RULES ARE RULES FOLKS

Hillary Clinton is pushing the seating of Michigan and Florida “delegation” based upon the vote as it was on their illegal, contrary to the DNC Rules . As it presently stands, neither of the states elected delegates, the ones based upon the presidential preference primary, or the Superdelegates are entitled to vote on the presidential nomination. Once any deal is structured to seat the Michigan and Florida delegations both the elected or voted upon delegates as well as the Superdelegates would come into play. As a consequence, the magic number to get the nomination will change to the 2209 that Clinton is striving for; the game changer that she is looking for to get her the nomination. If she accomplishes what she is striving for, most of the Superdelegates from the two states would probably have allegiances to Clinton; simply because she was instrumental in getting their delegations seated.

Rules are rules folks. The Michigan and Florida state legislature and the democratic party leadership was aware of the rules when they voted to set their respective presidential preference primaries prior to the calendar dates set by the DNC. Nobody can be rewarded for misbehaving and giving the Michigan and Florida delegation the opportunity to sway this nomination would in fact reward them for misbehaving. The most that Michigan and Florida can hope for is the seating of half their delegation based upon some formula associated with the vote in presidential preference primary with no Superdelegates being eligible to vote, as mandated by the DNC Rules 20 C (1) (a).

Secondly, I am firmly convinced that Clinton campaigned in Florida both prior to and on the night of the Florida presidential preference primary; and therefore, she should not be entitled to any delegates under the DNC rules; DNC Rule 20 C (1) (b).

We can’t have one set of rules for forty-eight states plus United States territories and another set of rules for Michigan and Florida. We can’t have one set of rules for every other candidate for the office of president and another set of rules for Hillary Clinton. Changing the rules at the end of the game to win is not what life is all about.

Now that is my two cents worth.

Leonard.

CALLING ON BLACK AMERICA

If the Democratic Party does not do the right thing, you do the right thing, stay home November 4, 2008.

Clinton, the Democratic Party and the American people have written you off. Apparently they all think they can win back the White House without you. If they don’t change their mindset and nominate the first viable African-American presidential candidate, Barack Obama, I strongly suggest that you let them win the White House without your vote and stay home November 4, 2008. It is high time that the voting strength of the African-American be not relegated to: it will be good if we had them, but we are not going to do anything to insure that they vote for us, because we know they will in the end. If this is not the mindset of the powers that be, then why do you think tactics and statements, like these, continue to be the norm? Why else would Hillary Clinton even be considering this: Clinton Campaign Considering Nuclear War?

It is suggested that the African-American vote will be there for the party no matter what and they are counting on peace maker Barack Obama to save them, if they don’t do the right thing and nominate him, see Can Hillary win without blowing up the Democratic Party? But I say to the African-Americans of this Nation send a message to the Democratic Party that you made your bed now lie in it without us.

For too many years the Democratic Party has taken your allegiance to them for granted. Their dragging their feet in announcing and backing Barack Obama is a classic example of this. If the threat of losing any other voting block was on the table depending on which way they would go, this nomination process would have been over since February, 2008 after Barack Obama won eleven (11) straight primary victories. There is no doubt in my mind that if the reverse was true, Barack Obama would have been pressured to drop out of the race months ago.

The consistent rationale for their possible support of Hillary Clinton is the potential of bringing back some core white voters that they lost many years ago; presumably because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, A Fault Line That Haunts the Democrats. If the so-called Regan democrats have been gone since 1972, how is offering up Hillary Clinton to them going to get them back. The Regan democrats stood their ground and still went republican in 1992 and 1996 when Bill Clinton won solely on the strength of his African-American voters support. The truth is it will not and this is a mere smoke screen for not wanting to nominate a viable African-American candidate for president of the United States of America, by some democrats and the Democratic Party leadership.

A recent CBS Poll Shows Obama is own a rebound and now leads McCain by eleven points and Clinton by twelve points. This comes after the media attempted to derail Obama’s campaign with its endless coverage of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright distraction. A recent endorsement editorial in The Charlotte Observer made it clear why the Democratic Party should nominate Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, as they stated it is Time for a change. Barack Obama has won thirty-one (31) states with twenty-two (22) by double digit leads. Why the democrats would even consider going with someone other than Barack Obama in light of this is beyond me?

Clinton’s whole argument of Barack Obama’s of electability appears to be as one article questions: Obama's "Electability" is code for race? Whether that is true or not I will let you make the call. I do believe that the taking of this presidential nomination from Barack Obama by the Democratic Party and Clinton’s back room maneuverings should be taken as the Democratic Party’s and Hillary Clinton throwing the African-American votes away. So don’t give them what they need to win in November, your vote.

If one woman, Rosa Parks, can say enough is enough and start a ripple in race relations that evolved into a tidal waive, just imagine what millions of African-American voters staying home on November 4, 2008 will do to the Democratic Party and its chances to regain the White House. My take on its effort is it will be dead on arrival.

So if Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party want to go down this path to defeat, let them go down it without the African-American voters in tow and send them a message that will be loud and clear. You have taken our allegiances to the Democratic Party for granted in the past but you shouldn’t have done it this time. Enough is enough. I say stay home, stay home and stay home, if they don’t do the right thing.

Now that is my two cents worth, Leonard.

THE REVEREND JEREMIAH WRIGHT-BARACK OBAMA

It is time for this distraction to go away and for America and the media to get on track with the real issues affecting America and its people, as Elizabeth Edwards put it in her recent Op-Ed, Bowling 1, Health Care 0. For all of those who want this to be an issue, get over yourself and lets get back to what really matters to Americans, Iraq, health care, the gas prices, the economy and the future of the United States of America. The only issue in this distraction is how America refuses to come to grips with the distinction between the African-American’s and the rest of America’s worship experience and how their preachers preach. There is a real difference in the methodology of the African-American preacher. There is a real difference in the religious worship of the two Americas, if you will. Case in point, Sunday morning worship time is the most segregated time in America. If the worship service experience is the same, why is that?

Whether America wants to admit it or not; including some African-American media commentators, there is a difference between how the rest of America is treated over its religious traditions versus the way African-Americans are treated. John McCain has controversial ministers supporting him, John Hagee and Rod Parsley. Hillary Clinton is a prominent member of The Family or The Fellowship. The media stays away from any comments on these associations, yet continues on an endless loop on Barack Obama’s association with Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Barack Obama should no more be condemn for his association with the Reverend Wright than John McCain’s association with John Hagee and Rod Parsley or Hillary Clinton’s association with the Fellowship. If you disagree with this; than you should hear all the hype over John McCain’s endorsements and Hillary Clinton’s association with the Fellowship. Don’t waste your time looking for it none exist. Further, two of Hillary Clinton’s surrogates Ed Rendell and Bill Clinton praised Minister Farrakhan. Does that make Hillary Clinton a Muslim? Should Clinton now denounce, repudiate and reject Ed Rendell’s and Bill Clinton’s endorsement of her? Should she explain her husband’s and Ed Rendell’s relationship with Farrakhan as many of the commentators have suggested that Barack Obama should do, again and again? Are John McCain and Hillary Clinton guilty by their associations, as all the media and the candidates themselves want to do with Barack Obama?

Freedom of Speech and Religion is written into the Constitution of the United States of America’s First Amendment. Discrimination is also written into the Constitution of the United States of America, Article 1 Section 2, where people of color were designated as three-fifth of a person; therefore, inferior to the rest of Americans. This view of African-Americans unfortunately has not changed to full equality since this great country’s inception. There has been a significant improvement but not full equality. One does not have to look any farther than the treatment of Barack Obama and Reverend Wright over what some feel is a controversial statement and the controversial statements of endorsers and surrogates of the other candidates in the presidential race.

If the Reverend Wright’s detraction was a main issue in this campaign, there is no way that Obama could have closed the lead Hillary Clinton had in Pennsylvania Poll. If anything; if it was a real issue that was a campaign changer, as some commentators had predicated and are now predicting, it should have increased her twenty plus percent lead that she enjoyed in Pennsylvania prior to this distraction. At one time in the Quinnipiac poll Clinton led Obama by 33 points, 10-31-2007 to 11-5-2007 and when the news broke 26 points in the PPP poll, 3-15-16-2008. The final margin of victory for Clinton in Pennsylvania was 9.2 points. It is clear that this distraction was not and is not a game changer and the media and Obama should not let it fester and get back to the issues that really affect the American people. Put it another way, if Barack Obama’s speech on race relations, A More Perfect Union, in America did not put this distraction to bed, if the Jeremiah Wright interview with Bill Moyer did not put this distraction to bed; than nothing will.

Let’s move on America, this election is more important than sound bites, Reverend Wright or the media’s obsession with this distraction.

Now that is my two cents worth, Leonard.

ONE AMERICA-LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

Well here we go again, Clinton, Clinton, and MORE CLINTON

ONE AMERICA-LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

Hillary Clinton’s campaign is just like the Energizer bunny, it just keeps on going and going to a no win situation. Maureen Dowd New York Times Op-Ed concludes her Op-ed with this comment Hillary Clinton just go, go, GO; as in go away. Hillary Clinton’s campaign is negative, divisive, and full of race baiting and it is time for it to end. There is absolutely no way that Hillary Clinton can win this nomination short of her stealing it on the convention floor or through back room dealing. She can’t catch Obama in the pledge delegate, popular vote, or any other measurement that you want to use to argue that Hillary Clinton should be the Democratic Party’s Presidential Nominee. According to Real Clear Politics; Obama has won more states than Clinton, 27 versus 14. Obama has won twenty-two (22) states by double digit percent margin. Clinton has won only seven (7) states by double digit leads and Pennsylvania was not one of them. Obama won his home state of Illinois by 650,304 or 31.9%. Clinton won her home state of New York by only 317, 477 or 17.1%. Furthermore, the record is clear on the issue of who is more electable Obama wins, if for no other reason, Hillary Clinton’s negatives. The polls show that in a head to head match up with John McCain, Obama wins; not so with Clinton. I don’t know about the rest of you but these figures throw the more electable argument of Clinton out the window.

So why want or can’t the Clintons and America read the handwriting that is obviously on the wall. The short answer is that she wants to make the way clear for her 2012 run for president, by casting Obama as unelectable and the people of America continue to buy into Hillary Clinton’s illogical argument that she is more electable, stronger, has more experience than Barack Obama. Excuse me; the people of Pennsylvania said that these are not the issues in the campaign that swayed their votes, at least in the exit polls. Could it have been the economy or could it have been the Bradley effect? But we all know that what happens behind closed doors or in polling booths is something totally different than what we say openly. Since, Hillary Clinton is determined to win at all costs either in 2008 or 2012; including tearing down the Democratic Party; it is time the elected and appointed leaders of the Democratic Party to tell Hillary and Bill Clinton, enough is enough and endorse Barack Obama in droves. Put your allegiances to the Clintons behind you; put your allegiances to one side of history being made, a female candidate for the presidency of the United States put your fears of the Clintons behind you. There is nothing in Hillary Clinton’s campaign or the possibility of another Clinton administration that is good for America, absolutely nothing. The Clinton Campaign is all about the same old politics of destroying your competitor and winning at all costs. Frankly, Clinton’s type of politics is not capable of making America proud. We need something else. All the money in the world can not change this mind set; only you, the American People can do this. I think the New York Times Article put it best, effectively repudiating its endorsement of Clinton in its opinion, Low Road to Victory.

I believe Hillary Clinton's background got her the victory in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas because she appeals to the bad in everyone. She recreates herself into whatever she thinks will persuade the American People to vote for her. She lies, she deceives, and she strokes the fears, biases and prejudices of Americans. As one former campaign adviser of Bill Clinton puts it Bill is doing Hillary’s dirty work for her, Bill Clinton Rogue Co-President. Fear mongering and race-baiting is a classic republican strategy that has been very successful in the past. It got George W. Bush elected twice, didn’t it? Or should I say appointed once and elected to a second term. It got us into the Iraq war where thousands of American lives and billions of dollars have been lost, didn’t it? Remember Hillary Clinton authorized the Iraq War.

You know I hate to say it but Hillary Clinton acts like and talks like a bigot; if not an outright hypocrite. In light of Clinton’s actions in the 2008 Elections her support of Barry Goldwater, who opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, makes complete sense to me; that is the why of it. She says she is for equality, yet her actions speak differently. She was reared in a conservative republican family. Her campaign tactics are straight out of the Karl Rove playbook. There is an old saying that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck; it is a duck. The Bible says train up a child in the way that he (or she) should go and when he (or she) is old, he (or she) will not depart from it; Proverbs 22:6. It seems that Hillary Clinton got this scripture down path and is living it.

However, Hillary Clinton is not totally at fault in this. Some of the American People who unfortunately can’t buy into an African-American leading them in anything are equally at fault. Although the Pennsylvania exit polls indicate that for white voters race was not a factor in whom they voted for and it appears that Barack Obama has begun to cut into the solid white support behind Hillary Clinton; it is clear from the result that it was. This solidarity of support, especially amongst white females over a certain age, is keeping Hillary Clinton in this race. It is prolonging a race that has been virtually over with since Obama racked up; count them, eleven straight primary victories to none for Clinton. So once again, it appears that the people of America are saying one thing in the polls, in the open, and doing something totally different when they actually cast their vote, in secret. The main stream media realizes this and feeds into it by prognosticating, predicting and pondering what if scenarios that always offers a ray of hope to the Hillary Clinton’s candidacy at the expense of the Democratic Party and America as a whole. Remember in 2007, main stream media was anointing Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party presidential nominee. They were wrong then and they are wrong now.

The main stream media insists upon bringing up non-issues about Barack Obama and letting real glaring lies from Hillary Clinton go unchecked or glossed over. If she or her husband apologizes for their remarks, lies and the main stream media move on. On the other hand, Barack Obama repudiates, denounces and rejects comments and acts of controversial figures that he knows and the media repeats them forever and forever. There is a double standard going on here whether you want to admit or not.

America it is time to stand up and be counted on the right side of history. Our biases, prejudices, cultural divide, and oh yes the constant fear mongering must not dictate who is our next president. Since it does not appear that any of the uncommitted delegates, the so-called super delegates, the so-called leaders of the Democratic Party, will have the guts to stand up to the Clintons like Governor Richardson did in his endorsement of Barack Obama, Richardson Endorses Obama; I call on the voters of Indiana and North Carolina, West Virginia, Guam, Montana, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and South Dakota to do what their elected leaders and Democratic Party leaders do not have the guts to do; end this thing by sending Hillary Clinton the resounding message we have been duped in the past, but not this time, not this time, NOT THIS TIME.

America I believe that you are smarter than Hillary Clinton and the media believe that you are. If you really analyze the candidates and their respective tactics, their character, their past conduct and assess for yourself who will really come through for you and not just what they say they will do; I am confident that you will conclude it is not Hillary Clinton. When you go to your respective polling places, leave behind all your biases, cultural divides and prejudices, and oh yes your fears that you may have and vote for the real change, not the sequel, to more of the same old politics as usual, that is being offered and peddled by Hillary Clinton. Yes I know for some of you this will constitute a radical departure from your upbringing, your beliefs, your ideologies, and practices. But I believe that it can be done. It must be done if the country is to survive. I don’t know about you but whenever, I go to movies and watch a sequel I like it less than the original and leave not satisfied to say the least.

Two great Americans have participated in a new direction for this country. One was named John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the other was Martin Luther King, Jr. Kennedy asked the famous question “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. King said he had a dream which included the premise or prophecy if you will, that one day; America would judge a man not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character. The future of this great country has reached a fork in the road; choose you this day where will history record your vote and your answer to these calls. Do we stand tall for true change or do we surrender to doing the same old thing? ? America I believe that you will do the right thing in 2008 and make history right and begin the fulfillment of the dream.

After all we are ONE AMERICA, ONE NATION, and THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and remember YES WE CAN make America better for all of its citizens if we do it for the good of our country and not ourselves. But in the end, we too will benefit by moving this country to ONE AMERICA, ONE NATION, AND ONE VOICE under GOD, indivisible, with life, liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness for all of its citizens.

Now that is my two cents worth, Leonard.

Truth or Consequences?

A lot of media attention has been given to Barack Obama's recent comments regarding the working class people of America. Most of them have been negative and his opponents have jumped on Obama's comments with both feet. CNN tackled this issue yesterday and to my surprise, actually supported Obama's comments when put into context
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G8dRMofHNs.
A recent Huffington Post article by Catherine Crier entitled Punished for the Truth seem to suggest that Obama in fact was stating the truth and that he is being punished for it, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-crier/punished-for-the-truth_b_96358.html. Whatever spin you want to put on it, the truth of the matter is that Americans have suffered under the Clinton and Bush Administrations. America by all accounts is now in a recession and some of the economic downturn can be directly traced to foreign trade agreements put in force by these administrations.
One of the remaining democratic contenders was a part of the Clinton Administration and in fact claims that her participation in this Administration forms the basis of her alleged thirty-five (35) years of experience, which has to date back to her graduation from law school. In fact some have said that Hillary's attempt to characterize her earlier position on NAFTA as pretentious: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,350649,00.html. Clinton says she feels working America's pain and empathizes with them. Now how can a multimillionaire feel the pain of someone who is making less than $50,000.00 a year. The truth of the matter she can't because she has never experienced what it mean to be in want, what it mean to have to make tough decisions between health care or food? What it is like to be homeless and yes there are people who hold down a job everyday, yet have no place to call home. How could she? There is nothing in her background that would give her a point of reference.
The other presidential candidate, John McCain, says he is a conservative republican. Most conservative republicans believe in and are adamant supporters of right to bear arms and of religious freedoms and beliefs. How a conservative republican can in good conscience condemn someone that would understand how someone could be bitter and frustrated about their economic plight and turn to issues that are important to their core values is beyond me. But then again when you don't have a clue about the economics you have to grab at anything that could take the heat off you and your short comings. In the straight talking express it is war, see the opinion of Cynthia Tucker here:
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/tucker/stories/2008/04/11/tucked_0413.html.
Clinton and McCain might I remind you and the American people that the United States of America was founded on injustice, one of the injustices was the lack of freedom to exercise their religious beliefs. It is no coincidence that the freedom of religion is included in the First Amendment of the Constitution. It is there because of the importance it was and is to the American people. Likewise, it is no coincidence that the right to bear arms is included in the Second Amendment. Again it is because of the importance of the right to the American people.
History has shown that presidential campaigns have turned upon where the candidates have stood on these two very important rights. The issues that these rights embrace, abortion, pro-life, pro-choice, gay marriage, gay rights, are, to a lot of Americans, more important than the economy. Therefore, when they don't see any change in their financial conditions on the horizon, you can bet your bottom dollar they are going to make sure that the next presidential candidate will address these issues.
So America disregard all the spin or hype in this presidential race and ask yourself what is it that you want from your president and who will best deliver this of the remaining candidates in the race? Because the issues in this race are not being fully developed by the media, you owe it to yourself to find out where the candidates stand on these issues. If anything the media is determined to keep the democratic race going on and on, just like the energizer bunny, by making issues out of non-issues because of the revenue that it brings in. It is all about the bottom line and the truth or journalism has nothing to do with it.
So as you go through this campaign season don't listen to the spin, hype of the candidates and or pundits; but do your own research and ask your own questions regarding what is important to you in the next president and which of the candidates measures up. For example: Do you want a president that will bring about change or maintain the status quo? Do you want a president that lies about sniper fire in Bosnia to prove that she is strong, not once, not twice, not three times, not four times but as many times as she thinks she can get away with it or a man that admits his mistakes and moves on? Do you want a president that may keep America in a war that most Americans have a problem with, for up to 100 years or do you want a president that will get us out of a war that conventional wisdom say we can't win? Do you want four more years of a Bush or Clinton Administration or a fresh start?
Whatever you do in an effort to become an informed electorate, don't let someone tell you what they want you to hear to sway your vote for them, yet stand for something else. When someone does this to me, I get insulted because they are the ones that are truly insulting my intelligence and being condescending.
America has lived or is living with the consequences of presidential lies, half truths and innuendos, the Iraq War, foreign trade agreements that have taken away jobs from Americans, scandals upon scandals, just to name a few. If the truth be told some of us bought these lies, half truths and fear mongering, hook, line and sinker. This time let's go with the truth, even if it might not rub some of us the right way but in the end we want feel duped in the process.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

The news media has made a great deal out of the Clintons giving over $10 million dollars to charitable organizations. However, most of it has gone to the Clinton Family Foundation as this article will clearly show and a schedule attached to their 2006 tax return will show. The Washington Post's article referenced below deals with the fact that Senator Clinton did not report the foundation on her Senator disclosure statement . She claims it was a clerical error on her staff's part. One time maybe but five times, give me a break. All three of the Clintons are listed as officers of the Clinton Family Foundation. The Washington Post article also states that the Clintons did not receive any salary from the Foundation , yet the 2003 tax return shows $655,942 in wages. Hillary did not receive this amount in salary from her Senator job. Bill Clinton's pension is not included in this amount, it is on line 16 of the tax return, so what accounts for the additional amounts?

It is clear that the tax returns have raised questions about the Clintons personal finances that they would wished they did not have to address. Lack of transparency is the hallmark of the Clintons and the Bushes. The first Clinton Administration was riddle with scandals. The Second Bush Administration hid the truth from the American People and got America into a war. The Second Clinton Administration will be based upon running from sniper fire in Bosnia; a blatant lie not just a misspeak. Does America really want or need another administration that will tell us anything but the truth and be riddle with scandals?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/26/AR2007022601542.html

The Clintons Tax Returns can be located at the this link:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-04-clinton-income_N.htm