Speak Little, Listen Much

Saint Ignatius of Loyola said speak little, listen much. Maybe the followers of the GOP need to take that advice if they want their party to survive the twenty first century.

Over a week after the elections and still many Republicans fail to see why they not only lost the election, but lost it on a bigger scale than first recognized. The GOP showed on many levels that it is out of touch with the one part of the electorate that Ronald Reagan knew better than anyone else: the Middle Class.

The GOP just doesn't get it. Late last year and earlier this year, when gas prices continued to rise and people started losing their homes, they kept denying that our country was in a recession. They kept insisting that yes, the economy has slowed down however, it's just people who shouldn't have taken out house loans that are losing their homes. And as we have learned, they were wrong.

The Middle Class saw their home values dropping and their salaries not keeping up with rising fuel and healthcare costs. During the GOP Primary debates, McCain was asked how he would fix the economy and more than once he commented how he was not an economist and he would have the smart guys look at how to fix things. The problem is, those smart guys are the ones that got us into this mess in the first place!

This election cycle, much like in 1992, 1980, and 1932, the middle class was listening and they were not falling for the lies. Make no mistake, our economy is facing an even bigger crisis than it did in 1980 and 1992; this is a global mess much like 1932. And what President Elect Obama and his economic team have to figure out is how do we make the economy grow without a great manufacturing base (we lost a lot of that thanks to NAFTA).

The Middle Class is scared and that is why they voted in big numbers for Obama. Besides the fact that McCain failed to even utter the phrase "middle class," many people were bothered by how the GOP seemed more concerned with throwing mud than offering solutions to our economic woes.

And a week after the election, that is still happening. Instead of trying to figure out what wrong in this campaign, many conservative leaders are still throwing insults at Obama. One Congressman, Paul Braun of Georgia, claimed that "We can't be lulled into complacency. You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany. I'm not comparing him to Adolf Hitler. What I'm saying is there is the potential of going down that road." Rush Limbaugh is even claiming we are in an "Obama recession." Then Rush went on to complain that Obama is being partisan by hiring Rahm Emmanuel.

Seriously Rush? Really? Was he the President the past eight years? Am I missing something or are you again on another one of those highs you get when you mix your prescriptions?

And here is the funny thing, Lindsay Graham, McCain's buddy and former middle of the road guy himself, even agreed that the hiring of Emmanuel was a good thing. Hmmm...maybe Graham has awoken from that eight year conservative coma that he and McCain fell into after they let Bush steal the nomination in 2000.

What the GOP needs to do is shut up and listen. Instead of yelling from the pulpit words of hate they need to listen to the screams of the middle class that put them in power in the first place that times are tough and we need help; we need our government to quit protecting the rich and help the middle class grow instead of shrink.

Reagan always realized that if you kept the middle class base happy, you won elections. He learned that lesson the hard way in 1982 when the GOP lost several Congressional seats during a scary recession. But Reagan wasn't always a genius; he believed in the misleading theory of "trickle down economics." Well any one that has worked in middle management can tell you that the only thing that ever trickles down from above is shit; at the bottom of the troft, you get nothing but morsels.

What is even scarier for the GOP is that they lost the middle class and the rather evasive youth vote. The under twenties actually showed up this last election and voted by some estimates over seventy percent for Obama. And usually how you voted as a twenty something determines how you vote the next decade.

To counteract this, the GOP needs to listen...but not listen to the voices of hate and division within their party. They need to step away from the religious and conservative nuts that got them in this place and realize that first of all, the middle class needs help. Great countries only survive if their middle class is vital and healthy. The GOP needs to quit trying to win on "small" isolated issues like abortion, the death penalty, and gay rights. Instead it needs to focus on how to create jobs. Sorry, I can't feel sorry for people that have to pay capital gains taxes when I am trying to figure out how to meet my copayments on medical bills. And with my health insurance going up eight percent, I know that if I do get a raise next year, there is no way it's going to be high enough to pay for that difference. Where is the extra income going to come from?

Until the GOP can answer those questions with sensible solutions that actually make sense and can work (without throwing around crazy trickle down theories), they have lost me as a voter. I have little respect for a party or it's followers that continue to throw out words of hatred and malice.

The Celebration!

Short Like Yoda would like to remind all her friends who were/are enemies of the empire to remember the past twenty four hours. Lets never forget how positive all of us felt this morning as we downed our coffee to the realization that we are coming out of the thaw; like walking into Spring after eight years on the ice planet Hoth.

Barack Obama is the President Elect!

Lets enjoy this week...celebrate...party like some crazy Ewoks and remember how we achieved this by working together. And only by working together can we make things better.

THis is how I feel (click on the link!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEniXyEwmzo

Yoda Happy!

Go Vote!!!

Sorry it's been a few days since I have blogged however, I brought down my Ivan from New York. On the way home, we saw a group of young Obama supporters in New Jersey who were on their way back from a rally in Pennsylvania. They were excited, like most Obama supporters, and believed that change is a coming.

And hopefully those young folks are right.

So, if you haven't voted yet, get your tukus to the polls because they close soon in Tennessee and Virginia. And if you have voted, good! Isn't awesome to live in a democracy, as flawed as it can be?

If you are a political junkie, tonight is going to be a lot of fun. Enjoy it!

Seven Days Left

Only seven days left and like many others, I wish the time would fly by. Not that I enjoy wishing moments of my life away however, this election cycle is wearing everyone thin. I can only imagine how it is on the candidates.

Before you believe that this race is over though, let me give you an education: it's not over until we get the raw data in...as in the votes. As we get closer to Tuesday, I am becoming more convinced that Tuesday night may be a long night despite what the Huffington Post and MSNBC believe.

1. Polling has a margin of error and with each polling company having a bias, you should be weary of any poll you read that can not back up it's data. Basically what I am telling you is that you can find the same amount of info quizzing your co-workers or a bunch of morons on the street. There's no reason that anyone can promise and deliver that they will make it to the polls. People find more excuses not to vote than to vote.

2. The exit data numbers, especially in the early voting states, will be skewed. Remember, a ton of people in key battleground states like North Carolina, Ohio, and Florida have already voted in unprecedented numbers. And a lot of people will just not tell you the truth when you ask them who they voted for in exit polls. It happens. So unless you see raw numbers showing you that a candidate has won a battleground state with the big voting areas in, calm yourself down.

3. Don't be surprised to hear that many voters voted split tickets, as in Virginia. There are a lot of voters in Virginia who love Mark Warner and believe he was one of the best governors Virginia ever had. However, because they are a firm believer in checks and balances, they may be voting for McCain for President and Warner, the Democrat for Senate, because they are firmly aware of what can happen if you have an all Democratic House and Senate: a possibility that they will run amuck as much as ever before. After all, politicians are about as trust worthy as used car salesmen in many people's eyes thus, you need to support a system of checks and balances.

4. The machines may not work! In several key states, Ohio and Florida notably, there are already issues with electronic voting. Diebold, the maker of many of these machines, is aware that there are issues but it seems that there are still problems. How can you be sure that your vote counts? And that fear may keep some voters from the polls.

As I have preached to the hills before, research claims made by both candidates and when you go into the voting booth, be informed. It's worth waiting in line, trust me. I want to get a good nights sleep, don't you? So go vote and maybe, just maybe the votes will be counted right and we won't have to see those damn lawyers the day after the election.

What's Up?

Remember those Bud ads from a few years back? Here's the new version for your viewing enjoyment...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq8Uc5BFogE

I've voted...have you?

I have worked in phone banks before, for the other side. Never did the candidate show up and fire us up like this.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGraCrU_mR8

Well if Opie says so...

...you should too!

Watch Ron Howard, Andy Griffith, and Henry Winkler in a video that recalls some of my favorite shows...

This is just fantastic!

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc65ed650d