After some time in the shadows, Biden is desperate for some attention!

Vice President Cheney was always one to work in the shadows, but Biden seemed happy to be out in public with Barack Obama in meeting with the nation's governors. In the past month since the election, he has mostly been silent side-kicking, only to join Obama in private meetings or standing behind him during conferences without saying a word. 

But this week he looked happy to be out there, and unleashed as he was given a speaking role both at the unveiling of the national security in Chicago and then during a meeting with the National Governers' Association. He even had more to say than Obama did, proves how eager he was to speak!

“Since the race is over, no one pays attention to me at all,” Mr. Biden said. “So maybe you will walk outside with me or something later and say hello to me” (New York Times).

He even gave Palin a warm welcome, poor guy, he may be bored. He wants to be out there and participate. Well at least he's the future Vice President, and he's not over stressing himself. But I'm sure we'll see much more of him in the near future, I mean, we have to! 

However, he got a biographer recently, maybe that'll give him enough attention.   The books are likely to his the shelfs in 2012. Vice presidents need biographies too! 

Overall, Biden will remain in Obama's shadows, no matter how bright and big his smile in, I kind of feel bad for him, he seems to be a really people-person, and as of now he's not getting much attention and he not doing what he signed up to do yet...but he sure will be soon, and he'll be over his head with work!

However it's great that we have a leader who is eager to work and participate, we need someone at this point in time to be enthusiastic about leading our nation, all he wants is to do his job, and hopefully his eagerness will lead us in the right direction.

"Biden Has His Say (Once Again)" 2008 Election Update and Politics and Government - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com.

Murkowski: "Leave my seat alone Palin!"

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has some advice for Sarah Palin: If you want a chance for the White House, leave my seat alone.

Murkowski, who is up for reelection in 2010, is nervous to hear whether Palin is competing for her spot in the US Senate. 

But Murkowski is defending herself saying that Palin should be the one who is nervous.

Palin is up for reelection in 2010. She could do a second term as governor, but the Senate has some decent attractions: a national platform, getting her résumé to look better, and to rebuild her damage reputation on foreign policy and other issues. 

Murkowski thinks running against her would be a bad idea for Palin's sake, because if she lost her "stock would drop just ahead of a 2012 presidential run. And if she won, she be a backbencher on chamber that is dominated by seniority-and would have to begin her presidential campaign as soon as she took office" (Politico).

It also seems as if there as personal issues between the two woman as well that adds onto the drama.  Palin defeated Frank Murkowski, Lisa's father,  in the governors race, and claimed that her father was part of the "old boys network". This term is obviously offensive to Lisa, as she cut an interview short when the topic was brought up. 

Even though Palin's popularity decreased after she took on the role as the GOP's vice presidential candidate and didn't perform so perfectly in television interviews, at home she still has high ratings, with about 80 percent support from Republican voters.  Murkowski shares similarly high numbers.

Two Republicans from Alaska head to head for the US Senate? Pretty Crazy. But I must say that I have to agree with Murkowski on this issue, because if Palin wants to run for president, being in the senate would be unreasonable as she would have to start her campaign right as she starts her job as senator.

"Murkowski to Palin: Leave my seat alone" Politico.com. 2 Dec. 2008.

Obama and Clinton's Rocky Relationship

Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton's relationship has been through quite a ride since just four years ago when Obama was a Senator for Illinois and Clinton was the junior senator from New York and former first lady.

Obama has since moved past her to the top, and many say that they aren't surprised that they have taken their relationship to the next political level, even though they were rivals during the election. Just because they were rivals for the presidential position, they never really felt dislike towards one another, and it seemed more that supporters for each candidate were the ones who felt much dislike towards the opposing Democratic candidate. 

In fact, Obama was more open to consider Clinton as VP pick than most thought, he would always say things like 'should we take another look at Hillary?' while he was trying to make his decision. But from his advisors the answer he always got was a no.

When Obama was elected into the US senate, he praised her and stated that he would look to her and her staff for advice. Now, after being rivals, he is her boss. However, though they have been through this rocky road people don't necessarily realize how much respect that have always had for one another. 

Of course there has been some rough patches between them during the election.

"She attacked his inexperience and called him naïve on foreign policy for saying he would meet with foreign leaders without preconditions. 

He attacked her as Old Washington and defined his early candidacy in opposition to her vote to authorize the war in Iraq, which he framed as 'the single most important foreign policy decision since the end of the Cold War' " (Politico).

As the election became more heated, it is reported that Obama even ignored an awaiting handshake from Clinton and walked off. There have also been some racist and sexist issues between Obama and Clinton during the election, one where Obama interrupted Hilary's response in a debate with "You're likable enough, Hillary." and when Bill Clinton compared Obama to Jesse Jackson's presidential runs, which was widlwt understood s an attempt to put down Obama from "a mainstream to a fringe, black candidate" (Politico).

Hillary only's compliment for Obama after she exited the primaries was that he had a 

“spirited dialogue” then said, “That was the nicest way I could think of phrasing it” (Politico).

It was even speculated that the Clintons avoided meeting with Obama after Hillary dropped out of the election. 

Yes, they've had their rough patches but after the dust settled after the primaries, they seemed back to normal, and they were respecting each other just like they 'always had'. She then had her full support for him, and they gained trust for one another when Clinton started helping Obama in the campaign. 

Their relationship has overall been fairly up and down, but now they are on they're ups, and even when they were in their downs, they still had the upmost respect for one another.  Now, they are happy to work together, with Obama as boss and Hillary as Secretary of State.

"Evolution of the Obama-Clinton connection." Politico.com. 1 Dec. 2008. 2 Dec. 2008

Facebook for Kids?!

In the Surrey UK, a 'mum' has been feeling left out when she off everyday working in her recruitment job, with a daily round trip of 90 miles. She misses the talks she would have with other moms at school gates to plan play dates and whatnot. And in general, she feels that she is not as much a part of her children's lives as she would like to be. 

"I saw other mums chatting and it bothered me that I wasn't building those relationships. I wished there was a website for parents that re-creates that school-gate community, a site you can log on to in your own time and catch up with other parents from the school. If I felt like this, I reali[z]ed there must be lots of other mums feeling the same way." Said mother Esther Guy.

So she decided to launch her own website, and she thought she may even get to quit her job if the site takes off, that way she'll be able to do what she originally wanted to do, and still run the website. 

Then a though came to her mind, "Let's do it for the kids as well," she exclaimed, "There are loads of primary-school-aged kids using Facebook-even though they're underage. I thought my site could be a way of introducing children safely to the grown up world of social networking. If they're on a space their parents us, they can be supervised. Children accept their real friends - their classmates - as buddies and chat to them online."

So her website ( www.schooltogethernow.com ) went live last month, and even though the official launch is not until January, it's receiving more that 1,000 hits a day from across the UK. 57%  of registered members are children ranging from ages 7-11.

Parents are exchanging school updates and information, which children are debating over High School Musical over Hannah Montana. Here's an idea of the kids networking conversations:

"I AM going to the disco, ARE YOU?" asks Holly, adding 20 smiley faces and 8 other emoticons. No one answered Holly's question, but Allison wrote "Your smilies are cool."

I can't help myself but to laugh at all of this. Is our society becoming so technologically advanced that even children who can barely spell their own name are becoming involved in today's 'fad' of social networking? It seems ridiculous to me that children would be getting involved, because in my opinion, if such a tool such as social networking is introduced to children  at such a young age, I don't think they will be able to determine it from reality. They may just get confused when they see their friends at pre-school compared to when they see them on the Internet. 

Also, children should live out their childhood, and take every advantage of his/her youth, not technology. Introducing such tools created for adults will just expose them to a world they are not ready for. It will just influence kids to act older and 'cool' and forget their child-like ways.  Social Networking has an age limit on it for a reason.

"Facebook for kids" Times Online . 29 Nov. 2008. 2 Dec. 2008

Supporters Wait for Obama in Grant Park

Barack Obama announced that he will spend election night at Grant Park in Chicago, IL. When supporters head the news, they literally took captive of the park, as main sidewalks and streets have been fenced off, and police stand guard everywhere. Train stops have even closed, and conductors are even leaving work early. Parking is packed, and even suspicious men in suits with squiggly things in their ears with trained dogs have been seen around. Lines have been forming on the sidewalks sine this morning, and no one will be allowed to enter the park until 8:30 tonight. People have complained of the barricade, but those who are eager to attend want to be a part of this moment of history. These eager supporters eagerly await for Obama's arrival, and hopefully tonight they will be able to celebrate his victory with him. 

Information from this article. 

People Lining Up to Vote After A Historical Campaign

Voters have been lining up since before dawn to vote at polling locations. Election officials said this was an unusually large turnout. Mainly on the east coast these long lines are forming, in Virginia, people waiting for over an hour to vote. According to the New York Times, one voter used his 45 minute wait to shave and have a cup of coffee in Manhattan.  Experts also predicted that there would be a record turnout of 130 million voters, which beats the 123.5 million voters that voted for years ago. 

With 27 million people who already voted through absentee ballots, many people find it too ridiculous to vote on the 4th of November. There was a six hour wait in Ohio, "Six Hours is ridiculous in terms of waiting in line," of voter from Ohio stated. Another voter in Florida voter said after waiting in a line for three hours, "I still haven't had a chance to vote, it seems crazy" (The Huffington Post).

In Southern California, people waited under rain, and the line circled for blocks. But to these voters, the patience is worth it. They want to be part of this historical event, and the want to change the future of America is too necessary in voters minds.  Many said that this election felt different, and special. Things have been to bad in America recently that people can't miss out on this opportunity. 

"Bush's presidency sort of coincided with my political awakening," one voter said. "It's been pretty awful and today, this is something to be happy about."

Other voters took their children and grandchildren with them to endure the long wait just so they can witness this historical event. "I want him to understand this is history being made," said a voter about her 5 year old grandson. "It's beautiful."

Another an was so paranoid that his absentee ballot didn't make it through the mail, so he flew home from his job in Virginia to make sure his vote was counted. His wife badly wanted to get her vote in today too, "People have fought me to wait in this line," she said. "I'm voting" (Las Angeles Times).

America has gone through thick and thin to vote today, and it proves how important it is to them to get there vote in for the better of our future. They want to a part of this historical event, and they want their vote to change the future. 

Pooped Out Obama Still Goes Strong

In this campaign, Barack Obama has slogged through the most competitive election days than any nominee, only one more day is left to endure. Within the past 22 months, Obama has a face with more creases and lines, hair with more grey, a look of exhaustion, and yet an everlasting smile.

But how can he stay so composed when knowing that in hours his whole life could potentially change? According to the New York Times, whatever anxieties or uncertainties he may feel, he shows little of it. He stays close with his advisors, expresses his confidence, and holds a calm and collected temper. He may be called arrogant by critics for his relaxed attitude, but he just avoids the criticism and continues to move forward.

He is constantly focused, instead of taking the few free minutes he has to nap, he continues to keep himself busy by ready reading newspapers and political science books, and vigorously checking the poll status and voting tallies on his blackberry. Or he may pace around the small amount of floor space of his private plane to think, carefully tiptoeing around his advisor, who sleeps on the floor.

"In a marathon, when you are on mile 20 and you start getting tired, but when you are on mile 25 and you don't," Mr. Lippert said, who is familiar with Obama when traveling. "That's where he's at."

Friends are now explaining that Obama has been pushed through the toughest test during the past 22 campaign months, and he is now more than ready to take on the job as president. Yet imagine what he is feeling now? He has gone through so much fight and effort within the past year, even the closest of friends cannot fathom how he is feeling. He is full of conflicting emotions, as he realizes that he could potentially be the next president of the United States to build a better future.

He is constantly on a plane flying through different time zones, working long nights, going to meetings and attending many public appearances. He even takes extra time making sure he shakes the hands of his supporters, taking pictures, and even getting their book signed. He spends minimal time with his family, as he even missed out on trick-or-treating with his daughters-something he loves to do. And even when he arrives back at his hotel at 1:35 am, he still needs to make his round of calls and emails before he gets some shut eye.

But what keeps him going? He simply doesn't want to disappoint people, and the thought of ever disappointing someone keeps him trucking.

Celebrities Attract the Youth with Getting Involved in Politics

  

This video is a perfect attraction to the youth (or Millennials), it's a quasi-MTV clip with trendy celebrities and their sharp, trendsetting style. It's another popular music video-it's all the rage, but this time it involves Politics. This video gives out the message to use young kids "Hey look, it's cool to care about our future." So what else would it do but to get us tech-savvy, media loving hipsters out there to care about what is going on with our society. It's a great method actually, because kids now-a-days will do just about anything celebrities do. These celebrities are our generation's influences, and role models. 

There's another important aspect of this video: Barack Obama. Obama mainly attracts young people? Why? Because the youth brings change to society, and of course, Obama's all about change. He, in some way, represents the change that our millennial generation is bringing to our society. He is also a man of color, which is also a different to see in presidential campaigns. McCain represents traditional America, but today change is happening. 

In other words, celebrities are promoting our youth to vote, and to vote for our generation, which is change. They tell you to vote for Obama, which most of the youth will and are doing.   

Palin Attracts Voters with Special Needs and their Families

Sarah Palin is a mother of child with down syndrome. Since Palin has been announced as the VP nominee, Palin's son, Trig, and many others like him have become the emotional center for the campaign.

She has had a ton of supporters because of this, as they are found on the streets carrying signs, wearing t-shirts, or hoping to snatch a hug or photo with Palin when they at her public appearances. And Palin, is always enthusiastic to them in return, as she is deeply touched by her supporters who share the same beliefs.

According to the New York Times, Palin was briefly stopped in Pennsylvania to find Amber Brown, holding a sign that read: "I have Down syndrome and I'm voting for you. I'm a fighter too!" Palin had open arms, hugging her repeatedly before she got back onto her campaign bus.

"I love that poster," Palin said. "You're a fighter and you're beautiful."

Sarah Palin "gets it", as she might say. She understands the issues and even pain disabled people go through, and she connect to those who struggle from such reasons. To advance the rights of such people with special needs, especially children, is a mission that comes from her heart.

In her first policy speech as VP nominee, she addressed educational financing for special-needs children. Under a McCain-Palin administration disabled students would have the opportunity of going to private school at a public expense. She also signed a bill that increased financing special-needs students.

She no longer wants special needs children to feel that they "have been excluded and been made to feel that there is no place for then in the life of our country. And this attitude is a grave disservice to these beautiful children and to their families and to America. And I'm going to work to change that."

These people who have been affected by certain disabilities (and their families) have found a friend in Sarah Palin for her support, understanding, and acknowledgment in their feelings and disadvantages. Palin herself has experienced such struggle they've experienced, and they are all enthused to have her represent them.

Information from this article.

Tina Fey crossing the line?

I think we all can admit that Tina Fey does as excellent job at impersonating Sarah Palin and making fun of her on SNL. She definitely looks very similar to the politician, she's got her twangy voice down, and the jokes are just hilarious. 

But have the skits gone to far? Many people feel differently, some say that it's just a skit, and it's SNL's job to make fun of such ideas, and there isn't really a personal attack. They also say that famous people should just get used to it, because the mockery is going to happen no matter what.

Others say that Palin has done this to herself,  because most of the stuff she has done makes it so easy for her to be made fun of (amNewYork).

In my opinion, I agree with both. I think that skits like those on SNL should not be taken so seriously or as personal attack, yet Palin is an easy target for SNL to make fun of. I also think that Fey's amazing impression of Palin could have even changed people's minds about Palin, and even have made people judge her. 

I also feel that Fey's impression has also helped the democrats. This could be because Americans knew so little about Palin before she was chosen as VP nominee, that many people found out information about Palin through the SNL mockery of her. 

Even if Fey's mockery of SNL doesn't change their mind about Sarah Palin in a negative way, the goof-ball image of her will always be remembered in American eyes. 

But mockery is always made of famous people, whether their a celebrity if politician, and it's not really a big deal. Even supporters may dislike mockery that make's fun of whoever their supporting. So it can't really hurt that much. 

So will Fey's mockery ruin McCain and Palin's chance to be in the White House. Overall, I'd say no, because people usually don't take SNL too seriously, but the skits may not really help them. There are a lot more important things to judge your potential president or vice president on than just the jokes that are made of them.  

McCain on SNL

McCain made a guest appearance on SNL this Saturday, where he is able to poke some fun with the current campaign. 

What is surprising to me about such politicians making appearances on SNL, is that they are able to step away from the campaign for a moment, and look at themselves the way the American public looks at them-but in a humorous way. I find it great that they are able to just make fun of themselves, which makes them more personable, in a way where the public can relate to them. It also makes the campaign a little more entertaining and interesting, as the drama and common ideas of the campaign are simply made fun of. And since politics is always so serious and even sometimes boring, who wouldn't find it a bit appealing to poke some fun at it?

Though McCain didn't write the jokes himself, it is still fun to watch him make fun of himself, Sarah Palin, and the current election. There were some pretty funny jokes in there too. And, I guess he wasn't that bad of an actor. 

"These final days have been the most essential," he said. "Barack Obama purchased airtime on three networks. We however, van only afford time on QVC."

"I would rather be on three major networks. But I'm a true maverick, a Republican without money."

Even Cindy McCain made a humorous appearance, doing what she does best- standing by her husband side, looking pretty. She made a cameo showing off 'McCain's fine gold".

And of course, Tina Fey does a very good job impersonating Palin, making off the side remarks of her future being president in 2012. 

McCain also makes fun of his relationship with Barack Obama. He chides about how Obama turned down Republican offers to hold town-hall styled debates. 

"This has been a historic campaign, so why not remember it with our line of collectable products? Such as 10 commemorative plates celebrating the 10 town hall debates between Senator Obama and myself. Oh, look, they're blank," (Politico)

In another skit McCain appears in during the same SNL episode, he talks about his campaign strategies. 

"I thought I might try a strategy called the 'Reverse Maverick'", he said. "That's where I do whatever anybody tells me. I don;t ask question, I just go with the flow. If that doesn't work, I go to the 'Double Maverick". That's there I go totally berserk and just freak everybody out. Even the regular mavericks." (New York Times)

See these videos for yourself:

Skit One (With Tina Fey as Sarah Palin)

Skit Two

Palin gets the blame if McCain loses?

According to Politico, if McCain losses on Tuesday, his party is looking for a scapegoat. That scapegoat is Sarah Palin. McCain advisor's have labeled Palin as "a whack job", and a diva. She also apparently never takes advice from "the geniuses at the McCain campaign".

But, if Palin is so bad as a potential VP, then why did McCain choose her? If you're a 72 year old presidential candidate, wouldn't you choose your running mate with a little extra scrutiny and care for the sake of the future of the nation? Apparently, McCain didn't. He has even admitted that he "didn't know her well at all", when he made his decision.

But why? It wasn't like McCain was rushed, he wrapped up of his nominee decision by March, and didn't announce his decision until late August. Isn't that enough time to get to know your running mate? Isn't that enough time to investigate Palin's strengths, weaknesses, records, published accounts, and even talk to a few people to figure out that she was a whack job diva?

But he chose her anyway, as said in Politico, "He wanted to close the 'enthusiasm gap' between himself and Barack Obama. He wanted to inject a little adrenaline into the Republican National Convention. He wanted to goose up the Republican base.

One main complaint McCain's campaign has against Palin is that she is not sticking to their script. But in truth, her real problem isn't that she can't take orders, the real problem is that she is not ready to take the position of VP.

Yet in comparison, McCain has been ready for this job, as he has plenty of political experience. He told once told a crowd in Miami:

"The next president won't have time to get used to the office, I've been tested, my friends, I've been tested."

I don't think this quote can necessarily be applicable to Palin's case.

In my opinion, having a bad running mate won't make you lose the election, but I don't think it will help you much. In this case, I believe Palin has slowed down McCain's campaign, whereas with different running mate, he may be in a closer position towards presidency. Therefore, McCain has no one to blame but himself if he loses, because in actuality, it was McCain himself who chose his running mate.

Second Guessing McCain's VP Choice

With Obama in the lead of the campaign, and not much time left to  ahead, McCain's party has been analyzing McCain's vice presidential choice. 

According to the New York Times,  McCain's party is analyzing whether McCain would be in a better position in the campaign now if Sarah Palin was not chosen as the VP.  Many Republicans and Democrats all say yes to such a question. 

When McCain was in the process of making his VP decision, they set aside the traditional standards for picking a running mate. For example they set aside the criteria of choosing someone who could deliver a battleground state.  What attracted McCain to select Palin were for reasons such as:

-Her reformer credentials supported his own, which would reinforce and strengthen his abilty to run against Washington. This could possibly appeal to moderate and independent voters. 

-Her social views would help McCain to mend his relations with Conservatives.

-She is a woman, which could potentially attract woman voters who previously supported Hillary Clinton, and to those who were upset as to how Barack Obama teated her when she was running.

Now, as it is less than a week before the election, only one of those hopes have come true- that Palin has attracted more Conservatives. 

Polls have shown that her support, especially from women and independent voters,  has been declining, and more and more people are saying that she is not qualified to be VP. People are also starting to judge McCain in a negative way for even choosing her as a running mate. 

Many people are also complaining that her lack of experience of ever experiencing a national campaign is also making things worse for McCain's party. The Republican National Committee has spend over $150,000 on clothes and accessories on Sarah Palin and her family.  This has caused tensions between Palin and McCain, as he seems to feel disappointed in how she has carried herself in the campaign. 

McCain had considered  Mitt Romney as a running mate, and his advisors had also pushed him to consider people such as Joseph I. Lieberman, and Tom Ridge. They all had there advantags and disadvantages, but many say that such consideration would have lead McCain to be in a better position in the campaign today. 

However, McCain is stuck with Palin now, and she will at least deliver one thing for him: the state of Alaska and all of its three Electoral College votes.

McCain seems to frequently wake up on the other side of the bed...

There is much talk about John McCain's temper, as he is frequently known as "Senator Hothead" from numerous publications. He is also known for his famous quotes: "F*** you" (directed towards Texas Senator John Cornyn), "Only an a****** would put together a budget like this," (directed towards Senator Pete Domenici), and "I'm calling you a f****** jerk!" (directed towards Senator Chuck Grassley).  He has also been seen lashing out at his fellow citizens, as he called a high school student a jerk after he was claimed too old to be president (ABC News).   There are also numerous video clippings of McCain's 'freak outs'. Here are some examples:

Temper Tantrum 1

Temper Tantrum 2 (Where he makes a lady cry!)

Plus many other YouTube videos with examples, search "McCain Temper".

These videos also contain examples of McCain cursing excessively. 

Yet both John and Cindy McCain's reasoning for his temperament is simply because McCain feels so passionate and concerned for his country, and that many just happen to confuse McCain's strong passion for quick temperament. Many citizens of the US find his temer to be very crude and disrespectful, while others believe that McCain just represents the common man, and that his temper is equivalent to the average person (New York Times). 

I  guess it all depends on the citizen, whether they prefer the common man, who is  erratic and willing to freak out on anyone who comes in his way. Or a more calm and collected Barack Obama, who is willing to hold back such unnecessary 'freak outs'.