How To Be A Better Voter. Also, Man Candy

I found this article by George Stephanopoulos called “How to Be a Better Voter” and briefly skimmed it. He makes some good points but the bottom line should be this: want to be a better voter? Vote DEMOCRAT. In the 8 years since we’ve had a Republican president things went from great to “oh shit, we really did it this time!!” The proof is in the shitty economy and crappy Iraq war situation. Who brought all this on? Um…that’s right, Bush and his posse of money-grubbing white geezers.

Hopefully the American public will see the current economic and political hardships as an indication that this country needs a real change when it comes to leadership.
On an unrelated note, George Stephanopoulos is a foxxx.

Yes, He Can

The battle was epic. The spoils of victory are sweet. Last night, Barack Obama secured the long overdue Democratic party’s nomination for president making him the first non-white male to lead on a major party ticket. While part of me is slightly sad that Clinton did not win (would have loved to see a woman as president) I have to admit that I’m ecstatic about this. There’s finally someone who can inspire real change and breathe some fresh air into the musty American political landscape. This election cycle has been, aside from the uncalled for cheap shots and pastor controversies, about breaking down racial and sexual barriers. As early as ten years ago this was only a beautiful but possibly unattainable dream.
I’m once again proud to be a Democrat!

And for the record, I don't think that Hillary Clinton is the establishment's candidate as she has been portrayed. The establishment is a bunch of crusty white guys sitting around and smoking cigars while plotting how to continue ruling the world (conspiracy theory much?) and Hillary is anything but that. Had she won the nomination I would have voted for her without hesitation. I am dismayed at the media's egregious attack on her. For some reason the issue of sexism has not really been discussed and has been generally glossed over in favor of its more prominent cousin, racism. Both are equally bad and both should be addressed from now on. What Hillary has done here is pave the way for women in politics and in no way is this is a "defeat."

Dream Team?

Can this really be?? AP reports that Hillary Clinton told Washington colleagues that she'd be open to be Obama's VP. The return of the Dream Team! This may actually be a good thing because she might appease certain disgruntled voters.
Where does this leave Edwards?

Grievances

This Democratic primary is getting more and more about pettiness and less and less about the qualifications and policies of the candidates. Case in point: the latest article in Vanity Fair attacking Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton!! Last I checked, he was not running for president. But the purpose of the article is not to expose Clinton’s womanizing ways but to somehow undermine Hillary’s candidacy. Everyone knows that Bubba’s no saint so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody. Frankly, I don’t think that Hillary even gives a damn about what he does because she’s got her eye on the prize here.

Same goes for people claiming that if Obama gets the nomination they’ll vote for McCain. WTF? Are you fucking mental? You’d rather vote for a geriatric Republican than a black man? There’s something seriously wrong with some people in this country if they’re going to be so near sighted to vote ANOTHER Republican into the White House. Maybe the US is not as progressive as we'd all like to believe. Whatever happened to discussing policy instead of picking candidates based on which end of the color spectrum they fall?

Lastly, Florida…what a hot mess. So they’re pissed that their votes might not count. Hmmm, let me think here. Florida was the star of the political debacle known as Election 2000 and it's messing up now too. Yeah, you know what fuckers…your votes SHOULDN’T count because you suck at this democratic electoral process. You were given a chance to vote with the rest of the country and you chose to do your own thing and now look what happens- it may have cost Clinton the nomination. There, I said it. So shut the fuck up Florida and go back to making orange juice.

Fashion Shot of the Day

How adorable are they?? They'd make the best looking first couple since Jackie O and JFK. On a side note, Michelle looks great in tangerine. The color really pops against her skin and the shape of that sheath dress is super-flattering. If only she ditched those pearls already!

Campaign '08...How Much Fucking Longer?

Yet again, the primaries in North Carolina and Indiana have failed to settle the question of who’s going to be the Democratic nominee for president. In what it’s becoming to be the most anti-climactic race perhaps ever, Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton have each secured wins in North Carolina and Indiana, respectively. Although, it would be fair to mention that Obama won by a landslide while Hillz barely held on to her lead.

At this point, Obama not getting the nomination would be a fucking joke on the Democratic Party. He leads in the popular vote and the delegates are supposed to reflect that. Overall, he does better with young and college educated voters, regardless of color which is refreshing. Clinton won the ivillage demographic and blue-collar workers. Not that there’s anything wrong with blue collar workers or middle aged women but this group failed to acknowledge the vast political and ideological ramifications of each of the candidates.

True, Obama may not have so much experience but the mere fact that he emerged as the leading candidate after being considered the dark horse shows that he has the charisma and political gumption to pull this off. And although his association with one Jeremiah Wright Jr. may have hurt him it by no means broke him. Wright’s inflammatory rhetoric doesn’t stand a chance against Obama’s thoughtful and heartfelt speeches (that speech on race…I fucking cried at work!) Mr. Obama stands for change in a country that so badly needs it and I hope that he will be able to deliver.

So far, the Democratic primaries have been a testament to people’s ability to look beyond the lines of race and gender so I suppose that no matter who comes out on top we all win in the end.

May Day, Mayday

Anthropologically speaking, race is only a socio-political concept, as there is no discernible difference between humans. It is all credited to biological variation with no one "race" either superior or inferior to the other. Race (and I do mean "race") has been used to justify a number of heinous crimes and discriminatory policies throughout the history of this country (and the world.) Unfortunately this practice does not seem to have an end. The immigration "problem" is only the latest manifestation of narrow minded legislative implementation. What, if anything, makes undocumented immigrants undesirable? These people are an important part of the US economy, generation billions of dollars of revenue and yet they are treated as if they don't even exist.

Today I had the pleasure to witness one of the most moving displays of human solidarity- the Immigrants Rights rally in downtown Chicago. The energy in the air was incredible and I felt truly inspired (inspired enough to write a post about something other than Man Candy.) I think that the people, working together, can really make a difference and make strides towards achieving equality amongst everyone. I think that the best way to achieve this is to elect a president that's visionary and really cares about the most pressing issues right now. Ok, shameless plug here for Obama! But yeah, seriously... it's time for change.

I just so happened to have my camera on me today so I snapped some pics:

"Si, se puede"

"Opression"

"Hope"

Man Candy

First ever politician to be featured here on "Man Candy." Well, I saw him in person and he's definitely worthy of this honor.

Obama Mama

Oh Jesus. I don't think I've been so starstruck EVER! I was on my way to buying a diet Coke at 900 N. Michigan, on the 5th floor and there he was! Barack Obama! He was really low key, wearing jeans and a baseball cap. He was obviously trying to go incognito but he's so recognizable. just made eye contact and smiled and he smiled back. My heart skipped a beat...

Vladimir Groznyi

Time has “crowned” the Russian leader as their “Person of the Year.” I believe I was about 2 weeks ahead of them when I put him *almost* at the top of my Naughty list. Alas, I erred by 1 spot.

In the article, he is most likened with either Peter the Great or Stalin. But I see a much better comparison: Ivan the Terrible. Putin is a 21st century tsar. “Groznyi” roughly translates to “terrible” but it’s connotations are much stronger. It is a mix of awe and sheer terror. Putin is a man that can inspire both of those things. On one hand one can only have respect for a man that has risen to arguably one of the most powerful positions in the world, virtually from nothing. On the other hand, his tactics and icy stare makes one think of a psychopathic serial killer. Time does a pretty good job at laying out the main events of Putin’s administration. However, it fails at putting emphasis on his despotic measures.

Going up in my ivory tower for a second here, I wonder if an iron-fisted ruler is a necessity for the effective ruling of such a large nation. Is the so called “Asian despotism” still an influence on Russian politics or is the country ready to move on towards a more democratic form of government? Everything points to the former. There are too many factors to consider. But the Yeltsin regime’s rampant corruption and disregard for the citizens’ well-being has a lot to do with it. See, as long as the people are happy they will forgive a whole lot. This is exactly what’s happening in Russia right now. They are not starving, the economy’s going great and so they are willing to turn a blind eye on a lot of the government’s infractions.

Who knows what kind of corrupting practices are going on behind the closed doors of the Kremlin. And some degree of corruption and bribery is expected in all governments. My problem is with Putin’s attempt at silencing his critics. An essential part of democracy is freedom of the press. The people of a nation need to cast a critical look on its own government to keep it in check. One of my favorite quotes from V for Vendetta is “The people should not be afraid of their government. The government should be afraid of its people.” But all too often it’s the other way around. And who wouldn’t be when journalists are routinely killed for expressing opinions different from those of the government?

To quote the article: "[Putin] stands, above all, for stability—stability before freedom, stability before choice, stability in a country that has hardly seen it for a hundred years." Stability should not come at the expense of freedom of choice for ultimately repressing that fundamental human right is going to come back and bite you in the ass. So my dear Volodya, I'd watch my back if I were you.

Liberals v. Conservatives, Good v. Evil?

Sometimes I like reading conservative news blogs, just to remind myself (smugly) how lucky I am to be a liberal. I used to get severely upset and angry whenever I heard or read stuff like that but now I'm more than amused by their reductive rhetoric. So here are a bunch of quotes from Neal Boortz which I took the liberty to comment on

"Liberals operate from a foundation of emotion and feelings. Conservatives operate from a foundation of logic and thoughts."
Conservatives might want to double-check their facts before making any logical deductions. Logically sound arguments are not necessarily true, thoughts are not necessarily germane. Emotion and feelings such as empathy are what makes us human so making decisions not based on them renders us inhuman.

"Liberals view people in terms of their membership in groups. Conservatives view people are individuals." Conservatives also view corporations as individuals.

"The poor are not the "less fortunate." They are instead, the "more irresponsible." They put themselves there, and they drag their children into that status with them. They are the "less prepared," the "less diligent," and the "less able." They weren't unlucky. They did it to themselves."
Wow, the number of fallacies in this quote is staggering!!! Where is your foundation of logic, dude? Yes, I suppose that Paris Hilton, born in the lap of luxury, is somehow "more able" than a brilliant person born in poverty. That's not luck, it's fucking social Darwinism at work, obviously. Paris Hilton is rich because she was diligent and responsible. Hah!

Oh, and there's so much more. Unfortunately I don't have the time for it since I have to go on living my emotional, a-moral lifestyle. Sheesh

Dana Perino- the new Jessica Simpson

In a brilliant move on the part of the Bush administration, the new White House press secretary (as of September...bye Tony, you had a good run) makes the President look like Einstein. Sadly, she is an embarrassment for womankind. To put it nicely the woman is an idiot, making her the Jessica Simpson of politics. Here's why:

After the televised debacle with Helen Thomas comes another humiliating event for Mrs. Perino. When asked about the Cuban Missile Crisis on NPR's "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me" she innocently replies that "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Cuba and missiles." Ask any 10th grader in U.S. History and they'd come up with a better answer than that. I bet that Lawrence Summers is having a field day. For being in a position of such power she does nothing to redeem either the current administration or the stereotype that pretty women are stupid. How is any progress supposed to be made when we have people like her running around?

Oh, Dana...we're laughing at you, not with you. At least I still have Helen Thomas.