President Obama, John McCain, and Just a pebble

As a person who has never judged based on skin color, I am not overly impressed by the accomplishment of Barack Obama.  I can, however, acknowledge that Black Americans should feel significant pride that they can be elected to the single most important position in the world.  I can only hope that he becomes the most successful president in history, one that protects innocent life.

I watched John McCain’s concession speech.  I feel he was incredibly gracious.  I feel that, of the two candidates, he is significantly more accomplished and prepared to be President.

I started this blog to help Mike Huckabee become the 44th president.  That, obviously, didn’t work out.  I’m ok with that.  We should understand the past, but, don’t dwell on it.  The purpose of this site was to sustain life through politics.  In 4 years, Mike Huckabee will probably run again.  And so will some other qualified candidates.  That list probably includes Sarah Palin and possibly Bobby Jindal.  When the time comes, I’ll select my candidate and throw full support behind him or her.

I’m of an age that I find myself in a position to mentor some of my younger coworkers.  I tell them that they can throw themselves in, bulldoze people and projects, get things done, and leave a lot of people really ticked off.  Lots of successful leaders do that.  But, there’s another way to be just as successful.

Clearly identify the goal, treat people with respect by recognizing their viewpoints and their diversity, and have an explanation when you select a different path.

Pascal said, “The least movement is important to all nature.  The entire ocean is affected by a pebble.”

I learned a lot from getting so involved in this Presidential election.  And, I influenced it.  Not to the extent I wanted, but, I convinced many people to support Mike Huckabee.  AND, I got even more to at least consider him.  Me, just a pebble.

Since FortyFour no longer has the significance it once had, I’ll be starting over at

Just a Pebble.

Visit me there soon!

Your Friend,

Vince

Election Polls

Update: Someone reminded me I had not referenced where the poll came from – IBD/TIPP.  If you want to see updated numbers, check Drudge.  He also claims they were the most accurate poll in 2004.

It’s amazing to me how all the polls are showing different results.  Yet, the Mainstream Media only discusses the polls that has Obama pulling away.

	Obama	McCain	Undecided
Protestant	38	51	11
Catholic	39	48	13
Other Christian	40	49	11
None	77	13	10

So, maybe, Obama has a Christian voter problem.

Additionally, he may have a patriotic voter problem.

Displays Flag	Obama	McCain	Undecided
Yes	36	51	13
No	63	28	9

Another Perspective

I watched Huckabee tonight on Fox.  Joe the Plumber was on.  You know, I think he gets it.  He understands what taxes do to small business.  He understands what Federal programs do to small business.  He understands that government doesn’t create private sector jobs.

Now, since Barack “Spread the wealth” Obama is hurt by his own statement, the liberal media has attacked Joe.

Isn’t it a shame that that is where we are.  You are not allowed to have a different perspective.

What we need is Another Perspective.

Who is Joe the Plumber?

I’ve got a feeling I know this guy – or someone like him.

Here’s a link to NYP.  They have the video for now.

Some memorable lines from the debate:

1. After the 43rd time of Obama saying he’s going to defeat George Bush, John McCain said, “I know George Bush.  And Senator, I’m no George Bush.”

2.  After the 43rd time of eloquent speech, John McCain said, “He talks purty, don’t he?”

3.  When the subject of Ayers came up, John McCain said, “I don’t care if he hangs around terrorists, but, Joe Plumber does.”

All right, already.  You caught me.  McCain didn’t say those things.

He did say, “If you wanted to run against George Bush, you should have run 4 years ago.”

McCain did talk about Obama’s Eloquence and what a load of dung it is.  Read between the lines.

McCain did try to draw lines to Obama’s associations with Ayers and Acorn.  I don’t know why he didn’t say that character matters.  He could have opened with, “20 years ago, I made a mistake.  Since then, I’ve worked hard to combat corruption in government, I’ve earned the scars that go with being a maverick.  And character matters to Joe Plumber.  Senator Obama launched his career in the living room of a known terrorist, he sat on a board and collaborated with him.  He benefited from a $300M Home Purchase deal with Tony Rezko in the background.  And now, we are finding out about his associations with ACORN which has done more to earn the distrust of Joe Plumber than any organization regarding the validity of elections.”

He didn’t drive the wedge as forcefully as he should have regarding Abortion and the Supreme Court.  This could have been the knock out punch and McCain didn’t deliver it.  He approached with Obama voted present 130 times in the Illinois senate.  A passionate description of Nurse Stanek’s experience holding a born alive aborted baby while he died could have sealed the deal.

This election may be about the missed opportunities to send this ultra liberal candidate back to the senate to while away the years like Ted Kennedy has, continuing to stuff the pork away.

You Catholics out there should be ashamed of supporting Barack Obama.  There are other qualified candidates that don’t support On Demand destruction of human life.  If you need some recommendations, ask.

The Current Election Polls and Hope

The current polls show Obama leading and probably pulling away.  It has me terribly concerned, not because I’m an ardent McCain supporter, but because I am an ardent Obama opponent. One major reason is that he is the most Pro-Abortion presidential candidate ever.  I’ve been mulling a new post on abortion.

I was over at Cathlete and sorting through the links.  I settled on Unborn Word of the Day.  And perhaps it was providence that I found an article about a very important election and Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Unborn.

After reading it, remember that prayers for the unborn may lead to the defeat of Barack Obama.

The Constitution and the Role of Vice President

Don’t take my word for it . . . read it here.

Joe Biden referenced Article 1, stating that the office of the Vice-President is just a member of the Executive Branch.  He went on to contradict himself when he said that the Vice-President votes in Congress when the Senate is deadlocked.

Here’s the fact.  From the Constitution:

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Biden was right.  The Vice-President does vote in the Senate.  This means that when the Vice-President votes to break ties in the Senate, He (or hopefully She) is part of Congress (the Legislative branch).

Here’s further support for that statement – straight from the Constitution.

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

Does it need to be more clear?  The Vice-President is part of the Senate – part of the Legislature.

Finally Article 3:

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.

Note that the word VICE is missing.  The executive power shall be vested not in the Vice-President but the PRESIDENT.  As much as it might pain Senator Biden, it seems that Governor Palin and Vice-President Cheney know a little more about the constitution than him.

Palin wins

I think we all saw a little more of why Sarah Palin has lit a fire under the Republican base.  I’m a little biased – I’ve been watching Palin for a long while.  But, Palin won the debate.  The proof is HNN has already cut over to Nancy Grace.

Ted Nugent for Vice-President

Let’s bump McCain and run the Palin/Nugent ticket.

Nugent is on Glenn Beck:

Making ends meet isn’t movies and collectible dishes on the wall.

I’m just a guitar player.  My responsibility as an American is to be involved.

The only welfare I believe in is buying a good wheelchair for the heroes in our military.  But that isn’t welfare, that’s paying a debt that’s due.

The answer is to vote for John McCain and stay on his ass.  Stay on your senator’s ass.

The Catholic Church, Nancy Pelosi, and Abortion

Ready for a little pinball?  This guy sent me to This guy who sent me here.

In case you don’t have time to read it Nancy Pelosi here’s an excerpt. . .

From earliest times, Christians sharply distinguished themselves from surrounding pagan cultures by rejecting abortion and infanticide.  The earliest widely used documents of Christian teaching and practice after the New Testament in the 1st and 2nd centuries, the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) and Letter of Barnabas, condemned both practices, as did early regional and particular Church councils.

So, Nancy, I don’t think the Catholic Church Teachings gets any earlier than the Jesus and the 12 Apostles, which is a little more than 50 years ago.

John McCain’s Speech

Opinionated Catholic has a link to the speech.  There is one line not included.  After being interrupted by Code Pink, Senator McCain said, “The American people want us to stop yelling at each other.”

I was reading Bob Novak’s latest article, My Brain Tumor,  today.  In it, he talks of Ted Kennedy.  I have been a lifelong hater of Ted Kennedy, his politics and his lifestyle.  Bob Novak reminds us that is possible to disagree, even dislike, and at the same time be human, at the same time treat each other with compassion.

My dear friend, the Democratic political operative Bob Shrum, asked Sen. Kennedy’s wife, Vicki, to call me about Dr. Friedman. I barely know Mrs. Kennedy, but I have found her to be a warm and gracious person. I have had few good things to say about Teddy Kennedy since I first met him at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, but he and his wife have treated me like a close friend. She was enthusiastic about Dr. Friedman and urged me to opt for surgery at Duke, which I did.

The Kennedys were not concerned by political and ideological differences when someone’s life was at stake, recalling at least the myth of milder days in Washington. My long conversation with Vicki Kennedy filled me with hope.

John McCain has given us a reminder.  Let’s treat each other with respect.