America Will Once Again Rise From The Ashes of the Bushes

So said Senator Hillary Clinton this afternoon at a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania that I attended. Dramatic perhaps, but hopefully true. Bush Sr. drove us into a recession during his presidency and Jr. has spent the last 8 years driving us into an even bigger mess. We're in dire need for someone to go in and clean up the Shrub's mess and it certainly won't be McCain. McCain will keep us on the same old destructive policies that have led us into a War in Iraq and a global financial crisis. President Clinton got us to a surplus in 8 years time and a booming economy. Let's hope Obama and Biden can do the same for us.

Below are the first pictures from the rally this afternoon. I'll a few more in a day or two when I have time to finish editing.

Remember, friends don't let friends vote Republican! There's way to much at stake this year.


And a clip of a video from this afternoon's rally:




Want to get to know the real John McCain? Check out this RollingStone Article here: Make Believe Maverick

Looking For A New President

Eight years ago we had a booming economy, a budget surplus and respect throughout most of the world. At the end of the second-term Bush Administration it's all gone--a distant and wistful dream. Add to that a quagmire in Iraq and Bin Laden still on the loose and you have a grim picture of the United States current status. Thank God, Bush can't run again.

Now, it's up to us to pick the right candidate to revive our economy, extricate our soldiers from Iraq without causing a disaster for either the military or the Iraqi people and restore the luster of the US reputation globally. For the last couple of months, I've been vacillating between supporting Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama. After watching all the debates, I've come to the realization that there is little difference between the two; either one can do the job and do it well. Obama is the better orator, but Hillary is the better policy wonk.

We almost have an embarrassment of riches this year in the Democratic party. I can't remember the last time there were two candidates (three actually if you count the recently departed John Edwards) that I could support enthusiastically. And therein lies my problem: which one will get my vote during Pennsylvania's April 22nd primary?

In an effort to make a decision, I went to the Barak Obama rally today in Wilmington, Delaware. I arrived at Rodney Square around 10:30 a.m. to a line that wrapped around a large city block for the 1:15 pm rally. The gates would not open for another hour, yet those at the front had been there since 8 a.m. These are the kind of lines you see for rock stars, not politicians.

Luckily for me just as I completed my long circuit around the block in search of the end of the line, a volunteer told me and a few other to head back to where we began to start a second line. In the end we lucky souls would get in ahead of many of those who had been line for hours since we were towards the front of a much shorter line.

As we waited in line, the excitement was almost palpable. College students mixed with the baby boomers. Parents held their children by the hand, telling them they were there to see history. They came from as far away as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Volunteers worked the lines. "Who can come out and volunteer on Super Tuesday? All you have to do is sign this list. We need to you to make 'get out the vote' calls." Another came by. "Have you signed the list yet?" And yet another. "Who wants to volunteer? We need you. The Senator needs you."



Finally, the gates opened and we made our way through metal detectors and got wanded down after, tripping them. While many made their way down into the square in front of the podium, I found a sunny spot on a concrete parapet with a good view. As the temperature soared into the 50s, my coat came off and I settled in to wait. The Square slowly filled up as around 20,000 made their way in, until they over-flowed into the surrounding streets.



At 1:15, the Senator from Illinois made his way into the Square along the rope line. The crowd went nuts, screaming and chanting; it began to sound more and more like the last rock concert I went to. Finally, Obama mounted the podium and began his stump speech.

Hope was a major theme in his stump speech. He spoke about repairing the damage from the Bush administration at home and abroad, education, veterans rights and extricating us from the Iraq war among other things. His speech was punctuated by cheers, applause and screams from a crowd that was clearly drinking the kool-aid. Below are a few snippets from his speech.

While I enjoyed Obama's speech, I heard nothing new that I hadn't already heard in the debates. Nothing new to help solidify my support. I think I'm still a Hillary girl when it comes down to it. I think she's better on the details. And I've been waiting for a female President for as long as I can remember. She may not get the nomination, but she has my vote. If in the end, Obama does ultimately get the nomination, I will support him. But, for now, I have to go with where my heart is.

An Ironic Twist Of Fate

"In an ironic twist of fate this week, Iraq affected regime change in the US," said Amy Pohler to open Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update last night. When I heard those words, I had one of those "holy crap, she's right moments". It is perhaps one of the greatest ironies in politics today. President George Bush went into Iraq to bring down a government and in turn essentially brought down his own. Talk about being hoisted on your own petard.

Even the most liberal of Republicans were unceremoniously tossed from office as the mid-term elections became a referendum on the Iraq War and the performance of the President. US Senator Lincoln Chaffee, a Republican so liberal that voted against Bush's agenda approximately 90% of time, was tossed out on his keester. Republicans across the country were swept from office in a domino effect from the Federal level down to the state and local levels.

As a Democrat, I should be doing cartwheels right now. To a certain extent I am. This election essentially offers a check on the right wing agenda. Bush's reactionary judicial candidates no longer have a snow ball's chance in hell of getting confirmed. (However, the damage has already been on the Supreme Court. I'm just hoping that the last of the liberals and centrists can hang on until after the next election). Bolton will be out at the UN and Rumsfeld is history.

But, I'm also concerned. I know that the exit polls tell us that that the new Democratic majority is more a repudiation of Bush's policies as opposed to an affirmation of the Democratic agenda. The Democrats won without having a clear message and plan for moving forward. There is much at stake between now and the next presidential election in 2008. Up for discussion: a long overdue increase in the minimum wage, environmental protection, eroding civil liberties and increased governmental surveillance, health care issues, education, abortion rights, stem cell research, and of course how do we extricate ourselves from the growing quagmire in Iraq?

It's been quite some time since we Democrats had a standard bearer--a leader to motivate the masses and make us vote for something rather than against. The leadership vacuum within the Democratic Party worries me greatly. Nancy Pelosi is poised to become the first female Speaker of the House. But, she's has the potential to be polarizing and is the type of liberal that, unfortunately, doesn't play well in the more conservative heartland. There's Hillary Clinton, who people either love or hate (see Nancy Pelosi's problem). I'm one of the rare ones who can't decide if I like her or not. Barak Obama has generated a lot of attention lately, but, he's untested and I really don't know enough about where he stands on the issues. John Kerry would like another crack at the Presidency, but frankly he's the King of Foot in Mouth Disease lately and he ran a crappy campaign last time. (I voted against Bush rather than for Kerry). Also waiting in the wings are Evan Bayah (who I don't like) and VP candidate John Edwards (from whom I'd like to see more). I'm sure there are a few others, but frankly, the fact that I can't remember who they are should tell you just how much of an impression they've made on me.

We need a leader to step forward that has a vision--a plan. And I fear greatly we don't have it. We've got 2 years to set ourselves up for success in the 2008 election cycle. The Republicans 2 years to regroup. If we muck up this opportunity, the odds of retaking the White House are slim. As much as I'd like to sit back and enjoy watching Bush stymied for two years, we as a party need to give our nation more than 2 years of gridlock. We need a leader who can provide hope and light the way to a brighter future. The question is, "Do we have one?"