Sarah Palin isn't who she says she is and most of us very practical, common sense and rationally thinking and (the D.C. punditry's so-called Wal-Mart) Moms know it. Even the deeply religious (though perhaps not the fundamentalist extremist) Moms sense it. Palin is breaking too many rules. She is trashing our collectively perceived code of conduct in the same fashion that W. walks all over the U.S. Constitution and lies about Iraq. The over-the-top attacks and bullying lies are sending off alarm bells. McCain and Palin are beginning to act and sound in an alarming and rather insane fashion.
Why is Palin going this low when she could serve as a feminist role model for women who would like to serve in politics?
For all of her so-called sizzle, Moms like me are beginning to think Sarah Palin's level of arrogance is worse than W.'s. She, like him, insults the American people by lying to us. She and McCain must think we are all stupid.
Who is Sarah Palin, really? For starters it seems that she has a problem with telling the truth. Sound familiar?
The general meme in the press has questioned whether the Democrats were truly unified. Senator Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton told delegates and American's watching the convention at home that it was time to unite behind Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama. They didn't do it once or twice, but every night of the convention.
On the other hand, the libertarian side of the Republican Party has not unified behind John McCain yet.
A few hours before his Campaign for Liberty rally got under way here today, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, or St. Paul to many of the 9,000-plus people at the gathering, bashed his Republican Party for what he said was avoidance of important issues such as deficit spending and civil liberties.
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In an interview with CNN, Paul also said there was "not a heck of a lot to like" about presidential candidates John McCain [...] partly because he considers them flip-floppers.
"John McCain used to be for taxes, now he's against taxes," Paul said.
This lack of unity in the Republican Party extends beyond Congressman Paul and his parties nominee. Republican delegation alternate Alan Smith went on record with the Chronicle saying that he is among a dozen delegates from Texas who will not be voting for John McCain.
"By calling the GOP back to its roots, we will re-invigorate positive excitement in our candidates," he said in a letter to delegates.
Smith said that as an alternate, he took an oath to vote for nominate McCain but will cast his personal presidential vote Nov. 4 for Libertarian Bob Barr of Georgia.
This is what real intraparty problems look like, not just a false media narrative.
Some of those who supported Senator Hillary Clinton during the Democratic Primary that are now pledging to support Senator McCain are the wrong side. Those behind groups like "Just Say No Deal" and "Clintons 4 McCain" and not honoring Clinton by supporting a candidate that stands against everything Clinton stands for. Joe Conason of TruthDig.com asks,
"Is this the politics of revenge? Is it the cult of personality? Is it just stubborn idiocy?"
Day three will be summed up by the aggressive critiques made against John McCain and continued show of unity by every Democrat.
While Bill Clinton continued the tone of unity and called for Hillary Clinton supporters to join him, Chelsea, and Hillary as they campaign for Barack Obama the reality is his speech focused on the failures of this Republican Party.
While they attack Barack Obama for being young, Bill Clinton reminded us, these are the same attacks they used 16 years ago against him. It probably doesn't need to be said, that Bill Clinton served during one of the greatest economies we have ever had. It probably shouldn't be said, but President Clinton put America in high esteem throughout the world.
On the other hand, our country is working harder for less. Our standing through out the world is worse and worse every day.
The reality is, John McCain and George Bush agree 90% of the time. The reality is that our country is not better off today than it was 4 or even 8 years ago.
Once Bill Clinton was done praising Barack Obama's experience and letting the country know what is on the line. The Republican Party that pushes more for less. More work, less pay. More war, less support for our veterans. More drilling, less relief at the pump. Or Democrats, who want a better tomorrow, today.
Where President Clinton left off, Senator John Kerry picked up. His "flub" signaled the tone of his entire speech. He confused George Bush with John McCain in his points about the failed Republican leadership. He reminded us all why he was once our nominee for President. While he was too cerebral at times in 2004, tonight, he was the attack dog a leader in the Senate needs to be. He stood on stage declaring that John McCain's attack on the middle class is a clear sign that we would be giving corporate interest and lobbyist 4 more years of Bush/Cheney politics.
Kerry made the point, "When we choose a commander-in-chief this November, we are electing judgment and character, not years in the Senate or years on this earth." That is the aggressive campaign we must run this cycle. That is the point we need to make.
While Kerry discussed veterans issues a little, Chet Edwards went full force on veterans issues.
Senator Hillary Clinton gave a resounding speech at the National Democratic Convention, and urged those that voted for her to support Senator Barack Obama. Senator Clinton ran a historic campaign, and with those that voted for her put 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling.
On Monday, at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Hillary Clinton made it clear in her speech to the Hispanic Caucus that the stakes were far too high in this election to not work tirelessly to elect Barack Obama.
Clinton accurately stated that Republicans would try to divide us and distract Democrats from the ultimate goal by trying to rehash the battles of the primaries.
She is exactly right. That is John McCain's strategy. He has several new ads that solely aim to persuade disgruntled Clinton supporters.
I believe Hillary Clinton's speech on Tuesday night will go a long way towards slamming the door on McCain's hopes to attract past Clinton supporters, which is a good thing not just for us here in Texas, but all across the nation.
“Every one of us could stand up and recite all the reasons why we must elect Barack. The Supreme Court is at stake; our educational system needs the right kind of change. We’ve got to become energy independent; we have to create millions of new green collar jobs. We’ve got so much work to do around the world.
“None of that will happen if John McCain is in the White House. I just want to make it absolutely clear we cannot afford four more years of George W. Bush’s failed policies in America, and that’s what we would get with John McCain.
"Now I understand that the McCain campaign is running ads trying to divide us, and let me state what I think about their tactics and these ads: I am Hillary Clinton, and I do not approve that message.
“So let there be no mistake about it, we are united. We are united for change.”
A poll commissioned by the El Paso Times and El Paso News Channel 9 found John McCain leading Barack Obama 38 percent to 36 percent, with 26 percent undecided.
The automated poll to 3,348 households of registered voters had a margin of error of 2 percent, meaning McCain's slight lead is within the MoE.
However, in a county where John Kerry received just over 56 percent of the vote in 2004, the results certainly raised some eyebrows.
State Rep. Norma Chavez, a Craddick D who was the only member of the El Paso delegation to support Obama in the primary, did not seem too concerned.
"We have a strong Democratic base in El Paso that supports the Clintons, and a lot of people are waiting to see how Hillary is treated at the convention before fully supporting Obama," said state Rep. Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, who is going to Denver for the party's national convention, which will begin Monday.
"The numbers will change next week, and I expect McCain's numbers to stay flat and Obama's to increase," said Chávez, who is one of Obama's main organizers in El Paso and Texas.
Russell Autry, the chief of operations of the El Paso-based polling company The Reuel Group, said that Obama's Democratic support in El Paso County was "softer than what was expected."
"The El Paso County Democratic Party has its work cut out for them," [Autry] said.
Autry may be right, but the problem may not be as large as the polling indicates.
Danny Anchondo, chairman of the county Democratic party, said that he isn't worried about El Paso turning Republican, and he points to the large number of undecided voters as people who will vote as Democrats in November.
"Everyone here is waiting to see what the Clintons do," Anchondo said.
The state representative race between Democrat Joe Moody and Dee Margo, who defeated Pat Haggerty in the Republican primary, also could be effected by the presidential race.
"Those who were for Hillary are either going to be voting on our side or not voting at all," [El Paso County GOP Chair Michael Moore] said. "I think this is going to help us down in the ballot.
Among those who hope Moore's analysis is correct is Republican state representative candidate Dee Margo. The El Paso businessman is running against Democrat Joseph Moody in the November election. Both are seeking to replace Pat Haggerty, who lost in the Republican primary.
"I certainly don't think it hurts," Margo said of the poll's results. "It shows that voters in El Paso are thinking more about the candidates than about party affiliation."Moody, a lawyer, said the presidential poll results will not weigh heavily in his race.
"Presidential politics do not determine what happens in a state house race," he said. "Ours is a local race that centers on issues important to our community."
It goes without saying that in order for statewide candidates like Rick Noriega, Linda Yanez and Sam Houston to win, they will need a high turnout and excellent showing in El Paso.
It appears delegates will have the opportunity to vote for Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary in Denver.
In a move to heal the wounds from the bitter primary battle, Sen. Obama's campaign has agreed to put former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton's name in nomination at the Democratic National Convention this month.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton release the following joint statement:
Since June, Senators Obama and Clinton have been working together to ensure a Democratic victory this November. They are both committed to winning back the White House and to to ensuring that the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver. To honor and celebrate these voices and votes, both Senator Obama's and Senator Clinton's names will be placed in nomination.
"I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion," said Senator Barack Obama.
Senator Obama's campaign encouraged Senator Clinton's name to be placed in nomination as a show of unity and in recognition of the historic race she ran and the fact that she was the first woman to compete in all of our nation's primary contests.
"With every voice heard and the Party strongly united, we will elect Senator Obama President of the United States and put our nation on the path to peace and prosperity once again," said Senator Hillary Clinton.
Senator Obama and Senator Clinton are looking forward to a convention unified behind Barack Obama as the Party's nominee and to victory this fall for America.
Even as polls show Barack Obama doing very well among Hispanic voters, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) is "still concerned about the enthusiasm level [for Obama] in her predominantly Hispanic district," the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Have those wounds, particularly the hurt feelings of older Latinas who saw their own struggle in Clinton's historic candidacy, had enough time to heal? Does it make a difference now that the buzz out of Washington, D.C., is Clinton almost assuredly won't be Obama's running mate?
“If you drive through my district, those Hillary signs aren't coming down yet,” said Van de Putte on Friday. “My hope is through the convention and shortly thereafter to make them (Hillary supporters) feel more comfortable.”
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It is a tougher problem for Obama as his race against Republican John McCain is tightening in some national polls. Older Latinos, particularly those of Mexican-American descent in the Southwest, tend to be solid Democratic voters, so any lack of zeal for Obama within any sector of the community could be problematic for his candidacy.
“I really believe they're going to vote for Senator Obama,” Van de Putte reasoned, “but I want them to have the level of engagement and excitement they would have had for a Hillary Clinton ticket.
“I think it will take a while,” she said.
Local political consultant JoAnn Ramon has built a career on cajoling area Democrats to vote straight-ticket in partisan elections. And she sees the same hurdles for Obama among “more experienced” Latinas in her South Side stomping grounds.
“The Latinas have been very adamant,” Ramon said. “If (Obama) doesn't take Hillary, they're going to skip that race on the ballot.”
The 64-year-old Ramon conceded that even a party loyalist like herself needed “a grieving period” to get past the end of Hillary's presidential candidacy.
“It's hard,” she said.
What Obama needs, Van de Putte and Ramon agreed, is for Clinton to vouch for him in person in heavily Hispanic areas. And it must go beyond the featured role that Clinton will be given at the national convention.
“You've got to believe it to sell it,” Ramon said. “Hillary is really going to have to say something, and she's really going to have to campaign for him.”
Van de Putte said it helps, but it's not enough, to simply acknowledge that Obama emphasizes the same priorities as the larger Hispanic community — education, health care and the economy.
To hear it from Hillary's lips, on the stump, could make all the difference in the world ...
For various reasons, it seems unlikely that Hillary Clinton will be the vice-presidential nominee. I hope she is still well utilized by the Obama campaign to do outreach to groups that overwhelmingly supported her during the primaries.
Democrats will have to work hard to hold on to the voters that JoAnn Ramon speaks of: Hispanic women who plan to skip the presidential race if Clinton is not on the ticket. South Texas Chisme wrote yesterday that he will not be voting in the presidential election, either.
While this is not as bad as the seemingly irrational Clinton supporters who have defected to McCain, it is important to have complete Democratic unity for victory in November.
Also, Hillary Clinton will be campaigning for Obama in Nevada and Miami, FL later this month in a continued effort to reach out to Hispanic voters on behalf of Obama.
Sen. Hillary Clinton will give the keynote speech at the 6th Annual South Texas Regional Leaders Conference in Washington D.C, the Rio Grande Guardian reports.
Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, who made the announcement, said the event will be held next week and is designed to allow South Texas leaders to meet "federal agencies and network on Capitol Hill."
“Hillary Clinton is a formidable leader who has long been a friend to the people of South Texas,” Hinojosa told the Guardian. “I am honored that she will be participating in our conference and have an opportunity to share her vision for America's future with our community leaders.” In the March presidential primary, Clinton won 61,000 votes in Hidalgo County, or 72.5 percent of the vote, and 22,700 votes in Cameron County, or 67.65 percent of the vote. She is now campaigning to get U.S. Sen. Barack Obama elected president and is expected to visit South Texas on his behalf before the November election. Clinton will make her remarks to South Texas leaders at 12 noon on Tuesday, July 15, at a luncheon in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington. The next day, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will speak at the conference.
The Guardian seems to think that Clinton will be campaigning in South Texas for Obama. I sure hope so. As I've written before, I think that would be a great idea to help Obama solidify support in South Texas.
