Convergence of Relevant Stuff

Laid off or lose your job at no fault of your own? Hyundai has a deal for you. The Korean auto maker offered a deal where you can return the vehicle you purchased from them, with no questions asked, when you are laid off, suffered accidential death, or any other event that is no fault of your own.  Sound too good to be true? Check out the link to the story. This is the latest in a series of  incentive offered by the car dealer to spur car sales for a  struggling economy.

Joe Biden took the first step to bring it to John McCain. After all he has known John McCain for over thirty years and considers him a friend. However Biden says McCain is joined at the Hip to George Bush and he said so in his speech today where Barack Obama introduced him as his Vice Presidential choice. Joe Biden is loyal and has been that way all of his senate career. I  Biden Linked McCain to Bush time and time again.

There is an extreme contrast between Obama and Joe Biden. Joe Biden will go a long way in bringing on board Hillary Clinton’s supporters.  He is a fighter to the middle class, has enormous experience in  Foreign Policy.  Biden will bring in the displaced Hillary Voters, the Catholic Voters, and Jewish voters, that Obama has had trouble connecting to. Obama prefer to remian above the fray and is not entirely comfortable attacking.  BIden role is to attack time and time again.

Joe Bden’s mother once paid him $10 to go down the street and beat down, a neighborhood bully who messed with one of her son’s. Barack Obama just paid Joe Biden by selecting him as his VP, to do the same to John McCain and the Republicans, who have been beating up Obama pretty bad in July. This is a smart pick. With Biden, you have a Senator who marching to his own beat, and not his Washington colleagues.

So it is a mistake to think that Biden is just another Washington insider; he’s not, he a free thinker and some one who can bring creative ideas. And for the first time during his long tenure in Washington, Biden now has the Most Important World stage that he ever had.

Biden charge will be to address the concerns of older American,  and that Obama has what it takes to lead this country. Biden , A Roman Catholic, can speak to this constituency. He can also speak to those who feel uneasy about voting for some one, particularly, an African American, who is not like them. This is and issue and it needs to be dealt with. The election will really tell whether Americans have grown up and truly faced or embraced diversity in America.

Race

Barack Obama is not doing as well in the Polls, because of his race. That is not an excuse, it is a reality. Obama, will have trouble in the polls as the First African American to possibly win the Presidency. Are white Americans ready to vote for a black man for President?  To put it bluntly, no one wants to talk about this issue, but all of us need to do soul searching in this area.

Would we really put the stressful economic concerns to the back burner and not vote for Obama, because he’s black?  I know we are the greatest country in the world, yet we can’t get past our racial biases. Obama would improve every ones lives and with him we would have prosperity. Republicans have not been able to bring prosperity to this country and John McCain certainly want. He doesn’t know how many houses he owns, and he thinks being rich in America means you are worth at least $5 million dollars a year.

Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy is the primary issue that defines Joe Biden. The Georgian crises has been an advantageous issue for Biden, in relation to his pick as VP. And it is a great help for Obama. Obama seems more confident in talking about international affairs because of his International trip and Biden’s ties to the Foreign Relations Committee.  Both effectively negates any perceived gain, that John McCain felt he enjoyed.

 John McCain does not know how many houses he owns. John McCain, it stands to reason, does not know how many houses his wife owns. I wonder if he knows he own an office complex and that is worth over $14 million dollars?

Since McCain did not know these things the Obama Campaign checked and guess what? He owns 7 Houses and just purchased one in Arlington, Va. Let me see now, which candidate is out of touch with the average American; Obama,who owns one home and just so happens to know where he lives? Or is it McCain who net worth is probably over $100 million; and own 7 homes, and has no idea where he lives?

Does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the logistics. McCain is out of touch, with you, me, and a whole bunch of other folks. Except for those who make over $10 million per year. Do you think someone worth $100 Million a year could care less about you or me who are struggling to make ends meet?

Americans are thinking about electing Republican big money to the White House? If you are making less than $250,000 a year you don’t consider yourself in the same class as John McCain. He can pay  for his own health insurance if need be; so he doesn’t care about those of us who can’t. That off his radar screen.

And he calls Barack Obama an elitist. What’s wrong with this picture? If McCain lost his job, his wife could easily take care of him for the rest of his life. Definition of an elitist; someone who doesn’t know how many houses he owns.

Do you think McCain cares that eggs cost $3.00 a dozen or 4 rolls of paper towels cost $7.00? Do you think  McCain saves his change for a rainy day? Do you think McCain brings his lunch everyday from home? Oh, that’s right,  he doesn’t know where his home is.

Do you think he’s facing a foreclosure on one of his homes like millions of Americans are? He not. Because He’s worth $100 million a year.

You get the picture and if we are as smart as we think we are as Americans; there only one choice for President. Someone who feels your pain. Someones who goes to Wendy’s and MacDonald’s, White Sox games,or who ever your favorite team is, just like you. I think you know; Barack Obama should have your back economically, not someone who owns 7 houses and is worth $100 million dollars.

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What did Pastor Rick Warren Know and When Did He Know it?  Senator McCain was not even in the Church He was late in a car, when Rick Warren started his interview with Barack Obama.   To give Warren the benefit of the doubt , the best case is that he did not know that McCain was Not in the So called Cone of Silence.  Here’s what Rick Warren said on The Larry King Show tonight.  Rick Warren says he did not know that McCain was not in the Cone Of Silence.  Rick Warren says he flipped a coin months before the forum to determine who would go first.  Why weren’t the candidates  present during the coin flip? A good question that should not be dismissed.

Rick Warren did not  get a chance to ask questions that he really wanted to ask. Rick Warren mentioned Home run when Obama made a comment that he liked.  He did the same as well for McCain.  Can we defeat evil, what was Rick Warren’s intent with this question?   He did acknowledged that Obama made a good point that evil exist in America also.

Perhaps this is a great time to revisit Barack Obama’s 2004 Democratic Keynote Address. It was one of the most inspiring speeches ever given at a Democratic Convention.  [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNfuX9seIyM]

Civil Forum with Rick Warren Pastor of Saddleback Church

Barack Obama . Warren asked who were the three wisest people in your life? Obama said  his wife Michelle, his grandmother,who was a grounded, common sense woman.  He also said he would not restrict himself to three people. He mention Sam Nunn, Dick Luger, a Republican. Ted Kennedy, most prominently . Obama said in his administration  he would have a table that represented many different viewpoints.   The great moral failure in his life?  He had difficult youth, raised by a single Mom, experimented with drugs and drank. Obama said he was  self centered, and had an inner focus on himself. He said everything was about him. He later realized it was not all about me. America’s  greatest moral failure in this  lifetime is that we don’t abide by our principals to  help others in need as much as we should.  He said the Bible says “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do not do for me”.  We do not provide avenues of opportunities for people to get into the middle class. We must do more to help.

When asked what is the most significant position that he held ten years ago where he changed his mind?  Obama said a good example would be the issue of welfare reform.  Obama felt that Clinton’s bill signings on welfare reform would have disastrous results.  It worked better than a lot of people anticipated.  So Obama said it opened his eyes and he saw the benefit in the program.

Warren asked what is the most gut wrenching decision you ever had to make?  Deciding to  go against the war in Iraq. Obama said there was not enough evidence of weapons of mass distruction.  Obama felt that we would need to look at these questions. What would a post Iraq , post war,  look like?  What about the young kids who we are asking to give their lives? When  you put kids 19 and 20 years old in harms way, there is a an obligation to get things right before we put our young soldiers life on the line.

Christianity- What does your faith in Jesus Christ mean to you?  Obama said I believe  that Jesus Christ died for my sins and I am redeemed through him.  I do not walk alone. Those sins that I have are washed way. I have an obligation to give back to society through deeds. McCain said he was saved and forgiven.

The question was asked what do you do about evil.  John McCain said, defeat it. Barack Obama said that evil does exist. We will not be able to totally erase evil from the world in it’s many forms. John McCain approached many questions and answered with a  military reference. He answered the question about evil and said the he would find Bin Laden and bring him to justice. Obama sees evil as being significantly broader than John McCain.

John McCain came off, more combative and direct. Not must room to change in him.  McCain’s sole focus was to use the bully stick  and showed a willingness to  use American Troops at the drop of a hat.  McCain’s answers were simplistic at best.  He was not forthcoming on the details of his failed first marriage, when asked about him Moral failures. Again he stuck close  to the  simplistic one word answers. So we know one thing about McCain; he is stubborn, He is not willing to listen to opposing views and he is a war hawk. He stated his hero was Theodore Rooselvelt. He led the United States to victory in the Spanish – American War (Ninety-Day War) and later became the 26th American President. McCain said that Theodore Rooselvelt was his hero (“Walk Softly, but Carry a Big SticK”).   Read up on Rooselvelt and you get a great read on McCain. The question was asked who would you not pick as  a Supreme Court Justice? Obama said  that he would have not pick  Clarence Thomas because of his lack of experience, He also mention Justice Scalia, both taught in law school at the University of Chicago. McCain mentioned Justices Ginsberg, Fryer, Sutter and Stevens.  The problem is John McCain voted for everyone of those justices. A bit of the  flip flop.  He was speaking to win over the evangelicals.

By now many people have seen the T. Boone Pickens’ ad. What you think about it is important. Given the state of the economy and the rising gas prices that we face, it  most certainly will elicit much needed debate. That is not a bad thing. Good honest debate about anything is good. Are we as a nation ready to listen to T. Boone Pickens ideas about alternative energy?  Do we feel that Mr. Pickens may have an agenda? Do we care if he does?

The most pressing issue on our plates is the rising gas prices that are taking a huge toll on our country. Energy cost are rising as well; so debate and discussion is not only fruitful, but needed.  Of course anytime you have a debate there are people for the implementation of an idea, and nearly always there are detractors. But given the state of our economy and the rising cost of fuel, debate is more than needed.

In many communities across America there are more than just passing conversation regarding alternative energy. European energy companies who are already  providing natural energy  in Europe, or trying desperately to buy exisiting utilities in the United States in the face of staunch and unwavering opposition.

This is occuring in  States that can ill afford to turn down overtures.  So we have to lend an ear to the discussion and an open mind. Only through innovative and thoughtful discussion can we climb out of the deep energy hole that we have dug ourselves into.

What John Edward did was wrong. He was unfaithful to his wife and to add salt to the wound; she was battling cancer. There is no justification for what he did. First reactions are, how could he do such a thing to his wife, particularly as she suffers from advance breast cancer? It is a common reaction;  It’s human nature. It is regretable what he did. After watching the Nightline interview with John Edwards, Edwards says that he was trying to protect his wife from the mistakes in Judgements that he made and that he was contrite and sorry for his unfaithfulness.

His infidelity was unfortunate and wrong. But some things remain private, and for John Edwards and his wife to work out. It is apparent from the interview that he loves his wife and he did not wish to put her through the ordeal of invasive questioning that the situation would elicit. Edward lied to cover up his infidelity, which added salt to the wound. He says he has already atoned for his infidelity with his wife and with God.

Edward felt bad about what he did and for good reason. He says he told his wife about the affair two years ago. We can only take his word for it. Realistically, that may be a little hard to believe, seeing that he has not really been upfront and honest with us. Ultimately how he and his wife work this out is none of our business. But with the media scrutiny and the loss of privacy that Politicians and public figues have, it sometimes causes very private things that should remain that way, to be exposed.

Without knowing all the particulars of the situation, we really cannot cast Judgment on John Edwards. We need to respect the Edwards family and let them as a married couple work out their feelings in this difficult situation.