Whether you wanted Republican Presidential candidate John McCain to win or lose. Whether you like or dislike the Mac. There is one thing that we can all agree on. John McCain has given us some pretty hilarious moments over the last two Presidential elections. Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” has a great recap of the man most Americans know as “the Maverick.”
Are you interested in what Obama is up against in the campaign for president? People still believe that Obama is a Muslim. In the video above, a McCain supporter practices free speech at an Obama rally. He’s concerned about our country electing a Muslim at this point in time. Although I am a big fan of free speech, I would have hoped the “McCain-ite” would have checked out the facts. To set the record straight: Obama is not a Muslim. Just say you don’t like him. Check it out.
-The Caramel Bella
Well, there are only 4 days until the presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain. And if you are feeling a little uneasy about voting, and I mean the logistical process, Concrete Loop, has created a great Voters Guide. It answers a lot of our questions about what we can wear to the polls, where to go and even how to check your voter registration. So, head on over to their site to be ready for Election Day (Nov. 4).
Smooches,
The Caramel Bella
This post truly goes out to the 30 and over crowd, and those Gen-X’ers who remember what’s now considered “old skool” hip hop! Black Sheep has remixed their 1991 hit, “The Choice is Yours” into an Obama anthem. The underlying subtext is that you can get with this: “Progress/Obama” or you can get with that: “McCain/Bush.” And hey, you can achieve the choice by VOTING! Check it out.
Early Wednesday morning a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 170 people and leaving an estimated 15,000 people homeless. Rescuers are currently digging and searching for survivors in the a remote valley in Baluchistan, a province bordering Afghanistan. The worst hit was a British hilltop village of Ziarat and eight surrounding villages. “There is great destruction,” said Ziarat Mayor Dilawar Kakar to Associated Press. “Not a single house is intact.”
With less than a week until the presidential election, many people have decided to vote early. And in key swing states like North Carolina, Nevada and Colorado, the number of Democrats early ballots outweigh Republicans ballots nearly 2 to 1.
So, does the electoral math add up to an Obama landslide? According to the most recent Associated Press-GfK poll, Barack Obama is leading or tied with John McCain in eight key states: Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. This poll also showed Obama winning in states among early voters. Furthermore, “the polling shows Obama holding solid leads in Ohio (seven percentage points), Nevada (12 points), Colorado (9) and Virginia (seven), all red states won by Bush that collectively offer 47 electoral votes.” Based on these results, if Obama wins these four states or a magical combination of two or three of them with significant amount of electoral votes, he would almost certainly become president.
Barack Obama takes his final campaign plea to the airways. Tonight, Obama will go on national TV with a 30-minute infomercial about himself and his campaign. Even with the math beginning to add up on his side, many political strategists wonder if Obama’s infomercial could backfire on him.
And just a day before Obama’s video, CNN’s Campbell Brown reminds the American public that Obama reneged on his campaign finance promise. Obama’s decision to not take public financing allowed him to raise more than $600 million dollars (more than Bush & Kerry raised in 2004) so far, and buy 30 minutes of airtime for his infomercial on five different networks.
Although the presidential race has not been decided, a group of conservatives are discussing the political impact of Gov. Sarah Palin. If McCain and Palin win, she puts social conservatism in the White House. If the Republican ticket loses, she will be a potential presidential candidate in 2012 and leader of the social conservative movement. Is Palin the future of the Republican Party?
Perhaps showing she can strut her own stuff and agenda, Republican vice presidential candidate Palin is in Toledo, Ohio Wednesday speaking on her favorite topic, energy. Palin has called for a “clean break” from the Bush Administration’s energy policies, which she says are too dependent on foreign oil.
And in money news, the Fed is expected to cut the key interest rate by a half-point to help combat the worst financial crisis in 70 years and keep the country out of a deep recession. If the slash happens, the federal funds rate would be lowered to 1 percent. This possible interest rate cut caused European stock markets to trade mostly higher on Wednesday. And the U.S. stock market was slightly higher Wednesday after “one of the biggest single-session gains in history” on Tuesday.
Some good news: gas prices continue to fall. For the past 42 days, gas has steadily fallen to a 3-year low. Gas hasn’t been this low since Aug. 18. 2005.
What if Sarah Palin was black and from Brooklyn instead of white and from Alaska? Would she be taken seriously? One of my favorite personalities, Abiola Abrams, along with the folks at Black Planet’s NewsOne created a skit on the black Sarah Palin. Notice the way she answers (or doesn’t answer) the questions, uses God as her reason for running for office and her colloquial speech. Check it out.
The Caramel Bella
The woman who called Obama an Arab at a recent McCain rally has made it into the cultural lexicon. She’s got a stint (or, at least her likeness) on the most recent Saturday Night Live. In addition to questioning his “Arab-ness”, the so-called crazy McCain lady in the skit asks if Obama consorts with terriers, is a Jew and a Muslin (yes, the fabric). Check it out.
This post is also featured on Pop and Politics.
Last Friday, the League of Conservation Voters released their 2008 annual environmental scorecard, which shows how Congressional members voted on key energy and environmental issues. Presidential candidates, Obama and McCain, both scored low ratings on this report.
Politico reported that Sen. Barack Obama only voted pro-environment 18 percent of the time in 2008. Sen. John McCain scored a dismal zero because he missed every environmental vote (note: no vote = negative vote). Obama’s voting record dropped considerably from its 67% percent rating last year. No surprise to many greenies, this is Mac’s second year with the league’s lowest ratings.
Both Senators missed a lot of votes because of time spent campaigning for president. McCain didn’t vote at all and Obama only voted twice this year. The League reported that Obama’s votes for offshore drilling and environmental funding were in favor of the environment.
League president Gene Karpinski told Politico:
“Even under the tremendous pressure of a national campaign, Senator Obama returned to Washington to support the environment in a dozen key votes in the last two years. Sen. McCain … skipped every major environmental vote of the 110th Congress, including a bill to repeal billions in taxpayer handouts to Big Oil and to invest in clean, renewable energy. That measure failed by one vote: John McCain’s.”
Last week it was the penguins, now it’s the kangaroos. According to research by Australian scientists, kangaroos could also become extinct this century if temperatures rise only two degrees Celsius. Researchers at James Cook University issue yet another warning about global warming’s effect on animals.
Speaking of global warming, let’s follow the Brits. British energy and climate minister Ed Miliband said Thursday he endorsed proposals to reduce Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. This legally-binding pledge makes the UK the “the first country to commit to severe cuts in the production of carbon dioxide and other gases responsible for global warming.
Coming off the final presidential debate, we all heard Sen. Obama’s and Sen. McCain’s views on their proposed energy policies. To most people’s surprise, both candidates endorse nuclear power, at varying degrees, to gain oil independence from the Middle East. A recent New York Times article lays out their nuclear ideas.
On the presidential front, good news for bikers from avid cyclist: George W. Bush. Before the president leaves office, the Bush administration plans to give mountain bikers more access to national parks and other public lands. On Tuesday, the National Park Service confirmed that it is “preparing a rule that will allow decisions about some mountain bike trails to be made by park managers instead of federal regulators in Washington, a process that can take years.”
Before you eat your next bite of sushi, do you know if it’s “sustainable?” According to the sustainability guides published by three conservation groups, mackerel (aji or sawara) is fine but best-selling, fatty bluefin tuna (toro) are out. The “ocean-friendly” books produced by the Blue Ocean Institute, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Environmental Defense Fund lists whether the seafood is caught by sustainable methods. The guides list the fish by their English and Japanese names. “The three new cards will be officially unveiled Oct. 22 at Tataki Sushi and Sake Bar, which the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Ken Peterson described “as the only fully sustainable sushi restaurant in the United States.” Now, you can be eco-conscious to the last sushi bite.
Now about those oceans…. Does less ice lead to more water? University of Edinburgh scientists announced a plan Thursday to survey a fragile part of an Antarctic ice shelf this year to determine if it will crack off in coming decades and have an impact on global sea levels. Other portions of this ice shelf have already broken off in 1995 and 2002. The U.N. Climate Plan said that rising world sea levels, fueled by global warming, could cause more powerful storms, heatwaves, floods and droughts.
Check out Pop + Politics site. Yours truly was live bloggin’ about the final presidential debate. The staff and readers were able to comment on the candidates, the issues, and just joke on the whole thing. What fun!
-The Caramel Bella
CARAMEL BELLA: This is my place to write about my adventures and mis-adventures in this thing called life. I discuss my passions: the environment, politics, art & culture, writing as well as yoga, health and spirituality. The one thing you can expect from this blog is that it is not what you expected. Thanks for reading! To reach me email thecaramelbella at gmail.
