Make Hay While The Sun Shines

The Democrats thought the sun was shining.  The election of 2008 swept the Democrats back into power in Washington D.C.  – or so they thought.   It now appears that Washington is not so different than Punkin Center, Missouri.  Here in Punkin Center we live and die by old sayings.  The relevant saying aptly applied to [...]

Political Candidates as Supreme Court Justices

Justice David Souter is rumored to be retiring from the Supreme Court.  Appointed by President George H. W. Bush, Souter has surprised everyone with his more liberal perspective on the constitution.  There will be pressure on President Obama to appoint a woman or a Hispanic – political pressure is always present. President Bush the First [...]

Politics of Racism, 1903, 1968, 1988, 2009

I collect political memorabilia. As I looked through my junk last night I realized how much we have changed.

I have a George Wallace neck tie from his 1968 run at the Presidency. It is a thin white tie with bold red letters horizontally positioned that reads Wallace ‘68. Twenty years ago I attached a campaign button to the Wallace tie – it reads Jesse Jackson ‘88.

Obama’s Chicago Vulnerablitiy

Here we go again.  Washington partisan politics 101.  The political corruption in Illinois will dramatically affect the Obama Administration.  This is not about guilt or innocence – it is about perception.  And particularly the perception of vulnerability.
When Bill Clinton won the Presidency in 1992 there followed some corruption news in Arkansas.  This gave rise to [...]

The Blurry View Of Barack Obama’s Religion

Barack Obama has said, many times and in no uncertain terms, “I am a Christian.”  He has been on the cover of Sojourner’d magazine, a Christian publication.  His former pastor, The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, was in the spotlight for some unseemly comments about patriotism (among other things), but Reverend Wright was clearly a Christian preacher.  [...]

The Root of Obama’s Calm is Humility

Why is Barack Obama so calm.  People have been throwing rocks at him for two years that we know about – and he smiles and nods his head, he remains calm.   The world of finance collapses and Obama remains calm.  John McCain calls him a Muslim terrorist and he remains calm.  What is going on [...]

2008 – Dawn of the 21st Century

On  September 11, 2001, the rooster crowed.  A new age was upon us but the world was slow to awaken.  Stumbling in the early morning darkness we knocked over two countries, alienated our friends, and disrupted world commerce.  The people of the United States have finally wiped the sleep from their eyes and the Dawn [...]

Obama, McCain, Townhall Debate, 10-7-2008

Obama and McCain  will be facing off tonight in a Town hall style debate.  This is a format that McCain has favored.  During the primaries, when McCain was down in the polls and in money, he resurrected his campaign with a town hall format.  McCain is relaxed in smaller groups of people, talking freely with [...]

Voting on Faith, or Faith in Voting

This is a tough one.  We allow freedom of religion, of spirituality, freedom to worship as one chooses.  But what about when it is time to vote.  We want a person in office who is reasonable, intelligent, some education about government or economics or business or work or something is useful.  We look to past [...]