Michael Writes....

I am glad you have found your voice again. I have missed your
bloggings.

While I honestly believe McCain is the best candidate (given the
current choices), I do not believe a Republican can get elected.
While I believe, there is a large contingent in this country that are
not willing to vote for a black man or a woman of any hue, I do not
believe it is a large enough block of voters to overcome the backlash
that has built up over the last eight years. I think Nader's roll as
spoiler is overrated. He is even less of a political force (and a
bigger farce) than he was the last time. Any impact Ralph has will
be lost in the noise.

I almost believe it doesn't matter who the candidates are. I believe
the American people will vote against the party that currently holds
the Presidency. It will be for the following three reasons:

1) The ineffective management of the victory in Iraq (unable to
deliver on our promise of building a free and democratic country in
the middle east)
2) The current downturn in the economy and the debacle of sub-prime
mortgages
3) The Dems was robbed the last two times (I do not personally
subscribe to this last reason, but that is the great popular feeling
especially among blacks and latinos

Again, I am glad you are back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael,

Thanks for your most kind comments.

Unlike some other bloggers who are compelled to add something to their sites each time they sneeze, I don't want to write unless I have something to say. The political noise was overwhelming for a while and I just wanted to back off and sort things out. The lack of pressure is one of the great advantages of writing my own blog. I remember those days from many years ago when I had a deadline every half hour and take my word for it, this is a lot better; the pay may be lousy but I like management.

On politics, please note that I have very few problems with Sen. McCain. I think he has the potential to be what I call an "Eisenhower Republican", an old fashioned, pragmatic conservative who is not controlled by the right wing nuts of the Republican party. McCain has made some major blunders, such as being part of the Keating Five. For a guy who likes to proclaim his high ethical standards, this is fodder for the opposition.

His self-touted credentials as a political maverick don't really hold up. Let's look at one egregious example. In the North Carolina primary in 2004, McCain was subjected to one of the worst political smears which was conducted by the Bush men, a claim that McCain had fathered a black child when the fact was he adopted a sicklyBangladeshi orphan. Subsequently, after McCain dropped out of the race, he hugged Bush during a campaign appearance. Well,it was a lot more than a hug. It sort of reminded me of Sammy Davis Jr.'s Steppin Fetchit portrayal during his visit to Richard Nixon in the Oval Office.

If you consider my basic premise that most voters are more concerned about which candidate gives them the "warm fuzzies" versus an analysis of a candidates positions, then McCain is in trouble in a match-up with Obama. McCain is a crusty old coot and he will not look good or sound good on a stage next to Obama.

But a week is an eternity in politics and so much can happen. Will the war in Iraq blow up again? Will the Fed continue to prop up the economy to give a Republican candidate a fighting chance? Will any more photos surface of Barack Obama looking silly in native dress? (He reminded me of Michael Dukakis riding that tank.) Politicians can withstand almost any assault, but they can not afford to be laughed at.


Thanks again for your kind comments.

TRM