ivoteamerica

The running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain is an event I like to watch but not one in which I care to participate.

Forget Spain for a moment…the bull is running in Washington, D.C. and as usual, its knee deep and very messy! The nostrils of the heartland are inhaling the horrible stench of big government out of control. Apparently, Obama is going to pick up where Bush left off but with more subtle twists on the bull. Hail to the bull!

President Elect Barack Obama is marketing his own self-styled brand of bull with renewed vigor and brazen candor. His latest claim to create a huge stimulus package while using his scalpel on budget line items to control expenses…it’s just plain bull, Barackian Bull.

Why Lobbyists are Bullish on Barack

Behind every line item of the US Budget are hordes of lobbyists. Under the economic doctrine of Barackian Bull, lobbyists will be focused not on line items but on big government bailouts and handouts. The lobbyists will no longer have to be so brazen and Barack can claim, “We don’t listen to the lobbyists.” Can you smell it?

It will be a show worth watching as the Dem minions working under the leadership of Pelosi and Reed dictate the allocation and distributions of billions of our tax dollars. Watch out for that cow pie!

Lobbyists are already partnering with the power brokers in new, highly creative ways that will enable them to channel new money to their constituents in place of line item money.

Some thought Eight Years of Bush Bull was Bad

Truly, the bulls are running. Auto industry executives, Governors and much of the financial sector institutions are lining up to take a ticket that will enable them to enter the raffle being run by Congress to bail out seemingly everyone, except of course, small businesses and the general public.

Let’s remind ourselves that Washington’s version of the running of the bull started with what was marketed as a $700 billion dollar toxic mortgage bailout. Not one cent has been used to purchase bad mortgage portfolios. Rather, the dollars are being used to fund banks, insurance companies and other Wall Street investment firms who we all know lobby Congress heavily and have always had the open ear of Senators and Representatives, not to mention the open checkbook.

Are average Americans being trampled under hoof? Does the running of the bull in Washington mean, once again, that we are unwitting, untrained and under-empowered constituents that are running for our lives in order to avoid economic goring by the sharp horns of a government that is no longer truly representative?

Are we the new national banking system who will be collectively taxed by means of bailout mania in order to sustain the money system that is now fickle at best and collapsing all around us at worse?

It’s becoming more and more apparent that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has a few aces up his proverbial sleeve. The Bush Administration’s slight-of-hand to the tune of $700 billion in tax payer dollars ends up, in the final analysis, to be a great big bait-n-switch.

To pass the bail out program and get the American public to click on the “opt-in” button Paulson knew that the required PR spin in D.C. had to be “we will be using the funds to purchase mortgages and resell them to investors…” Naturally, but stupidly, the American public bought-in.

Now, Henry “the Ace” Paulson, the Bush Administration’s circus clown, is going to be redirecting about 50% of the $700 billion to financial institutions that are going to continue to foreclose on the average American, build their banking reserves and get healthy at our expense.

iVoteAmerica keeps asking, “Where is the public outcry?” As we slip deeper and deeper into recession and as our elected officials move us toward a socialist economy where taxpayers are responsible to own and operate the major industrial and banking complexes (via clever taxation schemes), how much more battering will it take before voters rebel.

The word is out…Washington is printing and distributing free money….hands are being extended from just about every segment of society including city, county and state governments, the auto industry and other institutions.

Paulson’s circus is far from over and not only is he opening a few fresh decks of cards and he is going to be dealing from the bottom of the deck.

Paulson’s circus is far from over.

There’s no denying it, Tuesday, November 4, 2008 will stand as an historic moment in the chronicles of our history and especially the history of civil rights in America.

After all, we just elected the first African American President and that says something very positive about this great country.

One could not have been moved by Barack Obama’s acceptance speech and the equally gracious concession speech delivered by John McCain.

Okay, Already…So Now What?

President elect Barack Obama will now be flanked by Senate Majority leader, Harry Reed and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. This new governing trinity will embark on a massive legislative agenda like no other in history. It’s a must. They have not choice. The nearly 60,000,000 people who voted for Barack Obama and Joe Biden have told them by their vote to “Go for it!”

Furthermore, to make matters even more incongruous, the electorate increased the power of a Congress with the lowest approval ratings in history by adding even more Democrat seats to the House and Senate.

One can almost smell the smoke emanating from the back rooms of Congress as deals are being cut faster than we can execute a blog post.

Obama, the Media and the Down on the Ice Principle

On this, the morning after, President elect Barack Obama must stare reality in the face and in so doing he may become the first winning politician to ever demand a recount. The enormously complex national and domestic climate left to Obama by the inept George Bush and his minions leave no room for error during Obama’s first 2,400 hours.

iVoteAmerica will be watching, posting and setting forth commentary regarding Obama’s first 2,400 hours of accomplishment. We know Obama can dance from watching him on the Ellen Degeneres show. But can he skate? And how will he do on thin ice?

Not only will we watch the skating show, we will also watch how the mainstream media covers the show and whether there is any special treatment of the President elect following inauguration.

Obama’s first 2,400 hours as President will leave little, if any, room for error. When there are errors, and there will be, will it be “hands off” for all of the politically correct reasons?

When Obama goes down on the ice, all Presidents do; what will be the reaction of the American people and the media. We will jump to our feet and gasp in disbelief? How good is Barack Obama after taking a serious fall?

Just think, there are only 1,459 more days until the next Presidential election.

Oddly enough, iVoteAmerica is headquartered in Prescott, Arizona, the place where John McCain is scheduled to give his last political campaign speech.

He’ll do so at approximately midnight on the steps of the Yavapai County Courthouse located in downtown Prescott, Arizona adjacent to the historic Whiskey Row. The downtown square is being sealed-off, metal detectors setup and tickets to the event are being distributed by the local Republican office.

It’s Cold at Midnight in November

Cold as it will be, iVoteAmerica will be there, camera and recorder in hand, to listen to John give a speech that will either set the agenda for his Presidency or alternatively, give us a glimpse of the way he will exit national life and be remembered. There is a slim chance, that if defeated in his bid for the Presidency, that John McCain will return to the Senate.

After his speech, John will either head north to his to Sedona home or south to Phoenix, his other Arizona residence. The political weather will determine his compass point.

The leaves have already fallen from the trees in downtown Prescott, signaling the climate shift and its accompanying changes. It’s November. It’s cold at midnight in November at the Prescott, Arizona Courthouse. Those die hards who show up to hear John will be layered in sweaters and coats and wrapped in blankets to hear what will be watershed words.

Barry and Ronnie Created their Own Weather

John McCain, by all accounts, has run a horrible campaign. Forgetting George Bush for a moment, the once feisty, former maverick has at times sounded like Obama himself, endorsing government bailouts and talking about social reform.

Ever since he endorsed McCain for the Senate, John has often been heard laying claim to the mantra of Barry Goldwater. John, you’re not Barry Goldwater. Besides the millions of Americans that will vote for Barack Obama have no idea who Barry Goldwater is.

John has claimed to be a “foot soldier in the Reagan revolution.” This too is a bit of stretch. The truth is, he was around during Ronnie’s revolution. John, you’re no Ronald Reagan.

Barry and Ronnie had more than one thing in common. But the one trait they both possessed was the ability to create their own political weather. They were engaged in climate control long before it was a chic political buzz phrase.

John McCain being John McCain

John, you are John McCain! That’s a lot…that’s enough…that should have been the campaign story from start to finish but it wasn’t and after your midnight speech at the Prescott, Arizona courthouse, you may be headed to Sedona for rest and relaxation rather than to Phoenix to begin work with your transition team.

John, we needed you to be like Goldwater and like Reagan but always John McCain. The straight-talk express made an exit from the interstate when you uttered these campaign killing words, “I am suspending my campaign to go to Washington…” Yikes!

No, John, the words should have been, “See, this is what I am talking about…Washington is in chaos and that is why I am out here and this is where I will stay until I am elected to return to Washington to fix it!”

The marble steps of the Yavapai County Courthouse in downtown Prescott, Arizona are going to be cold tomorrow night, John. If you win, no one will notice and the crowds will be record and the partying on Whiskey Row will be raucous.

If you lose, it will be a bone-biting and bitterly cold night. John, all great political leaders have been able to create their own weather. If the polls are wrong (some will be) and if you are elected (you might be) it will be sunny and warm at midnight in November on the steps of the Courthouse in Prescott, Arizona.