TIGblogs - Group - US Elections

Saturday Night Live lets Palin stand around and say a couple of things.

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:34:00 EDT

Now that elections are over and done with in Canada I can turn my attentions over to America - and the last two weeks of the election campaign.
I watched SNL this past Saturday - like so many other people, giving SNL the highest ratings it's had in 14 years - in order to see how Palin would do. [Honestly, I think most people tuned in to see if it would turn out to be a complete disaster.]
Well, I thought it was a bit of a rip-off. She didn't do or say much, and was kept as safe on SNL as she was when she had her first 'foreign policy' experience at the UN. You remember. When she didn't actually have to speak to press or answer questions about foreign policy.
In case you happen to be one of the few people who didn't tune in, you can find the videos here. [They're hard to find on YouTube].

I'm not sure whether her appearance on the show will have a positive effect on her and McCain's campaign? Re: People will see that she has a sense of humour about herself and warm to her? Or negative. Re: She's a joke, and that's about it.

Election 2.0 cont. [again]

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:27:00 EDT

This speaks for itself - briliiant!!!

America's Election 2.0, cont.

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:20:00 EDT

Building on kirstenjordan's statement that, "The US presidential race can be truly classified as Election 2.0." I'd like to point to another couple of resources out there to support her point as well as remind ALL US CITIZENS AGE 18 AND OVER THAT VOTER REGISTRATION IS QUICKLY APPROACHING (as quick as this weekend in some states!). "http://www.declareyourself.com/home/home.html">Declare Yourself makes allows you to register to vote quickly and easily. Plus there is a heavily celebrity-laden video on the home page that will make you laugh out loud. So even if you are registered, it is worth checking out the website for the concept and the video.

And for ALL US CITIZENS LIVING ABROAD THAT ARE NOT YET REGISTERED TO VOTE, "http://www.votefromabroad.org/">Vote From Abroad provides all you need on their website register for an Absentee Ballot.

So, do it! VOTE!

America's Election 2.0, cont.

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:20:00 EDT

Voting [for] the Environment

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:45:00 EDT

Although I do feel obligated to consider each presidential candidate's stance on the whole gamut of issues... This financial crisis and bailout is taking a full frontal assault of people's senses - the media seems to be screaming at us that this issue is paramount above all others! And granted, it is the biggest financial crisis in the US since the Great Depression but there are other issues to focus on before November 4th.

So, being inspired by watching 11th hour over the weekend, alongside spending some time in the countryside of New York State watching the rivers run and the leaves change colors - my focus shifted to the reality that what we call "the environment" is also the reality of humankind. Even if we destroy the environment, it will regenerate, but when we destroy humankind we're gone, we're out of here and the difference between Wall Street and Main Street will be which species of ferns decide to emerge from between the cracks.

So examining the Candidate's stance on Environmental issues is critical. There are a few good web resources for this purpose. Grist.org is one I recommend, where you will find (not surprisingly) that Obama's are more specific and ambitious than McCain's.

While it is practically impossible to ignore or deny these issues any longer, due to the predominant paradigm of the US' "addiction to foreign oil",. the fact that McCain does support a cap and trade system reveals a shift from the previous decade in the Republican parties' willingness to be accountable for America's consumption and carbon emissions.

Election 2.0- Vote for Change

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:12:00 EDT

I think one of the things that has impressed me the most throughout the months of campaigning in this election has been how the two presidential candidates have both integrated new medias into their campaigns. I can receive up-dates from the candidates via Facebook and Twitter. I can watch their speeches at their respective conventions via YouTube and hear their thoughts via their blogs. All of this is making it easier for American voters to actually know who their candidates are and catch up with what their latest news is. The US presidential race can be truly classified as Election 2.0.

The most recent addition to the US Election 2.0 is the Vote for Change website. I stumbled across this the other day when I was researching how to become a registered voter in my own country- not an easy task Elections Canada! The Vote for Change website has an extraordinarily simple goal- they want to make voting quick and easy. I can find my polling station, I can register to vote, and I can also request to vote absentee. Wow. The best thing about it is that it looks really easy to use and will guide me through the various steps that I need to find the answers to. Why is this service not available in Canada?

The Vote for Change is paid for by the Obama for America team, but I actually get the sense that they are interested in helping all voters get to the polls- not just the ones that are surely voting for Obama. In 2004, although voter turnout was high, 78 million eligible voters did not get to the polls. Maybe by making it easier for people to understand how to vote the turnout will be higher in 2008.

Definitely check this website out if you are American and are an eligible voter! www.voteforchange.com

A Poll to Find out: Is Palin qualified

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:34:00 EDT

Anybody can vote here!

PBS has a poll that asks: Is Sarah Palin qualified to be VP? You don't have to give your name or email address in order to vote. It's very simple.

Just go to: http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

The best skit ever?

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:13:00 EDT

A Catholic 13 yr. old... who hates the Republican party.

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:44:00 EDT

I believe that our past generation has done much for society. But, society is changing, and their failed tired tactics of governance and policy have assisted us to this point. Our once extremely powerful financial giants are crashing and the stock market is slipping into a deep, deep hole. Financial confidence is down not just in the U.S.A , but across the planet. I truly believe it will return, but not for QUITE a while. Whether you blame risky home lenders, mortgage reciepients in over thier heads , or not enough federal intervention, our country is losing its grip on the world market, and its citizens are paying the price.

The republican party has come to the road of its doomsday, and democrats ,including myself, are in shock and awe that these people would even take a risk on John McCain . Between the homophobic and anti abortion evangelical -protestants, whose really going to be running the "free-ist" country on Earth? Sarah Palin is an example of the modern "anti-woman" woman whose pure influence is their religion and bush loving husbands. I'm a catholic, I love Jesus as much as the next person, but I also know that God preached love, and hope, and prosperity. Why are'nt his proud little children doing the same.

Vote Barack Obama 2008

unless you're : patriotic

give me a break.

The republican scare tactics are tired and are up against a force 10x more powerful... Hope.

Straights, gay, catholic, Jewish, republican, democrat, man, woman, black white.

Lets' change the course of history.. Elect Barack Obama 08'.

please respond, I'm eager to read what you have to say:)

bye:):):):)

Economy woes, how will they respond?

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:08:00 EDT

By far the biggest concern in most American's minds (but not limited to American minds) at the present moment is most definitely the economy. Not surprisingly and not only because it feels as if it is going to hell in a hand basket but also because it is the gravity center of a society rooted in capitalism and a nation that has subscribed to capitalism as a way of life since its beginning increasing since the Golden Age. So when the free hand decides to change its course and start smacking financiers the world over in the face, some major intervention is called upon.

What does this have to do with the US Election? Everything. Because whomever is given the hot seat in the White House is going to have to tackle the economy - immediately. The mainstream media has said enough times that economics are not Obama or McCain's strong point. But let's take a look at what the candidates have been doing in these last few days that will go down in history as Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, Merril Lynch was sold for a fraction of what they were worth onlyhalf a year ago, and AIG was bailed out by the US government.

Yesterday, September 17, Obama launched a commercial spot directly addressing the economy. "Here's what [he] believe[s] we need to do. Reform our tax system to give a $1,000 tax break to the middle class instead of showering more on oil companies and corporations that outsource our jobs. End the 'anything goes' culture on Wall Street with real regulation that protects your investments and pensions. Fast track a plan for energy 'made-in-America' that will free us from our dependence on mid-east oil in 10 years and put millions of Americans to work. Crack down on lobbyists - once and for all -- so their back-room deal-making no longer drowns out the voices of the middle class and undermines our common interests as Americans. And yes, bring a responsible end to this war in Iraq so we stop spending billions each month rebuilding their country when we should be rebuilding ours."
Source: Huffington Post

Granted Obama's paln is highly ambitious, easier said than done, and not specific on the "how" but it does sum up his plan in a nutshell and give us something to go on.

What is McCain saying to all this? What are his practical solutions? In the beginning of the week, in one of his campaign spots in Jacksonville, Fla., McCain revealed his viewpoint on the situation, saying "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" despite the widening crisis in the financial sector." Who does this man think he is convincing, the big investors who have lost billions but still have a couple million? The independents who are somewhere in middle America, cursing at the gas pump and struggling to pay a mortage (if they still have one)? Doubt it.

In hoping to find more specifics on McCain's plan (because he is on a very rare occasion forthcoming with details), I realized what he was addressing yesterday was celebrities role in Obama's campagin?! I won't say more on this ridiculousness, but you can read about it.

So in the big picture, McCain keeps boasting about reducing taxes and no big government. How is that possible in the light of reality? With the 85 billion dollar bailout of AIG on top of the previous bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with Iraq looming over us with no end in sight, with unemployment at a record high and too many people without health care, with our 482 billion dollar deficit? How will John McCain afford to cut taxes and reduce government?

He's going to need a mathematician with low morals to prove this one to the American people...

Sources/links:
www.usnews.com 9/15/08
www.huffingtonpost.com 9/17/08
nytimes.com 7/29/08
Photo: still from the latest Obama commercial, linked to above!

Why I'm into US politics?

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:01:00 EDT

As a non-American citizen I often ask myself why I am more interested in the up-coming US election than the one actually happening in my own country. I find myself late at night searching for videos of Sarah Palin, John McCain, and Barack Obama. I watched both the Democratic and Republican conventions on CNN and like my many other Canadians I was shocked at McCain's choice of a running mate. But why should I care as I don't even live there?

I thought about this and I think it boils down to this: it is entertaining. Actually almost more entertaining than some of the Primetime shows that are out there. Is almost like watching a soap opera unfold. Sarah Palin is picked as a running mate, then we find out that her teenage daughter is pregnant, and then people start wondering if the latest addition to the Palin family is actually her child or her grandchild? Fascinating stuff.

Ok, jokes aside there are more reasons why I think the average Canadian cares about the US election, but I'll get into that in the next blog.