John McCain: The Distorted Moderate

Senator John McCain claims to be a moderate Republican (i.e. conservative on most fiscal policies and slightly more liberal than his Republican counterparts).  This actually made me a little happy inside because I have a huge problem with extremists (of all kinds).  To borrow from the theme of Bridge to Terabithia, "Keep your mind wide open."

But as I read more and more on this witty centrist from Arizona (did you see him nominate Jay Leno for president on The Tonight Show?), I have found that he is not moderate at all, not even in the slightest sense of the word.  He makes traditional conservative votes for the most part (90% of the time according to Obama) and very rarely, he deviates erratically in his "liberal" ways, resulting in an uproar within the Republican populous.  He has been conservative when voting on foreign and military policy, on economic policy, on abortion rights and on gay rights.  So my question is, what else is there for him to vote on that makes him so "moderate?"

Today, he announced that he has chosen Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice President, an obvious strategic attempt to gain the support of diehard Hillary fans,... even though Hillary endorsed  Obama on Tuesday, surely the sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits can't be that angry.  As a woman, I am offended that McCain would think that I would ignore that his issues contradict women issues and vote for him anyway solely because he chose a woman as his VP.  It's about the issues, not girls vs. boys.

So who is Sarah Palin?  According to MSNBC, she is currently under investigation for abusing power in Alaska (she tried to have her ex brother-in-law fired from the state).  Haven't we seen enough (more than enough, in my opinion) of exploitation from Bush?  Even if the investigation is still open, any speculation of this behavior is enough reason for me to say "Hell to the No."

Sarah Palin is also three years younger than Barack Obama, the same Democratic nominee labeled as inexperienced by McCain.  Does that mean Palin is even more inexperienced?  What are you trying to tell me John?

In tune with his grandfatherly ways, McCain still thinks it is OK when women don't receive equal pay for equal work.  So does that mean that if and when McCain/Palin sweep the polls in November, Palin will receive less pay than Dick Cheney currently earns now?

John McCain: Moderate?  Debatable and semi-relative (depending on who you ask).  Hypocrite?  Most definitely.

Pasghetti with the Phamily

Today is day one (of five) for the Phamily without our precious mother.  Trinh left for Toronto early this morning to reunite with her eight siblings (my maternal family tree is hugely Catholic) and to attend my cousin's wedding.  My dad, sister, Lucky and I were left behind with the arduous task to watch the house during her weekend of fun.

My dad went to work this morning and didn't get home until late afternoon like a normal working person.  During that time, Christine and I woke up at 11 and did what we loved best: shopped and made food.  We visited J.Crew and perused their final sale.  All sale items were an extra 40% off.  I got this skirt in honey glaze which was originally $98 but after the 40% off and then a 10% student discount, the grand total came out to be $16.33.  It was a STEAL.

After a brisk stroll around NorthPark, we returned home and made a cozy dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread.  Yum-O! Christine made an extra plate of sausage links to complete the meal for the carnivorous section of the Phamily, who can be seen below.

Daddy enjoying his meal while Christine serves up a STORM!

Well, I'm off to take a nap.  Why?  Because if my mom left early for the airport, that means I got home at an absurd hour after dropping her off.  :)

Hillary Has a Heart...and Shows It!

Ever since June 3 (day before my birthday), we have rarely seen Senator Hillary Clinton in the political spotlight.  Agitated Hillary defenders were basically left wondering what to do.  Should they reluctantly hop on the Obama bandwagon or vote in opposition to the man they had originally thought unfit and untrained to run their country?  I wouldn't know personally because I wasn't a supporter of her but that's what I would be thinking.  Well, Tuesday night of the DNC was Hillary night (according to CNN) and surprisingly, it was a good night!  In a semi-overwhelming message of unity, Democrats were told to move forward and to keep fighting.  Let Us Unite!

Overall, I thought the actual speech was super dramatic but that it also needed to be in order for her message to be as stimulating/motivating as it was.  She focused a lot on the progress of women (her mom was born before women's suffrage; Chelsea has the opportunity to vote for her mom) and that made me wonder if Hillary fans were supporting Hillary the person or the progress of women.  If not now, when will the opportunity for women will come?  2012?  Keep on fighting and we'll get there.

Personally, I was really surprised at her speech.  Up until the very end of her campaign for the Democratic nomination, she was a robot.  But all of the sudden, she wears a different energy (with no help from that orange pantsuit contraption) that is relatable and real.  Dan (who suggested that I post this "controversial" political commentary) attributes it to all the sleep she's had, which is a good hypothesis.

 

Aside from her newfound spirit, Hillary delivered some great lines along with a great anecdote of Harriet Tubman's fight for freedom.  

"No way. No how.  No McCain.  Barack Obama is my candidate."

"We don't need four more years of the last eight years."

"To my supporters, to my champions- to my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits- from the bottom of my heart: Thank you."

Hillary also challenged her supporters and asked why are you in this?  Were you in this campaign just for me?  Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?  I thought that was really powerful and more importantly, it made me think.  So... why am I in this?  I'll save that for another post.

So... why are YOU in this?

I can't wait for Billy to speak!!!

Where Does the Time Go?

"Time is the ultimate scarcity." - Prof. Marc Lieberman, Economics Principles I

In London, wondering what time it is...

Big Ben told us the time and we were so thankful.