Obama Finds His Voice as Professor and Pastor

The heat in a presidential campaign can bring out the best in a person or the worst in a person.

Senator Obama seems to have found his voice, especially in regard to the economy, as the campaign heads into the final weeks. It was remarkable that he was able to hold the attention of a crowd of 21,000 people in the rain in Indianapolis, Indiana. The people of this country need to understand what's at stake but they also need someone who can provide a strong positive vision so that we can believe we will survive this crisis.

Senator Obama Wins Second Presidential Debate

Senator Obama gave a sterling performance in the second presidential debate while Senator McCain seemed tired and old beyond his years. Senator Obama spoke crisply and emphasized his key points while making good eye contact with the audience. Senator McCain continued his ineffective attack on Obama and repeated most of his points from the previous debate. It is questionable as to whether Senator McCain actually reads the newspapers. He was still harping on the importance of the surge and victory in Iraq when today's papers carried statements from the outgoing British commander in Afghanistan that the war was unwinnable. Message to Senator McCain: we're losing in Afghanistan.

Senator McCain emphasized his experience but talking about events that occurred during the Reagan administration, and even referring to Teddy Roosevelt, made him look out of touch with the current economic crisis. Senator Obama made a point of emphasizing the need for a lead it to be able to "look around the corner" and think about what's going to happen next as opposed to always being in a reactive state. While Senator McCain appeared to be more cordial at first, he clearly has disdain for the younger man who is now increasingly being seen as a good more commanding leader despite his lesser experience. McCain fails to see that experience by itself is not a recommendation for leadership.

While Senator McCain saw the provision of health care as responsibility, Senator Obama saw it as a right of all Americans. Senator McCain's emphasis on turning to the private sector for health care seems ill chosen when the financial private sector has collapsed and the health-care private sector is best known for its attempts to deny or limit to policyholders. A woman in the audience had a good question when she wondered if we should make health care more like a public utility. Unfortunately neither senator chose to address this issue.

When Senator McCain referred to Senator Obama as, "That one," he lapsed to a level of disrespect heretofore not seen in presidential debates. Senator McCain's one attempt at a "new initiative" whereby the government would buy up mortgages, turns out to be in the plan that was passed by Congress last week. If Senator McCain can't be bothered to read, then he ought to have better staff members who read what he should and remind him of what he should know. This was an evening Senator McCain needed to win in a fashion that would turn around the campaign. Unfortunately for Senator McCain, the evening turned out the exact opposite of what he needed.

McCain to Cut Medicare

According to the Wall Street Journal, “John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs. The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan “budget neutral,” as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn’t given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn’t dispute the analysts’ estimate.”


In a time when seniors are struggling to make ends meet, and retirement plans are unraveling, Senator McCain once again demonstrates how out of touch he is with the American people. With his excellent medical plan as a member of Congress Senator McCain doesn't have to worry about the details of Medicare, or reduced Medicare benefits. Is McCain actually trying to alienate America's senior citizens? Hard to know. Stay tuned for further announcements.

Palin Damned Mixed Up Over Coffee Cup

At a rally on Saturday in California Governor Palin, whose reading habits are known to be very light, misquoted something she claimed to have read on a Starbucks coffee cup. (Source: LA Times)

“It’s like kind of providential yesterday what happened to me,” Palin said. “I am reading on my Starbucks mocha cup the quote of the day. You’ll never believe what the quote was! It was Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state and U.N. ambassador, and Madeleine has as her quote of the day for Starbucks — now she said it, I didn’t say it — ‘There is a place in hell reserved for women who don’t support other women.’ OK now, thank you so much for receiving that well, I didn’t know how that was gonna go over. And now California, let’s see what a comment like I just made, let’s see what it will be turned into . . . newspaper.”

Unfortunately for Governor Palin, she put her foot in her mouth way past her epiglottis. Albright didn't say that. The accurate quote is, "There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't help other women." This is what happens when Governor Palin is turned loose and speaks what's on her alleged mind. It now seems that the McCain campaign was quite correct in keeping Governor Palin under tight control. The governor is far worse than a loose canon; she's a loose thermonuclear verbal bomb.

Based on the stories coming out of Alaska, I suspect that behind Governor Palin's charming political smile lies a very dark heart. With thirty days to go in the campaign, there are plenty of opportunities for Governor Palin to show us who and what she really is. And many more opportunities for Tina Fay to immortalize her on Saturday Night Live.

McCain: Life Isn't Fair

John McCain's astonishing discovery that life isn't fair, which he shared on Fox and Friends, can be viewed as one of the revelatory discoveries of this presidential campaign (see below). Gee John, if life isn't fair for someone who has more houses than he can remember and more cars than he can count, can you imagine how it is for the rest of us who live on a mere pittance compared to what you. McCain was referring to the fact that Obama has greatly benefited in the polls from the economic crisis. That isn't fair to you? Seems to me this economic crisis occurred under a Republican administration which had all but abandoned the concept of regulating the financial markets.

If life doesn't seem fair to you, then can you imagine how it might seem to a single mother raising two children earning less than $20,000 a year. Might you imagine how it seems to a couple with two children earning $50,000 a year between them but spending $2000 a month for health insurance. Better yet, how unfair would life be for a working person with a chronic medical condition who doesn't have any health insurance and cannot obtain necessary and appropriate medical care.

John McCain: Losing in Every Possible Way

Recent CNN polls indicate that Senator Obama has taken the lead in key battleground states such as Florida, Minnesota, Virginia, Nevada, and Missouri. This represents a significant shift in the last two weeks. At the same time, a video of a meeting between John McCain and the staff of the Des Moines register shows an irate John McCain losing his temper, and at times sounding a bit unstrung (see below). When an unseen member of the newspaper stated that Republican conservatives had criticized Governor Palin’s fitness as a candidate, McCain challenged the staff to name someone without giving them the opportunity to do so.

Almost all the polls show that the majority of the independent voters believe that Senator Obama had won the first debate. While Obama talked directly to McCain, and agreed with him on occasion, McCain did not make eye contact with Obama and had a frozen smile on his face whenever Obama said he was wrong about some issue. McCain's tactic of constantly saying that, "Obama doesn't understand" did not have the desired effect. McCain displayed a consistently truculent attitude in relations with Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Starting wars is not the best way of protecting the American people as we have found out with our current president.


McCain's lack of understanding of economic issues and the current crisis facing us has been evident for some time, highlighted by his statement that the, "the economy was fundamentally strong." Recent polls reveal that the voters with the most at stake in the financial crisis, persons with incomes of $75,000 or more and in the age category of 50 through 64 had made a significant in shift in their support of Obama from McCain. McCain is losing and he knows it. As much as Hillary Clinton wanted to become president, McCain needs to become president even more. By becoming president McCain can finally attain a higher rank than his father the Admiral who McCain feared and hated at the same time. This is an opinion, not a fact, but by training I am more than an amateur psychologist.