Senator Clinton has stayed up way past her bedtime

Last Thursday in Boonville, IN, former President Bill Clinton attempted to promote his wife and addressed the incident when Senator Hillary Clinton “misspoke” regarding her arrival under sniper fire in Bosnia in 1995. He made excuses for her, explaining that she had been speaking late at night (around 11 PM), was exhausted, and had apologized for her mistake immediately after. Unfortunately, these excuses did not alleviate the situation because of a number of mistakes in his argument and some unintended inferences.

-Senator Clinton’s trip to Bosnia was in 1996, not 1995.
-She did not make the sniper fire claim just once at 11 PM, but a number of times, and had exaggerated the story each time.
-She did not immediately apologize for it and only acknowledged the mistake once the video of her not-so-dangerous arrival was released.

It’s unfortunate as well that Senator Clinton misspoke at 11 PM, especially since she promises to be alert and ready for duty at any time- specifically at 3 AM, which is only 4 hours later.

Well, Senator Clinton. With all due respect, I believe you’ve stayed awake past your bedtime. Please get some rest and drop out of the race! You’ll thank me in the long run.

Obama Speaks Out to LGBT Community

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama sat down this week for an interview with the leading LGBT news magazine, The Advocate. The interview was, as the magazine notes, only his second discussion with a news source in the gay community since he began running for President. (The magazine notes that Hillary Clinton, however, had already appeared in their publication the previous fall, as well as on the gay cable channel Logo, and in various other news sources). His silence was discussed right off the bat, as the first question focused on his feelings toward the community and the press that covers it. Obama framed his absence from the gay press as resulting from his strategy to speak to larger, broader publications and media outlets. He said he wanted to focus on reaching the most people possible with the interviews he granted, while he also wanted to discuss LGBT issues in a more general and public manner, like at campaign rallies, rather than just within the confines of a "gay" sit-down interview. He argued that by speaking to the most people about the issues affecting the LGBT community and by making it an issue he discussed within the frame of general social discrimination and acceptance on the campaign trail, he could affect more individuals and open more minds to these issues. His answer really does speak to the broad themes of his candidacy, as he doesn't just want to be the "black candidate" or speak to an African American audience, or any specific audience for that matter. His language speaks to broad inclusion and addresses individuals of all types, and if voters hear him denouncing homophobia in black churches and in the black community because of how it ostracizes LGBT citizens, then he is rightfully seen as trying to bring in even more segments of the society into his campaign.

He acknowledges in this interview that he takes a risk by talking about "gay issues" to a larger audience that isn't necessarily there to hear that side of what Democrats stand for, but he says that gay equality is an important issue to him and that his strategy is the best way to bring about real change. Obama makes a good point here, I think, as he explains that "It’s easy to preach to the choir; what I think is harder is to speak to a broader audience about why these issues are important to all Americans."

As for his specific plans to help the LGBT community if elected President, he plans to eliminate the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has barred openly-gay individuals from serving in the military. He argues that this policy has been counterproductive and a waste of time, energy, and money, as a great number of valuable and talented men and women have been passed over because of their sexuality. He also wants to pass the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act," make sure that federal employees can transfer their health or pension benefits to their partners, and make federal benefits fully available to same-sex couples who are in a civil union. He is a strong advocate of repealing the "Defense of Marriage Act" as well. However, the word "marriage" is still not one that Obama wants to push for same-sex couples, at least in terms of federal legislation, as he believes it would prevent real progress from occurring in Congress, as, no matter what his opinion is, it would be almost impossible for Congress to agree on a topic as controversial as allowing same-sex couples to marry. Civil unions are doable, Obama argues, and he says that his focus is on producing results for the LGBT community. This guides much of his thinking on these issues because he wants to produce legislation that is passable, as he thinks, for example, that transgender-inclusive legislation would also be a deal breaker for many in Congress.

More than anything, Obama wants to create a conversation during his campaign amongst all types of Americans about how to improve this country. He values opposite beliefs and opinions and likes that he is attracting all sorts of people to his campaign events. This begins a national discussion, he believes, and by speaking on a broad stage to so many different groups, he is trying to redefine America itself. He knows how racism is still alive in parts of this country and that attitudes toward race and sexuality are slow to change, and he comes into the fight for gay rights armed with the knowledge of how long a road it is toward true equality. Obama considers himself a leader on issues important to the LGBT community, but he does not claim to offer all of the solutions himself. He is merely offering us the chance to come together as a nation, discuss these issues that are significant to so many, and work out solutions that ensure an equal voice and equal place for all.

The power of Youtube

When I was checking my celeb gossip this morning on thedirty.com, I found a post about Obama. There is a video from Youtube, posted back in March, in which a man claims that back in 1999 he and Obama shared a limo and drank together, Obama provided the two with cocaine and crack and then the man gave Obama oral sex. He said their interaction lasted a few more days, as they met in hotel rooms in Illinois. He finishes his video by challenging Obama to come out and tell the truth about what happened.
After I googled this incident to see if it was anywhere else, I could not find much about it. This video proves that Youtube gives people a lot more power than they should have. In this age of technology and, unfortunately, laziness, people who come across this video may take it as truth and not do any background research on it. What I want to know is whether Youtube will end up having a positive or negative effect on a candidate's success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVeFVtcdSYY

It's About Time the Nations Youth Speaks Up

Members of Generation X and Y have been criticized time and again for their apathy towards politics. People compare them to their politically active parents better known as the Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers rallied against the Vietnam war and fought for Civil Rights, yet the young adults of today have been largely absent from American politics. Many thought the war in Iraq would increase their political interest because young soldiers were going off to war. Yet, there were not demonstrations like those seen during the Vietnam War. While there are many reasons this occurred, again American's youth was criticized. Additionally, young Americans have had a dismal showing during election time. With low percentages showing up to vote, organizations have formed trying to mobilize the young vote. Yet, there has been little success and many politicians have targeted older age groups.

However, Barack Obama decided to attempt to mobilize these youngsters. Realizing the amount of strength young Americans had, Obama launched YouTube videos and websites that would appeal to youngsters. He encouraged the youth to persuade their parents to vote for him. His charisma speaks to the youth of this country and many kids and young adults are stepping up, encouraging their parents to vote Obama.

Is Obama the solution to youth political apathy? Will he finally bring life to a voice America has been waiting to hear from? Is the youth of America only motivated for the election? Will they disappear again come November?

There are a lot of unanswered questions, but it is nice to see the youth finally trying to make a difference.

For more information see:

MSNBC: Obama’s young backers twist parents’ arms

NY Times: Young Obama Backers Twist Parents’ Arms

Manipulation of Events?

In reading through political news of the past week, one of the topics that came to my head is the potential of the GOP to alter the direction of events, namely in regards to the economy and Iraq, immediately before the election in a last ditch effort to make a huge difference. A study released this week showed that the highest levels of violence in Iraq around that time period were right before the election. Perhaps that would make Bush look weak but it could also be used to persuade voters that a strong President is needed. I see much of the same shaping up for this election. With the economy teetering on the brink of full-blown recession, democrats are calling for more stimulus measures while Republicans are saying that the first stimulus checks have not been sent out yet. While this is obviously an exaggeration, what happens if the checks arrive the week before the election? That would probably convince more than a few people to Republican. Likewise, events in Iraq could likely be manipulated, for better or worse, to help meet GOP needs as the election looms. While this might be a bit of a “conspiracy theory,” it is certainly interesting to think about the steps parties will take to try to portray events in their favor.

Hoping these candidates actually deliver on their promises

We have spoken for months about the importance of this election, and I just hope we make the right decisions when determining our candidates for the presidency, and ultimately our president. I was watching BET the other day, and Usher was being interviewed. Instead of asking the generic questions about his new music first, he was asked why he supported Obama. He said that Obama seems best suited to take this country in the right direction. I'm probably one of the few Democrats still really torn about who would be a better candidate, but I do think that Obama has a lot of promises to keep if he is elected into office.

Every candidate makes promises, but I think considering the importance of this campaign, the promises are even more important. Obama has been heralded as a great uniter of the people, a voice of change. It is a fresh and inspiring perspective, and one that could be amazing for our country in theory. I just worry about his ability to deliver on his promises. I hope we can unify and I hope we can be a better nation both within our borders and to the world as a whole, but we've been duped by poetic words in the past.

All we have right now is time and time only brings more questions. Every week the media digs up new information to skew a voter's opinion of a candidate. I hope that we have some honest candidates this time around.

This is just the opinion of one very idealistic young voter. I can dream can't I?

Obama Pro-Gun?

Talking to the crowds in rural Pennsylvania, Obama tried to downplay his record of voting for the gun-control bills, and tried to reposition himself as being a pro-gun activist. Several democratic surrogates from Pennsylvania who are also pro-gun helped him in securing contact with the rural population. By assuming the popular position regardless of the fact that it contradicts his personal belief and voting record to win a particular segment of the population, Sen. Obama can make angry bigger groups of his devoted supporters, such as women and urban voters. Moreover, if he actually becomes a Democratic nominee, Republicans are very likely to use this policy switch example and portray Obama as a flip flopper. Even though appealing to a variety of voters is very important for the candidate to win the Presidential Nomination, a candidate has to pick and chooses his battles carefully and realize that he or she could not possibly be popular with everyone. Otherwise, the candidate may be perceived as a crowd pleaser and a flip flopper, which could be a disaster to his or her image.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9398.html