The Unluckiest Man in American Politics

This addict of politics is beginning to feel sorry for Arizona Senator John McCain, presumptive nominee of America's Republican Party. How can one not sympathize with a man who keeps getting the raw edge of circumstances and fate tag-teamed against him? The man has been through so much, from his five years of torture at the hands of his Vietnamese captors, to being crudely booted by the campaign of George W. Bush in the Republican 2000 primary season. Let's highlight McCain's catalog of woe.

Because of President Bush's abysmal popularity rating (I still think Mr. Bush is the same good man I voted for), coupled with a pained economy, the senator is forced to run against the current standard bearer of his own party. One would think George Bush were some kind of left-wing tax-and-spend liberal from the extreme wing of the Democratic Party. How can John McCain be trying so hard to win the hearts and minds of the ultra-conservative base of the Republican Party, those who believe exactly like George Bush, while distancing himself from President Bush, one of the most conservative leaders the party and country have ever seen? The biggest problem with this anti-Bush campaign is that Senator McCain has a voting record that shows most of the time he has voted with the President on the major issues. It's hard to duck that voting record, and the Democrats are making it harder for Mr. McCain with their "Bush-McCain" tag and "John McCain has voted 90 percent of the time with George Bush".

John McCain has positioned himself to run as a Washington outsider. He's now making the case that he will be an agent of change. And with his recent pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his veep, Senator McCain has argued that like, Gov. Palin, he is the maverick who can change Washington just like the Governor has done in Alaska. This is a very awkward position for the senator, since Mr. McCain has been in Congress for 26 years, and he has little record to show for taking the lead to bring the major change he now wants to champion. Why wait until your 72nd birthday before you wake up to your destiny as the change agent America has been waiting for all these years, the change agent who can end our dependence on foreign petro, transition us to alternative energy, fix Social Security, healthcare, and immigration? Again, Senator McCain has a difficult case to make as Mr. Maverick Change Agent.

To make matters worse, Candidate McCain has made experience a centerpiece of his campaign against Barack Obama, whom, we must admit, has very little public service experience, compared to Mr. McCain. However, for McCain, the problem with this "ready to lead from day one" argument is that it emphasizes Washington experience, the very thing that Mr. McCain now sounds like he hates and wants very much to change. If Washington is the problem you want to solve, how can you in the same campaign brag about your experience in Washington as a primary reason for your qualification to be president? Are we missing something here?

Unfortunately, the senator was forced into another "rock and a hard place" situation when it came to choosing a running mate. He wanted to make sure he won over those female voters from the other side, those Hillary Clinton women who are angry with Obama for slighting their beloved feminist fighter with her 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling of a male-dominated society. The thing is that the vast majority of those Hillary girls are stauchly pro-choice, wanting Roe v. Wade to remain the law of the land. At the same time that McCain badly wanted those pro-choice Clintonites to win, he had to also please the one-issue pro-life members of his party. He sought to solve this dilemma by selecting Gov. Palin, a woman, yes, but who is as conservative as you get in American politics. Well, the senator did deliver the red meat the right wingers craved, but he might have sent those Hillary pro-choicers scattering to the winds. The guy just doesn't seem to get any easy choices.

As if that were not enough problem for Mr. McCain to sort through, here comes Gustav, that massive storm, which has already killed 80 people in Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica, according to an AFP report. News report of the storm has all but taken McCain and his historic VP pick off the television screen, off the front page. To add fuel to fire, McCain, who is already running against George Bush, against Washington, and against Obama, must now contest Mother Nature also? How unlucky can you get! If John McCain pulls off a win against the media coverage of Gustav, rather than the Republican Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, he may yet add another medal to his war hero image.

But at this point, in the McCain vs. Gustav match up, it seems Mother Nature has the upper hand, though we don't want to count the good ole soldier out just yet. Plans for the first day of the Republican Convention have been scraped to just absolutely necessary business agenda, stuff you could do in a committee meeting, the really boring stuff that deserves no news coverage. President Bush and Vice President Cheeney have cancelled plans to attend the GOP show. Now that may be a God-send, since it provides the perfect caveat for McCain to avoid the Bush fever of unpopularity by association. Mr. Bush's presence would have strengthened the Democrat's "Bush-McCain" attack, especially had President Bush spoken at the GOP Convention. For once, Senator McCain can breathe a sigh of relief there. Even an unlucky man deserves a break every now and then.

On this Gustav crashing of John McCain's party in St. Paul, if we were in an African village we would quickly see it as witchcraft for sure, a curse, an omen, a spell from hell. But of course, in these civilized parts of the globe, we are not that superstitious, so we settle for calling Gustav storming down the opening day of the Republican Convention a mere coincidence, pure chance, or perhaps an "Act of God", but just that and nothing more.

It never ceases to amaze me just how unfair life can be, despite our modern tolerance for positive thinking, "the law of attraction", and motivational tips like that. Life remains flat out unfair at times, and in Senator McCain's case, that has been exactly the case, with few exceptional breaks notwithstanding. Someone tell us, Why must John McCain have to get the blunt of the blade for what seems like most of the time? Vietnam tortured him for five years. He returned from his POW experience only to be shunned by a nation ungrateful for his immense sacrifice. In 2000, the George Bush campaign sabotaged Senator McCain's chances for the White House. Lately, Obama and the Democrats had their big political show in Denver without distraction, coming out of there better than expected. And now when it's McCain's time to shine on a stage all to himself, here comes Mr. Gustav, or is it Mrs. Gustav? It's just not fair, and this political junkie feels mighty sorry for this brave American. I may vote John McCain after all, though I have not appreciated some of his so-called maverick treatment of conservatives. Call it a sympathy vote, but the man deserves a break, and voting McCain would be much better than sitting this election out anyway. Yeah, make America's unluckiest man President McCain, so he can get double for his trouble.

What? Another Barack Obama Re-Introduction?

Last night (August 20, 2008), I turned on cable television, and there on CNN Presents was the latest biography on Mr. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States. Perhaps CNN produced this show to counteract that slanderous book Obama Nation.

Frankly, I learned not much new about Mr. Obama. There is very little left to be learned about the man. Barack (Barry) was born to a black (Kenyan) father and white mother. His father abandoned him; his dad, born 1936, died 1982 in Kenya. Barack married Michelle Robinson in October 1992. His mom died in 1995.

Can we move on now, please? How many times will Barack Obama have to introduce himself or have CNN or any other entity introduce the man to America? Was he a naturalized citizen or something? Really, why does the man need to be introduced and re-introduced to his own country over and over? Barack has been on the national stage for months now. By now anyone interested in learning more about him should have checked Wikipedia or some other independent source on the candidate.

All this pretend curiosity about getting to know the real Barack Obama is getting kind of old. And it is getting some of us to ask, “If this guy were a white presidential candidate, named William Baron, would we still be wanting to know 'The Real William Baron', or would we rather be more concerned about William Baron's ideas?”

This is insane, and I'm about to lose more of my already vanishing hair strings. Look, people, the only important questions to ask of any presidential candidate of these united states should be those contained in the Constitution of our country. Perhaps a little civics review will do the trick:

1. First important question: Does the candidate satisfy the age and citizenship requirements as stated in Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution? The founding document reads, “No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.”

2. Second important question: Does the candidate meet what may be called the no-dynasty, no-ruling family requirement? The term limit amendment ratified February 27, 1951, reads, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”

The person does not have to be a certain height. Does not need to have been in Washington for decades; two to three years in the legislature plus numerous appearances on the national stage is plenty of time to know someone who wants to be president. Besides, the media, especially in the Internet Age, littered with blogs, will definitely leave no stone unturned in the effort to reveal, uncover or expose any politician aiming for Pennsylvania Avenue.

No, the candidate does not have to be a certain gender. Does not have to be married. Does not have to have children. Does not have to graduate from a certain school. Does not have to be a Jew, Christian, or Muslim. Does not have to be Evangelical, Catholic, Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, or Charismatic. Does not have to be a governor, representative or senator. And no, the candidate for the oval office does not have to own a dog or cat, or have his last name be Kennedy, Bush or Clinton. His/her name does not even have to be or sound American.

I thought the United Sates were the great, big cultural melting pot of the world. Has that changed all of a sudden, because a guy's name is or sounds Eastern? What am I missing here?

Yes, the presidential candidate must have character or integrity, as defined and accepted by American society. But if the person lacks moral integrity, the electorate will filter him/her out with their votes.

On August 25^th the convention for the Democratic Party kicks off, to be followed on September by the Republican Party convention on . May America be treated as an adult, not expecting or waiting for an encore introduction of Obama or McCain. May we see and hear a serious presentation of the big issues this election should be about from now until November 4^th.

“What are those issues?” one may ask. Those issues are not McCain's war record or prisoner of war accolade. Not Barack's last name or middle name; not his pastor or any other associates of decades past. Personality will not win or lose this election. What we want to hear are the candidates' ideas and plans concerning national security, energy, health care, taxes, judges, abortion, and the international scene.

How will either man deal with each of the following? The recessive economy; America's bankrupt social security scheme; the costly war in Iraq, costing the American taxpayer $10 billion per month; angry Russia, now occupying the sovereign nation of Georgia; ambitious Iran, with its unpredictable ruler; illusive Afghanistan, where the Taliban resurges; the explosive dilemma that is the Israeli and Palestinian question; the rising super power that is China; nuclear Pakistan, with increasingly bold and blatant suicide bombers; Darfur, the humanitarian disaster of Sudan; the AIDS epidemic.

Is Barack Obama Arrogant? That's a Good Thing!

What is this thing about Barack Obama being arrogant, having a big ego, and so forth?

In lieu of Obama being a black man, it is good that he comes across as proud and large. In America, a black man is supposed to appear timid and ignorant, not knowing what he's doing. After all, the black man is supposed to look and act inferior to the white man. And when he does not fit the mold, he's attacked as if he's out of place.

What John McCain and some in the US media are describing as presumptuous and arrogant is rather seen by millions of us as confident and intelligent. And it's about time for us to see a black man cast himself as a natural leader.

Yes, a black guy that dares to know what he is doing! What a change! And the McCain camp just can't stand it, or may be they choose not to understand it.

Call Obama arrogant, because he dares to look presidential. But it is McCain who continues to be whinny and nick picky. You call him presumptuous; we call him presidential. You call him arrogant; we see him as confident and intelligent.

What am I missing? When a white presidential candidate does and sounds the same as Barack Obama, he is called presidential and confident. But when a black guy follows suit, he's attacked as presumptuous and arrogant.

I guess arrogance is in the eye of the beholder.

Mental Recession? What was John McCain’s Phil Graham Thinking?

In response to what many Americans are feeling and saying about the dire condition of America’s current economic downturn, Senator Phil Graham, with the McCain campaign, said, “You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession”. That’s a new one for me and for many others: “mental recession”.

Some consider Phil Graham the “econ brain” of John McCain. If that’s the case, then McCain really has a serious problem on his political hands. His primary economic policy craftsman is calling this pinch millions of us are feeling just a “mental” thing? Just a figment of our imagination? It’s all in our heads and not in our pocketbooks, bank accounts, and paychecks?

Tell that to my wife, the lovely Harriet, who would be glad to take Phil Graham to Wal-Mart to buy groceries for the Matally family. She tells me that our grocery bill has more than doubled; that’s 127% to be exact. I thought that was real. But Graham says we’re only dreaming? It’s all in our minds? Wow.

So, what’s mental about four-bucks-per-gallon gasoline? Actually it’s three pennies less, thanks to the Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card.

While Mr. Graham may call our economic woes mental, there is nothing mental about the damage he has done to his candidate. Ouch! If John McCain had been struggling to get a grip on America’s economic reality, then his econ brain has just set him way back and dug him into a very deep, dark hole. It will take much more than distancing himself from Phil’s remarks for McCain to begin to recover from this devastation.

To make matters worse, John McCain was the guy who confessed that the economy was not his strong suit.

If John McCain loses the November 4th election, it will be because of the economy. And the callous, careless bashing of hurting Americans by Phil Graham will be a big part of the reason for McCain’s great loss.

This election won’t be about Iraq or the war on terror, unless Iran does something really stupid or scary. The elections will be about the American economy and its woes, and if McCain’s econ brain considers that a fantasy problem, he’s in for a rude awakening on November 4th.

“Mental recession”! Tell that to the truck drivers. Tell that to the airlines. Tell that to Dana Corporation that has just closed its doors, leaving hundreds of employees in the heat. Tell that to the Executive Inn Hotel, and its workers, who just went out of business. Tell that to God’s Outreach, the food distribution warehouse in Western Kentucky, that has lost so many of its donors due to the sluggish economy. Tell that to the one million people who have just filed bankruptcy. Tell that to the millions facing the prospects of losing their homes, because they can no longer afford to make mortgage payments on their homes.

All this means one thing: real people are finding it hard to eat, pay their bills, and get around, Mr. Phil Graham. And you dare call it “mental recession”? Have you seen that the price for a barrel of oil hit $147 just this week? What is Phil Graham smoking? A cigar called Senatorium or something worse?

If McCain really understands the seriousness of this issue, he would not only distance himself from Senator Graham’s rants, but he would dump this guy who seems to have no clue. Phil Graham is the one who’s sleeping, who’s shielded by Washington’s veil from the every person’s plight on Main Street. This guy is imagining the recession away; he and McCain will need to do more than blast us for saying things are bad out here.

No, we are not acting like “a nation of whiners”, and there is nothing mental about our financial straights, except for the mental frustration some of us are experiencing. It is Phil Graham who is suffering from a mental non-recession. He is the one that needs to wake up.

Thanks in advance for your apologies, Phil, but I’m afraid you’re cooked. It’s over for you, man; you may be losing your Senate seat over this, unless you fight like hell to hold on with the skin of your teeth.

“Mental recession”! Boo…