Refreshing Change in the Wind

With the elections over, I have heard from more than one pundit that it might be back to politics as usual in Washington, even for the incoming Obama administration. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Take this article from the November 11 New York Times. The ethics rules Obama is imposing on both his transition team and administration are among the most strict and sweeping ever. Here's a quick rundown:

• Anyone who lobbied in the past 12 months is prohibited from working in the fields of policy on which they lobbied.


• Any lobbyist must cease all lobbying activities during the transition.


• Appointees to the administration will be barred from working on matters involving their former employers.


• Those who leave the administration will be prohibited from lobbying anyone in the administration for the duration of Obama's presidency.


• All political appointees must disclose publicly every meeting with any registered lobbyist.
  

There is some wiggle room in the new restrictions. Lobbyists can still work for the transition team (and presumably the administration) as long as they do not work in the areas for which they lobbied. Also, the rules only apply to "registered" lobbyists - which are those who personally lobby federal officials on specific issues. This allows many experienced people who may work for lobbying firms but do no direct lobbying to get involved with the transition and/or administration.

Lobbying has been a pet peeve of mine for many years, as it follows the "squeaky wheel gets the grease" logic. Having a lobbyist without ethics restrictions in the administration gives unfair advantage to the areas of policy for which they lobbied. It is the political equivalent of insider trading.

Having these restrictions in place should make it harder for corporations with deep pockets to sway federal policy to their favor. Like everyone else, I am adopting an "it remains to be seen" attitude about all of this, but so far it seems that Obama is the real deal and represents the most refreshing change we have had to the political landscape in decades.

Synchronized Presidential Debating

I found the first presidential debate pretty interesting. If nothing else, you got to hear each candidates policies side by side. I missed the second debate, but I didn't find the third debate as interesting. Follow the link below to find out why.

Synchronized Presidential Debating

Wassup? - 8 Years Later

Remember the clever Budwiser "Wassup?" campaign? The original actors reprise their roles to make a pretty compelling statement about how much things have changed - and how much NEW change is needed. Make sure you watch it to the end.

Me Again - Have You Made Up Your Mind Yet?

I know most people who read this probably have similar views to mine. And believe me, I DON'T like standing on a soapbox about politics! But I ran across this today, and just had to share it:

PLEASE!

Tell everyone you know to get out and vote on November 4th. Tell them to think carefully about where we were 8 years ago (can you say "budget surplus?") and where we are now (can you say "second great depression?"). Ask them if they really believe John McCain can bring the change we need. If they think he can, ask even if that is true, do they really believe Sarah Palin is qualified to be president of the United States. (Remind them she thinks the VP is "in charge" of the Senate.)

If that STILL isn't enough, have them watch the above video. Have them vote responsibly because Opie, Andy, and the Fonz want them to.

Pigs with Lipstick

You know from the title what this post is about, don't you? That's right - politics.

I normally try to stay away from Religion and Politics when blogging for the same reason you do at cocktail parties. But this time its different. Too much has gone wrong. There is too much at stake to get the election wrong. So I am just going to come right out and say it: it is absolutely imperative you urge everyone you know to vote in the upcoming presidential election, and to not throw our future away by voting for McCain. We absolutely must overcome the Republicans who would vote for this person and his policies.

And here is why I believe this...

I Am Not A Democrat

First, lest any of my gentle (Republican) readers might think I am the enemy. I am not. I voted for Reagan, Reagan, Perot, Clinton, Gore, and Kerry in the last 6 presidential elections. I vote for who I think is going to be the best leader. Which really brings me to the point of this post.

While it seems I lean Democratic based on the past few elections, it would be fairer to say I lean anti-Bush. I actually was leaning towards Bob Dole, but Dole made (in my opinion) a fatal mistake during his campaign - which is the same mistake McCain is making today.

Dole's fatal mistake was that he became a different person during the campaign. Before the campaign, he was jovial and self-depricating. His humor was genuine and endearing. During the campaign, however, someone - I don't know if it was the Republican Party itself or his so called professional handlers - convinced him that in order to win the election, he had to appear "presidential." The problem was, to them, presidential meant "serious" and "down to business." You certainly couldn't make fun of yourself - someone might not no you were kidding and think you were stupid or something.

And now McCain has done it too. During the last election I commented that I thought I would rather have McCain as president over John Kerry. I don't know - maybe it was the way Kerry carried himself - or the fact that he, too, had been told to "act presidential." Whatever it was, John McCain seemed to be the "democrat" of the Republican party, with opinions and attitudes that were far closer to the center than they were the right.

Now, however, it is like the Republican Party made it clear to McCain that the only way they would back his candidacy is if he "towed the party line" including the Bush Doctrine. Without a "pinky-swear" promise to continue the policies of the failed Bush presidency, he would have had no chance to be the Republican candidate.

No Third Term of Failure

Let's take as non-biased look at George W. Bush (OK, as non-biased as possible). Don't worry, I'm going to tie all this together in a little bit.

In an unscientific survey of historians, 81% said the George Bush presidency was an overall failure. If you consider George's Resume, it rapidly becomes clear how inept the Democrats were in putting up a candidate in the past two elections. For instance:

• He ran for Congress and lost.


• Bought an oil company, but (strangely) could not find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt.


• Bought the Texas Rangers and quickly made management decisions that made them one of the worst teams in baseball (while he owned it).


• While Governor of Texas (which he could not have won without his father's help), he changed pollution laws that resulted in Texas becoming the most polluted state in the nation, with Houston replacing LA as the most smog-ridden city.


• Set a record for most executions by any governor in US history. (Which is a good thing, I suppose, if you are pro-death penalty.)


• As president, he spent all the surplus gained during the Clinton years and has single-handedly allowed the US economy to get in the worst shape it has ever been since the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent depression.


• There were more foreclosures in a 12 month period than ever before in US history during his presidency.

And the list goes on and on. You can see more (a lot more) here.

Not to sound too much like a politician, but let me be clear on this: I don't think John McCain is a bad person. His daughter was on Larry King a while back and he asked her if she thought both her father and Obama were practicing dirty politics. She said "I think politics, by its very nature, is dirty."

Even Barack Obanma, who promised to run a high standards campaign, has stooped to negative campaigning - but not to the degree or level of dishonesty that McCain has. It has really turned into a "I'll say anything or do anything to get elected." And that is really sad.

No, John McCain has changed his politics in order to become president. That's a bad thing, folks - and whether you are pro-Obama or not, it should be enough to sway you to anti-McCain. Now there will be those who say "wait a minute, Obama has changed his positions on things, too."

True enough. But from what I can tell, Obama - at least for the most part - changed his stance on things based on new information, or even correction of misinformation he was previously given. In studying this person's policies, I really can't find anything substantive where he has completely reversed course on some issue simply in an effort to get elected.

In closing, I'd like to reiterate something. I don't like politics. I don't like the rhetoric and the 20 phone calls a day we get telling us why we should vote one way or another for some candidate. (There's something the next president can do - make politicians and charitable organizations honor the "Do Not Call" registry). I won't allow signs for any candidate, party, or politician on my lawn, in my window, or on my car. But there is just no way I can believe we aren't in for a whole lot more hurtin' if John McCain is elected president. I also am not voting for Obama solely because I am anti-McCain. I truly believe he is the best option to implement the changes we need to turn this country around - for our place in world opinion, the economy, health care, and a host of other reasons.