Posts Tagged ‘John McCain’

The Numbers Root for Barack Obama

// November 4th, 2008 // No Comments » // Desi-Indian, Politics

Courtesy: Times of India

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Click to open up bigger.

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Voting in America explained from an Indian perspective.

Obama-McCain – Latest Electoral College Map

// November 2nd, 2008 // No Comments » // Politics

Click on the map to open it up.

I like this linear scale (for once); It actually shows the current makeup plus the strong|leaning|tossups between the two candidates in a ‘fluid’ manner.

Newsflash – The World Does Not Revolve Around the United States

// October 22nd, 2008 // No Comments » // Desi-Indian, DesiPundit, Politics

The global financial collapse perpetuated by the United States might have affected European economies and developing markets in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who are net capital importers, but they aren’t losing sleep over the future leadership of this country.

Source: Times of India

Faux News – Alaska is right next to Russia!

// August 31st, 2008 // 4 Comments » // Politics, Videos

I don’t want anyone to miss this classic so if you haven’t seen it, here is evidence that debunks the theory of “intelligent design” from your very trusted faux news.

Well, yes some 40,000 to 5,000 years ago, the Northern part of Asia and what is now known as Alaska were connected by a land bridge that facilitated migration of people and animals. Doocy seems stuck in that phase giving new meaning to REGRESSIVE thinking.

Will be back soon with some new posts.

Sarah Palin – Quite an Expected Pick but No Cracks in the Glass Ceiling

// August 29th, 2008 // 4 Comments » // Gender, Politics

If you are like me and believe that politics is merely simulation, a female politician picked up for the McCain vice-presidential ticket should come as no surprise. Barack Obama gave John McCain an opening by not picking Hillary Clinton, and he expectedly capitalized on it to call the liberals on their own “18 million cracks in the glass ceiling” masquerade and hypocrisy. He picked Governor Sarah Palin despite her inexperience and lack of foreign policy understanding to appeal to both socially conservatives and maybe some of the Hillary bloc, but the fact that she bears a striking resemblance to Tina Fey (voted #1in the Top 100 Hot Women on AfterEllen.com) is as close she is getting to being pro-women, pro-choice and pro-gay — and the Hillary voters.

Lets face it – Picking her is a smart move at first sight, until you consider what a hard-core conservative Sarah Palin is — she is a life-long NRA member, staunchly against a women’s right to choose to the point where she is a member of Feminists for Life, opposes same-sex marriage and even civil unions. Seeing her wielding a gun on national television had me a tad-bit disturbed (after hearing about President Cheney using his friends for target practice in the woods, I don’t want to see another aimless rifle-wielding politician). Her ecologically footprint and anti-environmental policies are just loathsome. It’s certainly not appealing to independents and Hillary voters. A better choice would have been Christine Todd-Whitman or Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Do see this post at Culture Kitchen on this note who says Republicans cannot even get their feminists right–Yes, they aren’t looking for ‘feminist’ women, they want a ‘real woman‘–whatever that means!

Make no mistake, Governor Sarah Palin is a McBush/McCain in a skirt that is neither a signal for ‘change’ nor breaking any ‘glass ceilings’ for women. Picking a woman for office, especially a woman with a track record such as Sarah Palin–is no guarantee for the advancement of women’s rights or the destruction of the gender-regime that oppresses all of us. It is actually a step-back for women and a reification of the gender-regime so firmly entrenched in our society.

In the following weeks, you will undoubtedly here ‘identity politics’ playing out in the form of ‘gender-speak.’ The Republicans will show her as a ‘ballsy’ even Thatcher-like strong-armed yet strong-valued woman from the conservative base who knows how to successfully play hardball with oil/energy companies, fit the ticket and be an alternate to Clinton’s ‘whiny’ self. She will be masculated in all the right ways and feminized in all the right ways. Get ready to hear stories about her workout routine, moose stew dinners, how she rides a motorcycle and calls her husband the “first dude.” And before, after or during these stories, get ready to hear about Palin as a beauty queen, as a working-mother of five children and a dedicated wife to her husband, and salutes to her ’soccer mom’ or ‘hockey mom’ persona. So gear up to hear an endless exploitation of Sarah Palin as a “woman,” some disparaging comments about Catherine McKinnon-type feminists from the Republicans and consequently, the amplification of the oppositional (male/female) discourse of gender. If these Presidential elections are not about black/white, then they may be about male/female–where both major parties skirt around the real issues and try to pretend to stand for ‘change.’

Just remember, as Obama declared yesterday (in a speech that even moved me), it is not about him or any candidate, it is about YOU. Of course, the media would probably repeat and regurgitate the fact that for the first time in the history of the United States, either a ‘black’ man or a woman seems poised to serve in the two highest offices of this country. It makes for a great movie, the total entertainment package.

DNC Day 4 – Republicrats – Same script / Different Actors

// August 28th, 2008 // No Comments » // Politics

Sex sells, especially at democratic national conventions.
Al Gore and Dick Durbin speak tonight — two politicians that I have wanted to hear from besides Kucinich.
And on this anniversary of the ‘I have a DREAM’ speech, how fitting to have the sponsor of the DREAM Act, the senior senator from Illinois, introduce Barack Obama.  Whatever happens tonight, we still have a good 2 months to go.
Update – I actually caught Barack Obama’s speech and as usual he was articulate, brilliant and finally laid out some plan of action. I was expecting to hear a “I have a dream” line but to his credit, Obama did not exploit the moment. While I firmly believe that all politics is simulation and no real meaningful change can occur so long as we embrace capitalism, there was a particular part of his speech that struck a chord, that I think is relevant to this site and some of my personal philosophy:
We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don’t know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America’s promise – the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I think this line of thinking–one that abandons the “my-way or the highway” gridlock in Washington, the exclusivity of either/or is highly encouraging. It is about bridging differences and finding ways to work together while still keeping your personal values intact. And that is a pretty mature approach to doing politics.

This is probably the last blog post till after the weekend — As many of you know, I have the LSATs to study for that is consuming most of my time till after October 4. I’ll get back to all the ‘abandoned projects’ at that time and direct my attention to more media/art-work.

Till then, enjoy this one as well, courtesy the Republic magazine, whom I don’t necessarily agree with often but the picture is hilarious:
Barack Hussein Obama
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
ADVISORS: Zbigniew Brzezinski – CFR, B, TC. Sarah Sewall – CFR. Susan Rice – CFR, TC. Joseph Cirincione – CFR Lawrence Korb – CFR General Merrill McPaek – CFR Dennis Ross – CFR, TC. Obama fundraiser in London sponsored by Elizabeth Murdock, sister of Media Mogul Rupert Murdock, owner of Fox News, The New York Post and Weekly Standard Newspapers.
LONG STANDING CONNECTIONS: George Soros – CFR, B, major contributor and fund raiser Jay
Rockefeller – CFR, TC or should we say John D. Rockefeller 4th, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee has endorsed Obama in the presidential race. Tony Rezko, the indicted businessman who’s scheduled to go on trial for corruption in Illinois, and who was a major fundraiser for Obama, hosted fundraising events for Obama in his home and was on Obama’s US Senate campaign finance committee which collected $14 million.

John McCain – CFR
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
ADVISORS: Henry Kissinger – CFR, TC, B. Colin Powell – CFR, B. Alexander Haig – CFR. James
Woolsey – CFR, Brent Scowcroft – CFR, B. “Lord Rothschild Backs John McCain” The Washington Post
(March 15, 2008) with a major fundraising events in London.
LONG STANDING CONNECTIONS: McCain’s late father-in-law, Jim Hensley, was a top figure in
the organized crime power network surrounding one Kemper Marley, who acted as the front man in Arizona for the Bronfman family—key players in the Lansky crime syndicate, popularly though inaccurately referred to as “the Mafia”—who used Marley to control both major political parties in that state. The Bronfman family has long been allied with the Rothschilds as among the leading billionaire patrons of Israel and the global Zionist movement, so much so that Edgar Bronfman, head of the dynasty, was, for many years head of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), which is now lorded over by his son Matthew, who is chairman of the WJC’s governing board. Eight years ago, when McCain first ran for president, Edgar Bronfman was a contributor to his campaign. And at the time McCain included among his closest advisors the ubiquitous William Kristol of the stridently pro-Israel neo-conservative journal, The Weekly Standard, whose owner, media baron Rupert Murdoch, rose to wealth and power through the sponsorship of the Rothschild and Bronfman families. Kristol has attended the secretive Bilderberg meetings that are sponsored jointly on an annual basis by the Rothschild family in partnership with their American confreres in the Rockefeller family. So the McCain-Bronfman-Rothschild connection is intimate on multiple levels and explains much about McCain’s
long-standing tendency to be an almost feverish advocate for Israel’s interests.

Who will be the Democrat VP nominee? – If I was Barack Obama, I would pick ____________

// June 8th, 2008 // No Comments » // Politics

Bill Richardson.

Now I don’t do “politics” but I may as well give an opinion since I do hold a couple of diplomas (now gathering dust) in political science pre-law/international relations/ethnic studies.

Alright, so the Hillary backers are saying they will vote for McCain. Go ahead, be my guest. 4 or maybe 8 more years of Bush-lite. I actually don’t believe the threat–It is petty, immature and a way of generating fear into the Obama camp and blackmailing them into giving Clinton a VP spot.

Is she a victim of sexism? Has the media been unnecessarily harsh on her because she is a woman? Is America more ready for a non-white President than a woman President? Maybe. I don’t know.

What I do know is that in light of anti-Hispanic immigrant scapegoating and growing Latino numbers in the country, considering that some Latino groups and members of the community are hesitant about a Barack Obama Presidency, and considering that New Mexico is a swing state, I would pick Bill Richardson for the ticket. Besides, Obama and Richardson have great chemistry.

Democrats can elect to be smart and capitalize on these points.

Would it incite a “race war?” Would it alienate the white working class? I don’t understand why someone like Clinton can inspire the white working class anyway–she is as elitist as they come.

“Governor Richardson has been nominated 5-times for the Nobel Peace Prize, is loved by labor, is highly experienced in foreign policy having negotiated successfully with the worst regimes, has been an extremely successful Governor of a red-state growing jobs, improving education, raising teachers’ salaries, raising wages and re-elected with 68% of the vote…”

Obama-Richardson Democratic Ticket

Obama/Richardson 2008?

Yes, we can / Si se puede.

Immigrant Scapegoating – Definately Not an Election Winner

// June 1st, 2008 // No Comments » // Immigration, Politics

George Bush made a 10% gain in Hispanic voters during his re-election bid in 2004; it is more than likely that the gain would reverse itself into a loss for Republicans come this November.

This time around, pledging to step up immigrant crackdowns throughout the year, the Bush Administration is risking a political fallout with Hispanic voters. The lame-duck President has nothing to lose but it doesn’t bode well for the non-teflon Republican Party and John McCain’s bid for Presidency.

Regardless of the fact that immigration enforcers claim to be anti-(illegal) immigration and not immigration per se, ICE actions and political rhetoric is nonetheless perceived as just anti-immigrant. And perfectly legal immigrants are being harmed in this so-called anti-(illegal) immigrant climate. Take a look at the Congress economic stimulus package to disallow tax rebates to undocumented workers; it ended up affecting many legal residents who filed joint tax returns with their spouses without social security numbers. In counties like Prince Williams that are now policing immigration, even legal immigrants who perceive hatred and hostility are moving and taking their businesses elsewhere.

The Latino vote is crucial, especially in swing states like Florida, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. Fostering a climate that is heavily perceived as anti-immigrant would undoubtedly turn-off many Hispanic voters, who are the majority of the minority ethnic population and feel targeted due to increased crackdowns and legislation.

If the Bush Administration is merely playing politics and want voters to look past McCain’s reformist attitude to immigration, it is taking an ill-calculated risk. John McCain would most likely win the votes of the rabid anti-immigrant crowd regardless of his flip-flop on immigration issues. But he surely risks losing the gains made with Hispanic voters and other immigrant groups in 2004 if the anti-immigrant hysteria continues with inaction from Congress on immigration reform.

Americans usually poll vehemently against illegal immigration  in surveys but it hardly translate into votes at the polling booth. It ranks as a seventh major concern, far behind issues like the economy, war and healthcare. The immigration issue is clearly not an election winner. But it can become a major spoiler for Republicans come November.