Steve_Krafft's Blog

I read some political commentary suggesting it's bad for Barack Obama to take a few days off in Hawaii, even though he spent much of his boyhood there, his grandmother lives there, and his grandfather is buried in a U.S. military cemetery there.

The reason it was "bad" to go to Hawaii is because it reinforces Obama's supposed "otherness". You see, this "exotic" man is visiting an "exotic" place. Going there reinforces Obama's "otherness." He should have stayed in the States. That's the argument.

Since when is Hawaii such an exotic place to go? Last time I looked it was one of the 50 states. Pearl Harbor is there. Millions of people honeymoon there. Don Ho lived there. The University of Hawaii had a really good college football team last year with a star quarterback named Colt Brennan...remember? College football--the same game played in the other 49 states.

Sounds to me like this "otherness" thing is code for Barack is Black/muslim/blah/blah/blah.

There are certainly plenty of reasons to disagree with Obama and not vote for him if you are so inclined. You can disagree with his tax policy, his foreign policy credentials, his stance on energy independence and oil drilling. You may simply not like him. That's politics.

But to me, people who actually buy into this "otherness" thing are either ignorant or bigoted or both. 

I'm hearing a lot of talk lately about how presidential candidates are elitists.

What do you expect? They're in this position because they have elite qualifications or experience or family histories. They have a drive none of us can fathom.

 Let's look at this election:

Barack Obama rose from humble circumstances to become president of the Harvard Law Review, gifted author, inspiring speaker. So somehow that's bad?

John McCain comes from a prominent family, a storied military career of his own, and he was the son of an admiral, grandson of an admiral. So somehow that's bad?

When people reach high levels in life why is that somehow a political liability?

Are the rest of us just jealous?

Some of George Bush's campaign pros from 2004 are at the controls for John McCain and they're busy trying to define Barack  Obama for the voters, most famously in a new ad likening the Democrat to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Do you think this approach squares with Mr. McCain's image as a principled maverick? Or is he going  on the low road? And, will it work?

You need to respond.

A new scientific study suggests people are gay, or not, because of biology.

The brains of gay people and straight people are different... according to the study.

So homosexuality is not a moral failing but a biological trait.

That is how some people are interpreting the study.

What is your opinion?

Sound off!

Hey people!

I need your take.

Does it bug you Barack Obama has opted out of public financing for his campaign. He will use private money instead, and he is raising a ton.

Or do you think it is a good thing?

Or don't you care?

It's time you shared your point of view with the nation.

Mexico has a state-owned oil monopoly called Pemex.

Gas there is about $2.89 a gallon versus 4 bucks plus here.

If Mexico says it's okay for Americans to cross the border to buy gas, should people with Arizona license plates be allowed to go into Mexico to fill up their tanks?

Why do you think Hillary lost?

Was she a step behind the times?

Was it Bill Clinton?

Just bad luck?

DID you like her concession speech this weekend?

AND--do you think she will be Barack Obama's running mate?

I'm curious to hear your take on the news.

OK troops, time to get busy:

The California Supreme Court rules gay marriage should be legal. This is a huge development. Time to have your say.

Questions:

Is this good?

Do gay people have the same rights as straight people?

What's wrong with being gay, anyway?

Is being gay immoral?

Are gay people inferior to straight people under the law?

Why shouldn't gay people have the same right to get married as straight people?

Why should gay people have any rights under the law?

Should there be a constitutional amendment one way or the other on this?

What effect will this have on the presidential election?

I am throwing out all these questions as conversation starters.

I don't care which side you are on...I want your point of view.

I want a lot of people to comment pronto!

QUESTION: Should Hillary bag it?

No way she will get enough delegates, right?

So why is she staying in the race?

Is she trying to sabotage Barack Obama's campaign?

Is she trying to put herself in a position to be on the ticket as Vice President?

Is it a matter of pride or a way to pay tribute to her loyal supporters?

What do you think?

What did you think of the recent Vanity Fair magazine photos of the "Hannah Montana" teen star? It was not exactly Disney Channel fare.

It seems her handlers/agents/parents and perhaps the teen star herself want to straddle the line between girlhood and womanhood. This may make commercial sense but it can make people feel uneasy. Britney Spears went down this road, remember. Lindsey Lohan too. And Brooke Shields back in the day, although she kept her life together.

What do you make of the photos? Are you concerned? Does it send the wrong message to kids? Grownups?

Rev. Jeremiah Wright has gone on a media offensive... trying to defend his reputation. What do you think he's doing to Barack Obama's campaign?

Will his comments sink Obama?

I WAS ON A STORY TODAY THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CAMPAIGN.

 A VERY PLEASANT SENIOR CITIZEN WALKED UP TO ME.  WE GOT TO TALKING. I ASKED HER IF SHE FOLLOWS POLITICS, BECAUSE EVERYBODY SEEMS TO HAVE A TAKE ON THE CAMPAIGN THESE DAYS.

"SURE DO," SHE SAID. SHE THEN TOLD ME MATTER-OF-FACTLY BARACK OBAMA HAS NO CHANCE OF BEING ELECTED PRESIDENT.

"THIS IS A WHITE CHRISTIAN NATION," SHE SAID. "IT IS NOT TIME NOW FOR A BLACK MAN." SHE THEN TOLD ME SHE HAS A VERY LOW OPINION OF BLACK PEOPLE,  AND IT WENT DOWN FROM THERE. 

HER TIRADE TOOK ME ABACK BUT MADE ME WONDER: HOW MANY VOTERS ARE THERE LIKE THIS LADY AND WHAT IMPACT WILL THEY HAVE ON WHO WINS THE WHITE HOUSE?

Every now and then I drop a pearl of wisdom for your perusal.

Here's one you can take to Vegas: Barack Obama will win the nomination and pick Hillary Clinton for his running mate.

Sen. Obama has too much of a lead... with only a few states left to weigh in. He will maintain his delegate and popular vote edge. Superdelegates will end up siding with him. They will not overturn the will of the voters, however slim the margin.

But Mr. Obama has obvious weaknesses as a candidate. New Jersey, Ohio, California, Texas, Pennsylvania... large state after large state and he has fallen short winning the votes of women, older voters, white men, and people who have not gone beyond high school. He lags behind winning support from Latino voters.

These are voters who back Hillary. Barack Obama needs more of their support to win.

On the Republican side, John McCain is working hard to woo blue-collar "Reagan Democrats." Democrats will become increasingly alarmed about this as the nominating fight drags on.

Hillary may not want a number 2 spot but party elders will lean on her. She is 60 years old... if Mr. Obama wins and serves two terms she will be in line to succeed him at age 68. To compare: if Sen. McCain wins he will become president at 72.

Sen. Obama may not like Hillary Clinton much... but he can try to keep her at a distance when she is Vice President. He may even find her a valuable ally. Never place too much stock in animosity on the campaign trail. Differences get patched over  quickly.

This pairing is the Democrats' best chance.

Remember... I called it.

 Barack Obama says some people in small-town America are "bitter" because they are losing out in today's economy, so they take refuge in guns and God and anti-immigrant fervor.

Is this a less-than-artful way of telling the truth...

or is Senator Obama flat-out wrong?

And what does this dust-up mean to his campaign? Is he going to get clobbered in Pennsylvania and go on to get upended by Hillary Clinton... or perhaps limp to the nomination only to lose out to John McCain?

Or... will people forget about this comment and focus instead on the Iraq war and the lousy economy when they cast their votes?

Mayor Gordon thinks Sheriff Joe has gone too far in his illegal immigrant sweeps. He's called for the FBI to look into the sheriff's activities.

Do you think Mayor Gordon is right?

Or do you think Sheriff Joe is right?