Category Archives: 2012 Presidential Campaign

2012 Presidential Campaign

Show Some Respect!

Leave a reply
English: Flag of the United States of America ...

Flag of the United States of America (Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons)

Okay, I have decided that it is time for another one of my rants. So you have been forewarned.

Personally, I am so sick and tired of all of the disrespect floating around the Internet. Especially on Facebook. Now admittedly I don’t spend a lot of time on other social networking sites, so it is possible that the disrespect is just as bad on those sites. However, it is specifically the Facebook posts that get to me the most.

What disrespect are you talking about? I know that’s what you’re asking. All one has to do is read all of the pictures, postings, statuses, videos, and so on to see the disrespect. Come on! How can you miss it?

Specifically, I am referring to the disrespect perpetuated by the far right who are upset about the election outcome. This has manifested in a slew of pictures being posted on the Internet of upside down United States flags. I am politically independent, so I have been able to let most of it go. But I can only take so much.

Both of my parents are veterans of wars. I have many uncles who served in the military. My father even gave up his kidney for the war. He was bayoneted in the kidney by a Japanese soldier during World War II. My mother served in the military for 23 years, and continued to serve by working for the civil-service after she retired from the military, and she currently works for the VA. That is a lifetime of dedication to the United States of America.

I, personally, take it as disrespectful to see the American flag flipped upside down, whether it is on someone’s profile picture or it is a picture of a McDonald’s with an upside down flag. I don’t care if it was a flagpole malfunction. It is disrespectful either way.  I’m not fond of the flag with Obama’s face on it either, by the way.

The second thing that gets me all riled up is the disrespect shown to the President of the United States. I understand that people are upset that Romney didn’t win. I understand that people are upset that Obama did win. The fact of the matter is, Obama did win. The fact of the matter is, he is and will continue to be for another four years, the President of United States. The most powerful man in the world. Show the man the respect he deserves. I don’t want to hear about people wanting to punch him in the face. I don’t want to hear about people threatening to kill him. As far as I’m concerned, both of those actions mean that the people who say them deserve to be thrown in jail. Show some frickin’ respect people!

If you don’t like this country, you can move. You can move to Canada where they have socialized medicine, legalized gay marriage, and 45% of their population is atheistic. Or you can self deport to Mexico. I don’t really care. But I do care about what you do to our flag and what you say about our President.

Related articles

Politics Take a Back Burner – Sort of

1 Reply

The election is finally over, and we can return to normalcy now.  Well, as normal as you can get with a noreaster’ on its way, devastation still taking its toll on the northeast, and people still spewing hatred. I think I have had enough of politics for now.  Not only was I subjected to it on the television, and the Internet, and the radio, but from my own daughter. Not much of a surprise that her class chose this time to study how our government works.  Therefore, I got to hear all about our Constitution. A wonderful document, and I wish I was entitled to all of the rights under it, but that is a different topic for another day.  The leap into civics and history made me think about some little known facts. Might as well overdose on the politics, and explain some concepts that might be interesting (or at least my commentary on them I hope will be…)

Just to continue this theme of politics, let us consider the electoral college.  Why did the founders of our great nation design the electoral college?  Well, to begin with, they didn’t think the common man (not woman, as they were still considered goods and chattel) was smart enough to know how to vote. They thought that the non-landowners were too stupid to decide properly and would merely vote for whomever was local and popular. Don’t believe me?  Well, initially, only landowners were allowed to vote, and only if they were white and male.

Need more evidence that the electors didn’t trust the general public?  Each state had to pass its own law stating that the elector must vote the way of the popular vote of that state.  And not all states have passed such a law.  That means that the elector can vote any way he (or now she) sees fit, despite the will of the people.

Now many would point to the concept of losing the popular vote but winning the electoral votes as evidence that the electors are up to something.  However, the way Congress is set up, which determines how many electoral votes a state receives, makes it so that the total popular vote in the country doesn’t make much difference.  It is the popular vote in the state that can, but not necessarily, determine that state’s electoral vote.  Some states even split their electoral votes based on districts.  So, a candidate can win a whole bunch of states, lose the nationwide popular vote, and win the election.  Of course, we saw that in 2000.  Many states are now signing a compact to give their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the nationwide popular vote, but it will not take effect until they have the majority of the electoral votes.  If enough states sign, it will change the face of politics forever in this country.  See National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

By the way, the only US President to ever win all of the electoral votes was George Washington.

Aren’t you glad you know that?

 

Related articles

 

I’m So Tired

6 Replies
Vote for me!

Vote for me! (Photo credit: cheerfulmonk)

 

Yes, I am tired.  I’m tired of this Presidential Election. I’m tired of the negative ads. I can’t fathom how these people plan to work together after the election is over. I’m tired of the automated phone calls. I won’t even answer the phone if my contact list does not recognize the number. I’m tired of the glossy campaign ads clogging my mailbox. We could start saving the environment by eliminating those eyesores and recycling bin fillers. I’m tired of everyone talking about what I should and shouldn’t do – in my spiritual life, with my body, in my job, in my bedroom, and with my vote.

 

Let’s spend our time cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy. Let’s spend our time figuring out how to get people back to work, turn the power back on, start an intelligent conversation about equality.

 

Tomorrow morning, we will all wake up and we will have elected a different government than we have now.  What will we have accomplished?  Staying up late and making us even more tired.

 

I’m going to bed.  I’m tired.  G’night.

 

Related articles

 

Let’s Go Back to Being American

7 Replies
united states currency seal - IMG_7366_web

united states currency seal – IMG_7366_web (Photo credit: kevindean)

The US Election Day is finally upon us.  Boy, will I be happy when it is over.  No more political ads.  No more mud-slinging.  No more lies.  No more accusations.  I hope we go back to being a United country, where we are all bound by a common thread – being American.  Not the kind of American that judges others.  Not the kind of American that says their beliefs are better than others’ beliefs.  Not the kind of American that thinks their rights are more important than the well-being of others.  Not the kind of American that tries to force their beliefs, their religion, their judgments on others.  Let’s face it, bipartisanship is never going to happen in politics.  Not really.  But that doesn’t really matter.  What matters is that we show bipartisanship in our daily lives.  That we show each other love, and kindness, and understanding.  That we cross the divide – whether that is the divide of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status, occupation, nationality, locale, you name it.  Let’s show each other love and compassion, and help our fellow man… and woman.  Instead of looking at pictures of the devastation in NJ and NY and other places and just counting ourselves lucky, let’s lend a helping hand.  If not directly to them, then to others, even in our own neighborhoods, schools, and businesses.  Give someone a helping hand, or your spare change, or your shoulder to cry on.  That’s the American spirit I miss.  Where is the love?

Related articles

Hurricane Sandy Brings ENOUGH!

Leave a reply
Hurricane Sandy (2012): 60 km Wind Area Forecast

Hurricane Sandy (2012): 60 km Wind Area Forecast (Photo credit: Canadian Pacific)

Imagine my surprise to read that some right-wing Christian preacher is saying that I, as a lesbian, am the reason for Hurricane Sandy hitting the entire eastern seaboard.  Well, not me personally, but all gays, lesbian, bisexuals, and transgenders.  Oh, and anyone who “sides” with us.  Oh, and don’t forget the Muslim Brotherhood, Obama, and even Romney!  Although I hate to give him more hits, if you are interested in reading his rambling blog, it can be found below.

He truly believes that we need a massive prayer meeting to save America.  You know, I have been listening to my friends say there comes a point when you must speak up and say, “enough is enough.”  I think this might be it.  So, I am saying it.  ENOUGH!

ENOUGH WITH THE JUDGMENTS!  Romans 2:1-3 says, “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself: for thou that judgest does the same things. But we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?”  TRANSLATION:  Don’t judge others, for if you do, you condemn yourself, for you do the same as others. Now I’m not saying this preacher has done the same things we in the LGBT community have done, but let’s see…  I have loved…  I have hurt…  I have wanted the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness… Yes, I have had sex with members of the same sex.  But isn’t that between me and my God? I don’t stand in judgment of you for whatever you do in your bedroom…

ENOUGH WITH THE CHERRY-PICKING!  I am sick of hearing moderate Republicans say they are siding with Romney because of this or that, and they don’t agree with the suppression of rights for gays.  If you agree with a candidate on one issue, you have to agree with them on all.  Now, I’m not saying that I agree with Obama on all issues.  I don’t.  But I have to choose the issues that are the most important to me and vote accordingly.  And I have to take into account ALL of the issues.  Then, I have to stand with one or the other, based on what is most important to me.  SOOOOO, that means if you tell me you are voting for Romney due to his economic policies, then stand up for that belief and tell me you think your paycheck is more important than my rights as a citizen of this country, and as a human being.

ENOUGH WITH THE DENIAL!  I don’t understand how anyone who has ever been oppressed can do the same to others.  If you have suffered due to your race, or your sex, or your nationality, or your immigration status, or your weight, or your height, or your physical disabilities, or your learning disabilities, or your age, or your religion, or…  How can you look me in the eye and say it is okay to do to me what was done to you?  IT IS ALL THE SAME!!!!  Martin Luther King, Jr. would be so ashamed of his niece.  He spoke out for equality for all.  He would not have wanted to transfer racial prejudice to gay bigotry.  He talked about standing in resistance to segregation, all while making friends with whites.  Where is the camaraderie between blacks and gays?  Where is the love?

ENOUGH WITH THE HATE!  My entire life I have been taught that Christianity is about love.  That God is about love.  That we should love our neighbors.  That we should love our enemies.  That we should love the sinners.  Where is that love for the LGBT community?  If you really believe gays are sinners, where is the love?  Love doesn’t mean standing in judgment.  Love doesn’t mean taking away rights, taking away children, taking away life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Love doesn’t mean bashing us in the head with baseball bats or hanging us out like scarecrows.  Love doesn’t mean raping us to teach us a lesson.

Yes, I am saying ENOUGH!  I hope others speak up with me and say ENOUGH!  I want to hear how you have had ENOUGH!

Related articles

Foreign Policy in the United States

Leave a reply
Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney in Denver Presiden...

Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney in Denver Presidential Debate (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

The third 2012 Presidential Debate is about to start, and the topic this time is supposed to be foreign policy.  Skeptic that I am, I have serious doubts that as many Americans will tune in as did for the past two.  Or if they do, they may quickly tune out.  Or change the channel to the Cardinals – Giants game, or the Lions – Bears game.

Why?  Well, basically because the rest of the world is right.  We are self-centered and arrogant.  One has only to turn on an American newscast to see that we only know about something happening in the world if it involves or affects us.  I have to watch BBC World to find out what is really going on in the rest of the world. So, tonight we learn about the foreign policy of each candidate.  Well, we learn about Romney’s foreign policy, as we already know Obama‘s.  I think most people need to realize that it ultimately doesn’t matter what the President thinks about foreign policy.  What it boils down to is that they always listen to the military Generals.

Foreign policy can be defined as, “a policy pursued by a nation in its dealings with other nations,designed to achieve national objectives.” (dictionary.com)  In layman’s terms, that means we always do whatever is necessary to protect our interests.  Foreign policy really doesn’t have anything to do with being the protector of the little guy, or the nice big brother, or the equalizer for justice.  It has to do with utilizing our military in a manner that will keep the US as king of the mountain.  Sometimes that even makes us the bully of the world.

I don’t want you to think that I am anti-USA or anything.  I personally believe we have an obligation, as the big brother of the world, to be the champion against other bullies.  I like that economic sanctions seem to be working against Iran – to get them to come to the negotiations.  But let’s not kid ourselves.  We wouldn’t want to talk to Iran about their nuclear program if there wasn’t something in it for us.

My belief is that we need to stop talking about foreign policy, and start talking about world policy.  With our global economy and technological innovations, the entire world is within our reach.  I believe it is our responsibility to make the world a better place for EVERYONE.  We need to start talking about what we are going  to do for the world, not what we are going to do to keep our standing in the world.  The thing about big brothers is that when the little brothers and sisters grow up, they often fight back.

Related articles

 

The Second Presidential Debate

Leave a reply

 

Ok, I have to fess up and admit that I didn’t watch the second Presidential Campaign debate live; I watched it last night on my DVR. I can somewhat understand why people say, “It’s not the same” to watch something after the fact.  I love my DVR because of the freedom it allows, but I can’t tell you how many times I have had to say, “Don’t say anything!” when someone started to talk about the Patriots or Red Sox games.  It was a little different with the debate. I wasn’t worried about the score, although I did hear that Obama “won.”  However, it is difficult to participate in the discourse when you don’t know what lies each of the candidates threw out this time.  I’m sorry if I sound bitter, but I really just want this election season to be finished. 

Overall, my impression was that Obama did a much better job this time around, and Romney didn’t know what to do about that.  Obama did not let Romney control the debate by looking down at his notes.  I agree with Paula Poundstone (on NPR’s Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me!) that he probably didn’t know he would be on split screen.  I just hope he was crafting a letter of apology to Michelle for spending their anniversary with the Romneys. 

Anyway, Obama did not seem distracted this time, and in fact seemed like he thrives in a Town Hall setting. The extemporaneous nature of a Town Hall meeting favored Obama.  Overall, my impression is that Obama is more comfortable dealing with the average Joe.  Romney is a shrewd businessman, and he seems most comfortable when not put on the spot to think like a regular guy.

At one point, I thought Romney and Obama were going to come to blows.  Apparently, however, that is not a problem since Tagg would have fought the battle for his father.  I wonder how he would have fared against Malia and Sasha. Maybe we should have Connecticut Senate candidate Linda McMahon put them in the ring for the WWE.

I’m not going to get into the fact-checking aspect of the debate.  Suffice it to say, they both lied.  Once again, I am left longing for the days when we had politicians that served the people and were honest…  Um…  Well, at least we didn’t have the Internet to tell us just how much of what they said were lies.  Where, oh where, are my rose-colored glasses?

So, you are probably wondering if I have decided yet how I will vote.  Actually, I’m not sure I will be able to vote.  I was notified by my city that I did not fill out the city census (which I distinctly remember filling out and putting in the mailbox WITH a stamp), so I have been removed from the voting rolls.  I then filled out a voter registration card in front of a supermarket for a voter registration group.  They were very spirited and said many people in my city received the same letter.  Apparently, they had even canvassed my neighborhood months before and the registration forms had “just mysteriously disappeared”.  After signing me up and giving me a pen that reminds me to vote, they said I would receive a confirmation letter. I never did. I hope my form did not “mysteriously disappear,” as I have not had the time to register again and the deadline has now passed. Might have been easier if I had a voter ID.

You may ask, what difference does it make if you vote or not?  Well, I feel it is my duty as an American citizen.  Additionally, we have quite a few interesting questions on the ballot this year.  Not to mention we have a hotly-contested Senate race, Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren.  (Personally, I don’t think Massachusetts voters will “split the ticket” and vote for Obama AND Scott Brown, but we shall see…)  Finally, I really want to know if I should be included in the number of disenfranchised citizens this year.  This will definitely be an interesting Election Day.  I could always vote on the issues that interest me and leave the others blank.  Or maybe I could make a statement in write in Ted Kennedy… Or Big Bird… Maybe I will just take a vacation day and stay in bed…

Related articles

Sea Creatures and Political Monsters

Leave a reply
An illustration from the original edition of T...

Giant Squid Illustration from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

I am so disappointed to find that scientists did not discover a new sea monster this week.  Yes, that’s right.  That giant eye is believed to have come from a swordfish.  Apparently, they can grow up to 1,400 lbs, so finding an eye that large is not completely unlikely.  Not that I would want to have that thing on the end of my fishing pole.  It would take hours to reel in, and as beautiful as that deep blue is, it would still creep me out.

As much as I would like to continue discussing that big, blue eye, there are other pressing matters that draw my attention.  Of course, there is the Presidential campaign and debates.  People spend entirely too much time discussing what each person is and is not saying or doing, or has and has not said and done in the past.  There is so much mud-slinging out there, I have wondered how bad it would be to go live with that 1,400 lb, one-eyed sea monster that is probably a swordfish.

However, since I can’t do that, I am going to rant about an issue no one seems to be raising:  Campaign Spending!

No matter what is said in the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates, I just can’t wrap my head around the amount of money spent on the two major campaigns combined.  Just this month, Romney’s campaign has raised over $170 million and Obama’s campaign raised $181 million last month.  According to the New York Times, by July, the two parties had already spent over $1.1 billion.

Since the landmark decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, corporations and wealthy individuals pretty much have carte blanche through super PACs to do anything they want for their chosen candidates.  I’m not even referring to the smaller donations of people like film director and producer J. J. Abrams ($50,000 to Obama’s Priorities USA) or Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc. John Chambers ($50,000 to Romney’s Restore Our Future).  It’s the people and corporations at the top of the lists that really boggle my mind.  Priorities USA shows 16 donors over $1 million and up to $2 million, including heads of large corporations, philanthropists, and unions.  Restore Our Future shows 20 donors between $1 million and $2 million, as well as two $5 million donors and one $8 million donor.

I know these numbers are becoming commonplace in politics, but let’s take a look at what else this money could buy.  To keep things simple, let’s work with $2 billion, which is less than what the two parties have spent so far on this campaign.

Using the Federal Net Calculator, a Massachusetts resident at Holyoke Community College (a modestly priced, 2-year community college near my city) can expect to pay about $40,000 (total, over the course of the two years) for tuition, fees, books, supplies, health insurance, and indirect expenses of transportation, clothing, and other daily expenses, including food and lodging.  (The cost would be slightly higher for out-of-state students.)  This means that $2 billion would buy 50,000 Associates degrees.

In that same city of Holyoke, the average starting salary for a teacher is between $18,808 and $28, 212.  Yes, you read those numbers right.  I don’t know of many places in the country, let alone in Massachusetts, where $28,212, let alone $18,808 is not considered dirt poor.  Families and children are defined as poor if family income is below the federal poverty threshold. The federal poverty level for a family of four with two children was $22,350 in 2011, and it is generally accepted that a family needs twice the poverty level to meet basic needs.  That means $44,700 is needed to meet basic needs for a family of four.  That means that the average starting salary for a teacher in Holyoke is $16,488 – $25,892 short.  $2 billion would raise the income of over 94,000 teachers to a living wage level.

I could go on and on with the comparisons, but I think you get the point.  When are we, the American people, going to say “Enough!” to the smear campaigns that do nothing but waste money that could be better spent?  When are we going to demand that our organizations and our wealthy donate their money to make a direct difference in people’s lives, rather than a direct difference in the lives of their favorite politicians?  Oh wait, that’s right, that’ll never happen.  Well, it was a good thought for a moment, anyway… Think I’ll go live with the squid…

English: Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate: 1...

English: Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate: 1959 to 2009. United States. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles

And the First 2012 Presidential Campaign Debate Goes to… Ted Kennedy?

3 Replies

 

So, the first 2012 presidential campaign debate is done.  Overall, I personally wasn’t impressed with either candidate.  I am registered Independent (well, “un-enrolled”), so I was looking forward to seeing who would sway me one way or the other.  I wasn’t overly impressed with Obama’s lack of eye contact with Romney, or his lack of excitement. Besides the constant interruptions, Romney definitely improved his public persona for this debate. However, I don’t vote based on how someone looks or how excited they seem. I vote based on where they stand on the issues. In this regard, Obama seems to be the winner in my book. Romney made some good points, and asked some good questions of the President, but Obama offered concrete answers for how he plans to handle the issues of healthcare, the economy, tax cuts, entitlements, and the role of government. The only concrete answer I remember Romney offering was that he was going to let Big Bird fly the coop.

Romney seemed entirely too secretive about his “plan.”  I don’t want to elect someone who promises to help me but won’t tell me how that will be done.  That is like me praying for money and then not being happy when someone close to me dies and leaves me money in his or her will. I want to know how I will be helped. Even if I, personally, am not helped, I still want to know about the plan. I don’t mind paying to help others, but I don’t want to be taken by surprise. I am in that $100k-250k middle class that Obama keeps saying will be footing the bill. I keep waiting for Romney to show me how he will accomplish his plan without proving President Obama right.

I guess the main reason I don’t trust Romney’s plan is that he keeps referring to all the good “he” did in Massachusetts. Let me state for the record, I am a Massachusetts resident and have been for most of my life, and all of my adult life. He was not the “Massachusetts Miracle.” We didn’t need a miracle. He didn’t “save” us. If anything, we saved ourselves. Let’s explore this further:

The Massachusetts education reform of which Romney claimed credit? That was Ted Kennedy. Working with both Republican and Democrat Senators and Administration officials, Senator Kennedy was largely responsible for shaping the current education policy of the United States. “Every major education law passed since the 1960s has borne Kennedy’s imprint, from Head Start to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. He has proven himself, time and again, to be a fighter for children and educators,” said Reg Weaver, the immediate past President of the National Education Association. Head Start in Massachusetts now serves more than 15,000 children, providing comprehensive childhood development and social services to low-income preschool-age children to prepare them for school. Senator Kennedy was a leader in consistently reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which he then later helped to rewrite in a bipartisan effort. It became the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. According to tedkennedy.org, “In many ways, NCLB built upon the strong reforms already underway in Massachusetts.  Since its passage, the number of Massachusetts students reaching proficiency in math and reading has increased for elementary, middle and high school students.  Importantly, the achievement gap between African American and white students has narrowed in both reading and math for elementary and high school students.  Further, 94% of Massachusetts school teachers… are now highly qualified as defined by NCLB.”

The Massachusetts healthcare reform of which Romney claimed credit? That was Ted Kennedy, too. Senator Kennedy worked for 40 years trying to institute universal health care. As he stated in the 2008 Democratic National Convention, it was the “cause of [his] life.” Senator Kennedy worked closely with officials from the administrations of Republican Governors William Weld and Paul Cellucci to convince the Clinton Administration to approve the necessary Medicaid waiver to allow Massachusetts to pass a major health access law in 1996 that expanded and reorganized the state’s Medicaid program into “MassHealth.” The law also expanded health insurance coverage for children, achieving near universal coverage for children in Massachusetts. In 2004, Senator Kennedy and Governor Mitt Romney teamed up to convince Bush Administration officials to permit Massachusetts to continue receiving supplemental payments as subsidies to help lower-income uninsured persons obtain coverage. This agreement, brokered by Senator Kennedy, was the major force leading to passage of the landmark Massachusetts health reform law that Governor Romney signed in April 2006.

The above mentioned actions by Senator Kennedy focus primarily on his effect on Massachusetts. That doesn’t include the effect he had on the nation. It is not just confusing but, as a Massachusetts resident, it is downright infuriating to see Romney claim credit for the long, difficult work Senator Kennedy did.

Having put credit back where it is due, there is one concept I believe both sides could learn from Senator Ted Kennedy: bipartisanship. Senator Kennedy spent his career as a far-leaning liberal, working with Republicans to make a difference. Senator Kennedy worked with 4 different governors (3 of whom were Republican) and two Presidents (one of whom was Republican) to create the sustained, bipartisan results mentioned above regarding Massachusetts healthcare reform. Senator Kennedy worked with Republican Senator Nancy Kassebaum on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, which set new marks for portability of insurance and confidentiality of records. In 1997, Senator Kennedy was the primary force, working with Republican Senator Orrin Hatch and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, behind the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides health coverage to millions of poor children. Senator Kennedy worked with President George W. Bush on the Medicare prescription drug law in 2003, although he opposed the final formulation of the Act because it steered seniors toward private plans. When Democrats did not trust President George W. Bush, Senator Kennedy partnered with him on legislation to overhaul elementary and secondary education. Senator Kennedy accepted provisions governing mandatory student testing and teacher accountability that other Democrats and the National Education Association did not like, in return for increased funding levels for education. Senator Kennedy worked with President George W. Bush and Republican Senator John McCain for immigration reform. And the list goes on…

So, last night’s Presidential Debate did little to sway me one way or the other. However, I do know that if Ted Kennedy were alive today, I’d vote for him…

Kennedy's official Senate portrait in the 1990s

Kennedy’s official Senate portrait in the 1990s (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles