remove an official ad from the McCain-Palin party? Did McCain-Palin not get permission from The Christian Broadcasting Network to use exclusive footage of Obama's interview or was the McCain-Palin caught red handed by CBN using their footage to misrepresent Obama? Not only does this hurts the McCain-Palin campaign but it shows that they're on a mission to win the presidency by any means necessary.

FIGHT!!!

2008-10-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

The NavBar Tells All

2008-10-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

McCain

Obama

Fight or Learn?

My Obama or McCain and Me?

2008-10-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ownership.
Yeah, I love tearing apart Obama and McCain's websites. Obama has stated that he's here for the people :

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me; it's about you.

Likewise, McCain has stated his committment to serving the country:

My friends, I've been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I've been her servant first, last, and always.

Maybe I'm reading into this too much, but there's something to be said about the difference between "MY Barack Obama" vs. "MCCAIN and you". It's funny how McCain calls himself the servant and Obama the a self-proclaimed savior- but the word choice he uses just doesn't reflect that. Which catch-phrase seems to give you more ownership?

Good Ole American Ignorance :-)

2008-10-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

Found this video while doing some late night twittering.

Although some sources say that Barack Obama is winning over Pennsylvania, he sure isn't winning over these characters in Johnstown, PA. I see ya up there in Johnstown, PA holding it down for true American Ignorance >:- ) <-- evil smiley face .It's no wounder why Sarah Palin and John McCain must correct or shut up their audience! Because they not only emit a profound lack of knowledge but they display the mentality of a modern day Lynching Mob. We see a black man with a name that isnt Jack ,Billy, Sarah or John then he must be unAmerican muslim extremist whose sole purose is to kill babies and support communism.

'Crazy Conservatives' = Good for McCain

2008-10-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

With all the fighting, distrustful and scathing rhetoric aimed at Obama, it's no wonder that McCain supporters vehemently hate Obama. In this video, you see the weirdly polar reactions to what McCain says. There's the initial 'boo' followed immediately with some enthusiastically supportive clapping.

I have a theory; McCain has been purposely fanning the flame of animosity into a blazing inferno, so that he can, in contrast, seem respectful. What better way to "Be a Maverick" than to stick it (at least to the public) to your own Republican supporters?
(Obama thanked McCain for defending him later)

After watching this clip, it makes you wonder: whose rhetoric is more powerful? McCain has criticized Obama's overly charismatic rhetoric, but with everything McCain says in this video, he can change the very reaction and 'thoughts' of the mob with anything he says. Maybe, it's not that McCain is persuasive, but that he has, at his disposal, a mob of completely pliable minds who will violently agree with whatever he says.

To be fair, McCain could be honestly defending Obama- I would believe it. It just seems a bit too convenient.

Fear The Ads...

2008-10-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

With political ads being one of the biggest weapons a politician has to subdue voters, its surprising how many people neglect to notice the practice of fear. Implicitly or explicitly both political parties have used fear as a conative force to gain voter support.
One of the most famous political ads that used the tactic of fear to catch voters was this 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson ad.

Scary huh? The innocent little girl, plucking a white flower and erroneously counting her way into incomprehensible doom. The nuclear explosions in the wake of what was an arms race with Russia.The powerfull yet fearsome statement by LBJ "We must either love each other, or we must die". Whats even more frightening about this ad is how easily this classical ad could be renovated into an ad for this new political era. Imagine if you replaced the nuclear explosion with distressful footage of Sept 11, when the twin towers fell.
Nowadays political ads are not created in such a way where the tactic of fear is overtly obvious. Poltical ads
Here's an example of how McCain subtly uses the tactic of fear to get voters.

The idea around this ad is that we should fear a man in office who is not ready to answer to handle or answer call of duty. Having an unprepared man in office would lead to rouge nations and terrorist organizations disturbing our late night slumber, and shooting rockets at us.
Fear is not the main strategy used in today's ad campaigns. This could be due to the fact that using fear to win voters stirs up controversy in the media and threatens a candidates persona.

How to Catch the Swing Vote

2008-10-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

With less than 30 days left, Obama is ahead in the polls due mostly to his successes in the debates. The fight for the swing vote is heating up with both candidates pulling all cards and going on the offensive. Based on the aftermath of the debates, it seems that all Obama has to do is to just keep cool, like LA says, but both candidates are at each other's throats.

Obama's bringing out the skeletons in McCain's closet.

Obama walked away from reporters when asked about his campaign’s new multimedia attack on McCain and his involvement with political donor Charles Keating, convicted of aiding in the collapse of Lincoln Savings and Loan Association in 1989. In 1991 the Senate Ethics Committee cleared McCain of acting improperly but said he exercised “poor judgment.”

He's got to play down his associations with former ties like Bill Ayers, Sharpton and Wright, so that he can downplay the slew of attacks.

With less than 30 days left, McCain HAS to make attacks on Obama if he is to make any case to swing the vote to his favor.

McCain, at an event in Albuquerque asked the same question that he's now featuring in commercials: "Who is the real Barack Obama?"
The goal is to sow doubts about the Democratic nominee, ostensibly about where he stands on policy issues. But such a question also has considerable resonance given Obama's newness to the national scene and the viral campaign taking aim at his race, religion and patriotism that has been flourishing online for a year now.

McCain has been trying to divorce himself from Bush, but elaborating on what LA said, McCain has to also show that he is not mimicking Obama. There's a balance that needs to be achieved between being agreeable enough with voter's desires for change, and separating himself distinctively from Obama. Unfortunately his rhetoric is not as eloquent nor as focused as Obama as made evident by the debates. Even if he has good policies and promises, those alone won't get him that swing vote.

The divide between the two candidates are seemingly wider if only because of the increasing attacks against each other. Frankly, if either one wants to get that swing vote, they have to say why we should vote for them, rather than why NOT to vote for the other.

My Advice For The Candidates

2008-10-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

With thirty days left till election day both candidates still have much work ahead of them. Both sides still have a few crowds to woo over. My advice for Obama and his campaign is simple. DONT F**K UP! It's that simple. As of today Obama is leading the polls and has many toss up states leaning his way.

Obama now has a solid lead in states that account for 189 electoral votes, and he is well positioned in states representing 71 more electoral votes, for a total of 260, according to a tally by The New York Times, based on polls and interviews with officials from both campaigns and outside analysts. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. McCain has solid leads in states with 160 electoral votes and is well positioned in states with another 40 electoral votes, according to The New York Times tally, for a total of 200. Just six states representing 78 electoral votes — Florida, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire, Nevada and Colorado — are tossups.

Obama appears to have significantly more options to reach the 270 threshold, particularly if McCain fails to win any states that Democrats won in 2004, like Pennsylvania, where the Republican ticket has been competing especially vigorously. -Chron.com

Many political journalist and columnist say that if the election were today Obama would win(by a small margin).However, since the elections are not today and there is thirty long days left till Nov. 4, Obama needs make damn sure he does not mess up. A small mistake on his part could be more detrimental to him than the McCain camp.However, with dubious attacks from the McCain party, Obama can just sit back, relax, and watch McCain and Palin make themselves look silly.

On the other side of the situation McCain seems to be loosing his cool. The number one thing I think McCain should do is stay calm. America already views this guy as an angry old man, no need to fuel it even more. One thing that we have seen Barack Obama do really well is keep his composure under pressure. Another aspect John McCain should do is establish himself with the middle class and mention what he would do to fix the economy. Sarah Palin isn't helping McCain win over the middle class right now, although she is winning over more viewers for SNL. In the next upcoming debate, McCain should state how he himself would help reestablish the middle class. Everyone's focus is on this terrible econmony. If McCain can somehow prove that he a better choice than obama in fixing the economy than he could have a chance. The final thing McCain needs to do in order to be a fighting condender in this race is to disassociate himself from the status-quo. Many people think that having McCain in office would be the Bush administration all over again. If John McCain can genuinely show undecided voters that he's a maverick and not a mimic then he has a shot at presidency.

30 Days Left...

2008-10-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a teaser pic for the upcoming elections.

Which VP Won The Depate??

2008-10-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

After watching the debates its hard to really tell who won or if there was actually a winner. Many news outlets, such as ~~FOX~~, CNN, or MSNBC, seemed to claim either Joe Bidden or Sarah Palin won. Both candidates seemed to have their moments. Joe Biden showed emotion when briefly speaking about his role as a single parent. Sarah Palin demonstrated how she would ease the polarization in Washington. Yet, at the end of the night both candidates seemed to have passed the test national debate test(Which is to look good on TV and impress undecided voters).

Sarah Palin's Facebook HACKED!

2008-10-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Check out this interesting screenshot of Sarah Palin's facebook page.

Now obvioulsy we know that this screenshot was forged, but none the less it is still interesting.

This Sums Up This Debate

2008-09-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

and is it just me or does McCain never look at Obama?

post-debate thoughts #4

2008-09-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

McCain says how Obama's plan involves spending millions of dollars, but the Iraq war that McCain voted for has cost us almost a trillion dollars.

doh!

post-debate thoughts #3

2008-09-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

About Iraq:
Obama: I'm against it from the beginning, we should've caught Bin Laden
McCain: It could've been alot worse & we're winning

I think it's interesting that Obama's rhetoric is a whole lot more severe during this part of the debate.

"I will not hesitate to you use military force"

post-debate thoughts #2

2008-09-26T19:49:00.001-07:00

McCain doesn't really present plans in these debates at least. He does seem to be more on his A-game today though. He's a whole lot more aggressive and his attacks are pretty hard (even though they're still counter intuitive) and resolute. Obama has all of these steps which seem pretty comprehensive but seem a little dodgy to me.

I guess it's because McCain's rhetoric is war-like in nature still, like Dave always says. He gives me this foreboding feeling of if we don't ___ or ____ we're doomed for death. But Obama makes me feel a little less panicked, at least in the way he describes his plans.

Again, maybe McCain is changing his image again, as more of the maverick/independent:

"Republicans came to change Washington, but Washington changed us"

He is alot more straightforward this time around- If you notice, he uses the word "change" a bunch.

Live Blog: Presidential Debate 08' (2)

2008-09-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Its funny how as soon as the debate was over on FOX News they attacked Obama and praised McCain. They also stated how McCain showed restrain against Obamas furrious attacks which is just crazy it you accually watched the debate.

post-debate thoughts #1

2008-09-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

First, I'm surprised McCain showed up.

One thing that stands out is the whole Russia debate: Both of them support Georgia, yet don't want to start a war. I wonder why they're making such a big deal out of it. I have to say Ron Paul put it best:

Obama: I think he's smart by connecting Iraq w/spending, instead of the "war is right/wrong" debate.

It's good that Obama is finally explaining himself about Iran in more depth.

Live Blog: Presidential Debate 08' (3)

2008-09-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Obama wants to restore the Perspective of America. Do the other countries really hate us that much?

Live Blog: Presidential Debate 08' (2)

2008-09-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Obama claims that we must re-evaluate our alliance with Russia. However, McCain claims that Obama doesn't understand the situation with Russia. McCain wants to "bolster our allies". Yet, Obama claims there're on the same terms on in regards to the Russian . Obama just flipped the Russian issue with his claims of alt-Energy!

Live Blog: Presidential Debate 08' (2)

2008-09-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

Obama taking shot at McCain. He claims that McCain doesnt want to explore contacts with Iran and wants preconditioned discussions.

Live Blog: Presidential Debate 08' (1)

2008-09-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Both Canidates agree that we cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran.

Live Blog: Presidential Debate 08'

2008-09-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

We'll Be live blogging the debate between John McCain & Barack Obama.

The Odd Couples

2008-09-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

Among these points, I find it interesting that:

Biden supported the Iraq War Resolution in 2002- and has since opposed it.
Palin supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge-which many Republicans support, but McCain opposes. (what a maverick)

These two statements are kind of weird, considering the pairing of candidates

Biden originally supported the war (but to be fair he immediately opposed it), while Obama heavily criticized Hillary for voting for the war in the beginning.
Palin supports drilling in the ANWR. Strange, because it's located in her home state, Alaska. You'd think that a former governor would want to preserve her own national wildlife refuge. The strangest thing is that McCain straight-up opposed drilling, specifically in the ANWR, which was at odds with the Bush administration at the time, way before McCain chose Palin as his running mate.

It's one thing to be at odds with your political opponents, but another to be at odds with your own running mate.

McCain 13: Obama 1?!

2008-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

A recent article from Newsweek claims that John McCain owns 13 cars over Obama's 1.

"McCain's personal ride, a 2004 Cadillac CTS, is no gas sipper, but it should make Detroit happy because it's made by General Motors. "I've bought American literally all my life and I'm proud," McCain said in the interview with Detroit's WXYZ-TV. But the rest of his fleet is not all-American. There's a 2005 Volkswagen convertible in the garage along with a 2001 Honda sedan. Otherwise, there's a 2007 half-ton Ford pickup truck, which might come in handy on the Sedona ranch; a vintage 1960 Willys Jeep; a 2008 Jeep Wrangler; a 2000 Lincoln; and a 2001 GMC SUV. The McCains also own three 2000 NEV Gem electric vehicles, which are bubble-shaped cars popular in retirement communities. - NewsWeek"

After allegations of McCain being out of touch from most Americans in terms of financial wealth, this could really hurt his stance in the polls, especially with the average American. Thirteen cars is a lot for anybody, especially seeing that most people have no more than two, maybe three cars. So can you really blame the guy for wanting to DRILL, DRILL, DRILL?I mean he has to feed those jeeps and massive suvs he has packed up in his 7 estates. However, he does own three electric "bubble-cars" which might help him with votes for people who support owning ten gas guzzlers and three eco-safe-yet-useless vehicles.

Obama's Stance on Taiwan: Double Standard?

2008-09-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Look familiar?

This logo represents the Taiwanese Solidarity Union, a Taiwanese political party that is against becoming one with China. Taiwan wants independence from China, but China wants Taiwan to become part of the "one China".

What does this have to do with American politics?
Barack says on his site that

We should maintain our "one China" policy, our adherence to the three U.S.-PRC Joint Communiques concerning Taiwan, and observance of the Taiwan Relations Act, which lays out the legal basis for our relationship.

What is the "one China" policy? In a nutshell, it's the principle that there is one China, which includes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, calling it a "common obligation of all Chinese people". This is from the One China policy:

Taiwan is part of China. The state shall never allow the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces to make Taiwan secede from China under any name or by any means."

Does that sound like freedom to you?

So what's the big deal? Quick history lesson:
For those who don't know, Taiwan is a small island off of China, claiming independence as well as democracy, as opposed to China's communism (but lately it's leaning more towards "Nationalism").

In short, Chinese people fled from China during the rise of Mao Zedong to escape persecution and to gain freedom from government oppression. My family was directly affected by this. My grandparents fled from China to Taiwan, where my grandfather was a general in the Taiwan military to fight against the red army. Read up on it, and you will find out about China's shady rise to power, filled with history alteration, book burnings, mass public killings and oppression of basic freedoms. Tianenmen Square ring any bells?

Obama claims to adhere to the "US-PRC Joint Communique" which is essentially the US attempting to maintain peaceful relations with China while barely mentioning supporting Taiwan's democracy.

So here's the problem and irony: According to Obama's site:

March 22nd was a good day for the people of Taiwan, for the forces of democracy around the world, and for peace and stability in the western Pacific. I will do all that I can to support Taiwan's democracy in the years ahead.

Funny, but he also supports the one China policy, a policy that aims to bring Taiwan into China, a communist country. It's easy to dismiss this as being a foreign issue that is irrelevant to us, but consider this. We are nurturing and encouraging a giant communist nation to take over this small democratic island. As an American, whose democratic nation revolted against a giant oppressive force (Britain), and as a Texan whose state fought for freedom from Mexico, I find it very perplexing that we are promoting this kind of assimilation.

People fled from China to find safe haven in Taiwan because of persecution, oppression and mass murder. Sound familiar? Mao murdered more than Stalin or Hitler! How can we as Americans say that we support democracy, especially for other countries, yet, for the sake of economic power, sell out Taiwan by telling them to return to the country grounded on principles set forth by the greatest mass murderer in history?

This is actually what both Obama and McCain support. Does this sound like democracy to you?

Sarah Palin's Email Hacked!

2008-09-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

According to an article on the Huffinton Post, Sarah Palin's email(gov.palin@yahoo.com) was hacked into sometime this week when hackers, associated with an cyber terrorist group called Anonymous, impersonated her and reset her Yahoo! Mail password. Although nothing malicious was found in her mailbox, family picture and personal email addresses were discovered through her account. All this after an alleged report of Palin using her personal email to conduct political and government business.

Being hacked can happen to almost anyone , but when your careless enough to use your own private email to conduct government business that is just reckless. Now imagine if she had access to information vital to the security of our nation.

McCain The Inventor!

2008-09-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Not only is John McCain the republican presidential candidate, but he's also an inventor! That's right apparently John McCain invented the blackberry. During a reporters conference with Douglas Holtz-Eakins about what McCain could do for this great economic cycle we're currently in, Eakins held up his blackberry and stated...

“The telecommunications of the United States, the premier innovation of the past 15 years, comes right through the commerce committee. So you’re looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create. And that’s what he did.’’

Now, I know your probably thinking, "What?!? John McCain did NOT invent the BlackBerry dummy!" or "What does a BlackBerry have to do with fixing economy?". Well, in all actuality, if John McCain said he invented the blackberry then he must have invented it, because John McCain, the republican presidential candidate, does not fib about anything to anyone including his policy advisers. Telling lies about things you do not have to lie about or people you do not have to lie for would only degrade someones' public image. However, with McCain in office, he will be able to help create another version of the blackberry that will fix everything at broadband speed! He's an early version of his BlackBerry ad campaign.

Democratic Rant

2008-09-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

After a recent and thought provoking comment, I decided to do some good ole' Obama/Democratic Bashing! Check out this video of Barack Obama breaking the record for saying "Uh" the most times in a single interview.

After watching this watching this hilarious video, can you actually believe that Barack Obama, the democratic presidential canidate for the United States of America, says "Uh..." a lot? I mean sure he graduted from two ivy league institutions and taught constitutional law in one of the finest law schools in the country and served as a state legislator and US senator and has been praised for his public speeches. But, come on. If you want to be the president of this country you cannot say "Uh..." thirty times in one interview. You have to be as articulate and humorus as our current commander and chief.

Designing McCain & Barack

2008-09-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

As an amateur graphic designer (shameless plug!) it is understood that the value of good design is that it communicates words on a page in a way that is more accessible to the targeted audience. Homogeneity in design communicates centrality in message and harmony in ideas. Cleanness in presentation shows clearness and organization of information, which also determines accessibility by its user interface.

With that being said, let's take a look at their websites.

Obama Homepage

Color: Obama's site uses only the American flag as the color scheme (good idea if you're running for president of the USA). The site is predominantly blue: Blue: symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, faith, truth and heaven. It is also associated with calmness and tranquility. It can be used to promote services/products related to cleanliness. Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding and softness.
Hue: Notice the use of 'lighting' in the design of the site. Everything has a glowing effect. Notice the Obama/Biden face header and the Texas state picture. The buttons, the headings, are all illuminated. The blue background varies, depending on what is being brought to the center of attention. The brighter hues bring out the titles and pictures. Notice that the toolbar is easy to find because it stands out the most.
Space: This site is very evenly organized. Notice that the top right corner is lined up with the "Vote for Change" directly under the toolbar. The hues separate them into distinct portions, yet the congruency of the layout makes it easy to find and distinguish different parts of the page. There is ample spacing left for text and pictures, so the readability is great.
Text: There are only two major fonts used on this whole page. One is used for the titles and headers, and the other is used for the descriptions. The text itself is spaced well, so that it isn't too cluttered. This lends to homogeneity because the whole site operates with the same fonts throughout.

McCain

Color: McCain's site doesn't really have a main color, at least on the surface. The colors that pop on this page are the greens. However, the predominant color is the background, which is a muted turquoise-ish color. There are a few yellows that really pop out as well, but as a whole, the page doesn't really lend itself to much consistency.
Hue: Hues are only used in the separate little "widget boxes" and the header. Interestingly, in the header, McCain and Palin's faces are not consistent with the header, giving a glued-on look. The rest of the page uses very flat colors, but relies on the numerous boxes to contribute dimension
Space: This page is extremely cluttered with so many different things going on at once. The spacing is not necessarily unorganized, but strange color choice lends itself to a chaotic and messy looking layout. Notice that each of the three columns are giving very similar space. This is strange because it doesn't give much centrality to your focus. Everything seems a bit too large and in-your-face.
Text: The entire page uses three different fonts, not including the two used in the header, the four used in the left sidebar, and the one in the "volunteer HQ" box. The font is very dated, unlike Obama's 2.0 edge. Also, the way that the text is organized and sized is very large (maybe so senior citizens can see?). Though not text intensive, it appears that way because of the small spacing and huge default font size.

The Spanish Pages

Obama's

McCain's

WTF!!!

Look at the homepages. Now look at their Spanish ones. McCain's homepage looks pretty different from Obama's, but why does his Spanish site look so much like Obama's? Do you think it has anything to do with his recently popularized "Maverick" and "Agent of Change" identity?

Coincidence?

John McCain Gets Grilled on The View

2008-09-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin On ABC

2008-09-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it( like I did) here's Sarah Palin being interviewed by Charles Gibson on ABC.

I think Sarah Palin did a good job....of stating her rehearsed answers during the interview. However, towards the end, when she was asked about the Bush Doctrine, she must've forgot what coach McCain told her.

Finall Part To The Obama O'Reilly Interview

2008-09-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Thrird Part of the Obama O'Reilly Interview

2008-09-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Obama acuses McCain of Lies!

2008-09-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

Obama & O'Reilly Discuss Economy & Taxes

2008-09-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin & The Bridge To Nowhere

2008-09-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this ad from the McCain party titled The Original Mavericks.

Notice anything funny? If you guessed the title you are correct! John McCain and Sarah Palin aren't Mavericks, that title goes to Mark Cuban and the greatest basketball team that's located in Dallas, Texas. However, if you said something relating to Sarah Palin stopping the bridge to nowhere being completely false then you get some credit.

Sarah Palin did'nt stop the bridge to nowhere; Hell, she was the main person looking for funding for the $400 million project!

"We will continue to look for options for Ketchikan to allow better access to the island," the Republican governor[Sarah Palin] said. "The concentration is not going to be on a $400 million bridge."-CNN

Would this be considered an absolute lie or just an error of judgement on the republican's side?

Sarah Palin Confused?

2008-09-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

For a second their she sounded like she could've been Obama's running mate.

Porn and Politicis

2008-09-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Slavery: includes both traditional slaves and bonded workers who are not allowed to work off their debts.

Did you know that 14,500=17,500 slaves are brought into the US every year? That's about one every 30 minutes.

The average cost of a slave is $90.
50% work in the agriculture industry
but did you know that the other
50% of slaves are engaged in the commercial sex industry?
(Human Trafficking, U.S. State Department)

There's this entire censorship debate about what we can and cannot have access to on the internet. But at what cost? The porn industry rakes in more money than the NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB combined-it's insane.

So what are the parties going to do about this? I haven't heard anything.

Sickening, isn't it?

The Middle Class Irony

2008-09-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest criticisms against McCain is that he is continuing "trickle down economy" where the richest 5% get tax breaks- so that it will hopefully reach the middle class.

Popular opinion of the public along with the Democrats is that the middle class needs to be the one helped the most. One aspect is that the middle class are the biggest consumers, so they need more money to spend- making sure that the economy stays rigorous. Watch these pretty comprehensive videos about "Obamanomics"

Watch every Obama speech: it's all about the middle class.
Sounds good right?
I'm betting that you're in the middle class.

McCain and Obama's policies are opposites: Trickle down and Trickle up. But how about the lowest class?
How does "lifting up the middle class" affect the bottom? McCain has continually flip flopped about raising the minimum wage vs. Obama who is adamantly pushing to keep the minimum wage livable at the same rate as the economy.

All you can really say about their stance is that McCain is among the highest 5% of Americans while Obama (at least according to Audacity of Hope) talks about our "empathy deficit" for the urban poor.

So is there a trickle down to the bottom? I guess the issue is: which candidate's policy gives a higher likelihood of trickling down to the bottom? From the richest to the bottom, or the middle to the bottom?

Even globally, for America to be the philanthropist to the third world, would mean for America to have the respect of other nations as well as the money to give and build resources. Through the lens of poverty, that would necessitate the administration with the most sound economic plan right? Here's the theoretical chart of the Dems' policy. For the Republicans, add "more $ for richest, trickles down to middle class" to the top.

This is all very naive (but popular) statement, but the urban poor need jobs, higher minimum wage, and an excellent education program. Pretty much: make them just like the middle class.

It's a very shallow explanation of deeper needs, but economically, it's what people are really asking for isn't it?

So the democrats knock the republicans for their trickle own policy, but what are they going to do about their own uspoken "trickle down" to the poor? Even moreso, to the rest of the impoverished world? Is all of this middle class growth really going make that siginificant of a change for the poorest of the poor?

Animal Lovers Say "No" To Palin

2008-09-05T23:25:00.001-07:00

While browsing google images for naked pictures of Sarah Palin (don't judge me! ), I came across an interesting little article concerning her views on animals rights. Well obviously since shes an avid hunter and explicitly touts her fur coat everywhere one would only think that she luvs animals. Nonetheless, here our a few points to consider with Sarah Palin :

Sarah Palin:

* Proposed paying a $150 bounty for the left foreleg of each dead
wolf.

* Approved a $400,000 state-funded propaganda campaign to promote
aerial hunting.

* Introduced legislation to make it even easier to use aircraft to
hunt wolves and bears.

Obama & O'Reilly Discuss Iraqi War(Peacefully?)

2008-09-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

Peacefully...yea right.However, Bill O'Riley was'nt as pushy as he is to his other guests....but then again this is only the first segment of a four part interview.
Watch as they discuss the ongoing War in Iraq.

Oprah Says No To Palin

2008-09-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

Billionaire talk show host/goddess, recently says she willl not allow Sarah Palin to make an apperance on her show. Oprah, a heavy Obama supporter, cliams that she doesn't want to use her show to platform any of the candiates. There is also talk that this issue has created a rift within Oprah's staff were half of Oprah's staff wants Palin to make an apperance while the other half doesn't.

McCain DRILLS His Speech Into Nowhere

2008-09-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last night during the RNC, John McCain mentioned drilling for more oil a total of 18 times! While barley mentioning issues concerning poverty or rebuilding of the middle class. I wounder how many more tax breaks for oil companys would he implement IF he was elected into office and how come the middle class would not recieve any prominent tax relief.

"After listening to all the speeches this week, I heard nothing that suggests the Republicans are ready to fix the economy for middle-class families, provide quality affordable health care for all Americans, guarantee equal pay for equal work for women, restore our nation's leadership in a complex world or tackle the myriad of challenges our country faces," Clinton said in the statement. "So, to slightly amend my comments from Denver: No way, no how, no McCain-Palin. - CNN"

McCain shows no love for the Middle-Class

2008-09-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday during the RNC, John McCain failed to mention any issue concerning middle class Americans.

"If you watched the Republican National Convention over the last three days, you wouldn't know that we have the highest unemployment in five years because they didn't say a thing about what is going on with the middle class," Obama told workers at a specialty glass factory.
"They spent a lot of time talking about John McCain's biography, which we all honor," the Illinois senator said. "They talked about me a lot, in less than respectful terms. What they didn't talk about is you and what you're seeing in your lives and what you're going through, or what your friends or your neighbors are going through." - The Associated Press

I guess one would try to argue WELL THATS WHAT SARAH PALIN IS FOR, but then again....

Obama Latest Ad "Same"

2008-09-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Obama Set To Make Fox Debut on O'Reilly

2008-09-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Barack Obama will make his first appearance on Fox News with Bill O'reilly on the O'reilly Factor.

Barack Obama will appear on Fox News with conservative Bill O’Reilly on Thursday, the same night John McCain gives his acceptance speech at the Republican convention here. What a coincidence! - Wall Street Journal: WashingtonWire

This just hours before John McCain gives his acceptance speech tonight during the RNC. Hopefully they'll be able discuss real issues such as Obama's stand on poverty in America and not delve Obama's favorite gangster rapper.

Biden and The Real Question

2008-09-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

"Are we talking about what we can do for Africa
or are we talking about what we can do with Africa?"
-Joe Biden

McCain is too vague, Barack has no track record. But look at Biden's record and what he says.

When asked by ONE about what he would do as President, here's a rundown of what he said:
(full page)
-$50 billion by 2013 for HIV
-expanded efforts for Malaria prevention
-I have to quote this one:
"...legislation to safeguard women and children in refugee and IDP camps and I am the author of the International Violence Against Women Act. As president, I would build on these efforts to address the interlinked health needs and human rights of women and children.”
-co-sponsored the Education for All Act (universal primary education)
-Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (prevent water-borne disease)
-partnered with Bono on Jubilee 2000 debt relief

McCain's "straight talk" on poverty involves no numbers, no way to measure- which means no accountability. However, he has experience in dealing with foreign issues firsthand. He's also constantly talking about not aiding certain countries because of abuse (which is legitimate). However, what do vague promises mean?

Obama promises alot- like giving measurable goals with spending on HIV, along with epic, touching speeches about his personal touches with poverty and his social work experience. But one has to wonder if he even knows what he's getting into. There's very little indication besides his persuasive talk of whether or not he can pull of what he's talked about. His track record is very light, despite his motivational presence.

Now let me take a pause from politics for a second.

The real question has to be whether or not these issues mean anything to us, anything to you or me. On a very surface level, how does dirty water or child prostitution influence my American life? On a more personal level, will we pass these injustices off to more "experienced" people? Am I just going to leave it up to ONE or the President to deal with? Know these issues, we all need to learn together. It doesn't affect you and me, and that's the problem.

The shirt you wear could be made by child labor.
The water you drink is bought and sold by companies, at the cost of actually keeping wells from much of the 3rd world.
American men go to Thailand regularly and buy time with 7 year old girl prostitutes.

No, it doesn't affect you. But it does affect them. Even if it did somehow affect our economy or resources- at what cost? A life? Innocence?

Uncomfortable? Good.
Let's do something about it. Add your voice, your money, your time, your resources.
I'm not being preachy, I'm just telling you what you don't want to hear. But it's true. I know first hand.
We're in this together. Never think that you're too insignificant to save a life.

-d

Add Your Voice

2008-09-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is a huge plug for ONE.org, but believe it. Add your voice to get, whoever wins, to take the stand against poverty.

featuring Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain and Mayor Bloomberg.

-d

Protesters Pepper Sprayed And Arrested

2008-09-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Over 250 people were arrested yesterday after protesters march, held by the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, took an abrupt end near the RNC. Nearly 10,000 protesters showed up outside the XCel Convention Centre, in St Paul, Minnesota to protest against the Republican party and support of the ongoing war in Iraq.

John McCain & Barrack Obama Back At It

2008-09-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest tv campaign ads for Barrack Obama and John McCain.

McCain's Ad

Obama's Ad

After viewing the ads you'll notice that both sides have stuck to thier guns and attack the same points. John McCain claims that Obama is just another flashy candidate with little experience and big promises.While Obama, on the other hand, points out that McCain supports Bush and will bring the same ideology back into the White House.

Sarah Palin Daughter Gets Knocked Up At 17

2008-09-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin announced Monday that here 17 year old daughter,Bristol Palin, is 5 months pregnant. Reports say that they plan on keeping the child and encourages Bristol to wed the father.

John McCain on the issue:

"[The Palins] "are being supportive of her and the man she will marry... This is a young woman. She's 17 years old. This is the governor's daughter and it is their issue." -trailblazersblog.DMN

Barrack Obama on the issue:

"Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president."
Obama said reporters should "back off these kinds of stories" and noted that he was born to an 18-year-old mother.
"How a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn't be the topic of our politics, and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that's off-limits."-CNN

I believe the candidates are making the right choice by keeping out of this personal matter. There's no need into turning this issue into a celebrity show like Britney Spears little sister,Jamie Lynn Spears. I also think the media will keep their distance from this issue as well seeing that there's more to be had directly from either candidates.

barack, biden, palin and dead babies

2008-09-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

EDIT: i was going to make a picture of a fetus wearing glasses (distasteful, i know) and all i have to say is; google image "fetus". eye opening, but extremely, extremely disturbing. wow.

liberal blogs/news outlets rejoice as palin's unwed daughter is pregnant.
here's barack's response;
"Back off these kinds of stories." "I have said before, and I will repeat again: People's families are off-limits," Obama said. "And people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. You know my mother had me when she was 18, and how a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be a topic of our politics."

he goes on to say that he would fire anyone in his campaign who would cause this to become an issue.

so let's talk about abortion
barack and biden (especially biden) are pro-abortion. no matter how you look at it, biden is openly for it, while obama, despite his evangelical-pleasing "Jesus lingo", is completely dodgey and purposely mysterious about it.
check this (though admittedly biased)

now palin is most definitely against abortion. according to the huffington post: she wouldn''t support it even if her daughter was raped.

it's a woman's choice, right? or is it about the sanctity of life?

really, this is a hard place to be, is it not? well, if you're like me it is.
if you are
super pro abortion: vote obama!who has little experience, but a great motivator, with an extremely experienced vp
super anti abortion: vote mccain! who has been a pow longer than obama has been a politician! but with a terrible, terrible choice in vp. terrible.

let's be honest. all men can never fully understand this whole issue of abortion as well as women can because they have no birth potential/experience.
so then, if obama/biden are dudes, and palin is the woman, who should you trust more in terms of abortion policy?

maybe it's a weak argument, but i guess this whole topic is for another time and place. politics, thou art a baby killer

-d

Homeless Man's Music Strikes Political Chord

2008-08-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

Thought this was interesting.

Fox4 News

John McCain Picks Former Beauty Queen/Current Milf As Running Mate

2008-08-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Who? Thats the first thing I thought when I heard McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. Then I heard she was an Alaskan governor and remembered that Alaska actually has people living there! But really, who is Sarah Palin?

Senator John McCain astonished the political world on Friday by naming Sarah Palin, a little-known governor of Alaska and self-described “hockey mom” with almost no foreign policy experience, as his running mate on the Republican presidential ticket.
Ms. Palin, 44, a social conservative, former union member and mother of five who has been governor for two years, was on none of the widely discussed McCain campaign short lists for vice president. In selecting her, Mr. McCain reached far outside the Washington Beltway in an election year in which the Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama, is running on a platform of change. - NYTimes

Barack Obama's DNC Speech 2008

2008-08-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in Denver's stadium, packed to the brim with more than 84,000 in attendance and more than 34 million TV viewers, Barack Obama made one of the greatest speeches the democratic party has ever witnessed.

John McCain

2008-08-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

I guess after having a $500k yearly salary John McCain forgets the value of a dollar.

obama & mccain on poverty (and everything else for that matter): a visual

2008-08-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

click on these to get a closer look:

1. frontpage

2. "issues"

3. poverty

enough said?

-d

About Us

2008-08-26T23:25:00.000-07:00