Imagine if John Edwards had gotten the democratic nomination. Imagine if he had been on Obama’s short list for the V.P. slot. You’ve gotta be pretty ballsy to run for president knowing the salacious secrets you hold within. This didn’t happen many years ago. It happened in 2006. The party would have been decimated had this come out and he was in the running — hypocrites that we are, we would have buried the man.

Marital infidelity is about as common as wedded bliss is uncommon. Everybody’s got some dirt on them. Only Obama has to appear to be as clean as a whistle. Because if he gets so much as a hangnail, he will be written off by a bunch of “I told you so’s” and “Are you really surprised?”

And how many people do not actually believe that Mccain has had a dalliance or two? If the Democrats were smart, they would get some of their undercover henchmen to dig further into that whole Vicki Iseman situation. The only problem is Mccain could be caught in a hotel room with a dead prostitute and nobody but Michael Corleone there to help him and he would still be virtually tied with Obama. This country is on the verge of completely upending centuries of tradition, and as much as an illicit affair would rankle his conservative constituents, the binds of tradition are much harder to shake free than those loose strands of morality.

But I honestly feel that this whole thing reflects negatively on the man and not the party. If anything, it makes women even more sympathetic to Hillary Clinton, and maybe redirects their ire from Obama to Edwards. I could be wrong. I’m just glad that Edwards was nowhere near any official level of importance to the Obama campaign. Frankly, I like the guy. He did a crummy thing. But we all do from time to time. I’m just glad he’s the only one going up shit creek without a paddle.

sidenote:
If the kid isn’t yours and you don’t love her, why are you hanging out in a hotel room with the woman?

It’s amazing how in a span of a year I went from liking Hillary Clinton and truly debating with myself whether I would vote for her or Barack Obama to getting an extremely bitter taste in my mouth at the very mention of her name.

The following is taken from an article written by Rick Klein and David Chalian on abcnews.com:

Sen. Hillary Clinton told a gathering of supporters last week that she’s looking for a “strategy” for her delegates to have their voices heard and “respected” at the Democratic National Convention — and did not rule out the possibility of having her name placed into nomination at the convention alongside Sen. Barack Obama’s.

At what point do you actually support the presumptive democratic nominee? Or do you ever? What exactly does Senator Clinton think she (and most importantly, the party) can gain from this? Well, Senator Clinton states:

“I happen to believe that we will come out stronger if people feel that their voices were heard and their views were respected. I think that is a very big part of how we actually come out unified. Because I know from just what I’m hearing, that there’s incredible pent-up desire. And I think that people want to feel like, ‘OK, it’s a catharsis, we’re here, we did it, and then everybody get behind Sen. Obama.”

The problem here is that the animus between the two campaigns has barely died down and here you are trying to fan the flames again. What if the bulk of pledged delegates do not go for Obama at the convention? What if it comes out much closer than people imagined? How is that going to look to those people who are already straddling the fence when it comes to this election? Furthermore, do you actually think that the people who are bitter about Obama winning the nomination are actually going to be placated by the fact that your name is on the ballot? I’ve read the blogs and the comments. There are people out there who have actually stated that people who wanted Clinton to win should vote for McCain so that Clinton will have her shot in 2012. What kind of strategy is that?

The fact that most of the comments boosting McCain over Obama simply to have Clinton back in action in 2012 comes from women bothers me even more. Are they aware of McCain’s stand when it comes to women’s rights?

He voted NO on Comprehensive Sex Education

Mccain skipped the vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (both Clinton and Obama voted for the bill. However, it was blocked by Senate Republicans) and claimed that he was opposed to it, basically stating that women should not be compensated for acts of discrimination within the workplace, but that instead they need “education and training”

He OPPOSED a repeal of the global gag rule.

He voted AGAINST requiring insurance plans to cover contraception.

In 1999 he stated to the San Francisco Chronicle:

“But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.”

Now he states:

I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”

I will argue here that a man has a right to change his mind. The question, however, becomes whether or not that shift was a choice for emotional or political reasons.

And Mccain’s long record of siding against women’s rights goes on and on. It seems to me that Hillary Clinton and her enormous brood of female supporters are recklessly threatening to commit an act of “cutting off their nose to spite their face”. Exactly what benefit is there in voting for a man who obviously has no real regard for you or your rights or your body? Even if you are pro-life (which I wholeheartedly respect), you still must be aware of the fact that the idea of women’s rights does not register with this presumptive Republican nominee.

At this point it appears that both Senator Clinton and Bill Clinton are so embittered about the loss of what they felt was rightfully theirs, they are willing to decimate the whole party and dismiss the hopes and ideals of the people who they have supposedly spent most of their lives fighting for.

When people ask me how I feel about certain social or political issues, I never give them my answer. Instead, I tell them, “If you really want to know how I feel, talk to Toby Keith. Why? Because nobody knows ‘black society’, nobody knows what goes on inside the mind of black people more than Toby Keith.” Who knows more about black disenfranchisement than Toby Keith? Who has seen and suffered the slings and arrows of racism and rabid discrimination more than Toby Keith? I’ll tell you who. Nobody. So, if you want to know what black people are thinking, what black people feel deep inside, then — “Oh, wait a minute. Did I say ask Toby Keith? Wow. I’m sorry. If you want to buy a Ford truck OR if you want to know how to appeal to the masses with mediocre drivel OR you desire instructions on how to literally lodge a boot inside the ass of someone, then Mr. Keith can help you.” However, if you want to know how black people feel about — oh, I don’t know — Barack Obama, well…ask a black person.

Black people would say that Obama acts, talks and carries himself like a white person? Hm. Then I am confused. Because Obama doesn’t walk like you, Toby. He definitely doesn’t talk like you and he’s not a lumbering drone either. So…either he is just a man, an individual and not trying to portray himself as anything other than what he is OR you have a rather jacked up view of how ALL white people are. There’s nothing more insulting than confining a whole race, religion or nationality to a generalization. Trust me, Toby, if all people (whether they be black, white or whatever) acted, talked and carried themselves like you, this country would be in desperate need of additional funding for mental retardation.

Just wanted to give a little shout out to the makers of Grand Theft Auto IV. How cool is it that there is a radio station called Jazz Nation Radio? Not only that but the DJ for the station is none other than the legendary drummer Roy Haynes. Haynes played with all (and I do mean all) the greats. And now he is playing them in this incredible game. Already, I find myself stealing a car and just driving around town listening to the tunes. Great ears, guys. Check out the track listing below.

* Count Basie - “April in Paris”
* John Coltrane - “Giant Steps”
* Chet Baker - “Let’s Get Lost”
* Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers - “Moanin’”
* Miles Davis - “Move”
* Charlie Parker - “Night and Day”
* Roy Haynes - “Snap Crackle”
* Sonny Rollins - “St. Thomas”
* Duke Ellington - “Take The ‘A’ Train”
* Dizzy Gillespie - “Whisper Not (Big Band)”

Being a jazz man, I couldn’t help but to smile at this one: