He's a "celebrity!" He's got 70,000+ "followers." "The Temple of Obama." Since WHEN in politics has having a lot, A LOT of supporters a bad thing?? That's what Republicans are ordering thier people to say these days.

Before I get into this blog entry any further and people start calling me a "liberal", I want to put out that I was raised by a government and history teacher in a Republican household, most of my life I was a registered Republican, only recently switching to Independent.  I do not consider my self a "bleeding-heart liberal." I am a bit fed-up though..

I must say waching the Republican "talking points" being picked up by many media outlets and run as news or real "controversy" is maddening.  It's obvious that they are the talking points, because you flip the tv on in the morning, switching from one 24-hour news network to the other and you see that every Repulican commentator is saying EXACTLY THE SAME THING.

Their newest one attacks Obama for speaking on a set with "Greek Columns" behind him...."thinking he's a Greek God."  FIrst of all, I guess the rule of the day is to turn your rivals strengths into weakness. I do say, John McCain is the bigger celebrity. He's appeared in movies, as a guest host on countless Saturday Night Live shows, on every late night talk show, on the Daily Show numerous times. And let's not forget who the biggest celebrity in politics was: Ronald Reagan. If all they can do right now is attack the set where he's giving acceptance speech, the Grand Old Party is in trouble.

Why am I so fired up? I blame it on my sister. She called me last night. She's been following this election closely, because she's in dire straits. She is a Republican, so is her husband. They are raising three kids. They can't make ends meet, they're not worried about sending their kids to college...that's out of the question. They're hoping to feed their kids and pay the bills. She told me she is living a nightmare and so are many of their neighbors, she thought the attack on Obama's celebrity was a disgrace. Her words: Can't they tell me a reason I should keep voting for them?? Just hearing that Obama has thousands of people who want to hear him speak doesn't make him a bad person, it means people like him! I'd rather him have lots of supporters rather than lots of houses.

That got me thinking last night. I thought more supporters, not fewer was how you won an election?! Ronald Reagan must be rolling over in his grave!

The DNC is almost over. I've enjoyed watching the coverage, both ours and the cable outlets'.

It seems like even hard core republicans think the democrats have had some good moments.

Here's my question: Has watching this convention changed anybody's mind about how they are going to vote?

Were you on the fence and are now with the dems? Or have they turned you off?

Let's have a good, clean debate.

If Obama hopes to connect with middle Americans... perhaps taking the stage in front of 75 thousand people surrounded by Greek columns isn't the best choice.  But this was planned long before the McCain camp cleverly portrayed Obama as an elitist rock star.  Obama is very savvy.  He knows what the deal is tonight and what's at stake.  Even though the setting may be a bit much, he has a rare opportunity for the country to see and hear him, unedited describing where he wants to take the nation.  Insiders say the speech will be "workmanlike."  I think at this moment in history it has to be much more than that. He must inspire. 

John Hook/Anchor Fox 10 Phoenix

ive been watching the news in spanish and english, and im seating in my living room watching how joe arpio is arresting the immigrants. day in and day out, and you cant inagine how i feel eventough im an american citizen. i have mexican blood  in me all my family is from sonora mexico. and its sad to see the mexican people beign arrested. and seing arpio all happy because he got some more immigrants.and hearing the white people go back to mexico this and that.

but they dont think that theyre separating alot of families. problably the person hes aresting is the person that is supporting the family at that time hes doing more damage to the families than the immagrants are doing to you.

ive heard people talking just leave to your country, or their takeing our jobs away that one makes me laugh because if you want the job that an immigrant wabts why dont you go get it. ive been watching the street and the people who are asking for money in the street are white or black. and i see the mexicans driving their cars wearing good clothes. dont you think that they have your job because theyre working way harder than you stop wining and get the jon you want.

im so mad, sad i have a lot of feelings gooing on inside me, about everything that is going on they dont harm any one theyre here to work and to support their families so that they could have a better life. well that it for today.

The days are running together.  They're all blending in my mind.  I think this is partly because I'm sleeping 2-3 hours each night, and partly because each day is so packed with extraordinary experiences that it's hard to tell what happened when.

This morning came early, and it was really really hard to get out of bed. I'm so tired!  But I had a panel to speak at this morning and credentials to pick up at the hotel by 8, so up I got.

The panel went well - I sat with my good friend the talented Celinda Lake, and a new friend Jonathan Capehart of the WSJ.  It was chilly and early - our audience was mostly media and everyone was clutching their coffee tightly.  It went well, and I got to chat with Celinda for a few minutes afterwards.

Then off to the convention center for caucuses.  I stopped for a short break on 16th to buy a purse and a dress (doing my part to keep Denver's economy strong), but made it to caucus in plenty of time.  Caucus was great - the headlines today included Congressman Barney Frank, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias, San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsome, and more.  Everyone was cheerful and upbeat, clearly happy from yesterday's floor speeches.

I slipped out a few minutes early to head over to the GLLC reception, which was in the Opera House at the Denver Arts Complex.  What a beautiful space!  I laughed and swapped funny stories with new and old friends at the reception, and then traded my Michael Kors for sensible walking shoes in order to head to the Pepsi Center.

We walked for what felt like forever, but made it to the Pepsi Center in plenty of time to prepare for roll call.  In reality, all delegates voted this morning, so the roll call was a tally of each states' respective votes.  Being Arizona, we were quite early, and Jim Pederson represented our state well.  The roll call went on for some time, with each state calling out their delegates' votes for Obama and votes for Hillary.  Being an Obama supporter, I was a little nervous about the roll call vote.  What if a few people acted up?  What if the networks tried to spin the roll call votes into a party division that would lead to loss in November?  My nagging little worries were completely unfounded - I'd been reading too many editorials I guess.

Early on, California passed their opportunity to vote.  So did Illinois.  When the roll call reached New Hampshire, the entire delegation cast their votes for Obama.  When it reached New Mexico, they yielded the floor to Illinois.  The excitement in the room increased, and all eyes were on the floor.  We in the Arizona delegation had been looking down at New York for the last half hour, wondering what was going on down there.  The media was in a frenzy around that delegation.  Well, they went to the right place.  Illinois yielded the floor to New York, and Hillary walked onto the floor and made a motion to nominate Obama by acclimation rather than finish the roll call vote.

This is the classiest thing she has ever done.  It was perfect.  Her face beamed while making the motion, and I could feel the room's understanding of the significance of the moment.  To my knowledge, the Democratic party has never done what Hillary did today.  In one short sentence, she completely eliminated the continuation of speculation about her support for Obama.  She allowed her devoted delegates to vote their conscience, but at the same time made an unequivocal commitment to Obama by stopping the roll call and thereby ending any divisions that might appear to remain.  I'm not much of a Hillary fan, but this was just classy.

Sometime between this event and Bill's speech, Michelle Obama arrived in her box.  The Obama and Biden boxes sit directly above the Arizona delegation.  So every night, I turn and stand and wave to Michelle, and she patiently and kindly waves back at me and all the other shameless admirers.  Tonight, she entered the box in an exquisite teal dress with a jewel-crusted flower neakline.  It was incredible.

The pundits are right - she invokes comparisons to Jackie O.  She has style that is clean, simple, elegant, and definitely unique.  Her dress tonight was in that very style.  She was poised and elegant in that box, looking down on the convention.

Later, Bill Clinton spoke.  Well, he spoke after the thousands of delegates and guests in the room finally stopped clapping and cheering for him and sat down.  It took many minutes befre we quieted down - Democrats LOVE Bill Clinton and we loved him a lot tonight.   Some pundits have speculated that Bill is bitter, angry, and hurt about Hillary's loss.  Some have asked me if Bill would behave tonight, or if he'd go off the reservation once again.  My response yesterday was that Bill would do what he does so well - give a rousing and inspiring speech that compels people to action.  But tonight, he didn't do that.  Instead, he went well beyond that and delivered a speech that can only be described as phenomenal.  It was genuine, it was strong, and it was the Bill Clinton that Democrats have loved for nearly 20 years. 

John Kerry spoke, and he wasn't half bad.  Later, Beau Biden (AG of Delaware and son of Joe Biden) introduced his father and brought tears to my eyes once again.  It was the story of his mother and sister's death, and Joe's devotion to his sons during that difficult time that did it.  Beau was great - he set the stage for his father beautifully.

Joe Biden spoke and was wonderful.  He was heartfelt, genuine, smart, focused, and it was clear that he is ready to run as Obama's vice president.  At the end of his speech, his wife joined him on the stage and brought out Barack Obama as a surprise.

The crowd went wild.  Obama spoke only briefly, and then Biden's whole family joined him on the stage.  The event ended shortly thereafter, but we all left READY for tomorrow.  Barack's last-minute appearance was brilliant - we all left excited beyond description for tomorrow's event.

I was so tired after this exciting day, I thought for sure I was done.  But no - a stop by the DLCC reception, then on to the Arizona-Oregon-Washington party.  After what felt like days, we finally headed home to bed.  It's now almost 3 am and I am going to sleep for a few hours before tomorrow.

I cannot express in words how I feel right now (well, except the exhausted part.  that I can express easily.  I'm exhausted).  Tonight was an honor and a privilege to behold.  I am so lucky to be a delegate for Barack Obama, and I am so lucky to be here in Denver for this historic week.  I am so lucky to sit in that arena each night and be a part of this change.  All night, I felt a growing sense of awe and wonder.  I am part of this history - part of this week where we have nominated the most extraordinary person I've ever met in my life, and where we pledged our trust in him to help heal our country. 

I feel like a Lifetime special - all fuzzy around the edges.

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema  |  Arizona  |  Obama Delegate

Remember the movie; Night of the Living Dead?  The people stuck in the house surrounded by mindless zombies marching towards the house oblivious to anything else, only knowing that they needed to attack the live people inside.

Ask a Barack Obama supporter to list the accomplishments of the person they want to vote into the most powerful position in the world; the leader of the free world and commander-in-chief of the world's most powerful military.  You quickly realize that the Obama supporter is not unlike those zombies marching forward in such a clueless fashion. Their eyes are wide open, but their brains are incapable of engaging.

A reporter, masquerading as a mainstream network employee, ventured out into the streets of Denver the other day to ask Obama supporters their reasons for endorsing the Democrat.  The answers revealed an ignorance of facts that was disturbing. They were vague at best and sounded like idealistic pre-teens lamenting a perfect world.

So here's the problem; our nations has millions of citizens who are about to cast a vote for an empty-suit, a non-achiever, a person with extremist associates and put that person in the position to make decisions that affect our country and our people.

Isn't this the very definition of brainwashing? Voters who are not sure why they are voting for an inexperienced person, four months in the U.S. Senate, a community activist and little accomplished in a state legislature?  And they want to put this person in a position to determine nuclear war, the response to a terrorist attack or critical negotiations with world leaders? Are they thinking this through?

Would you walk into surgery, where the procedure meant life or death with a surgeon who had never successfully performed the same operation?  Apparently, many millions of Americans would. They are walking, with hands outstretched, towards that house full of living people and they are not aware of another thing.

The Obama supporters are like those who got into the lifeboat and refused lifevests. Once you are in the water with your vest, they dive in on top of you and drag you down. Their decisions are not thought-out, but you have to suffer because of their shallow thought process.

Even Hillary Clinton must be in a state of disbelief once the doors close and she can drop the act.  She lost to someone good at making speeches, with no record of distinction.  She lost to someone who stutters and stammers when the teleprompter is turned off.  A guy who is affiliated with anti-American terrorists, racial separatists and mobsters and who gets away with everything. For her, it makes no sense, just as it doesn't for those who study U.S. and world events using factual information.

And still, they keep advancing forward; mind numbed, oblivious to their candidate's shady past and blinded to future implications.  All they can do is chant; change, change, change. They march ahead, eyes open, minds closed and hands outstretched.

Well, we've finished three days of the Democratic Convention and tomorrow wraps up the week with a historic speech by Barack Obama at Invesco Field.  I'm incredibly excited to witness this event firsthand.  I really think that historians will look back on tomorrow as a historic day both for politics as well as the United States.

I've enjoyed the stories we've worked on during the week, being able to see the political process up close.  It truly is fascinating.  Today we did a story about one of the Republicans' strategic countermeasures to the Democrats.  It's called the 'war room'....and I think it is very indicative of how technology has forced the political process to evolve.  Basically, the McCain campaign has set up shop in Denver for the week in a non-desrip building.  Inside, they monitor and counter everything the Democrats have said all week.  Whether it is through a blog, press release or a TV appearance (the war room consists of a fully functional TV studio), the McCain operatives are running on full-steam.  It really was fascinating to see. 

Back at the Pepsi Center...things are getting more exciting each day.  Yesterday, Hillary's speech fired up the delegates and today President Clinton and Joe Biden's added to the excitement.  Not to mention Obama's surprise appearance following Senator Biden's speech.  The Pepsi Center was total madness yesterday during Hillary's speech.  You know those movies where the fire marshall bans people from entering a building because too many people are inside?  That was exactly what happened yesterday.  As we attempted to make our way to the floor, we were stopped by the fire marshall who said no more people could be on the floor.  It was complete wall-to-wall insanity. 

Some highlights from today....we were there when the Arizona delegation cast their votes during the roll call.  They gave 40 votes to Obama and 27 to Hillary.  We ran into some notable political figures following Bill Clinton's speech, including Jesse Jackson, Gary Hart and our own Senator Kyl.  We also caught Mohammed Ali entering the Pepsi Center prior to President Clinton's speech.  Tomorrow promises to be a day to remember.  A lot of logistics and planning have gone into it.  I'm interested in seeing how the staging at Invesco Field will look.  I'm not totally sure the reason for the Roman columns that will serve as Obama's backdrop but I guess we'll see.

 

Jon Noetzel-Chief Photographer-KSAZ Phoenix

It was a big night for Democrats - Hillary Clinton proved she could be the good soldier by actually putting Obama over the top by herself.  Former President Bill Clinton brought the hall to its feet repeatedly in one of his better convention moments.  And Joe Biden was able to introduce himself to Americans who really don't know him - and was still able to take a shot at McCain without being personal about it.

Then Barack Obama walked out on stage - in a way preparing his national audience for his big moment tomorrow night.

But I ask you this.  How much did this night really help the candidate?  Sure, unity was on display throughout, and Biden did a nice job laying out the case against McCain.  But was it a night that helped Obama's presidential bid?  Will there be a bump in the polls for him tomorrow?

I'm not so sure.  What do you think?

- Rod Haberer, Executive Producer FOX-10 News, Phoenix, Arizona

Am I missing something?  The small bits I've watched of the DNC circus, they seem to presume that the American people are dissatisfied with the current administration and that  only they (Dems) can fix the situation. They do not even address the real reason which (I feel) is the partisan games they play constantly,  they are still concerned about the party agenda, and maybe only give lip service to what affects the common person. Such a pack of self serving, two-faced hypocrits.

Totally disgusting.

The slide has begun and will continue through October. By not getting a bump from the choice of Biden our friend Obama has finally peaked. Like all flash in the pans his rise to stardom has been like a rocket. I remember an old saying my dad used to tell me as I was working my way up the ladder; “Be nice to the people you meet on the way up, it’s likely you’ll meet them again on the way down.” I have always held to this theory and it has worked for me very well. I like most entrepreneurs have had a few success’s and just as many failures in my life. With out taking chances there is little chance of real success. Some of my best friends I have met along the way. I hope our friend Obama has followed this rule or he will find it very lonely in defeat.

The newly anointed Aristocrat of the Dems will find he has few friends when then levers are pulled and the sweep for McCain has been finalized. He won’t be on any ones short list come next election as Hillary has an excellent memory and will grab at the next opportunity in 2012.

The thing that the liberal elite always seem to forget is that down deep the real Americans are the ones who work each day and pay their taxes and support their families without assistance from the government. They sometimes call themselves Blue Dog Democrats or at one time they were known as Reagan Democrats. These are the people who define what our country is really about, not the Hollywood elite who have stolen their party.

In these peoples mind there is no free ride, they have worked all their lives to gain their success. They are Black, White, Red and Yellow but there are no racial lines in their world, their definition of equality is paying your way not waiting for the next free lunch to suddenly appear. I know how these people feel because I was raised in their midst.

The last election they tried hard to put one of their own in power, John Kerry came on strong but faded in the stretch when the real people who are seldom polled came out to vote. I have faith in our system and know in my heart that working Americans are an independent bunch that will never stand for a socialistic form of Big Brother government.

And that’s my opinion,
Don

John Hook here is my response to your blog DEM DOUBTS ABOUT OBAMA . There simply was not enough space to give you my views as I see them.

 

 

 There is good reason for them to be worried. Heck just look at what they got to work with. They have an unknown Junior Senator who only did community service work prior to becoming a State Senator. He has a family background that at best is shaky. He has friends and close associates that if they were friends or associates of any Republican would have driven him off the campaign trail months ago. He declares change everyday, with not one word on what or how change will be accomplished. His energy policy consists of renewable sources but does not address what will be substituted for current oil demand. Do we all forget that literally thousands of products (not including gasoline or diesel) are made of oil byproducts. How do we replace this without going into the stoneage again?

 

 

Now let’s look at his running mate. A Senior Senator from the small State of Delaware. He is and has always been a left wing Democrat. His voting record is liberal to moderate. He voted for the 2002 Resolution to Authorize Force in Iraq. Seems that is opposite of what Obama and the Left Wing wants. In 1987 his bid for President was cut short for plagiarism and exaggerating his Academic record. In 2006 both Biden and Obama voted against a law to curb lawsuits for asbestos claims. Biden has several supports that are his biggest donors that bring these types of lawsuits to court and his son (Delaware’s Attorney General) was at the same time filing these claims. The law would have put the money into a fund for reimbursement and distributed. A bit of legality here? Looks like he is padding the pockets of supporters and family.

 

 

Now let’s look at Michelle Obama, All during this primaries her speeches were no where like what she gave the other night. She gave a speech earlier this month stating that only Barak can fix American souls. She also stated credit card debt is because of health care. It is not the job of the POTUS to save our souls and surely the government is not the organization to do so. She also stated that she had never been proud of her country before Barak ran for the Democrat nominee. She says we live in isolation and too cynical. I don’t believe that and if you do then you do need to vote Democrat. They will socialize us all so you will get to meet your neighbors in the government lines for health care and unemployment. She says things have gotten progressively worse. Well howdy do, it will get a lot worse if taxes are raised and business owners have to pay an average of $12,000 per year for each worker to provide health care for all(and this includes illegal aliens) .

 

 

Well I am sure you get my drift. Don’t let the talking points on the Main Stream media make up you minds on Obama/Biden. Listen to what they are saying very carefully, look at what they have done in the past. Think about where their vision of this Great United States is headed. Do we need amnesty for 12 million plus illegal aliens? If you say yes then who pays for them. You see right now many citizens cannot find jobs to support their families. And how much does the government do for them now? Not much at all. But illegals get free health care because no one can collect from them. You can’t garner their wages because it is impossible to know what that amounts to. Sure everyone should have health care, but at what cost and who is going to pay for it. The government? The government does not make money by working like you or I. They get their money from us, yes from us. So it isn’t free, we pay for it.

 

 

Should the Democrats be scared this year. Yes they should. They should be very scared they have a nominee that is the most liberal in the Senate teamed up with one of the oldest Senator’s in office now. They should be scared they have a nominee that has not answered many questions we the people are wanting to know. They should be scared they have a nominee that speaks of change but has not put that change out here for us to look at and analyze and have time to see the impact it will have on the middle classes pocketbook. They should be scared they have a nominee that has associations with a radical 60’s domestic terrorist, a Pastor that preaches hate against our country and a friend that was just jailed for real estate scams who assisted the Obama’s in buying their home after Barak passed legislation that helped him steal from people and our government. They should be scared …….REAL SCARED.

 

Another busy day in the life of a new conventioner! Today is Tuesday, but I feel like I’ve been at the convention for a week. I started the morning at the Women’s Caucus, were the glamorous Eva Longoria made a star appearance.

Then off to the LGBT Delegates Luncheon, hosted by the crusty, witty, and fearless Barney Frank. Michelle Obama made a surprise visit and speech, and it was another fantastic one. She wowed the crowd of Hillary supporters and we all left the event talking about both her speech and her gorgeous outfit.

I was one of the few lucky women to get into the EMILY’s LIST event right after lunch, and the metal detectors were worth it! Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama all spoke, focusing on women’s issues. Michelle once again took down the house. Our own Governor Janet Napolitano was there, and joined Michelle on the stage at the end of the program.

Late afternoon was the Tim Gill State Heroes event. Not only was the location stunning (the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art) and the crowd stylish (cocktail dress), but the spread was beyond the pale. A sushi bar, chilled dessert room, fresh squeezed kiwi juice, and lots of other delectable treats. By far the most sophisticated, classy event of the convention. Tim Gill and his partner do it right.

Tonight’s convention activities were exciting for we Arizonans – our very own Governor spoke. She did a great job and made Arizona proud with her insightful, frank and trademark practical comments.

Hillary closed out the evening with a rousing speech, aimed largely at her supporters to encourage them to rally around Obama and unify the party. The response was overwhelmingly positive.

But the highlight of this evening was definitely Governor Brian Schweitzer from Montana. A mint farmer who’s never held any previous office before now, he’s a personable, likeable, and funny guy. He wears a bolo tie every day and is most often seen in jeans and cowboy boots. He’s a hunter who brings his dog to work every day, and a man who asked a Republican to join him as Lieutenant Governor because he believes in working together instead of against each other. His speech was characteristically Schweitzer. He drawled, he hallooed, and he led the crowd in chants like “Four More Years of the Same” while talking about McCain’s plans for energy policy. He made you laugh and smile, and glad you were a Democrat. He’s perfect for the West, and it was great to see the rest of the country meet him. The crowd loved him, and I’m sure the networks did as well.

I ended the evening with a great concert – Margaret Cho, Cyndi Lauper, and Melissa Etheridge. How lucky we delegates are!

Tomorrow morning is big – I’m presenting at 9 am at The Big Tent. Topic: Four More Years. I’ll share my view of the Arizona experience of John McCain. Now, I am off to get a few hours of sleep so I speak coherently in the morning!

Representative Kyrsten Sinema | Arizona | Obama Delegate

 

 

 

Most americans may have seen Joe Biden on the Sunday morning talk shows.  He is smart, he can be charming and disarming.  He clearly has the experience to be vice president.  He's also served with John McCain in the Senate for 22 years.  He knows McCain well, they get along quite well.  My question is, will Biden take some shots at McCain tonight?  Biden is a legendary attack dog.  My bet is he will. Who better to shake McCain's veneer that people who work with him.  Politics is dirty business.  Biden may dish some dirt on McCain tonight.

John Hook | KSAZ | Fox 10 | Phoenix

A letter from a friend that I just wanted to share, Don

George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six the economy was fine.
A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) the unemployment rate was 4.5%.
4) the DOW JONES hit a record high--14,000 +
5) American's were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations overseas, living large!...

But American's wanted 'CHANGE'! So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress & yep--we got 'CHANGE' all right!.....
1) Consumer confidence has plummeted ;
2) Gasoline is near $4 a gallon & climbing!;
3) Unemployment is over 5% (a 10% increase);
4) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS & prices still dropping;
5) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.
6) as I write, THE DOW is probing another low~~ $2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS HAS EVAPORATED FROM THEIR STOCKS, BONDS & MUTUAL FUNDS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS!

YEP , IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE...AND WE SURE AS HELL GOT IT!!! ....NOW the DEMs' CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT--AND THE POLLS SAY HE'S GONNA BE 'THE MAN'--CLAIMS HE'S GONNA REALLY GIVE US CHANGE!!....JUST HOW MUCH MORE 'CHANGE' DO YA THINK YOU CAN STAND???
Ron

I have no idea who this Susan Bitter Smith person is but I'm getting a bitter taste with the overabundance of air time.  Somebody has way too much campaign funds to waste.  There ought to be a law how many times the same ad can be run in a half hour time period.  If she was in my district she could forget my vote just for being so annoying.

And we have how long to go yet?

These quotes are attributed to Thomas Sowell .. bright, articulate and a black Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Sanford Univ. Snopes tells us that Mr Sowell is sometimes misquoted. Whether his or another's, the following words are passed along, for they contain no arguable information and are worthy of thought -- regardless of who was responsible....


"People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything."

"Would you bet your paycheck on a weather forecast for tomorrow? If not,
then why should this country bet billions on global warming predictions that
have even less foundation?"

"The next time some academic tells you how important diversity is, ask how
many Republicans there are in their sociology department."

"The most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that
they do not work. Therefore we should not be surprised to find the left
concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to
survive."

"Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an
intellectual could ignore or evade it."

"Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three
decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded
good."

"People sometimes ask if I have tried to convince black 'leaders' to take a
different view on racial issues. Of course not. I wouldn't spend my time
trying to persuade the mafia to give up crime. Why should I spend time
trying to convince race hustlers to give up victimhood? It's their bread and
butter."

"Blacks were not enslaved because they were black but because they were
available. Slavery has existed in the world for thousands of years. Whites
enslaved other whites in Europe for centuries before the first black was
brought to the Western hemisphere. Asians enslaved Europeans. Asians
enslaved other Asians. Africans enslaved other Africans, and indeed even
today in North Africa, blacks continue to enslave blacks."

"How come Barack Obama's tired Leftist bromides are seen as refreshing new
ideas?"

"Senator Obama is being hailed as the newest and freshest face on the
American political scene. But he is advocating some of the oldest fallacies,
just as if it was the 1960s again, or as if he has learned nothing and
forgotten nothing since then."

"He thinks higher teacher pay is the answer to the abysmal failures of our
education system, which is already far more expensive than the education
provided in countries whose students have for decades consistently
outperformed ours on international tests."

"Senator Obama is for making college "affordable," as if he has never
considered that government subsidies push up tuition, just as government
subsidies push up agricultural prices, the price of medical care and other
prices."

"He is also for "alternative fuels," without the slightest thought about the
prices of those fuels or the implications of those prices. All this is the
old liberal agenda from years past, old wine in new bottles, a new face with
old ideas that have been tried and failed repeatedly over the past
generation."

"Senator Obama is not unique among politicians who want to control prices,
as if that is controlling the underlying reality behind the prices."


I published these thoughts of Dr. Sowell to create discussion and comment by both sides. For once you have no excuse to call me a racist or a sexist. These words are those of another, not mine. I just happen to agree with what he has to say about these important matters.

Thank you Dr. Sowell
Don

Jack Wheeler is a brilliant man who was the author of Reagan's

 

strategy to break the back of the Soviet Union with the star wars race and expose their inner weakness.

 

For years he wrote a weekly  intelligence update that was extremely

 

interesting and well structured and  informed. He

 

consults(ed) with several mega corporations on global trends  and the

 

future, etc. I think he is in semi-retirement now.

 

He is a true  patriot with a no-nonsense approach to everything. He is

 

also a somewhat  well known mountain climber and adventurer.

 

Subject: Dr.  Jack Wheeler Regarding Obama

 

Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler

 

The O-man,  Barack Hussein Obama, is an eloquently tailored empty

 

suit. No resume, no  accomplishments, no experience, no original

 

ideas, no understanding of how  the economy works, no understanding of

 

how the world works, no balls, nothing but abstract empty rhetoric

 

devoid of real substance. He has no real identity. He is half-white, which he rejects. The rest

 

of him is mostly  Arab, which he hides but is disclosed by his

 

non-African Arabic surname  and his Arabic first and middle names as a

 

way to triply proclaim his  Arabic parentage to people in Kenya . Only

 

a small part of  him is African Black from his Luo grandmother, which

 

he pretends he is  exclusively. What he isn't,  not a genetic drop of, is 'African-American,'

 

the descendant of enslaved Africans brought to America chained in slave

 

ships.  He hasn't a single ancestor who was a slave. Instead, his Arab ancestors  were slave owners. Slave-trading was the main Arab business

 

in East Africa for centuries until the British ended  it. Let that sink  in: Obama is not the descendant of slaves, he is the

 

descendant of slave  owners. Thus he makes the perfect Liberal

 

Messiah. It's something  Hillary doesn't understand - how some complete

 

neophyte came out of the  blue and stole the Dem nomination from her.

 

Obamamania is beyond politics  and reason. It is a true religious

 

cult, whose adherents reject Christianity yet still believe in

 

Original Sin, transferring it from the  evil of being human to the

 

evil of being white. Thus Obama has  become the white liberals' Christ, offering absolution from the Sin of  Being White. There is no reason or logic behind it,

 

no faults or flaws of  his can diminish it, no arguments Hillary could

 

make of any kind can be effective against it. The absurdity of

 

Hypocrisy Clothed In Human Flesh  being their Savior is all the more

 

cause for liberals to worship him:  Credo quia absurdum, I believe it because it is absurd.

 

Thank heavens  that the voting majority of Americans remain Christian and are in no  desperate need of a phony savior.

 

His candidacy is  ridiculous and should not be taken seriously by any thinking American. And that is his truth of this matter. Do you have any further thoughts?

The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association says it's troubled by a proposed ballot initiative that would prevent birth certificates from being issued to children of illegal immigrants.

 

The association says it's still studying the newly filed proposal but that it appears it would place hospital personnel in a law enforcement role. That might erode the trust between providers and patients.

The "Birthright Citizenship Alignment Act" proposed for the state's November 2008 ballot would require hospitals to check the citizenship of parents of newborns.

Some critics of illegal immigration contend that the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment has been misapplied and was never intended to automatically grant citizenship to babies of illegal immigrants.

When is enough, enough?   Does anyone know if this made it on the Ballot?

My sense so far covering the Democratic Convention is that dems have some concerns about Obama and whether he can win this thing. Certainly his opponent, Hillary Clinton along with her husband did the best job raising doubts about Obama's experience for the job.  I think those doubts linger.  I sense some unease in the hall.  Maybe its just typical democrat angst because of recent elections.  A sure thing (Obama elected) seems to be slipping away into at least a very close race and maybe a loss in November.  Dems need reassurance.  I don't know if the Clintons can do that over the next two nights. Then its up to Obama on Thursday night.  A tall order to eviscerate doubts in one speech.  Stay tuned.

John Hook/Anchor Fox 10 Phoenix

Well, day one is behind us and what a historic one it was.   I know that the buzz yesterday was all about Michelle Obama's speech but it was Ted Kennedy who truly stole the show.  We were on the floor in front of the stage shooting video of Ted Kennedy during his speech and I felt like I was witnessing history.  Despite your political beliefs Teddy Kennedy is a political icon in this country and it is very possible that he spoke at his final convention last night.  His tribute was moving and his speech memorable. 

On the technical end, it is definitely a challenge to cover the convention as a photographer.  For starters, security is extremely tight...I've never seen anything like it quite frankly.  Being on the floor during Kennedy's speech was interesting.  All the photographers had to kneel in front of the stage and we were packed in like sardines.  It was crazy but exhilirating.  The cool thing about events like this is that everywhere you look you see someone famous.  Yesterday, as we were leaving the Pepsi Center to go edit our stories, I spotted Jimmy Carter in the hallway.  You never know who you will run into.

Looking forward to day 2.  Governor Napolitano speaks today and we'll be there.

Jon Noetzel-Chief Photographer-KSAZ Phoenix