Yes, times are hard. We’ve bailed out AIG. Lehman went under. Banks have gone under. People are losing their homes faster than a wildfire spreads. Unemployment numbers are also up. Indeed, times are hard.

And while we can point fingers at Bush and the Republicans, the Democrats haven’t done any better. Dems have won back the majority since 2006, and they’ve done nothing to speak of in terms of the economy, Iraq, and more.

The clips shown of Barney Frank and other Democrats insisting that Fannie and Freddy were stable only highlight their incompetence. And if we look to Bush and his party, they’ve done no better.

What’s a voter to do?

Well, we can take the lazy road and just blame the Republicans and vote Democrat, keep our fingers crossed, and pray that they’d do better. But wait, they already haven’t done better. And suddenly there feels like there is NO ONE prepared to take this on and fix it in either party.

No matter, as an American, I have faith in our citizens and know that we can overcome this and come back better, smarter and stronger. But as far as our leaders go, well, I’m not so sure about that.

Having been a strong Hillary Clinton supporter, it saddens me that she was not nominated, because I know that Hillary and Bill could’ve made things better for us. They cleaned up Bush #1’s mess and they could’ve cleaned up Bush #2’s mess.

But here we are now, no Hillary. No Bill. Just Obama and McCain.

And while I’ve left my mind open in the last few weeks, trying to decide which of these two men could actually step in, take charge, and do better, I have to say that I’m not entirely sold on either ticket.

I am leaning toward McCain, because he does have a track record of being a reformer, as does Palin. I don’t think that these times require party ideology and nonsense like that. The stakes are too high.

I think that the task for ALL Americans is to sit back, put party politics aside and do what’s best for this country, and that is a spirit we haven’t seen in a long time. About 8 years to be exact.

And in an effort to be positive, while perhaps Obama and McCain aren’t perfect, at least we’ll be rid of Bush. There’s one thing we can celebrate about in these uncertain times.

We have seen far too many instances in recent elections where candidates winning the popular vote still lost the election.It makes no sense to me.

If the people are to be properly heard and represented, then the candidate with the most votes should win.Simple enough, isn’t it?

The current system creates division.The current system robbed Al Gore, and the current system has now robbed Hillary Clinton.Aren’t you sick of it? Instead of sitting here and thinking what might have been had Gore gotten in office in 2000, or if Clinton won the nomination in 2008, isn’t it about time that We The People did something about this disastrous system?

If you believe that the need the electoral reform is way past due, then please, please show your support by commenting here with your contact info and we can devise strategies to move forward.

First of all, he spoke quite a bit on unity, about reaching across the aisle, about healing partisan wounds and the corrupt culture of Washington.

Sorry but I think he’s already failed on all above in the process of being nominated.

Of course, the best way to prove my point is to look at how he’s treated Hillary Clinton.

During the primaries, the lies against her were non-stop. I thought it is disgusting that anyone would treat a former first lady with such contempt.

The Clintons, love ‘em or hate ‘em, were responsible for some very good times for this country during the 90’s. We owe them. They have stood up for the middle class and families consistently. Both didn’t come from any old money, they made it on their own, and when they did, they didn’t forget where they came from.

Sure, they aren’t perfect. But none of us are, and compare their lives to the lives of others and we can safely say that the Clinton’s have both done much to benefit the lives of others both inside and outside of America. My respect for them is based on that. And I cannot throw rocks at people that have done more for America than me.

But somehow, Obama and his wife cared for little about the contributions both Bill and Hillary have made to this country and their party. Based on that, I have no respect for either of them, especially because the two of them are done NOTHING for this country.

This behavior continued toward many other people in the party worthy of respect. They treated Ferraro the same way, and many others...

Obama has paid lip service to some good concepts, like unity, but at the end of the day, it was all talk. A lie. A cheat. It was bullshit.

And of course we move forward to the VP spot and the way Clinton was treated here by not even being vetted was utterly disgusting.

The NY delegation was all for it.

But once again, Obama cheated everyone and did what he thought was right for HIMSELF. No unity, no reaching out, no giving a damn about the voters.

After seeing her speak at the convention, it’s very clear to me that Hillary Clinton was the right person and should have been the nominee. Not having her as our president or vice president cheats us of her numerous talents. You can thank Obama for that.

What Obama does not realize is that in cheating everyone else, the person he’s cheated most was himself...

I like Joe Biden. I thought he would’ve done better during the primaries, but the media crushed him just like the rest of the Dem candidates.

But now, in terms of the ticket. It doesn’t work. Biden in “Washington insider” while Obama has damaged that Washington insider type for far too long to just pick one now as it it’s alright.

And then it hit me. Not only is Biden the Washington Insider, he’s also VOTED FOR THE IRAQ WAR. Wait, wasn’t this the sin of Hillary Clinton that Obama used to show he had superior judgement? Wasn’t this vote the one that’d make you inelgible to be anywhere NEAR Obama?

Another change. And not the kind of change we expected from Obama... this change just amounts to more of the same. More and more of these reversals demonstrate Obama’s all talk and no action spine.

He can talk something down to suit him when he needs to, but suddenly Biden’s experience helps him, so now the Iraq war vote isn’t so bad anymore... I am more and more glad that I’ve left this party every single day.

While the news was not exactly startling to me, I do have to say that the person I really feel sorry for is his courageous wife, Elizabeth.

As you all know, Edwards recently ran as a Presidential candidate in the Democratic party and did fairly well. Personally, I think the media did him a great dis-service by ignoring his candidacy all along. I admired his dedication to alleviating poverty for Americans, since so few American politicians ever really do anything about it.

The troubling aspect of this whole story has to do with the media, who are - once again - ignoring Edwards. But this time, it’s for a different reason.

The mainstream media loves to pick on naughty Republicans. They had a field day with Mark Foley, the Republican caught up in a gay scandal, for instance. But I think all of us have to question what is going with the media when they start picking what’s important and what’s not. And when an obvious bias like this occurs, it makes me wonder -

Are journalist any less corrupt than politicians these days?

It appears that they want to do our thinking for us. It also appears that they think they can set the agenda for the country, but that is NOT their job.

The role of the press is to inform, not manipulate. And it’s pretty clear that this is what they are doing.

They’ve done this all along thoughout the primaries. Slamming Clinton so much that it was actaully ugly. And since then, I have abandoned stations like NBC/MSNBC totally. When Fox News is actually more “fair and balanced” than Olbermann, it’s time to tune out.

I think that it is important for the Edwards affair story to be told and proven true, or untrue. Voters need to know. He did endorse Obama, and many speculate he is the perfect candidate for Attorney General. Is this why the media is down playing this story? Is it because they so don’t want to hurt the Democratic party that they can turn a blind eye to this situation?

I sure hope that someone, somewhere, has the guts to be a REAL journalist that doesn’t play dirty and doesn’t try to manipulate us. Because until then, no news is worth watching. Because if it was more important during the primaries that Edwards got a $400 haricut than this, it’s pretty obvious they need to get their priorities in order.

First there was the way the Dems handled the Michigan and Florida issues during the primaries. It was unfair, it was crooked and it was dirty. Then there was the way they demanded unity from the 18 million Clinton supporters. And now there’s the convention.

Estimates have put costs for this convention at over $40 million dollars.

Let me say that again.

$40 million dollars.

Stunning.

And this is the party of the poor? This is the party of the badly hurting middle class? This is the party that, for decades, made fun of rich Republicans and put them down for ignoring the poor and being greedy? Then what do they call this?

I don’t know what they call it. But I know what I call it.

A disgrace.

In a world where rising fuel costs have strained wokring families, in a world where a gallon of milk costs over $4.00 in New York, in a world where people’s homes on being foreclosed in record breaking numbers, THIS is how they decide to spend $40 million dollars?

Wait. I’m not done yet.

Because it gets better.

And then there were reports on the news that the DNC was going to clean up the homeless, and get them “off the streets” by giving them tickets to see movies during the convention.

Again, stunning.

Again, a disgrace.

$40 million dollars on a convention. But the homeless get free movie tickets.

Is there any reason left to wonder why so many Democrats have left the party?

Not anymore.

For full details on the NY Times article, follow this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/us/politics/06convention.html

First of all, can you take someone - anyone - put them in a suit, surround them with the press (and cameras) put them on a plane and headed for the Middle East thinking that this will make them qualify for being President of The United States?

Uhhh, nope.

All this extended trip really turns out to be a photo op. An attempt to somehow endow Obama with international experience and foreign policy credentials that add up to nothing.

I am listening to Karl Rove right now. He is talking about how McCain’s advantage over Obama in the foreign policy realm is 46% among voters. That’s hefty, and if I were on Obama’s team, I’d be scared about that number as well.

And let’s not forget that Obama’s trip was only inspired by a challenge from McCain in the first place... and if someone else has to tell you that seeing the war zone with your own two eyes before you become POTUS, well, that speaks for itself. Had McCain never brought it up, Obama would have never went.

So many are speculating on TV. Sitting here working and listening off and on to the news, it occurs to me that none of them are speaking the truth whatsoever.

They wonder if she’ll concede, they wonder if she’ll “suspend” her campaign and all of this other nonsense. But do any of these morons wonder if Hillary will cut through the bullshit and speak the truth?

I think Hillary should address her supporters with honesty integrity about what has happened in this process. And perhaps she should say:

“Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me no pleasure to tell you that our country no longer exists as it was intended. Our precious right to vote has been flush down the toilet, and all of you already know that you have been mislead, lied to and screwed by the Democratic party.

While we were all all given the show of a fair race for the nomination, it was a lie. The decision was actually made BEFORE you had your say so. The decision was made by a handful of elitists who thought it more important to advance the agenda of nominating a black man before the good of this country. Shame on them.

And it’s not only women’s votes who are being ignored, but also Latino votes, white votes, seniors votes - MILLIONS of loyal voters who have supported this party for decades without fail - you now been told/instructed/ordered to unite behind a candidate that does not represent millions of voters, but your party demands that you to blindly follow them and accept what they have done to all of us. Don’t do it. Just because a handful of left wing idiots suffer from some yet unamed mental illness and are incapable of rational thought doesn’t mean that you have to join that club.

Rather than sticking with a party that threw me and my husband under the bus for no good reason, I am leaving this party as of this instant and will run as Independent candidate this fall.”

In a world where being PC rules, there comes a time when some braver souls dare to be truthful over being polite. Yes, New Yorkers tend to do that quite often. Actually it’s something I’m rather proud of.

Let’s go back to the Ferraro “controversy” for a moment.

Geraldine Ferraro, a lifelong Democrat, was slammed and abused in the media and used by Obama’s people in an effort to deflate the Wright controversy that they KNEW was coming out.

Naturally, David Axelrod, Obama’s campaign guru, knew this was about to hit the media because ABC had contacted them for an interview prior to the story being released. So, Axelrod dug up the Ferraro comments to twist it all and make Hillary and her team look like racists.

It was an ugly, disgusting and dirty tactic, but it was one that worked. It worked to rally more black support for Obama. There is no denying this, since Obama gets upwards of 90% of the black vote steadily.

Of course, this stunt then gave some in the media license to call Hillary and her supporters “racists” when there is nothing further from the truth.

Hillary has never done anything that would make her a racist. Her record speaks for itself. Same with Ferraro. But the name-calling game was in full swing, and ugly labels took center stage over the issues - much like Obama’s team wanted, since he can’t compete on the issues and has no real track record to speak of.

The sad thing in all of this is that no one on Hillary’s side is really engaging in any real name-calling the way I will here today.

Yesterday, I engaged in a discussion with a man online. I am not sure of his race, but he is male.

Anyway, he slipped and said that Hillary was trying to take the election from a “deserving black man.”

Excuse me? Deserving? Why is he that? What makes anyone “deserving” in a race for a nomination like this except for Al Gore?

The conversation went on and this man could NOT answer that simple question. Why the use of the word “deserving”?

“You’re reading too much into my use of the word,” said he.

“No, I am NOT. You slipped. You said “deserving” because Obama is a MAN and YOU are also a MAN and rather than being HONEST, you chickened out, and you tried to take this word of out play. YOU put it out there. But you lack the spine to be honest,” I replied.

Chickens. All of them. The liars at MSNBC, who just the other day failed to post anything on their website revealing that Obama’s people held secret meetings with Hamas. Fox reported it on their website. NOTHING on MSNBC’S website last I checked.

It’s really odd and strange, that those so willing to label others become so shocked when labels get thrown back at them.

Concerning the Wright controversy, there have been MANY pundits and people who have danced around the issue, making all of these crazy excuses like “Obama didn’t say it,” or some such weak reason to give Obama a pass for hanging around Wright for more than 20 years and not completely blasting him when the story broke.

Chickens. All of them. Because the REAL reason these people aren’t reacting like some of us stems from the undeniable truth that they must agree with Wright and by extension, also with Obama.

America is an awful country. America made AIDS to kill blacks. America deserved 9/11. Innocent Americans deserved to die beacuse of our foreign policy. These are not my views. Mine are the oppostite. However, those that still support Obama in spite of this hateful talk seems to indicate that some negative attitudes about America are out there.

And rather than come out and say it, they dance around the issue, making all of these excuses to justify their weak arguments. Enough already - just SAY it! Because the lying isn’t working. It insults everyone, perhaps you more than me.

My goodness. It is hard to respect those that cannot be truthful. This is, of course, America. And everyone is entitiled to free speech. But that doesn’t matter when honesty has gone out of style. And that doesn’t matter when you’re too chicken to be honest.

I’m not a chicken. I say what I think and why I think it. Perhaps this is why many will call me names that I don’t deserve. Well, this is me firing back, this is me telling like it is.

- The DNC is made up of male chauvanist pigs who are afraid to admit it. A disloyal bunch who seems to have forgotten that action speaks louder than words.

- The media are the same as the DNC.

- Obama and his supporters tend to be anti-American in their basic sentiments.

- Jeremiah Wright IS a racist, but at least he’s honest about it.

- Obama supporters tend to be anti-white.

- Clinton supporters are not racists. However, to be honest, the many that support her will have their day. Latinos, women, seniors, white working class - core base of the Democratic party - will split from this party for a very long time, having been alienated and taken for granted by the DNC.

- Fox News is the ONLY cable network covering this election fairly. Other media outlets have launched a shameful intiative to protect Obama and damn Clinton.

To those of you that still dare to tell like it is, you have my respect. But to those out there too chicken to speak up and be honest, you can stop playing the game. Because you aren’t fooling anybody.

Why is it ignored that Obama is NOT carrying the support of lower and middle-income Democrats, of Catholics and women? Not to mention more white men are also becoming Hillary supporters lately.

That mainly leaves Obama with blacks and some richer folks in our party known as the elite. These two groups do NOT represent ALL Democrats. And if Obama isn’t carrying them now, he’s NOT going to have their support come November.

The best solution on the part of Democrats was to keep Hillary and Obama TOGETHER on the ticket. This way, their supporters, combined, would give Democrats what they need to WIN in November.

My gut tells me this is not going to happen. I have clearly stated that I will support McCain if Hillary is not on the ticket. Many others will follow suit. McCain will enjoy victory in each and every state that Hillary carried during the primaries. McCain will most likely be our next President of the United States.

But back to main point. I think our superdelegates need to consider Obama’s math problem. It is being said that Hillary’s having the math problem in delegates, but Obama’s math problem is far more fatal. He doesn’t perform in key states. He can’t take NY and CA, they’ll go to McCain (trust me I am from NY). Isn’t the math problem in the general more serious than all else? Doesn’t it matter that he can’t carry the majority of the base all across the country?

I hope the superdelegates aren’t so dumb as to think that Hillary’s supporters are so loyal to the party that we’ll stick with the party regardless of who the nominee is.

We won’t. I won’t. I vote the person, not the party. And this year, I won’t be voting for Obama.