Obama Gets An A+

My response to Question: 

What grade do you give Obama and why?

I give Obama an A+ and here is why. 

He defied all the odds and got himself elected, he came to the job when everything was screwed up, everything.

1) He handled the Economic Crisis, maybe some of us don't like the result but we are stable. Yes he has more work to do but he has only been there eleven months.

2) He controlled the healthcare debate and kept members of Congress focused on the mission allowing them to pass the legislation. I know it is not the exact language we want but he is moving forward and it really is better than nothing--there are some important changes that will take effect once he signs that legislation---but the fact is he is close to signing it---that has never happened before?

A Fox On MSNBC

The same message to Fox News is the same message for MSNBC. Plus, MSNBC needs to make up its mind on whether it is a news channels or a tabloid channel. I heard Chris Mathews say he is a reporter, Chris you haven’t been a reporter for years. You’re definitely not a reporter when you say things like you feel a sensation up your legs when you hear Obama speak. You’re not a reporter when you tell Grayson not to be afraid of being called a Liberal and you refer to him as buddy. You not a reporter when you say the Republicans don’t believe in Neanderthals. Chris you definitely have a point of view, there is nothing wrong with that but a reporter comes from a neutral place and Chris hasn’t been neutral since he was on McLaughlin group.

Rangel Sdandal, Charlie Should Step Down

Making Charlie Rangel step down would help clarify the message that things are changing in Washington DC. I am from New York, and although Rangel is not from my district, I still considered him my congressman. The actions of Charlie Rangel are deplorable and there should be a penalty, he is on the Ways and Means Committee for goodness sake, he is a serious liability and a distraction. They need to get him out. Shame on them for electing to keep him in the chairman’s seat. Charlie unfortunately spent his congressional years living the high life. He didn’t report assets, that’s like taxes 101. The first thing when you do your taxes is to list all of your assets - unless you are hiding something. 

This is a colossal blunder on Charlie’s part to have all these skeletons in his closet. What is Charlie hiding? Democrats need to set an example, Rangel is becoming an albatross. It’s not worth keeping Rangel, questions are sure to be asked about where Rangel got the finances for certain properties, and holding down four rent stabilized apartments, trips, quid-pro-quos, he is wallowing in it. He needs to resign from congress or at least step down from chair. Serving the people is a privilege and not a right. Rangel needs to see that his current situation is not good for the people or democracy. Patterson’s current defense of the congressman does not surprise me since Patterson is also enjoying his rent stabilized apartment in Harlem.

Conflicting Message Honduras/Iran

Why democracy for Iran but not for Honduras? I have been watching a lot of the coverage of what’s been going on in Honduras and lot of the people are saying the Honduran should allow their deposed leader to come home. Why? Why can't we accept what is happening in Honduras. In Iran we want the people to rise up and cast out their government leaders and remove them from power, we also don’t want these leaders of government to resist but accept what we deem as the will of the people, that’s what we want. A peaceful overthrow of the government of Iran and to put in a government that might be friendlier to western societies. That’s exactly what happened in Honduras. There was a peaceful overthrow. There was no drawn out war, it happened overnight and it was done. Very clean, the government was gone and people were cheering, there were one or two deaths because that’s going to happen they are angry people out there, but for the most part it was pretty darn peaceful. Some were disappointed because everyone is not going to be please you can’t please everyone all the time something we should have learned in the results of our own election. The Hondurans were very diplomatic I thought,

In Iran we are saying the uprising is justified and we support that and we are asking the leaders to listen to the people yet when the people in Honduras rose up against their corrupt oppressive government we tell them to reinstate the leader. What the heck is going on here? Why is democracy important in Iran but not in Honduras? I am tired of being lied to and the American military used to threaten countries around the world. These contradictions suggest to me that democracy is not the real priority of the American government but control. We want to control the governments of every country. If the Honduran people decided to cast off their leader then shouldn’t we support that, isn’t this what we are asking the Iranians to do?

Chuck Todd Is An Idiot

Chuck Todd does not know what he is talking about and he needs to do some more research on journalism. He is an instigator and is constantly trying to drive the story instead of letting it unfold. Chuck, your job is to report not promote.  Chuck, your opinions are not news, and you are constantly injecting yourself into the story.  To think Mr. Todd it’s only a little over a year since I have seen you in front of the camera.  I don’t think I heard about you before last year primaries.

I have written about the media many times in the past and I didn’t want to come off as bashing the media.  For me it’s just holding the media accountable and calling them out. 

By the way Chuck I saw you on Bill Maher, and you were terrible.  You were once again trying to justify dictating the policy steps Obama should take rather than just reporting the news.  I heard about your little flair up after the show and how you confronted the other journalist from the nation and accused him of tarnishing your reputation.  How childish, and Chuck you were right "the great journalists are the ones who used to do it", do you remember saying that.  So by your own definition, you are not a great journalist.

What Would Huckabee Do?

My comment on Huffington Post to: "Mike Huckabee Doubles Down On Controversial Kennedy Comments".  I saw Huckabee make his comments and I was totally disgusted and turned him off right after he said Obama plan would have sent the Senator home with a pill. I guess in his own twisted mind his comments were a compliment to the Senator, but I felt it was both disrespectful to Senator Kennedy and President Obama.

If we apply the Republican standards for comments I think Mike Huckabee should apologize, because a large group of people are outraged and offended by his comments. I know he will not because the Republicans don't apologize. The Republicans have a habit of seizing upon comments made by Democrats and their supporters, taking one or two words and twisting them to imply something totally different than what was intended by the speaker and demanding an apology. 

The crazy thing is they usually get their apology, this has been tested and proven.  When John Kerry made his remarks about the troops during his presidential campaign, when they used the Rev. Wright tapes against Obama, when Obama said "bitter and cling to guns", when Obama said the police behaved "stupidly", any little thing they want to take out of context.

(posted on Huffington Post, below is what I could not post)

Healthcare Dying In Waste Corruption and Ignorance

I think Obama is doing a great job trying to rebuff the lies that are being spread by the Republicans. I don’t understand why we can’t have a legitimate debate instead of these shouting matches executed by republicans and special interests. If Republicans have ideas, now is the time to put them forward. Instead of talking about what you don’t want lets hear what you do want. Let’s hear the kind of healthcare system you want in place. We all agree something has to be done; I know I am not comfortable with what we have because of many of the same reasons out there. Insurance companies are taking over, doctors and politicians are corrupts and we the patients are not free to make decisions affecting our health. What would you like to see different in the health care system? Now is the time for suggestions, not shouting. This is our future it affects our very lives.

I took my daughter to get braces a few years back and I was told by the doctor that it would cost about $2000 just for the braces but that did not cover the pre-requirements to getting the braces. I had to get a brain scan and x-rays as well as molds made and of course the health insurance did not cover it. So I went ahead and first got the molds done. I paid hundreds to get the molds made, I cannot remember the exact amount but it was either $250 or $400. When I asked the doctors for the molds they told me the molds belonged to the doctor, even though I paid for the molds. The molds should belong to me I might want to visit another dentist, but the doctor held on to the molds so if I decided to take my child to another dentist I would have to pay a new fee to get molds made. That’s why we need to reform healthcare because of things like that. What benefit does the doctor have to hold on to the mold, maybe they feel that would compel me to use them as my dentist, but that is not fair to me, why was I paying a fifty dollar co-pay, to be jerked around by the doctor. I would like a system that gives one fee that covers the braces and everything needed to get braces. The initial $2000 I was quoted was not accurate because the doctor did not tell me the out of pocket expenses for the braces, the $2000 was only what the insurance covered.

Gone Too Soon, A Michael Jackson Story

The day started with me tuning into Morning Joe towards the end of the show and hearing that Farrah Fawcett had passed away. I expected Fawcett to go and was relieved that she found peace in her long struggle. I left the television playing in the background because Obama was going to speak after his meeting with Angela Merkel and I wanted to catch the press conference. At some point I decided that I was going catch up on some of the stuff that I had on DVR. I watched “So You Think You Could Dance” and wondered why Vitiligo was not letting his spirit fly free on the stage, he was so handsome but so inconsistent, frustrated I turned it off. After arranging to meet a friend for dinner I went to the TV to catch the weather and whatever was breaking. I turned to MSNBC and saw the news banner stating MICHAEL JACKSON IS DEAD.

At first I could not believe my eyes, and thought that it was another case of the media getting it wrong, Michael Jackson didn’t DIE!! After the past eight years I was used to the media fouling up the facts. I thought to myself check out these idiots reporting Michael Jackson dead when it’s Farrah who died. So I went to CNN, they too were reporting the news of Michael’s death. I felt myself entering a full state of disbelief. Was he sick, I questioned openly. I thought of plane crashes and car accidents, telling myself and believing that maybe he was only severely injured that’s what they meant. They would come back to correct the report and say that Michael was injured in an accident and would be okay.

Another Stolen Election (BLOOMBERG)

“New York, New York big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain't always what it seems, you might get fooled if you come from out of town,”

Those lyrics are from New York, New York by Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five.  The next line to that classic hip hop song is “but I’m down by law and I know my way around”.  The reality is you might and will get fooled even if you are from town. If you dream of making it big in politics then New York is the city for you. New York City has a reputation of being progressive and that may be true when it comes to our vices but we are one of the most backwards states in the union. One of original thirteen colonies, we didn’t have an African American Governor until the Spitzer sex scandal, and New York City the most culturally diverse cities has only had one minority leading the city, Dinkins who was kicked out after one term because of antics from people like Rudolph Giuliani and NYPD. 

We are often fooled by those seeking to used the state to promote their political careers; the most recent is Hillary Clinton who used New York as her base to establish a political career that would potentially lead to the presidency. It didn’t work out for Hillary but New Yorkers didn’t seem to have a problem with her using the state and overwhelmingly voted for her during the primary.

Now we have the situation of Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg an extremely successful Wall Street businessman was a registered Democrat who many New Yorkers had never heard of before he decided to run for mayor in 2001. Bloomberg had no name recognition outside the Business community and it was clear that he would not win democratic primary or the support of democratic political leadership so he jumped parties and captured the Republican nomination. He spent over $75 million on the mayoral campaign and narrowly defeated the democratic candidate Mark Green. Bloomberg is now serving in his second and what should have been his final term except for one thing.

Sometimes A Jerk Is On Duty

A few years back I was involved in a family dispute and the police was called. Initially the police determined that there was no need to escalate the incident and they left the scene. About one week later two detectives show up at my door stating they wanted to talk to me. It was a Thursday and I happen to be home from work. I answered the door and let the detectives in. We stood in my kitchen and I spoke with them openly about the incident that took place a week earlier. They informed me that I had to go to the station with them to be fingerprinted because I had a warrant. I obliged, I had nothing to hide and wanted to cooperate. Coincidentally my daughter forgot her keys when she left for school that day. I informed the officers that my daughter was at school, she did not have a key and I would be the only person available to let her in the house when she returned at around 3:30 pm. She was twelve, it was around 11am and the police station was a five minute drive from my house, since I was only going to get fingerprinted I felt confident I would be home in time. I got dressed and followed the officers as they led the way to the elevator and down the seven floors to the lobby. I was not in handcuffs and followed the officers willingly. Once we exited the elevator, and there were some neighbors standing in the lobby, one of the police officers said in a loud whisper right in my ear but loud enough for the neighbors to hear “you better not act up because you’re under arrest”. I was startled by the comments as I looked him in the eye, I could see how his actions could arouse a quick tempered person; he was clearly trying to spark a reaction from me. My mood began to change and I made a conscious decision to remain calm, I did not want to get shot I didn’t know if I had a trigger happy cop. I followed the officers to their car and was driven to the precinct station.

I was then placed in an interrogation room where I recounted the events as I saw them and answered countless questions for approximately one hour. I asked if I was going to be put into jail they said no they just wanted to check my fingerprints, get my version of events and give me a court date. They asked me to sign a statement and I told them I would not sign anything they had my verbal statement. I requested to have the fingerprints taken because the officers explain they would have to check to see if I had any outstanding crimes against my prints and that would take time, I told the officers again that I needed to be home by 3:30 pm to let my daughter in the house. The officers mouthed the words expressing they would be done in time for me to get home to my child but I could tell by their attitude they did not mean it.

Traveling To Negril Or Just Going Home

The feeling was always there to explore my origins. I lived in America but I was not American, as a matter of fact I came to America in the most peculiar way. A sister of my mother on a visit to Jamaica saw me and decided to take me to America—“opportunity” was the reason. They said I could get in the United States what was not available in Jamaica.

We flew American Airlines and I arrived in New York August 1977 with much anticipation. I remember the golden wings that the pilot gave me as I exited the plane, at the time it had no significant meaning they were just wings a souvenir for flying American. I can remember the luggage carousel, the drive home from the airport and being fascinated with the bright lights, tall buildings, crossing the Whitestone Bridge into the Bronx everything seemed spectacular.

I didn’t realize what I was giving up yet but it started to slip away the moment I walked in the door to my new residence. America was not all shiny and pretty. I wanted to go back home but it was very far away.  It was often used as a punishment or threat, “if you don’t behave I’m going to send you back to Jamaica", and from what was described I knew I didn’t want to go there. My own memories of Jamaica and happiness began to fade and thoughts of poverty, ugliness, and crime replaced them, it became a place I feared. It sounded dreadful, people with no shoes, living in huts.  I became ashamed. Not only did I not want to go there but I didn’t want to be from there.

Destroying America

What Cheney is doing right now is trying to create a toxic situation for the American people but a win win situation for himself. By being the mouthpiece of the Bush Administration he could have successfully made it impossible to prosecute him without creating speculation that the administration is just trying to get back at him for speaking out. What is Cheney doing, we all know that he is willing to see the country get attacked again so that he and the Republicans can say “we told you so”. It is clear that his steps during the time he and Bush were in office has made Americans less safe abroad, what he is doing now is making us less-safe at home. 

We have had several incidents since Obama has taken office and we know who their leaders and spokes people are: Glen Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, they are out there ramping up the militias, skin heads, “pro-life” , etc—all the radical groups. This is what they have in common, they are fanatics who want to create chaos and overthrow the government. They believe that America is for the white Christian people, and will do anything to see that happens including terrorist actions as we have seen in the past weeks. They are not labeled as terrorists because they are citizens, but they speak freely against the government and incite others into action. They hide behind free speech when one tries to tie their hateful rhetoric with some of these radicals. Talk about an abuse of the constitution. 

Republican Jihad

We could learn something from the Republicans on exploitation of the media. When I watch the US media I see why many countries regulate their press and sometimes censor them. I don’t think censorship should be necessary for a professional news agency, but I think I could make the case for it.

I happened to turn to Fox News this morning just in time to hear Dick Morris and Fox News promote the idea that the US, Iran, and Israel are locked in a nuclear stand off. He painted Iran as the equivalent of Nazi Germany quoting Benjamin Netanyahu (the new Israeli prime-minister) “Netanyahu put it plainly, its 1938 and they are heating up the gas ovens”. I guess this is where the problem is, these people still think they are living in 1938. Morris states Israel must respond if the US will not, chillingly Morris declares “Israel is getting set to attack, they need to and they ought to” the interviewer Brian seemed to agree with Morris throwing his two cents in saying “Iran is basically laughing at us” and egging on not Morris but the larger audience.

It is not Dick Morris’ comments because he is there to push the republican point of view, but why is Fox News promoting a nuclear war. Why is this obviously propagandist agency able to masquerade as a legitimate news organization while promoting a destructive and violent agenda? Since his election they have launched a vicious attack against President Obama by saying he is associated with fascism, and socialism, saying that his policies are threatening our democracy and freedom and wants to take their guns. They are harping on whether he should have bowed to the Saudi King, or he hasn’t been to church--what I consider another attempt to say he is a Muslim and that he thinks “Islam is more superior to any other religion” according to one Fox News commentator. Fox News is the most irresponsible news organization and are an obvious extension of the Republican Party, preying on Christians and ignorance.

No Public Option For The Private Party

What services do we really get for all the taxes we pay? A driver’s license-don’t we pay for that? A bridge or tunnel, don’t we pay a toll? The post office, we still pay for shipping and postage. Now we have many republicans saying that a pubic option should not be available. To me a public option should be the only option and from there you get to choose your doctor. Under a system like this the good doctors would thrive and the terrible doctors would go away. The patients could rate the doctor and the information would be available to the public in regional or central databases. 

I honestly do not see a need for insurance companies, having a third person in the doctors’ office often impacts the kind of care one receives and an unnecessary stress on the patient. Often we are wondering is the insurance going to cover this or how about when the insurance company screws up the paper work. I remember once I ran into a dentist office, a place I had been many times before, with an abscessed tooth. Well after the x-ray and waiting for the doctor to start the procedure of removing the tooth he came in and told me that my insurance was cancelled and he could not remove the tooth. Yes he made me get out of the chair and leave his office.  On top of it he was annoyed that he had already taken the x-rays and questioned me about payment for them. Why, was my insurance cancelled? A misplaced form.

The free market is good for electronics and clothing, but not our healthcare. I consider practicing medicine to be like teaching; you get into the profession because you want to help people, not get rich. I am not saying doctors shouldn't have a decent life, but why should their expectations be to live extravagantly. 

Republicans Are Smarter Than Democrats

I hope the country is taking notes and the Democrats are learning their lesson. Here we are eight years after Bush drove the country and the economy into a toilet, the Republicans are faced with an opportunity to act in a bi-partisan manner what do they do? The expected---they took the opposing position, came up with their own plan and demanded support for their plan. So for everyone that was blaming the tanking economy on Bush here is your proof he did not do it alone, the republican membership was there to rubber stamp his proposal and budgets. Even though the republican way of doing things obviously failed under Reagan and both Bushes, after major losses in both congress and the presidency the Republicans still demand their agenda is the choice of the people. They seem to think the election is only about personalities and not ideas. They don’t get it. As Obama stated the ground has shifted and they have failed to realize it.

What is most significant about the vote on this stimulus package is the obvious, NOT ONE House REPUBLICAN voted for it. I could not help but think about the past eight years. I could not help but think what a different country we would have if the democrats had stood up to Bush and the republicans the way they Repubs and standing firm now. I can’t help but thinking how we would not have Guantanamo or an illegal war against the Iraqi people and pillaging of the American coffers with no-bid contracts. We would not have lost over 4,000 young men and women if the Democrats stood up to the Republicans. 

Wow! Happy Presidents Day

At his final rally in the general election Barack Obama looked out at the crowd of 75 thousand gathered in Virginia late November third and simply said “WOW”. That’s my wrap up of the past year. After wondering in the wilderness of the Bush Administration I can finally see the light. I feel like the past eight years were lived in a fog of fear, greed, and hatred. John Kerry described the previous administration; I believe the word he used was “thugs”. It gave a reading of the temperature in Washington, DC--brutally cold and ruthless. With Bush winning a second term I dug in for the next four years the one bright spot-Bush would definitely be out after this term. John Edwards was the first to announce and I remembered liking him when he ran for vice-President and wishing he were at the top of the ticket. John Edwards was saying all the right things focusing on poverty, health care, and speaking to the working class. I supported his candidacy and when Obama announced I openly blogged on Edwards site for a partnership with Obama, not caring in what order the ticket fell, I did believe America might have to be eased into a black presidency, maybe with a vice-president first. I worried about defeating the Clinton machinery, but by late fall 2007, I was solidly an Obama supporter.

Things heated up when the voting began, I rushed home from work January 3rd to catch the results and listen to analysis. I was hoping for an Obama win but did not underestimate his major competitors Edwards and Clinton. I watched as the numbers began to come in---oh my goodness, the inevitable candidate came in third and the freshman Senator from Illinois pulled a major upset. With that win came a tectonic shift in the political landscape.

Iowa was significant because it changed minds. I was a firm believer before, but Iowa made me move into action, I started getting involved in the Obama campaign, donating time and money and I didn’t looked back—I had never volunteered or gave money to any presidential campaign, this time I was “FIRED UP”!