Is John McCain Nuts!?

McCain has lost it. Selecting Sarah Palin for his vice presidential candidate. It is downright scary.

Mr. McCain will be 72 if he is elected president. Not only that he is an individual who has had cancer several times. Now I surely hope he keeps his health and I don’t wish the worse on anyone, but like insurance agents we should all think – what if the worst case does happen.

Is Palin ready to be president? I think not. She has been the governor of a large, but sparsely populated state for less than two years. Before that she was the mayor of a town of 9,000 persons. Great experience granted, but certainly not enough to qualify her to be president. Foreign policy experience and military experience nil. Oh I forgot she does have a son who is in the military, guess that counts.

Sorry to be cynical, but this is a person who could be a heartbeat away from being President of the United States. Would I feel comfortable if she got a crisis call at three in the morning? No I wouldn’t.

“A Dream” Come True

Martin Luther King, Jr. giving his "Dream" speech. AFP-Getty Images

Forty-five years ago this very day, on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Barack Obama was only two years old at the time. Little did anyone know that part of the “dream” would come true in such a relatively short time.

Tonight on the anniversary of King’s speech, Senator Barack Obama will stand in front of 80,000 people and millions of others watching on television and accept the nomination of the Democratic Party for President of the United States. A truly historic moment.

Whether you are support Obama or are a Republican, Democratic, or Independent, you should be proud of your country for the great strides that have been made.

In 1963 Mr. Obama would have been riding in the back of the bus, attending segregated schools, using “colored” only restrooms and drinking fountains, and being denied his most essential civil rights simply because he of the color of his skin.

Today he has a very real chance to attain the highest elected office in his country – President of the United States. Even if he fails his accomplishment has to be recognized as truly ground-breaking. Congratulations to the American electorate for having the courage and intelligence to see the man, not the color.

The Democratic Party – A Short History

Modern Democratic Party logo

This week the Democratic Party will hold their convention in Denver. History will be made in the Mile-High city this week. The first black candidate for president will be nominated by a major party. Barack Obama will officially become the nominee of his party for President of the United States.

The Democratic Party came out of the Democratic-Republican Party which was organized by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. The party favored states’ rights and strict adherance to the Constitution. It also opposed a national bank and wealthy, moneyed interests. In the election of 1800 the Democratic-Republican Party ascended to power with the election of Thomas Jefferson.

In 1828 led by Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren the Democratic-Republican Party split and the faction supporting the old Jeffersonian principles became the Democratic Party. In 1844 the name was officially shortened to the Democratic Party.

Before and during the Civil War the party split along Northern and Southern lines, but still remained one party. Today the Democratic Party remains one of the two major political parties in the United States along with the Republican Party.

Factoids:

• Mascot symbol commonly associated with the party is the donkey. This has never been officially adopted by the party.
• Since election night 2000 the color blue has become the identified color of the Democratic Party. This is because all major broadcast networks used those same colors to identify the parties, blue for Democrats and red for Republicans.
• The song “Happy Days Are Here Again” is the unofficial song of the party.

Notable Democratic Presidents:

• Thomas Jefferson
• Andrew Jackson
• Woodrow Wilson
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Harry Truman
• John F. Kennedy
• Lyndon Johnson
• Jimmy Carter
• Bill Clinton

This week no matter what your political persuasion watching the convention is observing democracy in action.

Vice Presidential Candidate Predictions

Before Barack Obama and John McCain announce their choices of running mates I thought I would post my predictions.

Republican Ticket
John McCain and Tom Ridge

Democratic Ticket
Barack Obama and Joe Biden

If this comes about I actually believe they would be excellent choices. We’ll soon see as the conventions for both parties near. Traditionally the VP choices are announced a week or two before the conventions open.