3AM Failure #2 – Barack Keeps Missing The Point.

Hurricane Gustav is set to strike New Orleans the morning of opening day at the RNC Convention in the Twin Cities.

The AP shows the different responses…

McCain’s reaction…

John McCain tore up the script for his Republican National Convention on Sunday, ordering the cancellation of all but essential opening-day activities as Hurricane Gustav churned toward New Orleans.

“This is a time when we have to do away with our party politics and we have to act as Americans,” he said as fellow Republicans converged on their convention city to nominate him for the White House….

The hasty reordering of an event months in the planning was unprecedented, affecting not only the program on the podium but the accompanying fundraising, partying and other political activity that unfolds around the edges of a national political convention….

In an interview with NBC, he said it was possible he would make his acceptance speech not from the convention podium but via satellite from the Gulf Coast region.

OR

Obama’s Response….

“I think we can activate an e-mail list of a couple of million people who want to give back,” he said.

Basically it breaks down like this…

On one hand we have a guy that is willing to sacrifice what is traditionally the most important moment of any political campaign to help his fellow Americans by cutting the event short, going to the region, gathering fundraisers, and helping to oversee operations….

On the other hand we have a guy that is going to send out an email blast….

Remember that 3AM phone call…  yeah, well, Failure #2 Barry.  Failure #2.

Oh, and the point…  It is not about you.  It is about us.

The sooner you learn that, the better off you will be.

Oh, and to review failure #1…  CLICK HERE

Seriously…  what was the DNC thinkin with this guy?

Just Say No Deal.

I Have To Give Thanks To The Political Gods….

I just want to take a moment to make a few observations as an American.

I know that everyone is deep in the trenches right now, and partisanship is kicking in, but this election is amazing and I could not be more thrilled.

America is making history right now.

• The first woman to win a party primary.
• A woman that set the record for the most primary votes of all time…  male or female
• The second African American to win a party primary
• The first African American to win a party nomination
• The second woman to be nominated as a Vice Presidential candidate
• The first woman to be nominated as a Republican Vice Presidential candidate

Add on top of all these firsts and seconds the diversity of the people they represent…  never before have we had such a cross section of Americana….  An African American, A War Hero, A Woman and A Working Class Hero.

These people ARE America.  And I am proud.

Hillary Can’t Fix What Her Party Broke….

This is the best, most accurate and honest article I have read on the subject yet…

From Froma Harrop on RCP

…for Hillary’s angry backers, the issue is no longer what was done to her. It was about what was done to them.

Democrats had turned on fellow Democrats, and although the arrows flew in all directions, the nastiest of the invective fell on the ladies who loved Hillary. That these loyal Democrats had been targeted made them nuts.

How strange that anyone writing for a political site would be smeared for backing a candidate of the same party. If the Democratic leadership had any sense of self-preservation, it would have shunned creepy bloggers and those who provided their forum. Instead, it hailed them as voices of the new generation.

The Democrats clearly have a hooligan problem. It was as though their left-wingers suffered a kind of Karl Rove envy. They wanted to go on the attack, demonize a Clinton and hurl abuse at the Clinton’s friends. Only a year ago, Vanity Fair ran a cover story on how Clinton hatred had infected much of the right wing. The left seems to have grabbed the baton. And it apparently did not dawn on the Obama shock troops that they were offending the very people their man might someday need.

The Rovian right never made that mistake with non-candidates. It reserved its thuggery for people who would never vote for a Republican.

Read the whole article on RCP…  It is fantastic.  CLICK HERE

I Am Just Going To Let This One Speak For Itself…

Just in case you miss a few things in there…

1.  Diddy is calling himself by a new nickname…  Ciroc Obama.  Nice little pun/rhyme thing…  Ciroc…  Barack…  Get it?

But, in case you don’t know, Ciroc is a kind of Vodka that Diddy just happens to be a spokesperson for.  Classy, huh?

2.  Diddy has a problem with Alaska and Palin because there aren’t any Black people there?

Sure, the African American community is small in Alaska but that shouldn’t disqualify her?  I don’t even know what that has to do with anything? I thought that we weren’t supposed to vote for Barack because he was Black?  I thought we were supposed to be post-racial and vote for him on his merits…  for Hope and Change, right?  I thought he was the best candidate that just happened to also be Black?

3.  Diddy has a problem with Alaska because there is no crime or crackheads?

I thought making America a place without crime and crackheads was the goal…  or am I mistaken?

Personally, I thought that was the point of electing people to office…  you know, you go out a vote for the ones that help you and your community, right?

I must have it wrong.

4.  Wasn’t that an amazingly eloquent speech?  His thoughts were expressed with incredible turn of phrase, power and emotion.  His rationale was clearly explained and his points delineated in a concise and effective manner.  He certainly convinced me.

I think we should show all the people my age and younger videos like this because that is a surefire way to win them over…  yup, he is gonna get MILLIONS to vote with videos like that….  those “huh’s” and “what’s”…  brilliant.  just brilliant.

Gallup Poll – Obama/Biden Convention Bounce Slipping – 48/42

It seems the bounce that the Democrats were hoping for at the end of the Convention in Denver failed to meet expectations and is now slipping away entirely.

The Democrats were hoping for a 15pt bounce out of the announcement of Biden as the VP pick, as well as the “Unity Week” in Denver.  The bounce peaked out at 8 pts mid-Convention week but has now slipped to a 6pt lead.

4 things have contributed to this…

1.  The unexciting choice of Biden as VP

2.  The passing over of Clinton as VP and the continuing disunity in the party

3.  The Russia/Georgia conflict

4.  The naming of Sarah Palin as McCain’s VP which both reaches out to disaffected Clinton supporters and to the Conservative base.

And the Democrats should be worried.  The Republicans are heading into their Convention week, and for the next week…  it’s gonna be all about McCain/Palin.

McCain/Palin Raises $7 Million In One Day

WaPo

Sen. John McCain has taken in $7 million in contributions since announcing Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, a top campaign aide said today.

The money bounce may owe to Palin’s appeal with conservative donors, many of whom said privately they had planned on sitting out the campaign this year. The money comes in just under the wire — after McCain accepts the GOP nomination Thursday, he will accept public funds and no longer be permitted to raise private money for the campaign.

That will not, however, stop McCain and Palin from raising money for the Republican National Committee. In coming weeks, McCain will host four megafundraising events in major cities aimed at bolstering the accounts of the party. Palin, meanwhile, will be sent out to headline more than a dozen fundraising events for the RNC.Sen. John McCain has taken in $7 million in contributions since announcing Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, a top campaign aide said today.

Obama Camp Sets Up Palin Smear Site?

According to Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs the website “Sarah Palin Supports Gay Rights” which is set up to look like a rightwing smear site shares an IP address owned by “Obamadefense” which redirects to Obama’s Fight The Smears site.

Now, this could be anyone setting up the site and redirecting to Obama’s campaign.  There are tons of disinformation and confusion techiniques being employed all over the place, especially on the internet, so I make no conclusions about the veracity of the information, but it certainly is interesting.

There is lots of info and updates, so be sure to check it out.  CLICK HERE

McCain is Anti-Environment And Can’t Use The Internet? Think Again.

McCain has been consistently ahead on message, but he is also beating Obama on the green scheme and in technology.

First, his campaign store has a “Go Green” section with environmentally friendly items.  CLICK HERE

And now, with unprecedented brilliance, the McCain campaign has taken political fundraising to the next level…

Introducing the GOP Toolbar

These people are way ahead of the curve.

Thank You So Much For All Your Support!

My email box has been overflowing in response to my announcement that I will be supporting the McCain/Palin ticket.  I will be going over the issues and platforms in the next several weeks and evaluating them through a Democrats eyes.  I suspect that we will find that we have much more in common with McCain/Palin than we ever thought!!!

Regardless, the Democrats have given men and (especially) women that have opinions and concerns a huge signal…  “we don’t want you, get the hell out of our party!”

Fine…

So, Democratic Party, here is an example of what is really happening….  This is an email I recieved recently…

THC,

Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you! I have always believed everything you wrote!

I was afraid I was the only one who felt this way.  I personally have joined the Log Cabin Republicans: a group of gays and lesbians within the Republican Party that works for equality for all people regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation. This is how I choose to tell the Democratic Party, I no longer have faith in the democratic process of the Democratic Party. I am a gay evangelical Episcopalian; my faith guides my heart and my vote! I believe in equality for all regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation!

I have been praying McCain would choose Sarah ever since I learned about her on Liberal Rapture. Palin gave Ferraro and Hillary wonderful praise in her speech today. I love the fact that it is a historical pick for the Republicans and gives McCain further status as a Maverick. Scott Rasmussen predicted this as a good pick and would be better for McCain than another middle-aged, Washington insider, white guy… like Obama’s pick! Biden has been in the senate since Nixon; is that Change You Can Believe In?

I love the fact Sarah Palin is a woman of principle, she was journalist, an environmentalist and a hunter, a mom of five, and a mom of a special needs child, like my mom. My mom had five kids, cooked wild game my grandfather and father brought home, taught me to shoot and to fish and to take care of the land.  My mom once shot an armadillo that was under our house (built at the turn of the century) and was digging around and shaking the natural gas lines that provided fuel for our space heaters. She did this in the middle of the night with me lying on the ground next to her holding a flashlight and she got him with one shot. She did this to protect our home from a broken gas line which could have killed our family; if she had missed and hit a gas line, our home and family would all have been killed.  She didn’t miss, and it gave me a new respect for her and for women.  I was 10. That experience has stayed with me to this day. Don’t mess with a Mom; she will protect her family, and her country!

The Democrats are already trashing her and saying she has no experience! She has owned her own business, she has been a union member, a city council member, a mayor, a state ethics board member, as governor she is a reformer and gave a tax rebate from big oil back to the people in her state.  Obama’s resume’ pales in comparison to hers. Palin’s PTA experience beats Obama’s resume. I must point out, she is not at the top of the ticket; McCain is! They say McCain is so old he is going to die and leave the country on her shoulders, how ageist can they get?  Biden will be 66 if Obama is elected.

They are also saying she only got it because she was a woman and McCain wants Hillary voters. The Democrats are saying she shouldn’t run because of her kids and her disabled baby. Would they say that about a man with kids and a disabled child?  What does that say about the good ole boy network in the Democratic Party? They are saying Biden can’t debate her because he will be seen as picking on a woman.  What do they think he did in the debates with Hillary Clinton?  Is she not a woman?  Obama and Biden are such sleazy, sexist pigs!  They have such a double standard.

NBC is having a field day and attacked her while she was speaking by putting up the headline text: Breaking News! How many houses will Palin add to the Republican ticket? CNN is trashing her for lack of experience, saying that the Abomination has more experience and that McCain wants to bait Obama into a fight on that topic.  Even Bill O’Reilly is attacking her! I thought he was a good guy, fair and balanced, and now I learn that he is a sexist pig, and no better than Keith Olberman.

Sean Hannity and Russ Limbaugh are thrilled and have nothing but good things to say about Palin, they did point out her few shortcomings, but not in a sexist pig way. They stated that no one is a perfect candidate and said her Washington outsider status is a good thing for McCain’s new message of Real Change for Washington.

I am so angry at the MSM and the Democrats and Democratic Party’s ticket, I can’t see straight. Trust me; they will get a piece of my mind, not that I can afford to give any away! But, I am going to!

Also, Hurricane Gustav looks like it is coming Louisiana’s way.  Please keep the Gulf Coast in your thoughts and prayers.  I hope it doesn’t go toward you in Texas; y’all are still recovering from all that rain and flooding from that tropical storm. Thanks for all you do to keep your readers and friends on your blog informed.

Blessings on your day!

Once again, thank you all so much for your support!!!  I am recieving tons of emails in reponse to my email blast and it is amazing!

Listen up DNC…  we are angry, we are growing and there are only so many new voters you can register to replace us!

Many Democrats are going to be voting McCain this year.  It’s ok…  really.

Introducing Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin Is McCain’s VP Pick… Brilliant

CLICK HERE

DAYTON, Ohio – Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain introduced his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, at a raucous rally Friday in Ohio, praising her “tenacity” and “skill” in tackling tough problems.

Palin becomes the first woman to serve on a GOP presidential ticket and the first Alaskan to appear on a national ticket.

“She is exactly who this country needs to help us fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second,” McCain told his Dayton, Ohio, audience.

Announcement

Dear Friends,

I must first start this letter by recognizing the historic event that is going to take place tonight here in Denver.  I am proud of America in that we have finally seen the day when an African American can take a major step in realizing the “Dream” of Dr. Martin Luther King.

With that said, as I look back at the last 2 years of campaigning and with what I have witnessed here in Denver, I have found that I cannot endorse, nor vote for, Senator Obama.  I believe it is time to take a stand and I will be supporting John McCain for President.

I will continue to show, as I always have, how and why Senator Barack Obama is not a suitable candidate for the Presidency, but will now begin to actively advocate for John McCain.

I will not criticize anyone that supports a third party candidate, but would encourage you to re-consider your choice and to change your support John McCain.  This will be a tight race and every vote counts, especially if you are one of my friends in a battleground state.  Barack Obama must not win if we are ever to return the Democratic party back to the one we know and love.

Please visit my blog regularly as more information develops.  I hope to provide a Democrats view of John McCain, in addition to continuing to express the view I have always had about Barack Obama.

I will be removing all Democrat and PUMA related links to my blog and will only re-add them upon request.  If you would be on my blog roll, please reply with the name of your blog and the url.

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

As always, much love

Texas Hill Country
http://texashillblog.wordpress.com

UPDATE 8/30/08

With the addition of Sarah Palin to the ticket I am even more resolved in my decision to support John McCain.  He is a brilliant man that is running an even more brilliant campaign.  He has shown with his decision that he does care about all Americans, their concerns and feelings.

John McCain is a Republican that has stood up to the pressure of his colleagues and fought for what is right.  He has reached across the aisle on innumberable issues.  He has reached out to all Americans with open arms and an honest heart, visiting and campaigning in areas that no Republican has bothered to go for decades.

And with the naming of Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential nominee he has reconfirmed his commitment to be the President of all Americans.

John McCain’s New Ad Is Brilliant

This ad does 4 things…

1.  It is a pre-emption of a “race card.”

2.  It takes a bit of news time away from the Democrats, no matter how small.

3.  It makes it a tiny bit less of Obama’s special day and more of America’s special day.

4.  It emphasizes what a good and decent human being McCain really is.

Absolutely brilliant.

Aside from that…  I too must congradulate Barack Obama on this day for his historic accomplishment.  This is a great day for all Americans.

Obama Gets 5pt Bounce Thanks To Bill and Hill

GALLUP

Hillary and Bill’s speeches of unity and support for Obama have given him a 5 point bounce.  It was bound to happen, and he will probably get another bounce after his speech at Invesco…  perhaps another 5-7 points, but that should be short lived because the Republican Convention is coming up and so is John McCain’s VP choice.

This choice is very important for McCain.  It is almost a make or break.  I just wonder who he is going to pick…  If he picks Romney, it is a safe choice and solidifies his base, but I don’t think he should really worry about that no matter what his polling numbers tell him.

McCain is doing much better than Obama when comparing support among their respective bases.  And I don’t think that his base is really going to go anywhere else in big numbers.  They may not be voting FOR McCain, but I have a feeling they are going to turn out in droves to vote AGAINST Obama.

If McCain is smart, he will make a choice that appeals to independents and can take on Biden head to head in a debate…  and I would be willing to bet he is smart.

Day 4… It has been a difficult day

This has been a very long and difficult day.  There are some new things in the works.

will update soon.

Day 3… Hillary Day

Damn that lady is brilliant.

She spoke twice yesterday.  Once at a “Women Count” function and second at the convention.  She absolutely hit it out of the park with her speech.

She also did what she had to do…  threw full weight behind Obama.  Maybe now they will leave her alone now.

Oh, and Bill, a man of pure brilliance, posed a hypothetical yesterday…

“Say you have candidate x and you agree on all the issues with that candidate but you don’t think they can deliver on any of them.  And then you have candidate y and you agree on half the issues with them but you think they can deliver on all of them.  The question becomes for whom will you vote?”

he then quickly added that this has nothing to do with what is going on now….  ROFL.

LOL, I love Bill

You Know How Most Candidates Get A Bounce…

You know how most candidates get a bounce after they name their VP and during their convention…

Apparently that is not working out so well for Barack…

The newest Gallup daily tracking poll has it at McCain 46, Obama 44.

Not good news.

Day 2… Ok, So I Gave A Speech At The Rise Hillary Rise Event…

Somehow Darragh Murphy conned me into giving a speech at the Rise event in Cheeseman Park, and it was pretty tough on me.  I have been on a sort of outrage autopilot, but getting up there to give the speech I had to communicate what I saw to others, and it made me very very sad.

I had not prepared a speech, so whatever I gave was completely extemporaneous…  and so here I will recreated as best I can the speech I gave (with a few corrections and clarifications)

Hello, I blog as Texas Hill Country.  Some of you may know me and some may not, so…  hi.

First, I would like to talk a little be about myself, where I come from and how I ended up here.  You know, I have not had a life that was really all that different from Barack.  I was born to a middle class family.  We didn’t have a lot when I was a kid.  I lived in a muslim country for a few years as a child.  I then got bounced around between family members for a little while.  I have lived in several countries and even more states.  In high school, I worked at a Blockbuster video store right next to a Baskin Robbins.  Oh, and I am still paying on the student loans I took out to go to law school.  I went to Washington DC and worked for more than 143 days…  but, unlike Barack, I don’t think I am qualified to be President of the United States.  (punctuated with a snarky smile btw)

I come from a very old Democratic family.  My great grandfather was a Congressman under Roosevelt and fought to pass the New Deal.  My parents knew the Kennedys and went to the Holy Trinity Catholic church with Teddy and, occassionally, Bobby.  My Dad was going to Georgetown Law and my Mom worked in the Jesuits office.  Every so often, Father McSorley at the school would ask my Mom and a few of the students to help Kennedys and do odd jobs, small clerical stuff and the like.

As a kid growing up I always heard how inspirational and how amazing the Kennedys were and just how much Jack, Bobby and Ted meant to my parents.

Well, fast forward to the 90′s.  Bill Clinton came on the scene, I could vote and I was intensely interested in politics.  Very quickly, the man from Hope, Bill Clinton, became my Jack Kennedy. After Hillary gave her speech in Beijing on how women’s rights are human rights I was floored by her.  She became my Bobby.  I love them dearly.  They have meant so much to me and inspired me in incredible ways.

But I will never forget or forgive how their character was assassinated this year.

It is fortuitous and ironic that we gather here, in Cheeseman Park, the site of a former cemetery, to celebrate the death of democracy.

And, so I stand before you with hope.  Hope for change, but not the type of change Barack Obama wants.

I have hope that I will live in a country where our votes are respected.  I have hope that I will live in a country where our votes cannot be changed.  I have hope that I will never have to look into the eyes of my wife or future daughter and say “You almost made it.  I am sorry the boys held you back.”

And I want change.

I want to change this country back to one where I don’t worry about my vote counting.  I want to change the Democratic party leadership to one where I don’t have to worry about whether or not they will listen.  I want to change this country back to one where I don’t have to worry about the sanctity of the vote.

And I want to change this country to one where we no longer have to hope…

We can just be.

So, there it is…  my speech.  A bunch of crap I put together off the top of my head.  I hope it makes sense to some of you.

love to all.

My First Day In Denver… What An Amazing Adventure.

I came into town and immediate fell asleep.  I had driven all night from Dallas to Denver and badly need the rest.  After about 3 hours, I woke up, called my wife to check in, and then called fellow Capital Hill member Papau.

Papau was over at the PUMApac headquarters, so I got directions and headed on over.

WOW…  media everywhere, delegates stopping in, and the blogger station full of 6 people typing away.  It was a buzz of activity.

I met a bunch of wonderful people and lots of bloggers that I know and respect dearly.  I was also thrilled to hear people liked my blog…  I was shocked and humbled that people even knew who I was.  It was very nice.

Darragh was fantastic.  She came up to me and introduced herself, we talked for a bit, and became buddies quickly.

I headed over the the PUMAhomestead with Darragh Murphy, Sheri Tag, MarylandPUMA, LadyBoomerNYC, and Darragh Mom (aka Mamma PUMA).

We talked lots, blogged and got ready for the shindig and the unveiling of the Brad Mays movie, the Audacity of Democracy.

The party started at 8, by 7:15 there were 5 media vans there unloading cameras and a variety of reporters getting out of their cars.

The party was off into full swing, there was a coctail bar and catered food…  all excellent btw…  and the reporters just floated thru the crowd talking to a variety of people.  There were tons of them.

I got interviewed by AP, CNN, Le Monde, and a Japanese news paper…  and I am supposed to give a phone interview with a reporter tomorrow morning.  I saw she was holding a piece of paper with FT on it, so maybe Financial Times?  I dunno.

The one reporter that did not seem interested in talking to me at all was the guy from the Fort Worth Star Telegram…  basically, my local paper!  Weird, right?  I talked with a reporter from France for 30 minutes, but the one from home wanted nothing to do with me and was actually kinda rude about it?  ROFL.

Regardless, the interviews went well, stayed on message…  explained that it was not about candidates or platforms, it was about the process… the breaking of the rules, the changing of votes, the caucus fraud, etc etc….

I listened to Diane Mantouvalous, Will Bower, and Darragh Murphy give interviews as well, and they said much the same thing.  I was thrilled with that because the message is getting tightened up and more clearly stated.

The most shocking part of it is that the reporters were really responsive to what we were saying and that the puma narritive has really changed from the “bitter old women” meme to one of understanding…  of hey, ok, we are starting to get it now…  and oh, wow, ok your segment of the party could very well make or break this election cycle.  You people are for real.

My honest guess is that when Obama passed over Hillary as the VP, and it came out that he had not even vetted her or discussed the selection with her and then made the announcement by sending out a 3AM text message…  I think that the reporters and the media realized that it was not us that split the party, that the Obama campaign has been treating Hillary disrespectfully and by proxy the 18 million people that voted for her.

I think they are also starting to actually listen to us and why we are angry.  It is not the candidates, its how it was run.

It has been a wonderful change in the story.  It looks as if the media is turning around!

There is so much more coming up and I am looking forward to tomorrow!!!

PUMApac Headquarters Location And Events

PUMApac Headquarters is located at 1325 Deleware St in Denver.  Please stop by, say hello, and check up on all the events!