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Much chatter has been generated around the GOP lately. Yes, there is a Presidential race going on that will culminate – granting there is no tie in electoral votes – this coming Tuesday, November 4th. But no, this chatter is not really about the rise of the Republican party to power and the GOP entering the final leg of the Presidential race with a clear lead. The chatter revolves around Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, a relatively new and inexperienced politician which the McCain camp has chosen as its Vice Presidential running mate.

Whether it’s been reading from notes when drilled about foreign policy during nationally televised debates or the discovery of a $150,000 wardrobe, Sarah Palin has become a diva in more ways than one. Her “outsider” relationship to Real America has been a focus of her qualifications. But her outlandish spending and obvious inexperience has been tearing the Republican party apart, from within.

“She is a person of great ambition, but the question remains: What is the purpose of the ambition? She wants to rise, but what for? It’s unclear whether she is Bushian or Reaganite. She doesn’t think aloud. She just…says things,” conservative columnist Peggy Noonan wrote in a recent Wall Street Journal column.

What are Palin’s real ambitions? Has she conceded this race and is she looking towards 2012? Even if this is the case, is the GOP looking at 2012 within Sarah Palin in mind?

Correspondents within the McCain camp have noticed a divide that Palin has created, saying:

“She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone,” a McCain adviser said. “She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else. Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.”

We will find out in only a matter of days whether or not the people elect this “diva,” but it became clear once she indulged in the comedic wishes of Saturday Night Live that she no longer was taking this Presidential race seriously. Palin has shifted focus to 2012, trying to keep her image clean and likable for her run in as President in 2012.

Editor’s Note: I have posted videos from CNN political correspondents discussing Palin’s recent actions, both internal and external. The videos are embedded on my other site as they won’t embed properly on WordPress. [Linked]

With the end in sight, Barack Obama is not backing down. Quite to the contrary as Barack is leading the offensive attack to win the Presidency. Purchasing airtime from seven major national news networks this last Wednesday night, Obama aired a 30-minute infomercial on what he offers America, and how America of the past eight years has failed its citizens.

Work hard, study hard, and make something of yourself. That is exactly what Barack Obama is doing, and it is becoming ever more clear that America is recognizing his efforts, sympathizing with his ideals, and aligning themselves in overwhelming support.

This video was not an attack on his opponent, Senator John McCain, it was focused on the issues at hand. Obama made clear where he stands on issues of the economy, of political relations, of the environment. The impact of the new media on society has been ever increasing, and Barack Obama’s informercial was not overkill, it was not repetitive. Obama used his airtime to show the struggles of real Americans, and how the last eight years have failed them. His video included a diverse set of Americans, a great attribute to reach the masses. We are days away from changing America, and this video is a perfect Final Argument for the Presidency. Obama showed himself as an American that cared not about the glory of the White House seat, but cared about changing America, about fixing the economy, about restoring a quality of life that the hard working American citizens deserve.

“I think it is the true ideals and dreams of America to have an African-American president named Barack Obama to be the representation of the United States at a time like this…[Obama] is a man that has great policies, a man that is a great intellectual, who knows what he’s doing,” says Leonardo DiCaprio in an interview on The Huffington Post

Barack Obama is clearly the candidate of choice. He has a clear plan – a plan that will work. He offers America the change that it needs. Obama has used untraditional methods to reach out to Americans, and it appears to be working. Whether it is a televised infomercial or in-game advertising in the popular video game Burnout Paradise, Barack Obama is reaching to a new league of voters. Young voters turnout is expected to be the largest ever, and Obama’s approach is working.

When approached by the video game maker Electronic Arts (EA), the McCain campaign turned down the offer to advertise in the game to compete with Obama’s ads, a huge falter on the McCain camp. In any event, Barack Obama is showing no signs of slowing down, sticking to his hard work ethics and commitment to earning the highest position in this country, Commander in Chief. Obama wants to change this country for the better, he wants to restore order and success to American economic systems and wants to reward hard-working middle class Americans who have been unfairly hurt throughout the last eight years. Watch, if you haven’t, Obama’s informercial, embedded below. See what changes lie ahead if we elect Barack Obama, changes we need.

Photo Credit: xGray – Flickr

With only days remaining until American’s go to the polls in what are expected to be record breaking numbers, both candidates are stepping up their game. Barack Obama has certainly used his campaign funds effectively, making his cause known, and his resolutions within reach. Carrying a significant lead into the final week of campaigning, Barack Obama has seen recent success in key battleground states. Colorado and Nevada are now both expected to award their electoral votes to Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. Florida is also leaning Obama. So what has Obama’s opponent been up to?

Senator John McCain has been losing ground and stumbling. The demise of his campaign likely leads back to his selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential pick. But in a rally this morning in the key battleground state of Ohio, McCain faltered. During his speech, McCain relayed to his audience that they were joined by the now infamous Joe the Plumber. And he took a moment to seek Joe out in the crowd – only to find Joe was not in attendance. The McCain aids were unable to get word to McCain in time that Joe would not be attending, and as a result, McCain suffered an embarrassing slip up.

Perhaps McCain’s only “celebrity” act, Joe the Plumber represents an opposition to Barack Obama’s tax policies, and has given media attention to Senator John McCain. And he didn’t even show, what’s that tell you? Embarrassing, especially after all the time McCain has spent building up Joe the Plumber as a symbol of his appeal with middle class voters. You decide, but it seems like McCain’s hopes to be the President of the United States of America will be dashed once again.

Making prime-time news once again was Barack Obama last night on The Colbert Report, where Stephen Colbert himself made his endorsement public, and offered some suggestions to Obama’s running mate, Senator John McCain:

There are plenty of things out there that you can endorse, but not support. (Like the Constitution) No, I am voting for John McCain. He may be in an uphill struggle in these final days, but I believe he can still win! He just needs to do something to prove he has the judgement to lead and knows where this country wants to go. You know what – I’ve got it. Senator McCain, you need to endorse Barack Obama. And that, would make you a Maverick. And that’s the Word.

As Colbert pointed out, prominent Republicans have been flocking to Obama’s campaign. The American media (sans the ultra right wing FOX News) has predominately backed Barack Obama. We are seeing key battleground states align their allegiance to Obama. The State of Nevada has just switched to a probable Obama state on CNN’s Electoral Map from a likely McCain nomination.

As discussed by CNN’s John King, much of the recent success Barack Obama has seen in the tough battleground and toss up states is due to grassroots systems organizing support efforts. Nevada has seen a large influx of Latino support as a result of door to door campaigning by ordinary citizens concerned with the future of this country. In 2004, there were 9 million registered Latino voters. Fast forwarding to today, there are 12 million, the largest increase in registrations amongst the Latino demographic in recent history.

Citizens, irregardless of skin color, ethnicity, and religion have seen what the last eight years have done to this country, and have had enough. Gone are the days of a budget surplus under the Clinton administration, gone are the days of a stable economy. The percentages of new voters is astronomical this election, and will prove to be a crucial element to the outcome of this election.

I’ll leave you for now with a couple videos, and a quote from Yosemite Sam, who, like Stephen Colbert, endorsed Senator Barack Obama last night…

Consarnit! This lily-livered rackin’ frackin’ varmint would restore America’s image on the world stage. Kablam. Pow. – Yosemite Sam, October 28th, 2008

Editor’s Note: I have posted the videos on my other site as it won’t embed properly on WordPress. [Linked]

In the first embedded video, CNN’s John King explains recent changes to projected electoral votes in key battleground and toss up states.

And embedded below the first video is a video clip from last night’s episode of The Colbert Report, airtime which Colbert reached out to viewers to publicly endorse Barack Obama.

Photo Credit: Times Union Blog

With the economy in shambles, for the past seven years we have seen gasoline prices rise uncontrollably, and somewhat unexplainably at the pumps. It’s been no secret that oil prices are in large part based upon speculation and future forecasting. It’s also been no secret that when barrels of oil are sold at rising prices, those rises are exponentially reflected at the pumps almost immediately – though the gas you are pumping was sold and refined on average of a few weeks prior. It takes a minimum of two weeks, and sometimes up to two months, for a barrel of oil to reach the pumps once it is purchased on the international market. But why then do we as consumers see a rise at the pumps almost instantaneously? And why has there not been any oversight into this matter?

Oil conglomerates such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and virtually every other oil company in America today have seen record profits. As each previous quarter ends, and a new quarter begins, we continue to hear of record profit earnings during quarterly earnings conference calls. And this last quarter proved to be no exception.

ExxonMobil was pleased to report record third-quarter profits – over $14 billion in PROFIT! The largest American oil company flew past expectations and estimates with a posted net income of $14.83 billion on revenue totaling $137.7 billion in the third quarter. That breaks down to $1,865.69 in net income attained PER SECOND of operation in the third quarter.

During peak demand times, we saw the price of a barrel of oil reach astronomical prices upwards of $145/barrel. It was not until the past few weeks we began to see any sign of relief, as a barrel of oil was trading down in the range of $70-$80 per barrel, and currently sits at roughly $65 a barrel. This translated into gas prices dipping below $3 per gallon for the first time in over a year, and much needed relief for American consumers who have already been suffering because of the waning economy.

What can you be sure of in times like these? Oil companies are making record profits at our expense. This practice of raising the cost of gasoline at the pump just as soon as the cost of a barrel of oil increases translates into instant profit with no overhead. The product has already been shipped, refined, delivered, and pumped into consumers automobiles. The only difference is the electronically changed price per gallon paid at the pump.

There needs to be some kind of oversight into this matter. It only hurts the economy when the oil companies make windfall profits like those seen over the past few years. Demand dramatically decreases, and the travel industry suffers as a result. Less money is spent in worsening economic times such as that which we are living through currently, and rising costs of oil do not help. It has been a welcome sigh of relief being able to fill up my car for $100 again. But in such an unstable market, the oil industry needs some oversight – oversight perhaps the IEA could provide and institute, an organization created after the first oil shock in 1973 as a result of the Arab-Israeli war. The IEA has flexed its power twice since its creation, opening up reserve oil into the supply chain during the Iraqi-Kuwait war as well as during Hurricane Katrina, in efforts to stabilize the cost of gasoline.

Whatever is done, something needs to happen. Someone needs to take total power away from OPEC and create an international oversight committee to regulate such affairs. After all, we are nearing peak oil production and there remains an uncertainty about the future state of oil reliance. More resources MUST be invested in researching, developing, and implementing alternative energy sources. Sure ethanol is cleaner burning than gasoline, but if someone has an E-85 Chevrolet Tahoe in Southern California, they have to commute to either Camp Pendalton or Northern California to fill up using ethanol from an ethanol station. The infrastructure just is not there like it is in energy dependent nations such as Brasil.

This quarters record profits postings from all major oil companies is an outcry – a plea – for regulation.

Editor’s Note: I have posted the relevant 45 second snippet of the above video on my other site as it won’t embed properly on WordPress. [Linked]

Photo Credit: A Guy with a Camera – Flickr