Democratic National Convention 2008: first night

Many times one has those intentions of doing something, one prepares for it and when the time comes to follow those intentions…things change. I have been telling myself that I would watch the conventions on TV as I was lucky enough to get CNN Read the rest of this entry »

Daring first ladies - American Wife

For the last couple of weeks in the United States people have been talking about “American Wife”, a novel to be published next fall. The novel is based on Laura Bush’s life and its content is sure to enrage the White House. Read the rest of this entry »

Democratic primaries could finally yield results

With a major milestone possibly being reached today in the US democratic presidential race - a majority of the pledged delegates going for one of the democratic candidates - maybe we can start concentrating on what a presidential race Read the rest of this entry »

Race or gender: not a way to choose

This is beginning to be too much. Some days watching the democratic candidates giving speeches, at rallies and debates, pretending to be what they are not, I wonder at how they are able to keep it up. They seem to have a stamina that we, the voters, are beginning to lose. And not just the ordinary voters but those whose jobs depend on reporting the news. I believe those especially have lost it. Read the rest of this entry »

A plunging neckline in Germany, a mere cleavage in the US

Yes, women are looked at differently in the US and Europe. And as such they also look different in their attire, specially if we talk about women in politics. Let us start with American women. Have you seen all those pant outfits of Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton? The problem is not so much with the individual taste of the women but with what is expected of them when they are in the public eye. In 2005, the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield dressed all in black. She was wearing a black skirt that hit just above the knee and a black coat that fell to mid-calf. As Rice walked out to greet the troops, the coat blew open to reveal the top of a pair of knee-high boots with high-heels. Rice boldly avoided the typical outfit chosen by powerful American women on the world stage. She was not wearing a bland suit with a loose-fitting skirt and short boxy jacket with a pair of sensible pumps. If it was distracting, it is only because it was so rare. Nevertheless, that earned her some names like the dominatrix. Read the rest of this entry »

Obama and the Pennsylvania pro-gun voters

Last Saturday, Charlton Heston the 84 year old Oscar winning actor died. But he was not only well known as an actor but also as a champion of gun rights and president of the National Rifle Association and that is why he is mentioned here.
I have had many discussions with Europeans about the Americans love of guns and I do not intend to get into it now. I know that for those Americans who defend the right of the people to keep and bear arms, what is in the mind of the candidates for the presidency about that matter is quite important. Read the rest of this entry »

Hillary or Barack? Dreaming a solution

The country is just finishing eight years of one of the worst presidencies ever. We, as Americans, could be forgiven for the fiasco of the 2000 election. Only we repeated it four years later and reelected an administration that got us into a war under false pretenses. That was a little harder to forgive. Now, as we reach the end of these disgraceful years, when we had the possibility of redemption, what are we doing? As the writer Erica Jong said in her article on The Huffington Post posted March 22, 2008 , “ Why am I so afraid that the Democratic Party is shooting itself in the foot? The Dems are far from perfect–in any time–but here we are in what has to be a Democratic year and it looks again like we are self-destructing.” Of course if you read her whole article you will see that what she advocates is not going to happen. It is a shame as it could have been what the country needed but it is too late and too much ink and vitriol have been used to stop it from happening.

It is possible that we Democrats have a defeat wish as it seems that we have not learned anything and are letting ourselves being mesmerized by speeches and opinions of the pundits. We need CONCRETE answers from the candidates. We need to know what those changes they vaunt will happen are. Words will not get the country where it needs to go. But for sure, words are getting us Democrats more and more into the prospect of four more years of disaster. Unless of course we are beginning to believe that McCain and his acolyte Lieberman are what we need in which case we will get what we deserve!

Yes I am angry. The impression I had is that the United States was a democratic country. Reading the opinion media it would not appear so. From the time the Democrats race was culled to two candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Obama was enthroned, he became the answer to all our prayers, and problems. No, let me go back, as I believe it started for sure when Oprah Winfrey decided to endorse him and from that moment one, like a party of sheep we followed her dictates. What and who says that she is right about everything she says? For someone who brought us Dr Phil as a mental guru… Sorry I digress. Up to the point of Barack Obama being anointed by Oprah, I had an open mind. I thought we were lucky, us Democrats, to have two intelligent candidates which were also trail-blazers. I was ready to sit and listen before choosing between them. Then Oprah appeared in the scene and for me the whole race became racist. Intelligent Afro-American people who were leaning for Hillary Clinton, shifted gears without apparent reason and little by little the biggest percentage of Afro-American Democrats decided Barack Obama was their candidate. What, loose the opportunity of putting an Afro-American in the White House? And that is how it all started. Mind you, I understood their plight and their inclination. If only we were not playing such big stakes –like the future Supreme Court nominations for judges, the economy and with it the well being or even the survival of so many Americans and of course Health Care and Iraq- we could afford to use our heart, our emotions and our likings. Alas, we don’t have that luxury. We have to have a Democrat in the White House. And for that we have to finally use our heads.

If we go on with a knee jerk reaction to what the media tells us we are walking towards a defeat. None of the candidates, be it Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, have clearly define their goals in a way that we become convinced that one of them is going to beat McCain. And yet, that is what we need to know. No which one we prefer in the White House, because she is a woman or because he is Afro-American, but which one will defeat McCain. As I write this, my anger returns when I read blogs or articles asking Hillary to retire. Why? I need written answers to my why. And I don’t want anyone telling me that by going on we are giving ammunition to the Republicans. It is too late for that as we have already fallen into that trap. Now we have to recover even if it means some kind of fracas at the convention.

To make a right decision and if we want a legitimate candidate, the voters from Florida and Michigan have to have their say. According to the Morning Edition of March 14,2008 from NPR “A day after Sen. Hillary Clinton said the results of Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary should count, Sen. Barack Obama says that wouldn’t be fair — and do-overs in that state and in Florida wouldn’t be realistic.” I can imagine what the Republicans would make of that were Barack Obama be the nominate.
Also to avoid everyone from the media trying to influence voters, I would propose one or better two press conferences with the candidates together or separate where their ideas, plans and believes are finally answered. Of course I would choose one reporter from each of the main newspapers, national and international, without Barack or Hillary knowing the questions beforehand or choosing which reporter to call in à la Bush.

After that maybe we can decide finally which of the two should represent us and go forward. And good luck to us if we think that is going to happen…

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