Van Santos

All I can say is “WOW!”

The inauguration was highly impressive on a number of levels.  On a very basic level, watching the ceremony unfold, with barely a glitch, in such perfect manner was very impressive.  Take into account the history that was unfolding, add in the sea of humanity, and you have the perfect recipe for a modern day drama. 

I was quite impressed with the class President Obama showed during todays events.  While our nation faces a number of uphill battles, he did not place blame with any one specific person or political party.  He did move away from the political attacks in hopes of bringing the country together and, I believe, in a number of ways he did.  While I found his overall message to be less positive – and more realistic – than I had expected, he provided a message that resonated with the masses in general.

I do have a major problem; however, with something that took place today.  The crowd was booing when VP Cheney and President Bush were introduced (and, yes, they were still the VP and President at the time).  If you have a problem with the former VP and President I fully support you and your views, but you simply do not boo.  This isn’t a free speech issue, it’s a respect issue – respect for the Office of the President – not necessarily the person.  You respect the position. When you disrespect the Office, you are disrespecting the nation, and it only shows the ignorance that still is within our society today.  

Again, best of luck President Obama.  You have a huge task in front of you.  

Stock Market

At the beginning of the year, all of Twenty days ago, I was concerned about how quickly the stock market was rising .  The DOW almost reached 9100, and it was acting as if no recession was gripping our economy. Bad news would come out, the DOW would go up.  Good news would come out, the DOW would go up even faster.  The market was enthusiastic for no real reason, and now it has a huge hangover.  Today the DOW dropped 332 points, closing below 8000 for the first time in 2009.  

Yes, the news looks scary once again.  The survival of US banks are in question. Will Bank of America survive?  How long will it be before The Royal Bank of Scotland will be fully nationalized? What company will go bankrupt next?  Look past the obvious bad news and you can see good news.  REALLY good news, actually.

Take a look…

IBM posted a profit of $3.28 for the quarter - .$25 higher than expected.  Not only that, IBM expects to make $9.20 per share for the 2009 fiscal year, up $.45 from what was previously forecast.  Johnson and Johnson posted quarterly profits 14% higher, though they expect 2009 figures to be flat.  CSX – the rail transportation company – posted a profit of $.90 per share, a whole penny less than expected. 

The earning are there and better than expected from some of the economic bellwethers.  I’m not saying the economy isn’t in the crapper, nor am I saying everything will be fine tomorrow, but I do believe that the market has swung to low too fast.  

Essentially, I think the stock market is way oversold and is trading on emotion, not on the reality of the current situation.

Pilates, I have a new found respect for you

Today was the first day of my workout routine and Pilates was on the docket.  I doubted the effectiveness of a Pilates workout… until today.  For a 17 minute workout I felt the “burn”, as it were, and I was sweating up a storm.  

Seriously, I was very surprised and I cannot wait for the next workout… oh, and I’m down to 162.5 pounds, down 6 pounds in about two weeks.  There is no target weight I have in mind, I simply am taking better care of myself and it seems to be working.

Erasure Pop Remixed!

I had the chance to listen to a promo copy of Erasure’s “Pop Remixed!” and I can officially say that I am disappointed.  Really, not trying to sound negative or unsupportive, but the remixes are really…   thin… weak… uninspiring.  

Here is a quick breakdown.

Always - The Manhattan Clique remix doesn’t embody any of the original – outside of the vocals, nor does it do the song justice.  I’ve never understood the fascination Erasure has with Manhattan Clique as their work never seems impressive.

Drama!  - Really, you would think that Andy Bell would honor his own song in little better than this.

A Little Respect – Hello bad late 90’s Euro Trance music

Fingers and Thumbs – The full remix is long and, at times, seemingly pointless. Worse yet, the remix uses a vocoder on Andy’s voice…  The edit version is OK, but nothing impressive.

There was such potential here but my fears, I believe, have been realized…. 

Until next time, stay (fill in the blank).

Leading into the VP debate I saw two things consistently - the press set expectations so low everyone expected Palin to fail and some of the public was claiming they could have done a better job in the debate (and the debate hadn’t even taken place yet).

Gone were the expectations that Palin was going to wipe the floor with Biden or that she was going to show off her expert political ability, no, most people were expecting a train wreck of James Stockdale proportions…. and that is why, it seemed, the majority of people were tuning in but it didn’t happen.  Frankly, not much of anything happened.  So what was the hour of talk all about then?

There was minimal sparring at best, neither candidate directly answered questions to any substantive degree, Biden came off as slightly arrogant while Palin had an appearance of acting too sweet, and there was nothing presented by either camp to advance their position.  All and all, a good waste of time.

I cannot see how the performance yesterday would have helped (or harmed) either party.  Biden didn’t look “Vice Presidential”, nor did Sarah.  Neither individual provided energy for the base, neither really swayed voters or pundits….   Yesterday was, truly, just “Ho Hum”

Have you had a moment to read the New York Times article discussing the birth of Palin’s son, Trig? Personally, I think the title of the article is misleading as the story really isn’t about Politics; it’s about Sarah as a mother.

There are three things that really stand out in this piece:

But as the governor introduced her son that day, according to a friend, Kristan Cole, she said she had come to regard him as a blessing from God. “Who of us in this room has the perfect child?”

And

But her son has given Ms. Palin, 44, a powerful message. Other candidates kiss strangers’ babies; Ms. Palin has one of her own. He is tangible proof of Ms. Palin’s anti-abortion convictions, which have rallied social conservatives, and her belief that women can balance family life with ambitious careers.

And

Inside Ms. Palin’s room, her daughter Willow, 14, immediately noticed her new brother’s condition, according to People magazine. “He looks like he has Down syndrome,” Willow said. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

This article really makes her look… human, not a politician.

She is willing to accept the flaws in her child, as a mother would. She is balancing life and career, as any FAMILY would. She is protective of her family, as any good parent should be. To me the above shows Ms. Palin as a mother, not as a politician, and this, I believe, is what really helps her connect with both men and women alike.

How does one politically combat this? I mean to say, if this is a driving factor in why someone is voting or connecting to the McCain / Palin ticket, do you attack her for being a mother and Vice President? That would be sexist in every sense. Do you attack her for having a Down Syndrome child? Who are her political opponents to question what is best for her family.

This is the big issue Democrats have to face and it will be interesting to see how they attack it.

Last night, for the first time in almost a year, I was excited about your campaign. Your running mate did an outstanding job introducing herself to the public, showing what the future of Republican politics could be. That single speech did more for your campaign than you did (aside from picking her) and there was no way you could outperformed her, she did set the bar very high, but what happened?

No, seriously, what happen?

At times you seemed very comfortable and not the John McCain I’ve seen in the past. Was it the protesters who interrupted your speech? I thought you did an outstanding job of handling a situation that could have been very uncomfortable. Was the crowd that applauded at random times – times you didn’t expect? I could see how that would throw one off, but still… what happened?

I don’t mean to take credit away from your performance; after all you did get your main message points across - you will fight for the people, the Republican party has gone to far the its values, Obama has no way to pay for his programs – but I am worried about the perception.

Sarah was dynamic, you were not. Sarah was engaging, you were not. Sarah made people feel as if she was one of them; you came close but didn’t totally sell it. What Sarah has, that appeal, is also what Obama has and is what you will need to face in the upcoming debates.

Maybe you will be quite comfortable in a one-on-one setting, with out the teleprompter. Maybe this is where you will shine. I am worried; however, that you are going to be perceived as, well, old and disconnected.

You have a lot of political capital thanks to your running mate, the race is much more complex than it was two weeks ago, and you have a fighting chance. Don’t waste your ace in the hole by becoming what people expect you to be – disconnected.

Watching Sarah Palin deliver he Republican Nation Convention speech was a thing of beauty. I felt as if I was watching history in the making. After the performance last night, I believe the media will have a difficult time declaring Palin a gimmick. Aside from taking on the attacks of the Democrats and the Media, Palin did something that was lacking, for me, from this election – made a connection to me as a voter.

While I share values that cross party lines, my big complaint of this election, and of the Republican Party, is that I have difficulty connecting to their core belief system these days. The party has turned into a spending power, one that has a hard time describing and clarifying their position, and seems to be growing a bigger government – not smaller. It appears Palin is for smaller government, for giving back to the people, for less frivolous spending and for protecting personal freedom.

Palin doesn’t fit into the current “Republican” definition, the one seen in Washington D.C. today. She is an outsider in today’s political world. I would argue that she is what a Republican truly is, what I want to see in the party, and why I connected with her. But what about others, did they connect?

From the four people I spoke to today, ones who are willing to look beyond their political party, the answer was yes. She inspired and created a sense of community. She connected with these individuals unlike any other Republican candidate this election cycle; however, will that translate to votes? That is yet to be seen. The big problem for John McCain is that he now needs to deliver one hell of a speech tonight.

Other coverage on the net:

• Focus Group: Palin Was (Alarmingly) Strong
• Sarah Palin: Uppity Woman Who Needs To Learn Her Place
• Sarah-Cuda Appears at the RNC (VIDEOS)
• Ace of Spades reactions
• All I Can Say Is…
• THE BIG NIGHT! THE PLACE IS FRICKIN LIT UP LIKE AN CHRISTMAS TREE!

This morning I posted how Sarah Palin is representative of the U.S. population more than any other candidate in the last twenty years and the Politico.com seems to be of the same mind set.

As I said before, if the Camp McCain plays its cards right this will be a huge asset to the campaign.

Airbare8 @ rochesterturning.com makes a great point to all the democrats out there – never underestimate your opponent.  I believe adversaries end up underestimating their opponents when they are overcome with hubris.  History has plenty of examples from which the Democratic Party keep in the back of their mind…

1. The United States never thought Japan could launch an attack on their territories
2. Hitler thought his army was so strong it could steamroll Russia during the winter
3. The United States didn’t expect organized peasants to hand the military a defeat

And so on, and so on…

Despite some negatives, Sarah Palin is still an unknown for the democratic party – and the U.S. in general.  Airbare8 points out:

The media could drop the ball on her past record and instead beat the “maverick” narrative to death. She could be a great campaigner who connects with people, in particular moderate suburban women, on a gut level. She has a compelling life story that may win over some Hillary-supporters who care more about personality politics than they do about policies. Palin could also drive a lot of evangelicals and disaffected conservatives to the polls. She may give a fantastic speech at the RNC. Biden may turn off some undecided voters if he appears too tough on her in the debate (remember Rick Lazio). Keep in mind as well, she defeated popular former Governor Tony Knowles in 2006 in a close election.

The campaign still has 60 days left, anything can happen.  Many feel it is Obama’s election to lose.  Let’s see if hubris comes into play on his part.

While doing research for anohter article I am writing, I happend to find a story published by The Weekly Standard, back in July of 2007, on Sarah Palin titled: “The Most Popular Governor - Alaska’s Sarah Palin is the GOP’s newest star“

Take the time to read the article, there is some powerful information (I believe) that speaks to her character.

In the mean time, I am going to continue a bit more research on my next article before I head of to bed.

Much like the residents of 49 of these United States, I know very little about Sarah Palin.  My first exposure to her came in April of 2008 when she gave birth to her son Trig who happen to be special needs.  The news had coverage of the story, and that she was a rising star within the Republican Party, but I never really gave her much attention after that.  Then came Friday, August 29th, 2008.

So, who is she?  What does she stand for?  What does she believe?  I’m very curious…let’s see what we can find out.

The Basics:

• Name: Sarah Louise Heath Palin
• Born: February 11, 1964
• Education: BS in Journalism from the University of Idaho
• Party: Republican
• Current Occupation: Governor of Alaska
• Family: Married with 5 children

The Experience:

• Two Term Wasilla City Counsel member
• Two Term Wasilla Mayor
• Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
• Governor of Alaska

Her views:

• Abortion: Pro Life
• Marriage: Anti-Gay Marriage
• Death Penalty: Supports
• Energy: For Bio Fuel, Supports Drilling in ANWR
• Evolution: Supports creationism to be discussed in school
• Gun Control: Supports the right to bear arms

Controversies:

She is under investigation for the firing of Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.  Palin stated Monegan was released due to not filling vacant state trooper positions, as well as adhering to the budget. Palin offered Monegan a position as executive director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which he turned down. Monegan claims he was let go as retaliation for his reluctance to fire Palin’s former brother-in-law, an Alaska State Trooper.

I hope this gives you a good starting point to understand who Sarah Palin is. No doubt, more information will come out within the next 60 days.  As it does, I will continue to update.

By now, you may have heard that John McCain picked Sarah Palin for his running mate. Judging by the quick reaction and targeted from the Obama’s team, as well as Democratic supporters, Camp McCain hit a home run with his choice. I am not talking about her qualifications to be the Vice President (more on that when I do research); what I am talking about is purely from a strategy perspective.

Former Clinton adviser Paul Begala says:

“In choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate he is not thinking “outside the box,” as some have said. More like out of his mind…. For months, the McCainiacs have said they will run on his judgment and experience. In his first presidential decision, John McCain has shown he is willing to endanger his country, potentially leaving it in the hands of someone who simply has no business being a heartbeat away from the most powerful, complicated, difficult job in human history.”

Camp Obama points out:

“Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign on Friday blasted his Republican rival’s choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a running-mate, highlighting her “zero” foreign policy experience”

Charles Schumer states:

“While Palin is a fine person, her lack of experience makes the thought of her assuming the presidency troubling. I particularly look forward to the Biden-Palin debate in Missouri.”

And finally Barbara Boxer:

“The vice president is a heartbeat away from becoming president, so to choose someone with not one hour’s worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice.”

Do you notice a pattern with every single criticism of Sarah Palin? They describe Barack Obama exactly. He has no national experience. He is no more politically qualified at this point than she. He is young as well. At least the Republicans have a candidate with the experience running for President, yet the Democrats happen to overlook the fact that their candidate is in the same boat as the Republican’s number two choice. Furthermore, the argument could be made that Sarah Palin has more experience at governing that Obama does.

With a single action John McCain just stole Obama’s thunder and did so without being disrespectful to the Democratic Party (e.g. – announcing his VP choice on the day of Obama’s accepted the nomination). With this choice he also has the press and the general public talking about his campaign, not Obama and the acceptance speech.