Tag: Politics

President Obama pitches Chicago for the Olympics

President Obama pitches Chicago for the Olympics

Currently, President Barack Hussein Obama is planning on going to Copenhagen to be a celebrity pitchman for the city of Chicago (and America in general) for the home of the 2016 Olympics. While there is plenty of controversy over this decision since there are probably hundreds of movie stars and celebrities that could be tasked with helping the cause, the concern that BHO is too busy to go is probably not relevant.

Currently, every head of state for a city that is in the finals is visiting the IOC.  BHO’s lack of attendance would be telling if he did not go.  If BHO stayed home and spent more time socializing our economy, he would be vastly criticized if Chicago lost their bid. It is the sad state of Olympics politics that the head of state needs to be involved in order to win since Blair did that 4 years ago to secure London’s hosting spot.

There is little danger in BHO going. He has already started the process of vastly increasing our taxes with a cap and trade initiative as well as screwing up the healthcare reform effort. Having him travel around Europe (where they love him) is probably a good thing.  Maybe while he is on that side of the pond, Iran can give him a quick tour of their nuclear facilities and missile program. Then he can come back and give a Chamberlain style speech!

There is no questioning BHO’s star appeal.  In fact, this was an issue during his campaign for the Presidency (and led to this hilarious video). Let him use this star power to bring the Olympics to Chicago – for no other reason than we will be able to see the events in primetime rather than tape delayed!!

I agree until I disagree – Senator John Kerry

I agree until I disagree – Senator John Kerry

We are all familiar with the famous quote by Senator Kerry: “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.”  Now it seems that Mr. Kerry has had another opportunity to change his mind.  He is now in favor of Governors of States to appoint an individual to fill an open Senate seat. 

Four or five years ago, Senator Kerry was concerned that his seat would be open if the USA would have been foolish enough to vote this weak-spine individual to the office of the President of the United States.  At that time, he supported Senator Kennedy’s successful efforts to change Massachusetts state law regarding the filling of Senate seats.

I do not live in Massachusetts.  I have no vote there and my opinion on their local politics should have little weight.  However, aren’t the good residents of Massachusetts tired of flip-flop Kerry?  Please remove him from our national agony and get him out of office.  Surely, there is another good Democrat that your beautiful and important state can find.

The following Wall Street Journal opinion actually describes this the best.  It is short, so despite my best efforts, I have been unable to edit this opinion and still retain its message.  I apologize to the Wall Street Journal for borrowing their content in entirety as it is not my typical technique.

John Kerry, the former junior Senator from Massachusetts, was back in Boston Wednesday, urging the state legislature to change the law governing U.S. Senate vacancies. The seat held by Edward Kennedy from 1962 until his death last month is to be filled in a January special election. Mr. Kerry, echoing a letter Kennedy wrote not long before he died, asked lawmakers to enact legislation allowing Governor Deval Patrick to appoint a Senator to serve in the interim.

“What Ted proposed is a plan that is hardly radical,” Mr. Kerry declared in his prepared testimony. “It’s hardly even unprecedented, even in Massachusetts.” That’s for sure. The law in the Bay State provided for interim appointment by the Governor as recently as 2004. That, of course, was the year that Mr. Kerry won the Democratic nomination for President. Just in case he won, the state legislature changed the law to strip the Governor of this power. That change also came at Senator Kennedy’s urging.

What changed in the ensuing five years? In 2004, the Governor, Mitt Romney, was a Republican. Mr. Patrick is a Democrat. So are the overwhelming number of state lawmakers, who overrode Mr. Romney’s veto. Raw partisan advantage explains why Mr. Kerry, like his departed colleague, was for the 2004 change before he was against it.

RIP Ted Kennedy

RIP Ted Kennedy

While I didn’t always agree with Senator Kennedy’s positions on certain issues, there is no question that the man was always trying to advance the care of his fellow man. The “liberal lion of the Senate” spent decades in public service but always lived in the shadow of his older “over achieving” brothers, Joseph, John, and Robert who all died at a young age and due to tragic circumstances.

There will be a variety of obituaries on the Senator, so I am not going to link to any individual one.  Just do a search on Google News if you want to read more.

Articles that I have read that are interesting – July 28, 2009

Articles that I have read that are interesting – July 28, 2009

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-05-17

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-05-17

  • As I read the news today: “I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.” – De Gaulle #
  • AAU tournament in Bloomington IN. A lot of talented basketball players! #
  • What do you get when you have 15 courts going with top high school basketball talent? College coaches and sweat. #

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