…and why I can’t vote for Barack Obama.

“Joe the plumber” has been made famous by asking Barack Obama a pointed question about how part of his economic plan would, or wouldn’t, help his business, a question that inspired lively discussion between the candidates at the debate tonight.  Way to go, Joe, maybe now that people know who you are, your financial future will be a little brighter.

I’ve been listening to the “who do you think won the debate” discussion for about 45 minutes now, and of course the responses depend upon who the person has been supporting all along.

Personally, I felt Barack was smooth as always, and I really appreciated McCain’s quick and good responses, most of which I agreed with.

For me, among other much smaller things, who I vote for keeps coming back to one haunting thought…the anti-American philosophies that Barack Obama listened to for many, many years under the ministry of Jeremiah Wright.  Now don’t click away yet…think about it.

It frustrates me that Barack can get away with cutting ties with Wright ONLY AFTER it becomes an issue in the press….yes this is old news, but haunting me even to this day. I am not nearly as concerned about the economy as I am about a man who may have some confused ideas in his brain after listening to his preacher teach for 20 years….don’t be fooled by smooth talk, it’s not enough to base your decision on who to vote in as President.

Last night I watched Frontline, and they did a profile on both candidates….in it they played footage of a much younger Jeremiah Wright, from the time Obama first started attending the church, and he was as off in his teaching then as he is now…and Obama just gets away with saying that he has cut off ties with him…doesn’t that bother you?  I am not saying that if he keeps filling his mind with what is good for as many years as he has filled it with Wright’s garbage that he might not be a good candidate one day, it’s just too soon now.

So there you have it, it’s not the economy, but his record and his ties to frightening people in his past that he artfully brushes over whenever they are brought up that make Barack Obama the WRONG man to be President of our great Nation, at least for now.

In case you need a refresher, here is what Obama listened to for years, and a couple other interesting clips you may have never seen before, watch them all, please!

The debate is over, I thought McCain did better this round, but don’t know whether he’s made much of a dent in the polls yet. I’m still stuck on the VP debate, and though I don’t watch Saturday Night Live, had heard about the routine they did on the Vice Presidential Debate, tracked it down online, and couldn’t resist posting it…except for a couple spots that crossed the line (at least my line) I thought this was hysterical…and so is Joe Biden’s reaction in the video that follows it, enjoy!

SNL Vice Presidential Debate:

Joe Biden Reaction:

I really enjoyed watching the Vice Presidential debate so much more than the Presidential Debate, both Candidates did a good job.  I was concerned for Palin, but she did an excellent job.  As people, both candidates for Vice President are personable, nice people.

For me, I don’t know that there was a winner or loser, I’m going to think about that a bit more.  Clearly from the type of posts you see on this blog, I’m a McCain supporter, and I hope he takes some pointers from his running mate…I appreciated how gracious she was to Biden, that she looked at him when she spoke.  When McCain debated, even when asked to engage in conversation with Obama, I don’t recall seeing a lot of that.  Hoping for better in the next two debates.

Finally, what a beautiful ending, the families cordially greeting one another on the stage, I don’t know whether things like that make one a better candidate, but I sure did like it.

Now it’s time to watch…and watch out…as the press does it’s “spin” thing.

Here’s the debate:

The first Presidential Debate in Mississippi happened as planned, in spite of all the plot twists over the past 24-48 hours.

Obama, true to form, was well versed, so some of that time he spent practicing his lines in Florida over the past few days before going to Washington payed off, and there’s no denying he is very eloquent.  We all want a President that cares about us, and he knows everyone is worried about money, and he played to that very well just as he always does.

When I listened to McCain, I felt like a Mom who was watching her son up on stage (even though I’m much younger) and rooting for him because he is my favorite, but cringing at times because I wanted him to be able to PERFORM as nicely as Obama did.

That’s just never going to happen, McCain is a straight shooter, but he’s not a great performer…and I don’t care about that EXCEPT for the fact that appearances are so important to people who don’t want to look past the facade.  I thought McCain repeated himself a lot, and thought both candidates, instead of bringing something fresh and new, often reverted back to the speeches that they give during their Campaign stops, lines I’ve heard repeatedly as I’ve followed closely during the past many…too many…weeks.

So round #1, as far as performance, goes to Obama, but I know deep inside that I want experience, and someone who has has had the courage to stand up against even his own party when he doesn’t agree…so at present, my November vote still goes to McCain.

Now we look forward to the VP Debate next week on October 2nd…where did September go anyway? Have a great weekend!

Here’s the debate:

It’s official, it’s historic, Barack Obama has just been officially declared the democratic nominee for the President of the United States.  In years to come, “This Day in History” will have Barack Obama’s name as the first African American to be nominated as Presidential candidate for the Democratic party, or any party for that matter.  What a moving moment for our black American brothers and sisters, whether or not they support Obama.  I am not sure what word to use, congratulations seems so small, but what a day, only in America, God bless America.

Am I voting for Obama? Probably not, but that doesn’t take away from the significance of this day.  In fact, I’m not going to go into what will be happening for the rest of the evening, or the things that lead up to it, lets just savor this, and be thankful that we live in America where anything is possible and attainable.

I have a few dates for you, and will add more as I find them….mark your calendars, or key into whatever device you use for reminders:

September 26th - U. of Mississippi

October 7th - Belmont U.

October 15 - Hofstra U.

I’ll add more as the new ones come in.

Like anyone who is following the election, I’ve been pondering a lot of things, but most of all, who I think the best running mates will be for each of the candidates.  This is just my humble opinion, the wife of the man who is into politics, or used to be, and I may be way off, but it just seems that for the Republican Party, Mitt Romney would fill in the wide-open gaps that John McCain has.  As a republican would this be my ideal?  This election I am afraid is falling short as far as there being ANY ideal, again, JMHO.

For the democratic side, it probably goes without saying that Hillary Clinton would be the best choice for Vice President.  The mantra this election is CHANGE, how much change can you get than the first black man and the first woman elected as President - Vice President.  Do I want that change?  No way, and it has nothing to do with race or gender, not one bit.

I am not excited about the coming election, lack of excitement leads to lack of blogging.  I don’t see excitement in my husband, either.  So I’m contemplating a change in what this blog is going to be all about.  Watch and see, some changes may be on the way…they are still coming together in my mind.  I’m thinking of moving toward an even more “opinionated” format, and some may not like it, but that’s okay.  More exciting that way.