Steamd

As pointed out in part 2 of this series, it has been discovered recently that McCain’s economic advisor, Phil Gramm, was employed UBS, a Swiss bank that Gramm was lobbying for as it relates to the mortgage industry. What’s troubling is that Gramm helped the mortgage industry by helping to deregulate the banking industry and help perpetuate the problems we now see in the mortgage industry.

And what was McCain’s response to this?

“Senator Gramm has one of the most honorable records of anyone who has served in the United States Senate and, of course, he’s never lobbied me.”

I think McCain misses the point. The problem isn’t that Gramm has lobbied for McCain, it’s the fact that he was a lobbyest period. By McCain’s own campaign policies, Gramm should not be a member of his campaign. He goes against the very things McCain keeps preaching about…and he’s providing economic policy advise? Tell me there isn’t a contradiction here.

Recently, Keith Olbermann pointed out more about the Gramm scandal…and it gets worse. I’ll let Keith take the conn:

What blows my mind is that these facts are pointed out and yet so many Republicans keep throwing it back and saying,”You’re wrong!” Look, I’m an Obama supporter, but even I will admit when Obama is wrong or has serious problems with his policies. Nobody is perfect. Until both Republicans and Democrats realize that, until they start looking at the bigger picture, nothing is going to get done.

It is pretty clear after the results of the Democratic elections in Kentucky and Oregon that Barack Obama will be the Democratic candidate. Thus, it is no longer necessary to talk about why Hillary Clinton should not be President since she’ll clearly no longer be in the race. Now it is time to focus my attention on the Republican candidate, one that is probably as prolific as Clinton when it comes to discrepancies in a campaign. This is the first of what will likely be many posts about why I think John McCain should not be President of the United States.

I recently read that McCain’s finance co-chairman, former Texas Rep. Thomas G. Loeffler, had stepped down. What concerns me about this is the fact that Loeffler runs a lobbying firm called The Loeffler Group, a firm that has lobbied for other foreign interests and foreign governments and, according to Newsweek, was paid $15 million by Saudi Arabia.

McCain recently put a policy in place that prohibits any member of his campaign staff from being a registered lobbyist or foreign agent. With this policy, others have left his campaign including advisers Doug Goodyear and Doug Davenport, both of which worked for DCI Group, a consulting firm hired to improve the image of Myanmar’s military junta. McCain also fired energy policy adviser Eric Burgeson, who represents energy companies as a lobbyist.

If this is McCain’s idea of action against lobbyists then it’s too little too late. Even McCain’s own website had this to say about lobbyists:

As John McCain has said, “Americans believe that political representation is measured on a sliding scale. The more you give the more effectively you can petition your government.” It is no coincidence that the most influential lobbyists with the greatest access in the nation’s Capitol are also the most prolific political fundraisers, and that incumbents attract money in far greater volumes than most challengers.

You know, for a guy who claims to be “Ready From Day One“, he sure as hell didn’t make sure that he wasn’t hiring ex-lobbyist from day one of his campaign.

But that wasn’t even the most scariest story of the week. The most scariest is one that my wife forwarded to me from the Huffington Post, one in which McCain gets his fact wrong about Iran:

It’s scary because here’s a guy who has been through the worst of the worst when it comes to war, is twice my age, and doesn’t know the difference between Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah. What’s worse, he even argues about it. Even I know who the hell the Ayatollah is. I learned that when I was a kid back in 1981 when the Iran hostage crisis took place. It’s pretty clear that Ahmadinejad is not the Ayatollah. It’s insulting because, out of all people in the United States, it’s the President who needs to know this stuff the most. Pretty crazy when even a 10 year-old kid knows more than John McCain about Iran’s leaders.

More to come soon…

Seriously, how much proof do you need? Not only does Hillary Clinton lie, it looks like she’s even hiring others to lie for her by pushing them onto others via poll calls. Say “hello” to Hillary’s new head of her campaign team, the firm of Geoff Garin:

Clinton Camp Testing Attacks on Obama

This is absurd! How can anyone in their right mind vote for her knowing damn well that she has lied her ass off to get their vote? I don’t buy the excuse that we expect politicians to bullshit us. I’m tired of that line. If this is her idea of a well run campaign, I don’t want her anywhere near the office of the President of the United States!

In my first post of the Why Hillary Clinton Should Not Be President series, I mentioned the incident with Peter Paul and Stan Lee of their involvement with the Clintons during one of Hillary’s Senate campaigns. According to WorldNetDaily, the Clintons may face a fraud trial, a trial the Clintons have been trying to dismiss. Why this case hasn’t gotten more media attention is beyond me.

Just as Hillary has said in prior debates, it’s important the people understand who the candidates are, what they’ve done, and what they represent. Stan Lee and other comic book writers have written within the pages of many comic books that heroes are judged by their actions above anything else. Hillary’s actions tell a much different story than that of a hero. Amid allegations of corruption, lies, and a willingness to do anything to win, the picture couldn’t be any clearer: Hillary is not the one we need in the White House or any government office for that matter. Much like a vote for John McCain, to vote for Hillary is a vote for “more of the same”. Which is ironic because that’s the very thing Hillary claims she’s not about.

Actions speak much louder than words. Remember than the next time you’re at a voting booth.

The Ferraro Special Comment: Amen, Keith! Amen!

The Daily Kos recently posted a story called I Refuse to Buy into the Obama Hype (now a supporter). Man…this story is dead on!

In fact, do what the writer tells you to do…go to The Library of Congress and browse the bills that both Hillary and Barack have sponsored. I only spent 10 minutes looking at each list and even I could see a difference. It’s very clear that Barack has a better track record getting bills passed. His bills also reflect a lot about what’s important to him. Compared to Hillary, I think it’s pretty clear that Barack stands a much better chance at getting the support of Congress if he’s made President. Regardless of how you feel about Hillary, you have to admit that that’s one point that is extremely important and can’t be debated.

Vote for Barack!

I’ve mentioned several times in part 1 and part 2 of this post of my distaste of lying in campaigns. The recent Democratic debate brings to light some of the problems surrounding the Clinton campaign, namely how both Bill and Hillary Clinton have been misquoting Barack Obama and thus have been lying about what he has said and done in the past.

A recent article by the Chicago Tribune illustrates this point by pointing out exactly what both Bill and Hillary claim Obama had said about Ronald Reagan along with the transcript showing what Obama in fact said. This is not a one-off; it’s not like the Clintons did this only once. This is something that has happened repeatedly. Now, think about that. Hillary lied about what another candidate has said…a candidate within her own party no less! And she’s done it in the past to other candidates and even to supporters of her own campaign!

What exactly does that say about her credibility? Do you think she’d repeat this sort of behavior if she’s elected President? Absolutely! This is a woman who will say anything and will do anything to get elected…even stooping so far as to lie to the American people!

Do the country a favor and DO NOT vote for Hillary Clinton!! Get Barack Obama on the ballot!!

After writing my previous blog post about Hillary Clinton a lot of thoughts came to mind. I realize that simply saying that Hillary Clinton sucks because she screwed Stan Lee over isn’t much of a reason. As such, I figure that giving more concrete reasons as to why I think Hillary Clinton should not be President is in order if, for anything, clearing my mind of a little clutter.

What our country needs more than anything is leadership, a source of inspiration, and a voice of the people. A leader is more than just someone who can give you an answer; rather is someone who will find the answer. No candidate will give you all the answers you are looking for, but if there is someone who can inspire people to rise to the occasion and come up with a winning solution…that is a true leader.

I also feel that it is unwise to vote on someone strictly on the issues. It is dangerous to vote on the basis of a specific issue. There are tons of really important issues right now: the Iraq war, immigration reform, health care, social security reform, taxes, global warming, and many, many other issues. Part of the reason we are in the mess we’re in is due to the fact that too many people vote on the basis of a particular issue. Many of these issues are subject to personal beliefs (pro-life, pro-choice, pro-guns, pro-inhale, pro-this, pro-that, etc.).

Another dangerous way to vote is by straight-party ticket. Regardless of whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or for an independent party, you can’t tell me that every candidate exemplifies what that party represents. If the candidates do not represent your party properly then you need to do something; change parties, vote for someone else, convince your party to endorse someone else, anything! Just don’t vote a straight-party ticket and assume that your party is doing everything they can to represent you!

The other reason we’re in this mess is because not enough people vote. France has, on average, an 80-85% or more voter turn-out. What’s our average? 30 -40%! Pathetic by comparison! Why is that? Honestly…I don’t know. If I had to guess though it is probably because a lot of people have no faith or trust in our government. Many people believe that our government is run by corporations, lobbyists, and corrupt politicians. There appears to be a tremendous amount of distrust in our government. That is something that needs to change and the only way to do it is to get people out to vote. We need to convince people that their vote matters and they are responsible for their government. That is the only way we can promote the kind of change that our country needs.

So what makes a good leader? USA Today has an older article that asks that very question. One specific point that I found interesting was this one: To become a leader, you must know yourself first. Ask yourself: Out of all the Presidential candidates, which one has the appearance of being very comfortable in their own shoes? Are there candidates that clearly have a hard time showing their true selves?

Another point that has a lot of truth in it: Leadership cannot be achieved in isolation. If our country continues to be divided then true change will never occur. We must work together and act together to promote change. That is why it is so important that we be very careful on how we vote for the next leader of our nation.

Some of the best leaders we’ve ever had were good problem solvers. Think about the best bosses you’ve ever had. Was it because they were charming and friendly? Not likely. For me, the best bosses I’ve ever had were the ones who were good problem solvers. They may not have had all the experience in the world nor were they the most knowledgeable, but they made up for it because they simply knew how to solve problems and they inspired others to help them solve those problems.

So, why should Hillary Clinton NOT be our next President of the United States? Because she does not exemplify what a true leader should be. She does not have the commanding presence, dignity, honesty, and/or passion that truly good leaders should have. There has been way too many instances where her integrity and honesty have come into question, too many times when some form of a political scandal has been released to the press. I feel that most of her responses on the issues feel pre-written, boilerplate responses. I just don’t hear her saying anything that makes me feel that she is a good problem solver. And I just don’t feel any passion from her that suggests to me that she would be a good leader for the nation nor that she would inspire our nation to change.

As much as I would like to see the first woman President, I’m sorry, Hillary Clinton is just not that woman. If a woman is to be President of the United States, that woman needs to be a leader…not a caricature of what we think a woman leader should be. Regardless of whether a candidate is a man, woman, black, Hispanic, Christian, Muslim, or whatever race, color, creed, and/or religion you can possibly criticize a candidate on, I want a true leader! So, again, setting differences aside, regardless of the issues and/or political affiliation, Hillary Clinton is just not the leader we need.

We need someone who is truthful and sincere…not someone who only says things to be politically correct and what you want to hear. We don’t need someone who does things for political and/or financial gain…we need someone who will do things for the benefit of the American people. We need a leader! A leader who represents us, the people! Not corporations! Not lobbyists! Not special interest groups! For the people, by the people! I expect no less than that!

NOTE: Those of you who found this post via Google or some other search engine should read Part 2 of this post. This particular post is kind of biased and isn’t all that constructive. Part 2 is far more constructive and offers a much more centered point of view.

I’m a comic book collector. Have been since I was eight or so. I love reading all the oldies but goodies…especially those written by Stan Lee. The man is an icon in the comic book world. Not only is he responsible for creating some of the most memorable characters (Spider-man, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four, just to name a few) but he’s also just a really good guy…very genuine.

Some years ago, Stan got “let go” from Marvel, the comic book company he has worked for since day one. From there, Stan and fellow business partner Peter Paul created Stan Lee Media. So what does this have to do with Hillary Clinton? In a nutshell, Paul in conjunction with Stan Lee Media helped put together one of the biggest fund raising events for a political candidate, a fund raising gala for Hillary’s senatorial campaign. The main purpose of Paul’s involvement was to woo Bill Clinton into serving on the board of Stan Lee Media after leaving office. However, things went really sour and, in the aftermath, Stan Lee Media collapsed and was no more!

Why does this piss me off so bad? Because Hillary Clinton let it happen, committed a grossest act of campaign fraud I’ve ever seen, and single handedly caused Stan Lee’s company to go under! Watch the following videos from YouTube and you’ll see what I mean:

Part One
Part Two

If this is what’s to be expected, don’t vote for Hillary Clinton! Vote for Barack Obama! Vote for John Edwards! Hell, vote for Stephen Colbert! Just don’t vote for Hillary! Screwing Stan Lee over is NOT cool! No president should act like this! PERIOD!

Oh, hell yeah! I would vote for him! Would you? Well…let’s put it this way: If Barack Obama doesn’t get the nomination I’ll vote for Stephen Colbert! If I’m going to throw my vote away I’m gonna do it by voting for somebody who matters.