I never cease to be amazed at just how naive the Huffington Post thinks we are. In a recent article there, John K. Wilson was arguing that Barack Obama is more experienced than was Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman, and six other Presidents from the last 100 years.
I know what you are thinking. Wilson and the Huffington Post must be brain damaged math challenged. Well, here is a sample of his reasoning;
Whereas, Harry Truman served only ten years as a US Senator and one year as Vice-President prior to becoming President, Barack Obama served eight years as an Illinois state Senator, and four (?) years as a US Senator. See? 12 years for Obama and only 11 years for Harry Truman.
Will some Human Resources professional please explain to the Huffington Post that all experience isn't equal?
According to the Obama/Wilson/Huffington Post method of reckoning experience, my husband is much more qualified for office than was Dwight Eisenhower. My husband served as President of his Junior class in high school, and was President of the Student Council his senior year in high school. My husband has two years of political experience, whereas Dwight Eisenhower had none prior to becoming President of the United States.
Every Democrat spokesperson I have seen on television since the announcement that Sarah Palin will be the Republican candidate for Vice-President has looked just about like this. Sure, they have tried their best to attack Palin, but the looks on their face betray them. At best they appear as "deer in the headlights." And, many of them are not just stunned, but horrified. Some of them have gone from "We can't lose" to an "OMG what is happening?" as they see their chances to win the White House slipping away.
However, I think the above cartoon it is wrong about Hillary's response to the news regarding Sarah Palin's nomination to become Vice President of the United States. I think that Hillary probably feels vindicated in a "You should have chosen me" kind of way.
John Kerry once said that actions of the United States should pass "the global test." Evidently, Barack Obama has been studying for that exam. I found many of the things he said in this week's speech in Germany to be little more than pretty words and cliches. However, there were a few gems that that made my knees tremble, ... WITH FEAR.
What exactly does Barack Obama mean when he says "But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together." I want to know exactly what Barack Obama means by "the burdens of global citizenship."
His speech may have passed the global test this week, but it made me more frightened than ever of a Barack Obama presidency.
Credit Cards -- they are convenient, but they can sure be a hassle if you are relying on the wrong ones. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 bjillion different credit card options and programs out there (I rounded of to the nearest bjillion).
Seriously, do you think that John McCain and Barack Obama use the same credit card? Let's face it, war heroes who have served their country faithfully for decades just don't use the same credit cards as politicians whose friends are terrorists, racists, and criminals. Not that I'm pointing any fingers, mind you.
So, maybe these politicians need to check out Cardhub.com where they can use the menus to indicate credit preferences, browse the education center, or check out the editor's recommendations.
The only problem I have with the site? They don't have the cards broken down into red vs. blue.
My husband was out behind the parsonage working on his garden while our daughter, then not quite two years old played nearby. My husband looked up to see a look of horror on our daughters face. She never cried out, but something was obviously wrong. He ran to her and saw that her legs and feet were covered with hundreds of fire ants. She was standing right in the middle of a fire ant mound.
The thing with fire ants is that they do not bite you immediately upon climbing onto you. They wait until they have you covered and then somehow they signal each other and they all bite you at the same time. I don't know if it is telekinesis or what, but I know from experience that is how it works.
My husband grabbed up our little girl and as rapidly as possible he brushed the ants away, then ran her to a nearby hose where he washed any remaining ants away. It was awful; we counted 127 little white blisters where the ants had bitten her. Poison control and the local hospital emergency room walked us through the process for treating her.
We would have saved our daughter lots of pain, and ourselves lots of anguish had we prevented the fire ant infestation in the first place. You might want to check out the following link for hints on ant control.
I have been listening to some of my conservative friends talking about sitting out the next election and allowing Barack Obama to be elected, then after he destroys our economic system and puts our country into chaos stepping in to provide poison control and emergency services.
I think we would be better served by preventing the infestation to start with.
The New Yorker is getting it from all sides for the cover of their July 21, 2008 edition. With Barack Obama in traditional Muslim attire, Michelle dressed as a terrorist and giving him the official terrorist fist bump, an American flag burning in the fireplace under a picture of Osama bin Laden it definitely takes aim at some of the stereotypes that Obama is facing. Whatever was being aimed at, however, the Obama campaign is claiming that it is Obama who was hit.
"The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree." It may have sought to parody the "crazy ignorance out there" but supporters of Obama fear that he will be pulled off-message; forced to respond to the stereotypes rather than talk about substantive policy issues.
At least that is what they are saying.
Personally, I think they are using this to navigate away from substantive policy issues. When Obama talks about substantive policy issues he reveals how little substance there is to his campaign. And, further, he can't remember what policies he advocated a few hours earlier so there are news clips of him advocating exactly opposite positions on the very same day.
I think that the Obama campaign ought to hire their very own caricaturist and pass out her drawings to the media. That way they could avoid talk about real issues indefinitely.
In the twelfth century Peter Abelard wrote Sic et Non documenting the many ways in which the early church fathers contradicted each other. However, with Barack Obaba, it seems that there are many ways in which he is contradicting himself (sometimes on the same day). Dick Morris recently wrote the following
The list of issues on which Barack Obama has flipped now that the primaries are over is long and growing rapidly.
• He now opposes late-term abortion.
• He suddenly is a devotee of using faith-based institutions to deliver public services.
• He now says that he won’t raise Social Security taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year. In the primary, he said he’d eliminate the threshold entirely, including on people making as little as $100,000.
• He recently opposed the Fairness Doctrine for talk radio.
• Now he says he’s going to consult with the military before pulling out of Iraq.
But so extensive a list of flip-flops, all in the past few weeks, begs the basic question: Was he lying before when he was a liberal, or is he prevaricating now?
I have to say that it does not "beg the question" with me. I could care less "when" he was lying. The fact that it is perfectly obvious to all that he has been lying is enough for me to write him off completely.
He lies, he hangs out with terrorists and crooks, those closest to him engage in racist talk (including members of his own family), he promises to meet with dictators and tyrants but won't meet with our generals on the ground in Iraq, ....
They were ridiculed as hypocrites; seven men and a woman campaigning to become the Democrat nominee in the 2008 presidential election. Each was attempting to out "green" the others to win over the voters. Yet, each had flown to the South Carolina debate in a separate private jet. It didn't look good.
I have been critical, okay, very critical, of these folk, but I'm going to have to defend them on this one. Maybe they could have done some jetpooling, but anyone who has spent much time in business knows that it is frequently more economical and a wiser use of resources to charter a flight than it is to fly commercial.
Time is valuable and privacy essential in both business and politics. When on a tight schedule and on urgent business you simply cannot take the risk of flight delays. And, if you are bringing along equipment it can end up costing much more than money, much more than imaginable, if you end up in Dallas but your equipment ends up in Seattle. Outsiders looking on may not understand, they may even call you a hypocrite as in the scenario above, but there are times when the only intelligent thing to do is to go with a business jet charter.
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Nearly 12,000 delegates and alternates gathered last week for the Republican Party of Texas Convention. It seems that the liberal left, the mass media, and radio talk shows have managed to focus attention on a few of the not so pretty items of interest (eg. John McCain's no-show, some stupid buttons sold by a fringe group, a questionable video introduction, etc.). However, there were plenty of newsworthy and noteworthy events and speeches.
One of the most talked about speeches was delivered by Chairman Michael Williams of the Texas Railroad Commission. He was interrupted by applause more than 30 times during the course of the speech. I have embedded the video of the speech below, along with a transcript. I encourage you to check it out.
CHAIRMAN MICHAEL WILLIAMS 2008 REPUBLICAN PARTY OF TEXAS STATE CONVENTION JUNE 12, 2008 – HOUSTON, TEXAS
I am honored to share a stage this week with Chairman Benkiser, Vice Chairman Armstrong and my 28 colleagues who hold statewide office, all of whom are proud Republicans.
And I am especially honored to be in the midst of the many thousands of you who launched a Republican revolution in Texas… the greatest grassroots organization in the 50 states… the delegates and alternates of the Republican Convention of Texas.
You are the heart and soul of our party…a people who have never stopped believing in conservative ideas, and who have never stopped living up to conservative ideals.
Eight years ago you saw fit to elect a bald-headed guy who wears bow ties and cowboy boots to the Texas Railroad Commission. Two years later you did it a second time. And I thank you.
If you did not support me in those previous races, that’s okay. You will have another chance in November.
With the price of crude oil above $130 a barrel, and the price of gasoline nearing $4 a gallon, we need leadership that stands up for the economic interests of American families by demanding greater exploration of America’s energy sources.
I have fought for energy exploration, the development of clean energy technologies, common sense water protection and pipeline safety measures and self-imposed spending caps at the Railroad Commission.
I have advocated for fiscal conservatism even when it cost me money… such as when I turned down a pay raise from the Texas Legislature, not once, but twice.
And if you re-elect me Railroad Commissioner in 2008, I will be that voice from middle America that Washington doesn’t want to hear… the one arguing with every fiber in his being that the “cap and trade” carbon tax is nothing more than a cap and spend redistribution scheme, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the creation of the modern welfare state.
I know the liberals think Americans are finally coming their way… that suddenly working families are for higher taxes and bigger government. But the election of a Democrat Congress is not an endorsement of Democrat ideas. The fact is Democrats campaign as conservatives so they can govern as liberals. The problem is Republicans started doing the same thing, so the people chose the real thing.
But the American people still believe in limited government, lower taxes and less regulation.
And if our party returns to its Reagan roots, our majority will one day return to Washington as well.
Like many of you, I cut my teeth in the Reagan Revolution. I later served in the first Bush Administration. And for 30 years I have been friends with a man from Midland I am proud to call my president… George W. Bush.
As we choose a new president, I am keenly aware of the historic nature of this campaign.
As an African-American from the South, I am proud of the fact that someone who looks like me will be a major party presidential nominee for the first time in our nation’s history.
What Senator Obama has done is extraordinary. His nomination speaks well, not only of his own personal political skills, but of the America that exists today.
But Americans will not fall for identity politics over good ideas or slogans in the absence of substance or for promises and platitudes that are the wrong policy prescriptions.
Change is just a slogan when the ideas are the Democrat leftovers of the last 50 years. When it is the same menu as McGovern, Carter and Mondale: higher taxes, bigger government and a steady diet of class warfare and expanded welfare.
We must remember what their message of hope and change is all about: their hope is in government, and the change they seek is in your pocket.
My fellow Republicans, we are the party of change. We are the ones that brought reform to government, reducing regulation and lowering taxes. We brought down the Soviet wall. We are the ones that believe public education should be about the children and not the union leaders.
Our faith resides in the power of the individual and not an all-pervasive federal government.
And we believe in the simple but profound idea that human life is sacred, beginning with the unborn.
Our message of hope is not dependent on bureaucracy but entrepreneurship. We do not settle for the proposition that a healthy environment has to come at the expense of a healthy economy.
Our hope resides in unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit to address both challenges. We believe in tying incentives, not penalties, to fuel efficiency. We want to create an economic climate conducive to the further development of the electric, natural gas or plug-in hybrid market and the first 100 mile-per-gallon cars.
We want to send our kids off in low emission natural gas or propane school buses. Not only will our kids breathe easier, but so will taxpayers who pay the fuel bills. We want to challenge innovators and entrepreneurs who develop new clean coal technology.
Our answer isn’t to say “no to coal” with no alternative. It is to say how can we make the burning of coal cleaner, so we have a more diverse and affordable mix of energy and a cleaner environment?
America is the Saudi Arabia of coal. Texas has a 200-year supply. Let’s not start with the proposition of “why we can’t,” but “how we can.”
My friends, our message of hope and change built a political majority because it reflects the common sense of Middle America.
If you ever doubt whether we have won the debate of ideas, consider the fact that conservatives still call themselves conservatives and liberals call themselves progressives.
It is far easier to rebuild the brand of a party than revive a disproved philosophy. But to win this election cycle, we need to get our swagger back. We need to start acting with the confidence of a party that reflects the prevailing sentiment. And step one is to stop licking our wounds and start telling it like it is.
The Democrat policy on Iraq is to withdraw regardless of the consequences. Whether you supported the war in Iraq or not, the next president will not decide the past but the future. We cannot base our policy in the Middle East on appeasing the political left. It must be about serving the American interest.
I am so thankful Senator McCain knows that Democrat policies have empowered oil barons in the Middle East. He knows that an unconditional withdrawal will only shift the balance of power further toward the extremists. He is committed to defeating the jihadists who did not wait for the American invasion of Iraq to begin before killing innocent Americans on American soil.
The energy challenge we face today is a direct result of the refusal of Democrats to consider new energy exploration. Democrat policies stand in the way of developing needed refinery capacity.
Democrat policies have left Texans vulnerable to the rising price of natural gas. Democrat policies have stuck us with soaring electric rates. And it was the Democrat Leader in the Texas House who killed a ten percent rate reduction for millions of Texas consumers last year.
Liberals have hijacked environmentalism and given us extremism. They say “no” to nuclear development, “no” to cleaner coal plants, and “no” to wind energy when it encroaches on their East Coast beach properties.
They have fought energy exploration from the coast of Florida to the outer reaches of Alaska.
Then they turn around and blame American energy companies for the high price of energy when their extremism and obstructionism makes us more dependent on foreign oil every day.
What’s wrong with this picture?
The French are harnessing nuclear power. The Chinese and Castro are producing natural gas 50 miles from our borders. And the Democrats just say no. They are reaching back into history for Jimmy Carter’s failed windfall profits tax. The same tax that drove down American oil production. Never mind that today Americans spend $600 billion a year for imported oil.
If Saudi sheikhs are driving a new Rolls Royce, it was Democrat policies that gave them the extra riyals.
Now, the Democrats want to place a $3 trillion tax on carbon output to combat global warming.
Regardless of where you come down on the science of climate change, putting an extra $3 trillion in the hands of Washington politicians is a truly miserable proposition. Those that produce the most carbon will purchase allowances. The money generated from such a scheme will then allow Senator Boxer and her colleagues to dole out favors to all their friends.
And what will be the benefit for the single mom trying to make ends meet? The office worker trying to put his kids through college? The farmer betting on the next crop? The young couple in south Dallas, east Austin, the Valley or third ward here in Houston?
It will be even higher prices for electricity, gasoline at the pump and food at the grocery store.
That single mom with two kids… that office worker with a college loan to go with the home loan… that farmer paying higher fertilizer and diesel costs … those inner city residents making their first house payments won’t breathe easier under cap and spend either.
China and India will continue to increase their carbon output, negating any environmental benefits whatsoever. So this carbon tax will hurt Texans’ jobs, raise the cost of goods, thin our wallets and do little to reduce greenhouse gases.
My friends, this is the fundamental difference about how we address great challenges: we want to insure economic growth and create incentives for entrepreneurial solutions; they want to punish job creators through new taxes and a massive redistribution scheme.
When it comes to energy and the economy, we ought to focus on producing more, reliable energy sources here in America. Developing alternative energy for transportation and electricity, the new technology to make traditional sources cleaner and killing the Democrats’ cap and trade redistribution scheme.
And then we ought to do everything in our power to attract more American students to the fields of math, science, engineering and technology.
Both my parents earned college degrees in math. My dad was a high school math teacher and a coach. My wife Donna is a mechanical engineer. I understand the value of innovation and technology to the future of this country, which is why this summer I am co-sponsoring a camp called “Williams Innovators” to inspire students between the sixth and 12th grades to pursue proficiency in the fields of math, science, engineering and technology.
We must end the mass exportation of the talent we educate by filling American classrooms with more American students ready to take advantage of the opportunities of the 21st Century.
My friends, this is an historic time. We cannot win this election focused on internal struggles.
We cannot protect jobs and working families if we are relegated to the sidelines of public discourse. We cannot build and sustain a culture that nurtures life from the comfort of our living rooms. Now is not the time to sow the seeds of indifference. We must remember why we joined this fight to begin with… why we entered the arena.
Imagine with me the America that can be if we don’t lose hope, don’t lose our sense of idealism.
Imagine an America where freedom and responsibility go hand-in-hand. Imagine an America where opportunity is available to all and the hope of all. Imagine an America where we exercise proper dominion over God’s creation while ushering in a wave of new prosperity.
Imagine an America where schools compete for our kids instead of taking them for granted.
Imagine an America where the values of Middle America are not looked down upon by the left, but embraced by all because they are right. Imagine communities free of drugs… neighborhoods free of crime… families free of violence.
We can only achieve what we first imagine. We can only realize that which we are willing to do.
I know no election more significant than the next one. My dad is in the Texas Football Coaches Hall of Honor. He says the first rule of winning is to show up.
Will you roll up your sleeves with me, and answer the whistle? Will you join me on the game field? Will you fight for a brighter future for all Americans?
I ask for your help… I ask for your prayers… and I ask for your vote.
May the peace of the Lord be with you. May God bless you and may God bless Texas.
Al Gore convinced me. I am a convert. And, no, my newly found convictions have nothing at all to do with humanity's contribution to the "global warming crisis." Allow me to explain.
During the Republican primaries I documented on Politics & Christianity no fewer than 21 lies offered up by Mitt Romney, the honest Mormon candidate. I stated, and meant it, that if he was the Republican candidate I would remain home rather than vote for such an unabashed liar. Recently, there has been talk about Romney being a possible VP running mate for John McCain. I responded by signing a petition asking John McCain "not to go there" and vowing that I would not vote for John McCain if he would stoop so low as to select Romney. John McCain made it clear during the primaries that he had little respect for Romney and his shenanigans. To invite Romney on to the Republican ticket would show McCain to be a man without integrity. That was my thinking.
I say that it was my thinking because Al Gore convinced me otherwise. Al Gore, speaking before a crowd packed into the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Monday night, intoned the following, "Take it from me: Elections matter. If you think the next appointments to our Supreme Court are important, you know that elections matter."
Al Gore hit the just the right note, this election is going to have a huge impact on the shape of the judiciary. If you want the most liberal Justices to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court then it is fine to vote for Obama or, as I had previously posited, stay home. However, if one believes it important to to have Supreme Court Justices after the pattern of Sam Alito and John Roberts then, as Al Gore proclaimed, this election matters.
Yes, Al Gore convinced me. I will vote for John McCain even if he shows political cowardice and invites a slimeball like Mitt Romney to ride along on the Straight-Balk Express.
As the primaries come to an end, and we all settle in for the push to the general election in November, I have some advice for John McCain and Barack Obama. During the primaries some of those seeking the nomination tried to prove that they were "just common folk" by downing booze with the locals. Drinking whiskey in Tennessee might be better than Cosmopolitans, but it still plays into the general stereotype of politicians, -- "Were they drunk when they passed that bill?"
Instead of going for the "drunk" vote, how about the working man vote? Get yourself a good pair of work boots. I mean, really, rather than hearing people say "I see he is boozing it up on the campaign trail, -- I'd have to be boozing it up to vote for him" wouldn't you prefer to hear them say something like the following. "Cool work boots. He almost looks as if he has put in day or two of real work in his life."
So head on over to Work Boots USA and select from their assortment of 511 Tactical Footwear, Bates Boots, Belleville Boots, Caterpillar Work Boots, Converse Footwear, Corcoran Footwear, Danner Boots, Hi-Tec Outdoor Footwear, Magnum Footwear, Matterhorn Footwear, Rocky Footwear, Thorogood Boots, and Wolverine Footwear.
Today, Barack Obama submitted his resignation from membership in the Trinity United Church of Christ. The political burden of Jeremiah Wright and Michael Pfleger became too much for him.
My question is this, if it is right for him to withdraw from membership now, why was it not the right thing to do for the last twenty years when the same anti-American, anti-white vision has been cast from the pulpit?
I think it was the "Wright" thing for him to do now, but he still must answer questions about why he has chosen to remain in that environment and raise his children in it. Without answering questions about his twenty year membership he leaves the impression that his withdrawal at this time is not a principled decision but an act of political expediency.
If Obama was deeply disappointed by Michael Pfleger's "divisive, backward-looking rhetoric," then why has he not expressed that concern in the past. Michael Pfleger is acting and speaking as he has always acted and spoken. And, in the past, Obama has embraced Pfleger and Wright. What has changed? The only thing that has changed is that Barack Obama is running to become President of the United States and it doesn't set well with the American voter for a candidate to spend all his time hanging out with those who are terrorists, slum lords, racists, and anti-American.
What is the one trait that always appears on lists of "things I want in a spouse" but rarely if ever appears on lists of "things I want in a President?"
You got it; a sense of humor.
And its a good thing, too, because ever since Mike Huckabee got out of the race the candidates have shocked us, cried, pandered, drank whiskey, and just about everything other than show any evidence of a sense of humor. Smirking doesn't count.
If you can want humor is a spouse, if you can want humor in a buddy, if you can want humor in a pastor (dare we go there?), then what is wrong with wanting your Presidential candidates to show a little humor.
For those of you who like me are finding much to make you aghast but little to bring a smile to your face, the following video might be a little shot in the arm.
The more that Barack Obama tries to extricate himself from the rantings and rhetoric of race baiting, counterfeit-gospel spewing pastors, the more he seems to sink. In response to Pastor Michael Pfleger's recent tirade at Obama's own church, Trinity United Church of Christ, the Obama campaign removed from the website, testimonials by Pfleger who has represented the presidential candidate's campaign at faith gatherings.
Obama also stated, "As I have traveled this country, I've been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that that unites us. That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn't reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause," Obama said.
Exactly what is Obama trying to get at here? Is he saying that in his many years of association with Father Pfleger, this friendly priest has always expounded a united, forward-looking rhetoric? Not very likely, considering Pfleger's track record.
Pfleger, an early supporter of Obama who leads a mostly black Chicago parish, has hosted Farrakhan a number of times, drawing the ire of the Catholic Church. The June/July 2007 issue of Wright's Trumpet magazine describes Pfleger as "Afrocentric to the core."
As with the case of Pastor Wright, Obama's reaction to Pfleger leads to one of three explanations and their obvious conclusions.
1. Obama really didn't understand the basic theology that drives these men or those in their churches. He really didn't know they have been spewing such hatred for decades. Conclusion: Obama is guilty not only of not doing his homework, but of badly judging the characters and motives of others. His hopeless naivete disqualifies his as President.
2. Obama undrstood these men very well and though he did not agree with their views, he used them and was used by them (as a state legislator Obama directed at least $225,000 towards social programs at Pfleger's church) because their influence would help his career. Conclusion: His raw lust for political power at the expense of his personal integrity disqualifies him as President.
3. Obama has had a close relationship with these men because he is in basic agreement with their theology and worldview. He has enjoyed both political perks and spiritual/philosophic mentorship. Conclusion: Obama is double-minded in all he does, denouncing longtime friends for views he himself holds while misrepresenting himself and his vision to the American people. His duplicitous nature disqualifies him as President.
Which of the three conclusions do you find most likely?
Hey, what's your sign? No, that's not just an old pick-up line from the 1970's. It is a very pertinent question for many people as they shop around for the best deal on signage - custom banners, retail displays, neon signs, and of course in an election year, where would we be without political signs? About every other house in my neighborhod has some sort of sign in the front yard, either promoting their favorite candidate or else promoting their house itself. In the sluggish housing market many 'Sell By Owner' signs are cropping up complete with printed contact number of the owner and listed amenities of their home for sale.
Check out buildasign.com if you are in the market for not only signs, but bumber stickers, magnets, flags, vinyl lettering, vinyl decal and other accessories. Not only are prices lower than you will find with a traditional sign franchise, but you can upload your own images to get the look you want. Best of all, they guarantee that signs will be constructed up to a customer’s standards. If constructed signs aren't absolutely perfect, just call and they will make it right.
Recent celebrity news has been buzzing that Oprah is losing viewers, an estimated seven percent drop in recent months. There is speculation that many viewers are turned off by the ever more strident New Age tone she has taken, not only in her book club selections and guests but in the general philosophy she interjects on a variety of topics. Many of the non new-age, stay at home moms who have been faithfully watching Oprah for years and propelled her to the top of the talk show heap have finally said enough is enough. After listening to a barrage of pseudo-spiritual advice Oprah style, many have gone from the attitude of, "Well, I'll take that with a grain of salt" to "I'll just pass on it altogether."
Another troublesome area that may account in her viewership decline is her foray into politics with her support and public campaigning for Senator Barack Obama. Hollywood celebrities and politicians have always made strange bedfellows. However for Oprah Winfrey the dynamic might even be stranger. Her celebrity status depends not on other characters she plays in films but simply on herself - what she thinks, believes and how she connects on a personal level with her audience.
Actors and actresses may have a political philosophy with which you disagree, but you tend to forget about that while you are watching them in a movie. Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon are no longer liberal activists, they have become the characters they are portraying on the screen. Of course there are cases where an actor's political leanings will impact box office revenue. Too many Hollywood celebrity photos where they appear arm in arm with foreign dictators can put the brakes on their career. I remember my dad would never watch a Jane Fonda film after her ride on the tank in Hanoi.
Of course it is no crime for Oprah to support a particular candidate for president. In fact there is much to admire in that she is supporting the causes and the person she truly believes in. However, given that probably half of her audience has more conservative leanings, a continued drop in her ratings may prove that she would have been wiser to stay neutral when it comes to the political sphere.
Hillary Clinton says she was simply making the point that there have been Democratic primary contests have that gone into June. Clinton has apologized for referencing the assassination of Robert Kennedy.
Plenty of intrigue in the news these days about the presidential election. All of the talk about Hillary staying in the race just in case Barack Obama is assassinated - - did she really say that out loud? McCain inviting potential VP candidates to his vacation home in Sedona to talk -- Charlie Crist, Bobby Jindal, and ... what? Surely not Mitt Romney. It shouldn't be a surprise that my preference would be Mike Huckabee.
Here is what Mike Huckabee had to say about the VP slot on a recent interview with Tavis Smiley:
"Jesus said that we are to render to God the things that are God’s and to Caesar those that are Caesar’s. Our Caesar is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In order for us to render to Caesar the things that are due him, we should indeed participate in our government. Our Lord would have it so." ~ Adrian Rogers
"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend." ~ Thomas Jefferson
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The New Yorker is getting it from all sides for the cover of their July 21, 2008 edition. With Barack Obama in traditional Muslim attire, Michelle dressed as a terrorist and giving him the official terrorist fist bump, an American flag burning in the fireplace under a picture of Osama bin Laden it definitely takes aim at some of the stereotypes that Obama is facing. Whatever was being aimed at, however, the Obama campaign is claiming that it is Obama who was hit.
