Obama Wins?

A bi-weekly newspaper here in Santa Fe (The New Mexico Sun News) has taken the bold step of announcing on its front page OBAMA WINS!, accompanied by a full color picture of the candidate. Their reasoning was that the paper would not be published again until after the election and by then it would be old news. 

Personally, I'm a little superstitious about such bold statements, being old enough to remember Harry Truman holding up the newspaper announcing that Dewey had won. I'll just keep doing what I can to get out the vote here in the "city different" and hoping against hope that the margins hold and we really do get a chance to put this country right again.

But, just in case we prevail in this election, I'm going to be among the first to say that our job will not be over as citizens of the US. If we want to achieve a true democracy in this country, which has been so massively manipulated by right wing and corporate interests, we must pledge ourselves to ongoing critical thinking and fact checking of everything we hear and see, particularly in the corporate media. It will be all too easy to sit back and relax with a job well done, only to be sold down the river again. We must become informed and let our politicians know that we are informed and have opinions about how we want to be governed.

I'd like to believe that the Democrats will be more honest and trustworthy than the pack of criminals who are currently running things, but I know that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I can anticipate that in future years I'll be writing posts that make it look like I'm a Republican, but I consider it my duty to my country to do whatever I can to keep our politicians honest. Perhaps the best strategy in the long run will be to vote to throw the bastards out every eight years. That might keep the absolute power drug in check to some extent.

Perhaps it is time for the two-party system to finally be broken. Other countries have quite workable governments that must always be stitched together out of coalitions. Ron Paul and Ralph Nader, we may need you in the future! It seems strange, as a life-long registered Democrat to be writing this, but it is how I feel. I would welcome comments from my fellow left-wing liberals and even from my right-wing conservative friends.

A New Low in Campaign Ads

A group calling itself the National Republican Trust PAC is running a TV spot that hits a new low for telling lies in this presidential campaign. The ad claims that Obama would give drivers licenses to illegal aliens and terrorists, provide health insurance to illegal aliens and give illegal aliens Social Security coverage. EVERYTHING in this ad is a lie, without exception. Please go to FactCheck.org (CLICK HERE) to get the truth about this piece of trash.

As I continue to repeat, it is vital that we citizens of the US fact check everything we hear or read in this election season. We have been lied to for years now by the Republican party (and Democrats have not been 100 percent truthful either) so we MUST get the truth to be able to cast our votes.

Medicare Scare

Obama campaign ads are claiming that McCain is advocating major cuts in Medicare benefits to pay for his health care plans. These claims are simply not true. McCain claims that he would find savings in Medicare totaling $880,000,000 without cutting benefits. While one could argue that such savings are unlikely to be possible, it is not true that he is advocating cuts in benefits.

It is important that we fact check everything we hear for the next two weeks of the presidential campaign. Here is the FactCheck.org article. CLICK HERE

ACORN's response to the media blitz

Here is a video concerning the current controversy about ACORN voter registration. It is from their perspective but it rings true to me:

Powell's Endorsement of Obama

Today, Sunday, October 19, 2008 on his appearance on Meet the Press, General Colin Powell endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president. This endorsement is, without doubt, the most important endorsement in this presidential election season. His statement is must viewing by every American citizen because it speaks truth beyond anything I have heard with regard to the issues we face as a nation. Please go to this site and hear what Powell has to say: CLICK HERE.

ACORN Again and Again

The media seem to be mesmerized by the ACORN controversy that the McCain campaign has kept hot in its advertising. For the FactCheck.org research on this matter CLICK HERE.

It is important to fact check anything we hear in the media in this election season.

Bush's Signing Statements

Here is another way that the Bush/Cheney White House has circumvented the role of Congress. This tactic gives the executive branch nearly unlimited powers. CLICK HERE

Crawford

Here is a full-length documentary about how a small Texas town (Crawford) was chosen as the stage set for a massive political drama and how the drama has played out over the past eight years. The film maker was there nearly from the beginning so you can see behind the media blitz and get a picture of what was really going on. It held my attention throughout and gave me a clearer picture of how the media manipulation works in our country. Also, you will meet some real Texas characters. Well worth your viewing time. If you want to view it in full screen mode, double click on the screen below and you'll be taken to the Hulu site where you can choose "full screen" mode.

ACORN, Ayers, and Republican Voter Suppression

CNN and other cable news services are awash with accusations about Barack Obama’s activities with so-called “radical” organizations and individuals. I have attempted to check out as many of these claims as I can. I urge you to go to the URLs listed below to see for yourself what is behind the claims.

The news organizations are making a big play concerning fraudulent voter registration forms submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Claims are made that several thousand fraudulent forms have been submitted in several states. Some of the reporting claims that ACORN offices are closed or abandoned and that no one from ACORN is available to discuss these fraudulent activities. These reports create the impression that ACORN is a shadowy organization that operates outside the law. I Googled ACORN and came up with a statement concerning these charges from the organization itself. I make no claim that their statement is true, but simply submit the statement for your consideration. CLICK HERE  Here is an article you might be interested in. CLICK HERE

It is true that the Obama campaign has paid ACORN to assist in voter registration.

Another constant thread on cable news concerns Obama’s links to 60s radical Bill Ayers. The McCain campaign has produced a series of ads that attempt to show that Obama associates with “terrorists” and uses his link to Bill Ayers as evidence. FactCheck.org has a very good article debunking these claims. CLICK HERE

The ACORN piece claims that the charges of fraud are a part of the Republican Party’s attempts to suppress the votes of minority voters. I will continue to check this out and add a report if I find any evidence to support these claims. Here is one article for your consideration. CLICK HERE  And here is another. CLICK HERE And here is another: CLICK HERE

We are in a very hotly contested campaign and it is important that we try to inform ourselves about the truth of any claim we see in the media.

Watch This (27 minutes)