Who I'm Voting For

On April 26, 2007 I wrote my first of many candidate analyses. I ranked the order of the potential candidates in order of who I'd vote for and why. Senator Barack Obama was #7. The order is as follows.

1) Al Gore (D)

2) Hillary Clinton (D)

3) Bill Richardson (D)

4) John Edwards (D)

5) John McCain (R)

6) Mitt Romney (R)

7) Barack Obama (D)

8) Rudy Giuliani (R)

My defense for Senator Obama's low rating was as follows: Obama Who? Where did this guy come from? I'd never heard of him until last year. He is a first term, junior Senator from Illinois. Sure hes a wonderful orator, hes good looking, and very well educated. But what kind of experience does he have that he should be the leader of the free world? I'm 100% in favor of a President who is not a white, middle aged, male. Thats why I have Hillary (female) and Bill Richardson (Hispanic) near the top of my list. Obama, leave this race right now and run again in 8 years. You will have my vote. I promise. But first you need to put on public record where you stand on the issues. And convince me that you are passionate about Israel a little bit more.

When I was on the Fox News Channel's panel for undecided voters I said I considered myself undecided because if my Democratic choice (Senator Clinton) was not the nominee I'd consider voting for the Republican candidate. After all, McCain was two spots ahead of Obama on my list.

I had liked John McCain for a long time. I always thought he was a Moderate Republican. Didn't blindly vote party lines. Instead he voted what he believed was best for America. That was until he chose Sarah Palin. Governor Palin as a running mate is the antithesis of what all moderate voters saw in John McCain. She is just not what I would want to see in a potential running mate. Was Joe Biden ever pranked by a Canadian radio show using a ridiculously fake French President Nicolas Sarkozy accent? And if he was, would he have fallen for it? No. The woman who did fall for the prank, the woman running under a 72-year-old man with a history of health problems, is not ready to be President and frankly never will be. She is unable to make her own decisions without being schooled by instructors. She does not have the intellect to comprehend the complexity of world issues. She does not have my back when it comes to women's rights. She does not have my vote and therefore, neither does the man at the top of the ticket.

Tomorrow, I am voting for the lesser of two evils. I am afraid to vote for the Republican ticket because I am scared of empowering Sarah Palin. I am disappointed in Senator Obama for not choosing Senator Clinton as his running mate. Together the Democrats could have sailed to the Presidency. Now we are looking at a potential 2000, one party winning the Popular vote while the other wins the Electoral count. Its far fetched but its possible. It could happen again. There are other Hillary supporters out there that are hoping for an Obama upset to open a 2012 Hillary run. I want the Dems to win today! Not in four years! I'm not going to be like McCain, picking someone who my advisors decide on. I will choose the man who is best for America. And that my friends is Senator Barack Obama. I hope you all (especially those in the swing states, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, listen up, I'm talking to you) agree.

I think its over...

EphShap just forwarded me an RSVP link for an Election Night Rally for Senator Hillary Clinton...at Baruch College in New York City. She's coming home. Instead of hosting a victory or concession speech in the last two primary voting states, South Dakota and Montana, she is hosting a rally here, in her home state of New York. I had planned to try to get Broadway tickets to Cry-Baby the new John Waters musical based on the Johnny Depp movie, but gosh, I think I really want to be there with one of my heroes, Hillary Clinton, in what I fear may be shaping up to be a real concession speech. Like the real deal. Supposedly shes started letting campaign workers go. It saddens me that I wasn't able to personally share my memories of the Senator with more people. Find her more supporters. Her compassion and realness really touched me. When I spoke to her, she listened. I understand the inevitablity that she will not be the Democratic nominee. I've accepted that for weeks now. But seeing this campaign really begin to close up is really sad for me. Tomorrow night might not be the moment she throws her support behind Senator Obama, but I do believe it will be the first step towards that.

To RSVP for tomorrow's rally at the Baruch College Athletic Center, visit:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/events/ticketed/20080603NewYork

Frozen OJ and Little League

Some of my fondest memories from growing up were of my Saturday mornings spent on the Seaview Little League diamond. I loved everything about it. Being chosen by my coach to recite the Little League pledge from the pitcher's mound. The words are so sacred and true that its awesome to think that boys and girls repeat this everyday. Some of the best moral objectives are included. See below:

I trust in God
I love my country and will respect its laws
I will play fair, and strive to win
But win or lose, I will always do my best

Also awesome: Getting a ticket for the snack bar after the game and getting Red Vines and Now & Laters. Getting my new uniform each year (Giants, Tigers, Orioles, etc) and being jealous of whoever was assigned to the Angels, our hometown team. Getting drafted into Minor A when all my friends were still in Minor B (okay, kinda sucky not being with friends, but cool to have my abilities acknowledged). Being the only girl on the team and still kicking the boy's butts.

And close to the top of my list of favorite memories was the annual pancake breakfast on opening day, and not just cuz I was the little chubby kid. Opening day was always amazing in general. But thie breakfast for some reason was always so much fun. Seeing all my friends again from different schools. Hanging with old buddies. Seeing former coaches. Here comes my odd segue. Today I ordered breakfast from around the corner and they delivered my egg and bagel with a small bottle of orange juice. I stuck it in the freezer to cool it off and forgot about it. When I went to take it out it was all slushy. Thats when the pancake breakfast and good times at Seaview popped into my head. For some reason, each year, the tiny little OJ containers were deliciously frozen. Of course, that morning was always freezing (69 degrees is considered freezing in Huntington Beach) but I was always excited to have the frozen OJ to go with my pancakes and bacon (yup, this was almost two decades before my kosher days).

So today's OJ made me fondly remember my Saturday's spent at LeBard field for my Seaview Little League games. Earlier this year the Huntington Beach City School District decided to sell LeBard school which is home to Seaview. When I was home for Passover I saw lawn signs everywhere around Huntington Beach. Instead of just toting support for Clinton, Obama, or McCain (mostly McCain, by the way, in Southern Orange County), people had "Save our Diamonds" signs on their front lawns.

One day during Passover 2008 I was driving down Brookhurst and passed the track where LeBard is located. So I decided to drive by, just in case my next time back in town the whole school is razed. Sadly, I didn't have a camera with me. There were games just starting this Friday afternoon. I first stopped at the Minor B field where a couple 10-year-olds were reciting the pledge. I kinda teared up a little. Then I went to watch the Minor A game where the Diamondbacks were in the lead. When I played, the Diamondbacks weren't even a farm team, now 12 kids had this team name emblazoned on their jerseys. On the Majors field they now have an announcer's booth with an announcer calling out the batters names and stats. All we had was our Team Mom keeping score. I am so old.

Today there is a "Save Seaview" website. Basically, I loved playing ball for Seaview. The fact that the school district wants to sell of the site where thousands of little boys and girls learned what it takes to "respect laws" and "play fair" is just infuriating. I implore you to visit the Save Seaview website and share your thoughts. Even if you didn't participate in Seaview. If you've ever had a kid in Little League somewhere, post a comment. If you think its just plain wrong, post a comment. I know this was a long ramble that started with a 10 ounce container of orange juice, but the importance should not be missed.

The End is Near

I am is voting for John McCain. No not really. I like him a lot. Hes a stand up dude. He came in 5th place on my list ranking presidential hopefuls last April behind Al Gore, Hillary, Bill Richardson, and John Edwards, respectfully. Only problem, hes a Republican and I just can't force myself to yank the level in their direction. I made that comment to express my disdain for the Democratic Electorate. You guys are comparable to the people who have been voting for Jason Castro week after week on American Idol. Complete imbeciles. Lets vote for the guy because hes so handsome and has such a nice smile (read: Obama). But not the chick who has the lung capacity to get the job done (read: Hillary, oh, and Carly Smithson for that matter). My Fellow Democrats, as we watch Hillary Clinton's campaign come to a complete stop, I'd like to take this time to admonish you. You suck.

My friend ES who happens to be more obsessed with Hillary than I commented this morning that he'd rather move to Mexico than vote for McCain or Obama. I corrected him and said "Dude, didn't you get the memo. We don't threaten to move to Mexico. Only Canada. I'll meet you in Montreal in November." Doesn't everyone read Stuff White People Like? Cuz they hit the nail on the head.

Anyhoo, as always, I hate being the buzzkill, but I am a realist. And in my mind, last night was my last hope of seeing Hillary take the presidency. So lets sit back and see where this journey now takes us.

Winner Takes All

Okay, so tonight I did what might be the most loserish thing of my life. I've been thinking for a while about the campaign of John McCain. The Republican party's primary set up is a winner takes all event. If a candidate wins the popular vote in the state, they carry every single one of the state's delegates. Thats why Senator McCain has already accumulated enough delegates to be the presumptive nominee for his party even with Mike Huckabee hanging on and stealing a good chunk of votes in many of the states. The Democrats on the other hand, have this lame, convuluted set up where the votes get carved up depending on which districts you won within the state. So like the disturbing 2000 election, there is the possibility that the less popular candidate will win the majority of delegates. So I started thinking, what if the Dems had a winner take all set up? So I dorkily created a Google Spreadsheet and inputted the numbers. And I was shocked. If the states that Hillary won were not divvied between her and Barack Obama, Hillary would be leading Obama by more than a thousand delegates! If we include the state of Ohio (which was just projected an hour or so ago) and Rhode Island, she'd currently have 1,476 delegates. Shes currently ahead in Texas. If she takes that her total would be 1,704. Wait, heres another doozy. If the votes counted from the Michigan and Florida primaries (which Hill won by huge margins) she'd be up to 2,070!! Now lets look at Barack Obama. Including the ridiculously liberal state of Vermont which he won tonight, he would only control 967 delegates!!! Thats a difference of 1,103! Why are the pundits not pointing this out? I know its a moot point. Its not the case, so why point out. But seriously. You cannot win the general election as the Democratic nominee unless you are immensely popular in the states that count. Hillary is the one winning the BIG states. California, New York, Massachusetts, Florida (if it was counted, damn DNC!). Shes the most popular Democratic candidate in these states. States that are must wins for the Democratic candidate for President. 6 of Obama's 14 wins were in states that are almost definitely red states come November. Some of the most ardent Democratic friends of mine are already predicting a McCain win in '08. Why? Because Obama may win the Democratic candidacy. And no matter how badly we must keep a Republican out of the next White House, McCain will beat Obama. McCain versus Clinton? He doesn't stand a chance.

Things I learned from being on Cable News

Last night I took part in a Frank Luntz focus group, which turned out to be a live taping for You Decide 2008 on the Fox News Channel. It was an altogether awesome experience, thank you very much. Although, Frank is a die hard Republican pollster (which I should hate), the dude knows his stuff and I respect him for that. This focus group was very well picked. 29 people, a third leaning Republican, a third independent, a third leaning Democrat. None were 100% convinced who they will vote for this election. I've said before, I support Hillary. But if she doesn't win the nomination I will strongly consider John McCain. We were asked to support our decisions. When the dude next to me, a registered Democrat but voting Republican this year, said that the Dem candidates haven't impressed him, they are both being wishy washy, making speeches and false promises, I offered a rebuttal. Yes, there is a Democratic candidate that has stepped up, and thats Senator Clinton. As she said over the weekend, speeches are great, but they don't fill up your gas tank, fixing the economy does that (a direct attack on Obama and his lofty speeches). Plus, she has the experience to get these things done. That was basically my only sound bite of the night, but I think it was a good one. ;) GO HILL!! Here's the clip of me speaking up:



There was also a special guest on the show, none other than the Former Mayor of Cinncinati, Jerry Springer. THIS. DUDE. RULES. Earlier in the taping, before we know of his appearance, Frank told us to feel free to get rowdy and argue your points with other audience members. I was like, yeah, I'm going to pick up my chair and get all Jerry Springer on you. So when he came out, I was fired up. You can see me on camera, as soon as they announce the surprise guest was from Cincinnati I almost jumped out of my chair. I was like, dude, we were just talking about you. I got to shake his hand later. I was like Jerry, you are the man. I'm not ever washing this hand again. I tried to start a chant, JERRY! JERRY! JERRY! Apparently, chanting is frowned upon at the Fox News Channel. The host at one point joked during commercial, that Jerry is here to announce he is running for Senate. I was truly intrigued by this idea. Hell, if Al Franken has a shot...

I learned two things tonight. One political. One, um, not so much.

1) Independents and Republicans, much like me, don't believe a word that Obama has to say. This is not a positive thing come general election if he is our nominee. There were several Obama supporters in the room, but not one of them could articulate why he should be the nominee. Not one could define what the Senator meant when he said change. Its one thing to jump on the bandwagon and blindly vote, but come on people. Its like in 2000 when all my friends voted Bush simply because their Rabbi got up one Shabbos and said, Bush is the best candidate for Israel, and everyone in the congregation believed him. Any candidate this year, Democrat or Republican, Hillary or Barack, John on Mike, they ALL will support Israel. Israel is mucho importante to the USA and no Pres will blow that.

There was a question asked today on the Fox News (right leaning) website that quantifies the point. Does Barack Obama's campaign rhetoric have substance behind it?
No (58%)Yes (35%)Don't know (6%). Like me, these folks believe he's talking the talk, and not prepared to walk the walk.


2) Frank asked the question, you're so lucky to be here, what else would you be doing on a Sunday night? The very straight, college professor type to my right was like, um, sit on the couch and watch the L Word. Right on my friend. I've always been a little embarrassed to admit my affinity to this show since well, its about a bunch of lesbians living in LA. Not that anyone should doubt the fact that I'm totally into dudes, I drool over Brad Pitt like any other red blooded female and have a boyfriend of my own. But theres still that fear of stigma to watch the show. But, as I've said many times, its one of the funniest shows on TV. The Single White Female stalker thing thats going on now between Jenny and her assistant Adelle is more comical than homicidal. So now I have learned, many straight Americans (Republicans I might add) love this show as much as I. Phew!

ROCK THE VOTE PEOPLE!

Am I Crazy?

I know its crazy but as I read my glorious NY Times on the subway this morning I had an epiphany. We need a Clinton/Obama ticket! I know. I can't believe the thought slipped out of my brain. But how amazing would that be? This would ensure that we will have an incredible President in the White House for the next 16 years. Heres my take. I love Obama. But I do not think he's ready for the White House. As I've said before, I find experience to be one of my strongest tugs when choosing a candidate. I think Clinton is ready, Obama is not. But don't get me wrong. I am incredibly inspired by this guy. Have you heard this speech? I've said many times I plan to vote for him in 8 years. Even on my account I voted NO to Will there be a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton Ticket? I know that there is a lot of animosity between the two of them but they must broker a deal and make this happen. Look at the votes collected last night. It was like the 2000 Presidential election in that Hillary won the popular vote in many of the big states (CA,NY, MA) but Obama was drawing more people from the larger urban areas and therefore scored almost as many delegates. Obama took almost the entire midwest while Hillary scored some southen states. Together they are unbeatable. I think either of them separate may fall to Senator McCain. I like this even more than my previous favorite, the Clinton/Richardson ticket. Would I vote the other way? An Obama/Clinton ticket. See that I don't know. Right now, Americans are open to the idea of a female president, but I don't know how open they would be to a 69 year old female president (her age in January 2016). That could hurt the Democrats when that time comes. Look at John McCain. This dude has stellar credentials. But hes like 72 and people are scared he's going to keel over in the Oval. And God Forbid he chooses Huckabee as his running mate (my current Predictify prediction). No more anti-semites in the White House. Thats my policy. I apologize for all my poli talk. I know. I'm usually way funner than this. I just needed to share this amazing revelation with all of you...

Why I'm Voting Hillary

I know there'll be no time in my schedule to write this tomorrow. Crazy day with many many things to take care of before the NJOP dinner. But in about 7 hours I will be walking down to the Holy Rood Church on 179th street and pulling the level of freedom. Tomorrow, I will be voting in person for the first time in 10 years. Since I've been 18 I moved to New York for college and regrettably haven't moved back. I retained my California voting eligibility and have voted absentee ever since. Why you may ask? Well, my Congressman in the 46th district of California is in my eyes a pretty huge anti-semite, so I like to stick it to him every two years when he's up for re-election. You know those Israel bills in Congress that are voted in favor of by 430 members of the House, and against by 5. Yeah, hes one of the 5. But this year, someone I am very passionate about is running for President and I wanted to physically walk into my neighborhood polling station and give her a shout out. I'm of course talking about Hillary Clinton.

I know, I know. You hate her. I'm aware of that. Have you ever met her? Sat down and had a conversation? Well I have. And I can honestly say I haven't been more impressed by someone in my life. I've met other politicians before. But when you are in the room with her, you know she is taking in what you have to say, thinks about it and gives you a solid, honest answer. Theres a story I want to share with you. My buddy Sari was a political machine while in Stern College. She organized a huge Rally to DC. She was my roommate when we did the OU internship in DC. She volunteered for the mayoral campaign (not for Giuliani). She called one night and asked if I wanted to volunteer at an intimate Hillary event. We got to a restaurant on the Upper East Side and helped out at an event for about 100 people. Afterward they asked if one of us could accompany the team to a small after party at a donor's home. Little did I know this was for only about 20 people in a gorgeous UES penthouse (overlooking the park). I went since Sari had plans later that night. Hillary arrived and was introduced to everyone. Including this horrible host lady's servants (who BTW she was incredibly kind to, even while weirded out that this lady had servants in her home). After working the room and spending a great deal of time speaking to everyone individually, including myself, she announced that she had to leave, she was on the red eye to Israel that evening. What you are about to read is possibly the biggest regret of my life. Are you ready? Okay, here goes... Hillary was saying her goodbyes to everyone. I got the idea that I really wanted to give her shliach mitzvah gelt. When someone is travelling, especially to Israel, some people have the custom to give that person some tzedakah, money to give to charity when they arrive, thereby making them a part of my mitzvah and essentially helping ensure a safe trip as your shliach, your messenger to deliver the tzedakah. Whether that is the true definition I don't know, but that is how I view it. I wanted to do this because A) I always try to give someone going to the Holy Land, and B) I knew Hillary would sincerely be touched by my proposition. Although, I was a little scared someone would shout a picture of me slipping money to my Senator. Especially with all the heat in '01 about soft money. But alas, as she worked her way through the room towards me, I became totally starstruck. She remembered my name (from hours earlier) and all I could squeek out was "I really admire you and your daughter". At least thats all I can remember. If I had a list of 10 do-overs in my life, this would be one of them. What a cool story that would be.

I'm not going to tell you to vote for Hillary just because I am. I'm not going to tell you to vote for her because there won't be another viable female candidate for at least another 20 years (when I plan to start running for office). I'm not going to tell you to vote for her because we would get to have my favorite former President again living in the White House. I'm going to tell you to vote for her because she is the right candidate. I am a strong believer in voting for the person with the best experience and the person who can lead this country in the right direction. Those are the two qualities I find most important in a President and shes number one on my list (because Al Gore isn't running, otherwise she might be number 2). We have been going downhill ever since Bush's dad's Supreme Court gave him the White House. We need to take this country back and move it in the right direction. And Hillary's the girl who will get us there. The odds are in favor of Obama taking the nomination but I'm not ready to jump on that bandwagon and throw him my vote. I believe in Hillary Clinton.

Addendum
I just got back from voting. It was really hard. I didn't know what to do. I had to ask the poll watcher for help. I did learn something though. You know how candidates that have already dropped out of the race end up getting 1% of the vote...its cause they are still on the ballot. People probably see that and go, hmmm Bill Richardson, I thought he dropped out, but hey hes still on here so I must be mistaken. Also, WTF are all those other names doing on the ballot? I swear there were like 100 names on there. I thought this was just the presidential primary...there should be like 6 names on the darn board. Do we really have to have the names of everyone who endorsed the various candidates listed on the ballot as well? How confusing. I consider myself a pretty intelligent person, and frankly I was kind of embarrassed at how much trouble I had understanding this process. Plus, I was DYING to get one of those "I VOTED" stickers and they totally weren't giving them out. Sooooo sad!

As I left my polling station I began to tear up. I didn't think this would make me so emotional but it did. This is democracy in action people. Not taking advantage of this incredible gift is one of the biggest mistakes anyone can make. Rock the Vote people!!! And remember, Friends don't let friends Vote Republican!

Things I Hate: Round 2

Nothing makes me angrier than when someone steals my NY Times in the morning. The worst is on the weekends. If you don't snag yours before 10 am someone in my building just assumes I don't want it and takes it for themselves. Lately, I've just taken it with me to shul on Saturday mornings. Its always good to have something to read during the Rabbi's sermon, but I'd prefer to leave it at my apartment building and have it waiting for me when I get home after lunch. On weekdays, when someone snags my paper I am forced to pick up a NY Post from the bodega at the corner. Is it just me or does everyone judge people who read the Post? Its not a real newspaper. I'm convinced that they have employed a junior high school newspaper club to write their articles. They have that certain junior high ring to them. Anyway, as I sat on the subway reading my 25 cent NY Post I felt like everyone was staring at me thinking, oy, she looks so intelligent, yet shes reading the Post. We were so wrong to assume she was brilliant. Does anyone else feel that way?

Oh, and another thing to piss off all my reader's who are obsessed with Obama. The Post chose him as their candidate of choice today. Right next to a big article about a black cop who was running an under age prostitution ring. Not really an endorsement he's going to tout.

Ahh Bushie

I love the State of the Union Address. Not only does it come with its very own drinking game, but its also the one day of year the the United States congress gets to act like the British House of Commons. I love all the hooting and hollering. I'll update you on my drinking game progress as we go.

The doors open and the Sergeant-at-Arms says Madam Speaker. I still get excited when I hear that. Madam Speaker. Its only the second time he opened with that. She became Speaker just 20 days prior to last years SOTU address. Last year I teared up. Hmm, next year, Madam President? We shall see.

Now heres the low down on his address based on my drinking.

Oh, spotted my congressman, Charlie Rangel, drink one and pat yourself on the back for being able to identify your congressman/woman.

Did the President just mention Hispanish students? Oy. Bushism, have a drink.

Another Bushism so soon? I think I hear Nukular.

Ted Kennedy...sleeping. Drink until your liver cries. 5 minutes later. Ted again. Opening beer number 3.

Showing a current presidential candidate. Theres Hillary in her snazzy red pantsuit. There she is again. And again. Damn, Obama should have worn a red suit. He sitting next to Ted yet the camera hasn't once panned over. Does MSNBC favor Senator Clinton?!

President introduces an energy goal. Take a shot.

Earmarks! Tug on your ear while taking a drink. I wish he had said pork barreling instead. Then we'd get to oink.

Border security? Tequila time!

Buy produce from farmers in developing countries. This isn't a drinking point but still. Um hello, what about our US farmers? Doesn't the president read my blog? Sheesh!

Some guy sitting behind the first lady is clapping with one hand. Only person I know who does that is Bob Dole, but what the heck would he be doing there. Oh, now the Prez is talking about Bob Dole's recommendations to reform our veteran system, care for wounded warriors. It is him! Bob Dole is back people! Take a swig of Pepsi!

Prez has finished his address and is leaving the hall. Ouch, he just ignored Obama's hand not once but twice.

Ted kennedy again, this time with his son, Congressman Patrick Kennedy (a stand up dude BTW, used to see him in the visitor's dining room in the Capitol instead of the Member's only room. I alway dug that.)

President just outside the Chamber giving openly gay Rep. Barney Frank and warm half hug hello. Hmm, thats a guy I didn't envision him being all touchy feely with.

My thoughts on the speech overall. Eh. He didn't say much. Looks like this just might be a Lamer Duck than we expected. He was practically endorsing John McCain. What with all his talk about supporting the troops, getting rid of earmarks, etc... gee, I wonder who hes voting for?

And finally, who is this chick giving the Democratic response? The Governor of Kansas? Shes not even up for re-election. What the hell was she doing there? At least let someone cool speak. Like Jim Webb last year was so badass.

Anyhoo, those are my comments. I drank three beers and am now eating vanilla pudding. It is yummy.