Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail

I’m hip to John McCain’s game. Everyone else might have thought that slipping the ACORN issue into the debate was just another snipe at Senator Obama’s character but I know the deal. I’m talking about the following quote:

MCCAIN: Yes, real quick. Mr. Ayers, I don’t care about an old washed-up terrorist. But as Senator Clinton said in her debates with you, we need to know the full extent of that relationship.

We need to know the full extent of Senator Obama’s relationship with ACORN, who is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy. The same front outfit organization that your campaign gave $832,000 for “lighting and site selection.” So all of these things need to be examined, of course.

Preparation is key. Slipping the ACORN statement into the debate was just preparation for November 5th. When the votes are counted and all is said John McCain will blame it all on ACORN. This was his attempt at planting the seed of dissension. Because if Senator Obama becomes president….it’s because ACORN pulled off the biggest sham in the history of American voter history (forget those Grandfather Clauses implemented in the Southern United States in the 1890s to disfranchise Blacks and poor Whites…that’s child’s play).

Of course they need to be examined Senator McCain…of course.

The Keeping It Real Award Goes To…

(Drum Roll)…

Bob Schieffer

The Keeping It Real Award of the Third 2008 Presidential Debate goes to moderater Bob Schieffer for this question:

SCHIEFFER: All right. We’re going to move to another question and the topic is leadership in this campaign. Both of you pledged to take the high road in this campaign yet it has turned very nasty.

SCHIEFFER: Senator Obama, your campaign has used words like “erratic,” “out of touch,” “lie,” “angry,” “losing his bearings” to describe Senator McCain.

Senator McCain, your commercials have included words like “disrespectful,” “dangerous,” “dishonorable,” “he lied.” Your running mate said he “palled around with terrorists.”

Are each of you tonight willing to sit at this table and say to each other’s face what your campaigns and the people in your campaigns have said about each other?

And, Senator McCain, you’re first.

To summarize, Bob Schieffer dared the candidates to “Say it to his face”.

That’s instigating.

That’s keeping it real.

Top 5: Countries to Emigrate to if McCain/Palin Take the White House

I’ve been doing my research, just in case things go wrong in November.

5. Cuba. Now hear me out on this one. Cuba boasts some of the highest education and literacy rates in the Americas, all levels of education are state funded. The state also funds healthcare for all of its citizens. Pros: Socialism. Cons: Socialism.

4. Brazil. Beautiful beaches and energy independence; what more could a future-possible expatriate want? Pros: Carnival. Cons: The official language is Portuguese and the public health system leaves a lot to be desired.

3. South Africa. Considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with an abundant supply of resources. And the infrastructure is strong, whatever that means.

Pros: Since 1994, South Africa has welcomed the brain power and investments of Black Americans and English is one of the 11 official languages. Cons: There’s that whole crime thing.

2. France. This has been the center of high (Western) culture since perhaps the 17^th Century including everything from art and literature to fashion and architecture. Pros: The best healthcare system in the world according to the World Health Organization. Cons: Unemployment rate is off the charts.

1. Canada. Number one due to convenience, Canada is just north of the border, easy to get into, also known as America but better. Pros: A growing mixed market economy with relatively low unemployment rate and high standard of living. Cons: Strongly influenced by American culture.

“You Would Let Her Keep Your Kids?!” Diddy on McCain’s Veep Candidate

Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy aka P. Diddy aka Diddy aka Ciroc Obama tells Sen. John McCain how he feels about his pick for Vice Presidential candidate. Now, I have my feelings about Diddy but this was hilarious…and ignorant. Favorite quotes from the video: “There ain’t even crackheads in Alaska!” “What’s the reality in Alaska?” and of course “John McCain, you’re bugging the f__k out.”

While I would not use the same words that Diddy used, I think I definitely agree that John McCain is bugging. What do we know about this woman? What does HE know about this woman?! She got the job six months after they first met following only one phone call between them and a single face-to-face meeting. Mayor–>Govenor–>Vice President. Does she know anything about national politics? She’s younger than two of his kids. John McCain lost me with this one as well.

But Diddy took it too far!

Just one Black woman’s opinion.

Politics: Issues or Lifestyle?

Bill Bishop was on the Daily Show discussing the fact that politics is no longer about issues, but about lifestyle. Basically, the point is that we focus more on which politicians live a lifestyle that we approve or can relate to rather than their stance on the issues. This, I think, is reflected in Senator Obama’s wide appeal.

Barack Obama Covers Vibe Magazine

Truthfully, I agree with Mos Def, Barack Obama appeals to Americans’ sense of vanity in a way that we aren’t ready to admit. The President is the face of the country and Americans want a handsome man for the job. While I think this is true, I won’t say that people don’t focus on the issues. Especially not now, with this “mental recession“. People want to be sure that we’re going to be okay.

If the American public didn’t focus on lifestyle, things like McCain’s age, his brush with skin cancer, and his wife’s struggle with pain killers wouldn’t be in the news. It is, I think, pertinent to focus on these kinds of things because it points to personal struggles and how people react to their struggles and allows us to gauge how they would react to our struggles. I’m not sure if this is fair to the candidates but I think that people deserve to know and understand “their” politicians.