Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I'm Voting For "The CHICAGO THUG" To Be Our Next President Of The United States!!!

This is being written late in the evening on the 29th of October, 2008. The Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series tonight, Senator Barack Obama showed his four plus million dollar infomercial tonight and after a long mental struggle, I've decided that Obama is the man I want to see lead this country for (at least) 4 years.

In the headline of this commentary, I made mention of "The Chicago Thug".

Yes, I'm referring to Barack Obama.

A few months ago when Obama was in the process of beating President Clinton's wife in the primaries, it was President Clinton who referred to Obama as "A Chicago Thug" after Obama had driven President Clinton crazy with some of Obama's "tactics".

I knew (then) what President Clinton meant by that slur. President Clinton was talking about a guy who would do pretty much anything to win.

Which, in my view, is what you have to do when you're playing for high stakes. And the stakes don't get any higher than when you aspire to be The President of the United States.

THINGS THAT I CONSIDERED BEFORE DECIDING WHO I WOULD VOTE FOR:

In no particular order, I'd like to rattle off some things that people have been complaining about regarding this campaign, the candidates in this campaign and some of the players who have been on the periphery of this campaign.

Earlier today, Rush Limbaugh was complaining about members of his audience being dumb because some members of his audience say they plan to vote for Obama.

This is an interesting complaint from Limbaugh, because he's become very rich by appealing to people who aren't very smart and when Limbaugh hints the reason that things aren't going well for those members of his audience who cling to his every word, those members are fed red meat by Limbaugh when he refers to his audience's problems as being, "Because of THEM!!!"

"Them", more often than not, being minorities.

Also today, Limbaugh was complaining about the belief that Obama is preaching "fear" and (in essence) that's been an effective tactic for Obama.

Again, an interesting complaint from Limbaugh, because his whole persuasive act/career is about "fear". Rush's Fear Career", if you will.

AND THEN THERE'S SEAN "LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY" HANNITY:

First of all, let's talk about that song he plays before the beginning of each hour of his radio show.
The song that (when we hear it) begins with the words, "Let Freedom Ring!"

I'll bet you thought this is a patriotic song of some kind, right? Not even close to being about patriotism! It's actually a song about a woman who's been in an abusive relationship and the way she got "even" with the guy.

We listeners (me included) get abused by Hannity on a daily basis (especially recently) because his show has become a broken record.

When Karl Rove tried to tell him today that the Bill Ayres and Reverend Wright subjects were okay for them to talk about among themselves but that what the overwhelming number of voters want to talk about is the economy, etc., Hannity couldn't get Rove off the phone fast enough so he could give one of his "Freedom Concerts" another plug.

"THE WHITE FLAG OF SURRENDER":

We've heard that phrase a lot from Mr. Hannity. It has to do with Barack Obama's desire to get us out of Iraq and focus (militarily) on bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.

Mr. Hannity never mentions the bin Laden angle, because the failure to get bin Laden just isn't talked about when you're bought and paid for like he and his ilk are.

I heard another talk show host today talking about Iraq and President Bush's desire to bring democracy to the Middle East and that Bush might turn out to (one day) be successful.

Okayyyyy....But weren't we sold on the mission to Iraq being about weapons of mass destruction and Iraq's ties to 9/11? When it was realized that weapons of mass destruction didn't exist and that Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11, why did we STAY in Iraq?!?

IF we were really there to destroy another country's functioning government and to force them to install another kind of government, how legal is/was it for us to attack another country FOR this reason, why weren't we Americans TOLD that this is/was the mission and if this kind of mission was a "Cowboy Operation", meaning I'm doing this because "I CAN" or because "I'M THE DECIDER", isn't that grounds for impeachment?!?

Just asking.

Back to the "White Flag Of Surrender" charge that has been leveled at Barack Obama.

No, Mr. Hannity, it has nothing to do with "surrender"! This is called "Cutting our losses"!!! Billions upon billions, perhaps reaching more than a trillion dollars of our money that should have been spent HERE!!! And if the money HAD been spent here, there's a good chance our economy wouldn't be on "life support" like it is NOW!!!

BOTTOM LINE REGARDING IRAQ...

Going to Iraq was probably very beneficial (financially) for friends of the Bush Administration, but for the rest of America, this Iraq adventure was stupid, off the charts EXPENSIVE and the lives LOST and RUINED because of LIFE ALTERING INJURIES is UNFORGIVEABLE!!!

Full disclosure, full disclosure, full disclosure...For those of you first time readers, please know that I was raised in a military family, I was a member of the "Big Red 1" after I enlisted in the U.S. Army, I wasn't any kind of war hero, but I "showed up" which is more than can be said for "Radio Patriots" like Limbaugh and Hannity. I'm not against U.S. military action when it's in our best interests. In ALL our best interests as opposed to a FEW of our best interests. Getting Osama bin Laden is most definitely in our best interests. HE'S the son of a bitch responsible for 9/11!!!

BACK TO WHY I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA:

Sarah Palin.

Governor Palin recently said the Vice President "runs" the Senate. I agree with what Newsweek Magazine's Conventional Wisdom column asked; "Does she even have a clue?"

God help us all if McCain is elected, dies in office, and the winking "You betcha!" babe becomes President!!!

Governor Palin qualifier: I do not underestimate Governor Palin. She had no idea she was going to be in the position she's now in. If she had been given a "heads up" about the possibility of her being in this postion 6 months ago, she would have had time to learn some things and not be considered to be a friendly freak show.

4 years from now, if she's interested, Sarah Palin might become a legitimate national force in the Republican party!

JOE THE PLUMBER:

Another person, who like Sarah Palin, has become a celebrity. And he's lovin' it! I mean, how many times has he been on television and on radio shows since he told Barack Obama he was thinking about buying his own plumbing business? Of course the fact he doesn't have a plumber's license, the fact he doesn't have any money and the fact any money that he could come up with would have to be used to pay taxes he hasn't paid is irrelevant!!!

Like someone much smarter than me once said, "The devil's in the details!!!"

To which Senator McCain's other celebrity distraction would say, "You betcha!"

But Scott (me), Barack Obama doesn't have any EXPERIENCE!!!

Yeah, that's what a lot of people say when they say that's why they won't vote for Obama. Of course lately, it's been a lot of complaining about higher taxes they think we'll all have to pay if Obama is elected.

Anybody wanna tell me about McCain's experience?

Let me save you the trouble. You CAN'T! No one but no one has the necessary experience to be President of the United States unless that person is running for their SECOND term! ALL first term Presidents are "learning as they go".

BUT WHAT ABOUT EXPERIENCE IN GENERAL?!?

This is a question I LOVE!!!

The "experienced" men and women have gotten us into the shape we're now in. An off the charts expensive, stupid and possibly illegal war...Turning a blind eye to outdated and dumb economic principles that pray at the alter of "NO regulations", principles that have resulted in our country now being in huge danger of falling into another Great Depression...Allowing millions upon millions of illegal immigrants to clog up our cities, while "gaming/scamming" our systems and taking jobs away from legal Americans by being willing to work for less than fair wages....The energy mess...The health care mess...I could go on and on...

All of what I wrote in the previous paragraph and MORE have taken place while "experienced" people were making the decisions.

Barack Obama strikes me as a "roll up his sleeves, can do dreamer" who is inexperienced ENOUGH to believe he/we CAN achieve the "impossible".

And yes, I'm willing to "wake up" from his/our dream long enough to accept a dose of reality; Because of all the expensive mistakes made by the EXPERIENCED people, we're going to have to pay some higher taxes. If this is done fairly, it shouldn't hurt that much, but what has been done by the EXPERIENCED people is more emotionally and financially painful than anything you'll see in the new film "Saw V".

Senator McCain is a good and decent man, but Senator Obama is the man I'M voting for to be our next President of the United States!

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today, WHICH WILL BE THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION!!! As a rule, a new blog is posted every Wednesday afternoon (late) or (early/late) Wednesday evening.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Limbaugh & Hannity Talk Tactics Help Obama's Chances For White House VICTORY!!!

This is being written on Wednesday, October 22, just a few minutes before game one of the World Series between Philadelphia's Phillies and Tampa Bay's Rays.

Thirteen days from now will be Election Day.

And the two loudest McCain supporters are getting desperate!

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are sounding like two cartoon characters who are very fearful of hearing Bugs Bunny yell, "That's ALL, folks!!!"

Actually, that's not a fair assertion on my part. Not fair to cartoon characters.

Limbaugh and Hannity take themselves seriously. VERY seriously!!! Both of them have caught the disease that eventually destroys people like these guys if they don't recognize it or have it properly diagnosed. The next step is then getting about the business of being cured of the disease known as, "BELIEVING YOUR OWN PRESS CLIPPINGS"!!!

It's tough! You think quitting drinking, smoking, eating too much or gambling is tough? The "Believing Your Own Press Clippings" might be the toughest addiction of all. Yes, Rush. Even tougher than that drug addiction you had. You know. The same kind of addiction you once advocated jail time for?

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN...

I still haven't decided who I'm going to vote for! On the day I'm writing this, Barack Obama is leading in all the polls. 1-3 points in some polls. As high as 10 points in a couple of polls. A lot of things can happen between now and Election Day and the "race factor" can't be minimized!!!

I COULDN'T HELP BUT BE REMINDED OF THE FILM "NETWORK" WHEN I HEARD THE BEGINNING OF RUSH LIMBAUGH'S SHOW TODAY!!!

Rush Limbaugh began today's show by talking about a meeting he had with two big and important businessmen between the time yesterday's show ended and today's show began.

The essence of this story was Rush telling his audience that these businessmen told him they were going to start the process of laying off their workers in anticipation of an Obama win in the upcoming election. Why? Because Obama's expected tax policies were going to (in essence)lead to the ruination of America as we now know it.

For those of you who saw the great film, "Network", you might remember that the character Howard Beale, played by Peter Finch, was a "man of the people" until he had a meeting with his big boss, Arthur Jensen, played by Ned Beatty.

Rush's big boss is anyone in the Lowry family. A family that has participated in the almost total destruction of what used to be a very vibrant radio business.

A family that has to LOVE the consideration (tax wise) they've gotten from this Administration, consideration that has led to the horrible economic state we now find ourselves in!

I don't know who Limbaugh was talking about when he was mentioning the meeting he had with the two businessmen, but I do know what happened (on the air) after that meeting.

It was the same thing that happened after Howard Beale had his meeting with Arthur Jensen in
"Network".

Limbaugh has played the "fear card" before, but today, he was over the top with the "fear card" reasoning for folks to not vote for Barack Obama.

The first thing Limbaugh did today was to scare people into believing they were all going to lose their jobs if Obama won the election.

And that would be different from what seems to be happening NOW?!?

Limbaugh also (and irresponsibly) suggested we should all be afraid of race riots.

During a sound-bite of Obama doing some talking, Rush kept interrupting and people couldn't hear that Obama was talking about the importance of getting Osama bin Laden (remember him?) and Rush made it sound like Obama was talking gibberish.

First of all, when's the last time you heard Rush Limbaugh or any of these bought and paid for Administration hacks mention Osama bin Laden? Osama bin Laden is the guy who's responsible for 9/11!!! Rush and the Rush wannabes don't mention bin Laden because Osama bin Laden represents another failure in this failure filled Administration that Limbaugh and his ilk pray to the alter of.

Hoods and robes, anyone?

To be fair, I understand why Rush Limbaugh is desperate if that's his excuse for what I heard on his radio show today. Rush's radio ratings are going down and they've been going down for an extended period of time. Yes, most of everyone else's ratings have been going down as well because that's the way things are at almost every radio and television station in America! Buuut...A Rush Limbaugh drop in ratings, especially at the prices he charges, is cause for concern by the people who run the stations he broadcasts on. And when these same people are looking at profit and loss statements that don't add up on the plus side when it comes to El Rushbo, some changes in strategy are contemplated. Here in Los Angeles, we are hearing the very big rumor that Rush will be moved to a smaller station in the Mays' family group of stations here, a move, that if true, would result in a 50-60% less payment for Rush and his EIB Network. And taking the "if true" thought further, imagine what this might mean if this were to take place in other cities! Maybe a lot of other cities?

Rush has also let it be known he's worried about the reinstatement of what used to be known as "The Fairness Doctrine" if Obama wins the election. What's "The Fairness Doctrine"? Rush and the wannabe Rush's will tell you it will be "Armageddon" for their radio shows.

If that's true, every broadcaster who says that is exposing themselves by telling you that they are "One Trick Pony" broadcasters. All "The Fairness Doctrine" would require is for any broadcaster giving an opinion would have to present the opposing view as well.

Let me tell you how easy that is. I was a broadcaster for many years when "The Fairness Doctrine" was something that had to be adhered to. Truth be known, at the time, I wasn't aware it existed. It didn't matter because I always "covered" myself by simply pointing out something I was against (the opposing view) and then went on a rant about how I felt about that view.

Kind of like what I just NOW did!!!

In closing, a personal note (from me) TO Rush...

Rush, because I had the opportunity to have a little success in the many years I shared a microphone with a sizeable number of Hall of Fame broadcasters, I know a little bit about what it takes to be a success in this business. What you have accomplished is off the charts. You found an opening for an act that hadn't been played since the late Joe Pyne played it. And Rush, the way you played it was in a way that made most folks forget Joe Pyne! You (to the best of my knowledge) have never told a listener to "Go gargle with RAZOR BLADES!!!", because the fear and divisive on-air tactics YOU have used (while diabolically impressive) are tactics that led to the off the charts success you've enjoyed.

And Rush? Here's a little something that in your heart of hearts you probably know, but just in case you don't, in the next paragraph, you'll read my gift to you.

The General Colin Powell endorsement of Senator Barack Obama really isn't all about race! It's totally about PAYBACK!!! I really do believe you know that Rush, but to bring it up on the air would require you to have to say something negative about the benefactors who have bought and paid for your "talent".

SEAN HANNITY???

Because I mentioned him in the headline, here's a little something on Sean "Little Lord Fauntleroy" Hannity.

Hannity is another one who claims to be worried about the possible reinstatement of "The Fairness Doctrine".

What Hannity really needs to worry about is finding something different to talk about besides William Ayers and Reverend Wright and to have different guests other than the former "family values" Speaker of the House (sarcasm intended) and "The Architect", a man who one day may face a prison term.

All the new polls indicate that the constant mention of William Ayres is a tactic that's been an absolute failure because what most folks are concerned about is the economy.

And speaking of William Ayres, here's an inconvenient fact for Mr. Hannity. Ayres wasn't convicted of anything unless there's some driving violation I'm not familiar with.

But let me be clear when I say that even though Ayres wasn't convicted, what he participated in was despicable!!! And yes, I know that since then, Ayres has been named Citizen of the Year (or something like that) in Chicago at least once while being a law abiding college professor, but William Ayres is a guy that a possible future President of the United States shouldn't be anywhere close to!!!

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS??? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.


OTHER STUFF!!!

Did you see Governor Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live this past Saturday? I did and I thought she was charming and a good sport. Especially during the rap segment in which she smiled and "swayed to the beat" while the lyrics weren't whacha call complimentary.

But here's something else I noticed...This was the first time I've seen Saturday Night Live in many years. Has Saturday Night Live been pretty much not funny like it was (to me) this past Saturday night?

OTHER TELEVISION SHOWS...

At the end of season one and season two, I've expressed the opinion that the Sunday night show on ABC, "Brothers & Sisters" is the best show on all of television! After the first few episodes this season, I still have that opinion!

I think (what is) the final season of "Boston Legal", Monday nights on ABC, has been terrific!!!

A new show I've grown very fond of is HBO's "True Blood" that's on Sunday nights. Anna Paquin is absolutely adorable as a young woman who has fallen in love with a vampire.

Showtime's "Dexter" is in the middle of a terrific new season. The addition of Jimmy Smits has been a big time plus for this very well written show! And is the murderous Dexter going to get married?!?

Speaking of Showtime...A film made it's television debut on Showtime this past Saturday and it's currently on the Showtime circuit. "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead". It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, a very sexy Marisa Tomei and it was directed by the great Sidney Lumet. It's about a robbery that went all wrong in ways that continue to surprise you and I thought the film was very well done.

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. As a rule, a new blog is posted every Wednesday afternoon (late) or (early/late) Wednesday evening.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

It Was The Hands Down BEST Debate Of 'Em ALL!!!

This is being written a little more than 2 hours after the final presidential debate that was held at Hofstra University in New York, on this, the 15th of October, 2008.

I live in the Los Angeles area, I'm a baseball fan and the Dodgers were eliminated by the Phils in the National League Championship Series more than an hour ago. I've been in mourning, but after throwing some cold water on my face, I'm ready to do some writing.

I don't know about you, but I thought the debate tonight was the BEST debate!!! Too bad they weren't all like this debate was!

And let's hear it for debate moderator, Bob Schieffer!!! Nobody expects a debate moderator to be able to completely control a couple of guys who want to be the next President of the United States, but Schieffer controlled the proceedings a lot better than any of the other moderators did.

I thought that both candidates brought their "A" Game!

A Couple Of Memorable Quotes...

"I don't care about an old washed-up terrorist!" John McCain talking about Bill Ayres, a guy that Sean "Little Lord Fauntleroy" Hannity seems to have a man-crush on.

"I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against HIM, you should have run four years ago!" John McCain's way of telling Barack Obama that he (McCain) was/is tired of being compared to President Bush.

"NOBODY is FOR abortion!" Barack Obama countering statements made by John McCain, especially the "health of the mother" argument in which McCain seemed to suggest that when debating the abortion issue, The Life Of The Mother Is Not Important!

Oh, yeah. That'll get McCain a lot of votes from all those "undecided" women voters.

AND SPEAKING OF THE "ABORTION" ARGUMENT...

The country is going to hell in a hand basket as far as the economy goes, people are losing their homes, their jobs, we have two or three very expensive wars going on and we have mindless zealots who want to talk about Bill Ayres and the very divisive issue of ABORTION?!?

Okay! I'LL talk about abortion!!!

I grew up believing that Abortion was evil. And any woman who had an abortion was evil.

But as I got older, I began to wonder why it was that MEN seemed to be the vast majority of people who were (in essence) telling WOMEN what they could and couldn't do with their own BODIES!!!

And the more I thought about it, the more I came to believe in the rights that women have because of Roe vs. Wade.

But talk is cheap and whenever the subject came up with friends, I would offer my "cheap talk" view. I spent a lot of years as a talk show host and every once in a while the subject of abortion would come up and I would let the caller give his or her view and more often than not, the next caller would disagree with the previous caller's view. I never gave my own view when doing a talk show until a few years ago when I went public with a story for the first time. I went public to make a point about abortion and how an opinion can be challenged and what that opinion will be after it IS challenged.

This will be the second time I have publicly told this story.

This happened more than 27-28 years ago. I was having a love affair with the woman who was and still is the love of my life even though I haven't seen her in more than 25 years.

One day, she told me she was pregnant. Like most single guys, my first reaction was to be stunned, but I got over that feeling quickly because even though I wasn't thinking about marriage at the time, this news made me think about marriage. And a few days later, the day I was going to ask her to marry me, she told me she planned to have an abortion.

Needless to say I was stunned. Again! Stunned "two", if you will!

It turns out she didn't want a child and she also didn't want to get married.

But I didn't want her to have an abortion!

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't talk her out of it.

To make a long story a little shorter, she had the abortion, we split up for a short period of time, we got back together again (we were like rabbits who couldn't stay away from each other) and the affair ended permanently less than a year later. Her choice. Just like the abortion was.

I will never forget her and I will never forget the abortion. Of my child. I hated it!

But when all was said and done, I STILL believe it should be the WOMAN's right to choose.

If that means I passed the "opinion" test, it's not a source of pride for me. It simply means I think the Supreme Court got it right when they ruled on the Roe vs. Wade case.

Oh, the woman who had the abortion and then split up with me? She tried to get back together with me three or four years later. I thought about it. I thought hard about it! But because she broke my heart twice, I didn't think I'd have the strength for a third "break"! So for health purposes (mine), I "passed" on her offer. Best lay I ever had.

BACK TO THE THIRD AND FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE...

One of the questions that Bob Schieffer asked that I really liked was the "Why would the country be better off if YOUR running mate became President?" question. That's a fun question you can pose to friends of yours who are interested in the upcoming election.

Who do I think WON the debate?!?

First of all, I was just so happy to see that both candidates were "on fire" and that both candidates came TO debate! And they were more specific about (some) things than in any of the two previous debates! Yeah, some of their answers were a little confusing, but to be fair, it's safe to say that in some cases they won't know what they can really do until after they're elected.

The pollsters declared Obama the debate winner right after the debate ended, but what surprised ME was when I heard the Fox News panel declare that they thought Obama came across as more presidential than McCain.

November 4 is Election Day. Less than 3 weeks from now.

What kind of shape will our ECONOMY be in THEN?!?

And will Joe The Plumber have his own talk show by then?

Speaking of talk shows...I'll be on with talk show host Wayne Powers this Friday night (10/17) for about 10 minutes or so on WBT, 1110 on the AM dial in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their night time radio signal is heard in a LOT of states! My scheduled time to be on the air is the beginning of the 10pm (Eastern Time) hour until close to 10:15. If you can't hear this station on your radio at home, you can listen on the internet. http://www.wbt.com/ It's free!!!

TWO FILM RECOMMENDATIONS!!!

"Appaloosa", a new Western that was co-written by, directed by and stars, Ed Harris along with three other outstanding lead actors. Great cast of supporting players as well. This is a film that breathes between scenes and a lot of the dialogue. And it's that "breathing" that helps make this film special. So special, that Newsweek columnist George Will wrote his whole back page column about "Appaloosa" in the new Newsweek.

"Nights In Rodanthe" is a film that stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane. I'm a big fan of both actors and I liked this sweet love story and the dramatic twists and turns it provides. A LOT!!!

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. As a rule, a new blog is posted every Wednesday afternoon (late) or (early/late) Wednesday evening.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Barack Obama WON last night's debate (for ME) when he won the PAKISTAN part of the debate by expressing the desire to KILL OSAMA bin LADEN!!!

This blog is being written on October 8, 2008. The second presidential debate between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain was held last night. The third and final presidential debate will be held on October 15, a week from tonight.

Look, I know that the most important thing for the vast majority of Americans is OUR HORRIBLE ECONOMIC SITUATION!!!

The idiot talk show host, Sean "Little Lord Fauntleroy" Hannity would have you believe that the most important thing is/are relationships that Senator Obama has had, that have been discussed and looked into over and over and over again. Sean Hannity is beyond obsessed with these relationships. So obsessed, that he has become BORING!!!

When he isn't talking about "old news" relationships, he likes to talk about how we're winning the war in Iraq, a war we never should have even gotten involved in! But you NEVER hear the self described "I'm a GREAT American!", Sean Hannity mention A WORD about why we sent our troops to the Middle East in the first place!!! Do you think we've forgotten you bought and paid for windbag!!! In addition to find and destroy non-existent "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (WMD's), our mission was to capture and or kill the person who is responsible for killing thousands of innocent Americans on the day that will forever be known as "9/11"!!! Said person being, OSAMA bin LADEN!!!

I have written many times about my belief that we should have been militarily focused on Afghanistan and especially Pakistan because that's where bin Laden has been hiding.

Near the end of last night's presidential debate, Senator Obama said that after he becomes President of the United States, he would ask Pakistani officials for permission to go into Pakistan and get bin Laden! Buuut...if that permission was DENIED?!? Well...We would go into Pakistan WITHOUT permission and get bin Laden, DEAD OR ALIVE!!!

Now THAT's a military operation I would support wholeheartedly!!!

The REST of last night's presidential debate?

I think most people were expecting a Sean Hannity hoped for mud fight, but it didn't happen.

In fact, in a television interview Hannity had with Senator McCain and Governor Palin tonight, McCain let it be known he doesn't really care about a 40-year old terrorist event that involved William Ayres, a guy that Senator Obama knows and McCain also pointed out that Ayres' wife was much more involved with terrorist activities than Ayres was! But acknowledging a hurt puppy dog's look on Hannity's face, a sympathetic McCain threw Hannity a desperately needed bone when he said, (in essence) that another airing of the facts of the relationship wouldn't be a bad idea.

Back to last night's debate...

I thought that both candidates landed some good blows. No knockout, but some good back and forth. The Pakistan part of the debate sold it for me and that's why I think Obama won, but it certainly wasn't a campaign ending win!

I think we all agree that McCain is the candidate who needed the appearance of a win, so who knows? Maybe we'll see that mud fight next week!!!


Last Thursday's Governor Palin/Senator Biden Debate:

First, let me get the obvious out of the way.

If Governor Palin had ended up running off the stage because she was tired of knowing she was looking like a fool, we wouldn't have been surprised. I mean her answers to Katie Couric (before this debate) set the bar REAL LOW for Governor Palin.

If Senator Biden had answered a question in a way that at the 5-minute mark there was no ending in sight, we wouldn't have been surprised.

Neither of the worst case scenarios happened.

But upon reflection (mine), here's what DID happen!

Governor Palin knew she still wasn't ready for Prime Time, so she decided to show how slick she can be. I believe that Governor Palin knew that she had a "sympathy card" she could play because neither the moderator or Senator Biden would want to appear to be bullying Governor Palin. And Governor Palin decided to NOT PLAY BY THE RULES!!!

If she didn't like the question, she refused to answer it and instead, substituted little speeches she had been told to memorize by the McCain people who coached her. If the speech had absolutely nothing to do with the question, so what? The strategy appears to have been to Just Keep Doing This Until Someone Objects!

Well, we all saw what happened when Senator Biden made a light hearted remark about Governor Palin not having addressed the question that had been posed to her.

"Sarah Barracuda" (a nickname she loves) flashed a seductive/pained smile and told Senator Biden, Moderator Gwen Ifil and all of America, that SHE, the Princess she's always been allowed to BE, is someone who might not answer the questions or answer them in a way that you or you might like them to be answered, but she WAS, By God, gonna speak directly to the American people, wink, wink and implied that, "Seriously...What are you gonna DO about it?"

Answer? NOTHING!!!

It's another example of what I wrote about Governor Palin right after the Republican convention. I offered the opinion that she's smarter and more charismatic that the Bush/Cheney duo and I believe that makes her (potentially) twice as dangerous.

BACK TO THEIR DEBATE...

Overall, I liked it! A lot! It was certainly more entertaining (by far) than the two presidential debates so far.

Senator Biden got a couple of facts wrong, but overall, he came across as someone who knows what he's doing.

Governor Palin put on a show! From her opening, "May I call you Joe?", to her winking (I counted three winks), to her "Joe Six-Pack" references, to her "Maverick" references, to her looking straight into the camera and to her overall LACK of substance!!!

CONCLUSION???

Because of the entertainment she provided and the fact the Moderator or Senator Biden didn't object to her gamesmanship, I judged it a draw, performance wise.

And speaking of performances...

I'm an actor and I live in Los Angeles/Hollywood. Most of my readers live in this area, but I want to (speaking of Governor Palin) "give a shout out" to new readers back East because of my recent night time appearances on WBT, 1110 AM, in Charlotte, North Carolina. In fact, I'll be on WBT with host Wayne Powers tomorrow night for a few minutes.

Back to the "performances" point I want to make about what I saw during the VP debate last Thursday.

In the film and television business, you have working actors and you have celebrities who become stars.

In the political arena, you have working politicians and you have personalities who are good at getting attention which leads to them becoming celebrities which leads them to getting elected.

Using the above analogy, I come to this conclusion; Barack Obama is a working politician. Joe Biden is a working politician. John McCain is a working politician.

Sarah Palin? A CELEBRITY!!!


THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. As a rule, a new blog is posted every Wednesday afternoon (late) or (early/late) Wednesday evening.

NEXT WEDNESDAY IT'LL DEFINITELY BE LATE BECAUSE THE FINAL McCAIN/OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WILL BE NEXT WEDNESDAY NIGHT!!!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

On The Night Before Her Big Debate With Senator Biden, Governor Palin is at a PATHETIC Loss For Words With Katie Couric!!!

First of all, I'd like to say hello to some new readers as a result of an almost 45-minute conversation I had with WBT radio host Wayne Powers in North Carolina last night.

WBT is a 50,000 watt clear channel AM station that's heard all over the East at night.

It's a very politically conservative station, Wayne's a very politically conservative host and we had a spirited and fun (for me) conversation that was mostly about last Friday's Presidential debate and what I think people should look for regarding tomorrow's Vice Presidential debate.

When it comes to illegal immigration issues, government spending and national defense issues that are real and legitimate national defense issues, I'm very politically conservative. Goldwater conservative, perhaps. Stay out of our bedrooms, keep your religion to yourselves, etc., etc.

This crowd in the White House now spends money like drunken sailors, supports intelligence doctored military action in Iraq after scaring us all with lies about why we were supposedly going there (non existent WMD's, 9/11, etc.), makes a phony issue out of "flag pins", supports torture and is more worried about what's going on in our bedrooms and religion than they are about the fact that their reckless spending is on the verge of plunging us into ANOTHER GREAT DEPRESSION, unless this gang that can't shoot straight dramatically changes their ways!!!

And yes, when I was much younger, I wore a military uniform for a few years. And yes, I received an Honorable Discharge.

Before telling you about what I think we need to watch for and to think about regarding tomorrow night's Vice Presidential debate between Senator Biden and Governor Palin, let me tell you about something that happened with Katie Couric on CBS TONIGHT!!!

Two words describe it. Unbleeping believable!!!

On CBS's evening news with Katie Couric, we saw Senator Biden and Governor Palin answering a few questions. They were not in the same room with Couric at the same time.

The first questions were about the abortion law and what they thought about it. That part went smoothly. I'm not saying it was smooth because I agreed or disagreed, it was just smooth! The way it should be if you want to be our next Vice President of the United States!

The second questions had to do with what each candidate thought the Supreme Court has gotten wrong!

Now this/these questions really had my attention because the McCain-Palin team and their supporters have made a big deal about once THEY'RE elected, they look forward to having the opportunity to nominate NEW Justices of the Supreme Court who won't be Justices who intend to "Legislate from the BENCH!!!"

Senator Biden answered the question about something he thought the Supreme Court had gotten wrong and he did it smoothly. It had to do with an issue involving violence against women.

Then it was time for Governor Palin to give examples of something SHE feels the Supreme Court has gotten wrong. Slam dunk for the Governor, right? She believes some Supreme Court Justices we now have tend to "Legislate from the bench!"

Folks, HER answers to this question were painful to watch.

After responding to the question with what can sympathetically be described as "babble" from Governor Palin, Katie Couric gently asked her to give an EXAMPLE of something Governor Palin thinks the Supreme Court has gotten wrong.

And I think Couric might have even asked Governor Palin a third time! I'm not sure because trust me when I tell you, this really was painful to watch!

Bottom line? Governor Palin didn't come up with ONE example!

This wasn't a "gotcha question"! This was a question about something Governor Palin has stated in speeches that needs to be CHANGED!!!

Sudden thought: That "change" word is the word that figures to be the most remembered word, when this campaign is over, doesn't it?!?

Buuut...As We Approach TOMORROW Night's Biden-Palin Debate And Before We Think That Governor Palin Is "TOAST", Some Caution Is Advised!!!

In a relatively short period of time, the very cute and charismatic Sarah Palin has been a Mayor in Alaska and is currently the Governor of Alaska.

The town she was a Mayor of is SMALL? So what? She still had to get ELECTED!

The state that Sarah Palin is the Governor of is SMALL? Again...So What? She still had to get ELECTED!

Before MAYOR Palin got elected, she made some verbal mistakes. Until the election, some thought her mistakes were "campaign killer" mistakes.

Before GOVERNOR Palin got elected, she made some verbal mistakes. Until the election, some thought her mistakes were "campaign killer" mistakes.

MY POINT?!?

Governor Sarah Palin has proven that in the political arena, she's a quick learner. TWICE!!!

Because I used to be a sports guy, I find myself thinking about a boxing match.

When Buster Douglas fought the (then) invincible Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson (and his supporters) didn't take Buster Douglas seriously. This was supposed to be just another easy payday for Tyson. What happened that night ended up being what most people believe was the biggest boxing upset EVER!!!

I take Governor Palin VERY seriously!

If Senator Biden shows up in Missouri tomorrow and DOESN'T take Governor Palin seriously, we might very well end up watching the biggest POLITICAL upset ever!!!

The McCain-Obama Debate Last FRIDAY???

I thought it was a draw!

The NEXT Presidential debate? Tuesday, October 7.

The LAST Presidential debate? Wednesday, October 15.

ELECTION DAY? Tuesday, November 4.


Our FINANCIAL Mess?!?

As of tonight, October 1, the Senate has passed a bailout package that might be passed in the House tomorrow.

Then again, maybe it won't be passed.

Whether it's passed or not, we all agree that this financial mess we're experiencing is a REAL mess and I'm glad to see that administration sycophants who (until less than two weeks ago) swore our economy was in great shape until even they had to leave the alter of the "Special and the Privileged") before their radio audiences left THEM!!!

Oh...As the fictional detective Columbo might say, "Excuse me, ma'am (or sir), just one more thing..."

The FIRST President Bush was right when he (many years ago) referred to these limited to no regulation, and limited to no oversight rules in the so-called "trickle down" economic ways of doing things as VOODOO Economics!!!

For you see, it took a while, but what we're NOW faced with is, BOO-HOO Economics!!!

THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS? Please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net. I write back to everyone.

THE NEXT BLOG? Unless something unexpected comes up, a week from today. As a rule, a new blog is posted every Wednesday afternoon (late) or (early/late) Wednesday evening.