Rosie and Donald; Democrats and Dean

Its time I sound off about a few things.
Rosie and Donald. Ok, I somewhat admire Donald Trump's unique ability to be successful, wealthy, and inspiring while also being obnoxious, self-appreciating, and his zealously over-inflated ego. I never have cared too much for Rosie O'Donnell, but I do agree with most of her views. I was particularly put off when she had Tom Selleck on her talk show and instead of being a gracious host, she attacked him for his position on guns and his affiliation with the NRA.
But Rosie, in her role as TV-journalist, commentator, and moderator of ABC's The View, was totally in the right on this. I don't care about what her opinion was or what the situation was with Trump's Miss America pageant. She has a responsibility per her role on the show to give her view. She gave it. If Donald doesn't like it, fine. But also, Donald needs to take into consideration Rosie's comments about his hair were nothing more than a thousand other comics and shows mention daily. They are something that I am sure he hasn't changed not because he particularly likes it, but because it has become a part of his flamboyant personality. Rosie was driving home a point she believed in, not personally attacking Donald. When Donald chose to address her remarks himself, he went for the jugular. His comments were rude, degrading, and hostile. Calling her fat is fourth-grade-level. And I believe that the degenerate comment was Donald trying to shore up some religious right support for another unsuccessful run for the presidency, not-so subtly alluding to her being a lesbian. So for this match, typically off my radar, I will weigh in favor of Rosie O'Donnell.
While this topic isn't of any remote urgency or actual relevance and acknowledging that writing this takes me to the same level as most all TV news shows and tabloids alike, I've weighed in.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi-(D) California, is the new speaker of the House and the first female to hold this highly coveted position. With the constitutional line of succession written in the manner in which it is, Madame Speaker is now third in line for the presidency. (No Al Haig, you're still not in the top three!). I can't help but wonder, and wonder is all this is, given that countless meaningless and senseless murders that take place on a regular basis, why one of those crazies don't just shoot for the gusto. I mean, surely some of these murderers are Democrats and feel relatively strong about Bush's below lackluster presidency. And the thought of Shotgun Cheney being the president even scares W. I would think. But hasn't one of these lunies thought that they would be willing to risk their own life to get in the history books, rather than take the chance on getting caught and spending their life in jail or being executed, and just take out Bush and Cheney? Speaker Pelosi would then be president and I would assume she would pick a Democrat as her vice-president, although maybe to try to appease the Republicans she would choose one of them. Now wouldn't that just piss all in the collective bowls of Wheaties of all three thousand already announced candidates Democratic candidates? Pelosi would have the momentum and, judging from her impressive first month as Speaker and the agenda she has set forth and the accomplishments she has already made, she could sail right into the White House as the first female president of the United States. I think I heard Bush say in his state of the union address that Pelosi's father was a congressman, also. That's interesting. My best wishes and regards to Speaker Pelosi and while I wasn't in favor of her being the speaker when she was chosen, or when she was chosen as the House Majority Leader for that matter, I stand corrected and take my hat off to Speaker Pelosi.

While we're on the political front, its time I weighed in on my early thoughts for the Democratic candidate for the 2008 presidential election. I like Hillary Clinton. I think I've pretty much always liked her, save for the time she made a derogatory comment about Tammy Wynette's Stand By Your Man song (which, ironically, is exactly what Hillary turned out to do!). Senator Clinton is sharp, articulate, and savvy. But she's not very personable. She doesn't come across as genuine and friendly, like her husband and she might put off some undecided moderates or Conservative Democrats with her independent woman image. I like her, but I am not sure she can win the prize. And I say this assuming that the Republicans are going to pick Senator John McCain, a capable, well-liked, and decent guy, who I will have a lot of trouble trying to destroy. (Although after watching him this morning on CBS Sunday Morning he may be pushing his moderates away in his vain attempt to capture the Religious Right.) McCain is probably the best candidate the GOP will have had since Bob Dole, only McCain has the personality that Dole could just never seem to muster up. That said, I think if McCain doesn't pick Giuliani as his running mate, which he might but I'd rather he didn't because then it would look like the novel Politics, Pleasure, and Scandal that I have been writing since 1987 was a copy, with the presidential character being Nick Giuliani and all. But if he doesn't pick Giuliani, I'm going to go on record, especially if the Dems pick Clinton, that McCain will choose Elizabeth Dole as his running mate. He'll pull back some of the Republican feminists that might have voted for Clinton based on gender. Plus, while Dole has not been as good of a senator as I had thought she would be, I think she will do a decent job sitting in the VP's office and waiting for tragedy.

Now, my pick for the Democrats, while it may be as suicidal as a Clinton pick, is someone I said during the 2004 Democratic National Convention would be a candidate one day. That is Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Yeah, they've already started leaking the Obama name, with CNN alluding Obama bin Laden and they've dug up a book her wrote years ago about having tried cocaine, but come on. We're in a time now that it is going to be impossible to find a candidate that hasn't “lived” life and tried something. Whether its a hooker, pot, coke, whatever. I say this, at least he admitted. No regrets, no excuses. He inhaled, because he snorted. And his daddy didn't have that record cleared by his CIA cronies like a certain sitting president that I know. He did a line. So what. So have I. You know, they say cocaine makes you sharper and more alert. Perhaps Bush should go back to the snow.

Senator Obama has shown he is capable at being a leader. He has the leadership and the pizazz and the showmanship and the humor and the appeal that we look for in a leader. He has the charisma and the charm. He has the look and the oratorial skills that Bush lacks. The man is perfect. . .except he's black. Does that matter? To me, no. Should it matter? No. Will it matter? As sure as Ted Kennedy's a Democrat! The GOP won't say it but you can be your sweet testicles (or vagina) that they'll subltly remind people, particularly in the South and areas where they think it will matter. And while Obama hasn't been “overtly” black, that is, not on the lines of Louis Farakhan or my boy, Rev. Al Sharpton, and not out their pitching the “black agenda,” the fucking color of his skin is going to play a key factor in the decisions of many voters. I only wish there were enough black people in the US to go register if they hadn't already and vote so that it would perhaps off-set the votes he might lose.

The other candidates are well-qualified. Senator Kerry said he won't run again. Good thing. He wasn't my first pick the last time but he was decent. He didn't have the shazamm to go out and sell the Democratic values. Howard Dean has it, but with his success at being party chairman I don't think Democrats are going to let him get away. And they shouldn't. Bill Richardson seems like a nice guy, will pull some Hispanic voters, but in general, with his last name being Richardson, it may be a wash. Those who would be inclined to NOT vote for him because of his ethnicity won't know it because Bill Richardson sounds as American as. . .Bill Richardson. And since it doesn't sound Hispanic, any apathetic Hispanic voters won't know to vote for him. Plus, with all the border issues lately, the "silent" right scare machine will have a field day scaring their peeps into thinking if they elect a "Mexican" then its only a sign of things to come. I liked John Edwards before I liked Howard Dean in the 2004 Democratic primary, but soon tired of Edwards as he isn't very dynamic and seems to not possess the leadership skills needed nor the charisma sought by so many Americans. Joe Biden--he shit his nest this week by calling Senator Obama the first serious African-American candidate for president who is, and I quote here, ". . .clean and articulate." Just to show how happy the right was that Senator Biden made this statement, George Bush quoted that Obama was "articulate" (someone must have told him what it meant) later in the week. And poor old homestate boy of mine Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Nice fella, wouldn't take your lunch money at school. Spent more time in Hawaii than Kamehameha during the Democratic primaries (and he actually won this state!). But to quote the God of political consultants, James Carville (originally about the late-great Senator Paul Tsongas) "He ain't gonna win shit!" I think there are a couple of other Democrats but they're pretty insignificant.

So my money, all dollar and eighty-one cents of it, are on Senator Barack Obama. He's clean! (thank you Joe Biden.). He's articulate! (Which he actually is!). He well-respected. He's principaled. He's honest (hey, at least he admitted his one time use of cocaine). And he's youthful and energetic. If we could just revert, if but until the day after election day, back to black and white televisions, and perhaps silent movies, maybe America wouldn't see his color and would instead, base a vote for or against him on character, ideas, views, positions, track record, and principals.

The Voice enthusiastically endorses very early on the Honorable Senator from the great state of Illinois, Senator Barack Obama.