Election Night, Cargo Bar- 2008

by Nomad

It was exactly four years ago. Another election night with all of the apprehension and lip-biting that goes with the political event. Having watched the election for those several months that I was back in the US, I kept asking myself whether it was actually possible that Old man McCain and his cartoon sidekick, Sarah Palin might actually win. No, definitely not. Well, maybe. What if..

I had been living in Staten Island- the least appreciated borough of New York City- for a few months as I sorted out some family business. Although Staten Island seemed the complete antithesis of New York City in so many ways, the shimmering lights of the towers of Manhattan were in clear view across the harbor. On that night I chose to be a recluse and keep my distance. 

I had my reasons, though, looking back, they do seem pretty silly. 

As the election results filtered in from various states, I sat at home, in front of my laptop checking all the usual sites for information and then confirmation. I had, I admit, hesitated a little about going out. The neighborhood was primarily minority and poor. In the rush of an unexpected Obama loss, I thought that I might be conceivably be mistaken for a symbol of white elitism. It seems silly now but at that time, I thought: why take any chances? It probably had a lot to do with my Midwest upbringing than any real threat.

Romney's Stolen Line: A Cuban-American PR Disaster

by Nomad

When it comes to foreign policy, Romney has had more than his share of missteps- even before he began this campaign. Back in the 2008 presidential race, for example, he accidentally caused a public relations nightmare with Cuban-Americans. 

In March 2007, while speaking in Miami, Romney made a play for the Latino vote, telling his audience:

“Hugo Chavez has tried to steal an inspiring phrase. Excuse me for my pronunciation: ‘Patria o muerte, venceremos.’ It does not belong to him, it belongs to a free Cuba.’”

That phrase means ‘Fatherland Or Death, We Shall Overcome.” Obviously somebody thought Romney could take a page from the Kennedy playbook and speak as the natives do. When Kennedy mangled German, it somehow added to the charm. That an American president would make an attempt to speak their language saying, literally, I am one with you.” It's pretty old schtick but effective when it goes right. 

In Romney’s case, it all went ..not right. By that I mean, it went horribly wrong. 

Has Fox News Given the Big Kiss-Off to Sarah Palin?

  by Nomad

I've often wondered what bottom would look like when Sarah Palin hit it Since being catapulted onto the national stage, even then it was clear that Palin- an utter slave to her own ambitions- was in over her head. 

Lately Palin's career has been a series of headlong tumbles and public pratfalls. 

Even worse- for Sarah, at least- since her decision not to run, her strident voice has faded into the hallelujahs and amens of the Romney nomination at this week's convention.

Now it appears she has hit another pointy ledge in what seems to be a very deep, very dark pit.

The 7 Lessons the GOP has Failed to Learn from the Sarah Palin Blunder

Sarah Palin's vice-presidential candidacy was controversial from the moment it was announced. For an assortment of reasons, many thought she was totally unqualified to be second in command. After a disastrous campaign, in which the McCain and his running-mate seemed to be conducting separate campaigns, many lessons should have been learned. Apparently nobody has learned anything at all.

The way the GOP has handled the Sarah Palin problem - from start to finish- says so much about what is wrong with the party. 

Even now, as the presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney, heads toward the convention to be crowned (despite some serious concerns about his suitability) the Republican leadership seems to have learned nothing.

The Angry Right Wing Voter: Have We Gone Too Far? 1/2

by Nomad

Just look around. It’s easy to see that America is seething. From the Tea Party to the Occupy movement, voters are infuriated with the direction of the country. In itself, that’s not news. With the economy the way it is, that's hardly a surprise. 

And Americans tend to take a personal interest in politics- despite the fact that only 54% of the population voted in the last presidential election. (And that's a high figure from previous elections too!) 

Of course, politics in the US has never been known for its calm reflection and careful thoughtful approach. However, what seems to happening with each election cycle is becoming a matter of concern. No matter what the outcome, growing numbers of Americans are automatically rejecting the results. This in turn pushes the anger to the next level. 

Sarah Palin vs. Julianne Moore

I could have entitled this post, Acting vs. Reality but it would have way too confusing to figure out which was which. 

Republican Faust: The Rise and Fall of Mike Connell -2

by Nomad

In Part One of this three part series, we discussed the rise of one of the GOP's insider, who quite possibly helped to engineer the 2004 presidential election fraud.

Taking the Fall

After agreeing initially to give critical information in a vote-rigging case in Ohio, Mike Connell, for whatever reasons, apparently had a change of heart. Given the potentially disastrous consequences of defying his former bosses, it is perhaps understandable.

Back in Ohio courts, King Lincoln Bronzeville v. Blackwell was an ongoing case filed on August 31, 2006 and dragged on and on. The former Ohio Secretary of State Blackwell the defendant, was accused of 

"having conspired to deprive and continue to deprive Ohioans of their right to vote and have, in fact, deprived and continue to deprive Ohioans of their right to vote by, in a selective and discriminatory manner, unfairly allocate election resources (such as voting machines), institute a system of provisional ballots, purge voter registrations, and broke the bi-partisan chain of custody ballots."

The Strange Rumor of Sarah Palin's Faked Pregnancy

by Nomad
I admit that when I first heard this rumor, I was deeply skeptical. But the more I looked into it, the stranger but more believable it became. Could Sarah Palin actually have faked her pregnancy? You can decide for yourself.

Incredible Rumors
Ever since the 2008 presidential campaign, there have been strange rumors flying around about Sarah Palin and the birth of her fifth child, Trig. 

The rumor, in its most basic form, is that Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy. She was never pregnant at all. She is not the mother of her baby as she claims. That  the whole story is a pack of lies from end to end.  
In the beginning, I have to confess to finding the whole thing preposterous. My first reaction was to laugh and dismiss the idea pretty quickly. Wouldn't somebody from the press have picked up on this? Isn't that their job, to smell out something fishy, investigate and report what they have found?  

But it seemed like nobody wanted to talk about it but there was certainly a lot of talk about Obama's birth certificate flying around. 

 Is it Possible?

Another thing I recall running through my head, was how could she even attempt to fake a pregnancy for the full term? I mean, Sarah was not a shut-in, but was governor of Alaska and surrounded by people. The funny part was the people she worked with had no idea she was pregnant until well into her pregnancy. Still, nothing seemed all that extraordinary. She kept her pregnancy a secret. That's not my business. 

Still, when you watch her on tape- she was after all a governor- , she wears heavy jackets and scarves and, while I have never been pregnant myself, I have it on good authority, that Sarah Palin sits and crosses her legs in a way that no woman in her seven-month could possibly do. 

Photos from her previous pregnancies show a robustly heavy woman with a baby bump as big as a beach ball. With Trig, there's nothing until the last month and even then, her face never changes. Her walk never changes. To many people, the only explanation is .. a pillow. 

Allegedly, (not proved) she went for a massage when she was pregnant. NOT a wise idea. She hadn't told anybody she was pregnant and the woman giving her a massage didn't see anything whatsoever to give her any indication she was going to have a baby. 

Apart from whatever evidence there was, I asked myself, why? Why would anybody go to all that trouble? Why not just adopt? Was there some reason that faking it all was preferable to going through all the paperwork of adoption? Well, it does take time.