Ms. Informed

I realize Ms. Informed hasn’t been doing her job of keeping you, faithful reader, informed on the happenings of Hollywood. But she is a little too fired up now about the election coming up in FORTY ONE DAYS to concentrate on much else.

See Emily Blog has recently introduced me to the blog of Andrew Sullivan, and I am appalled by some of the sheer crap I am reading about the Republican candidates, particularly this one.

It disgusts me that someone who could possibly be second in command (and as equally possible commander in CHIEF) to our country is “seeking to strip gay couples of all rights in their relationships.” And only granted equal benefits to gay couples who are employees of the state government in Alaska because she was forced by constitutional mandate. Palin has even supported a non-binding referendum for an Alaskan constitutional amendment to deny state health benefits to same-sex couples.

No other word to describe this situation than disgusting.

In this interview with Meghan Mccain, Mccain states that a reporter asked her father how he would feel if she had an abortion. (about 3m35s). Interestingly, Senator Mccain said it would be his daughter’s choice.

Funny how his daughter has a choice, but no one else’s does, in his and Mrs. Palin’s world.
I am also discovering this clip on the coattails of the Mccain camp saying it was Bristol’s choice to keep her baby. Odd that she had one, as her mother and Senator Mccain do not believe in a woman’s right to choose.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Today is the first day of the rest of our lives.
Or at least the next four to eight years.

“Today is the first day of the rest of the campaign, and today we are releasing two new ads that go directly at the fundamental issue in this race: John McCain is out of touch with the American people and unable to address the challenges facing the country in the 21st century and bring about real change, and that Barack Obama is the candidate who will bring about change that works for the middle class,”

…wrote Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, in a tough memo to reporters that accused McCain and his campaign of turning to “smears, lies and cynical attempts to distract from the issues.”

Hysterical.

Inspiring.

So, now that all the pundits have had their chance to speak, its time (fashionably late as always) for the one everyone has been waiting for to speak his mind…or not. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. After a brief hiatus from the world of blogging due to tricky corporate mergers, a stint in Boston, and an ungodly long traffic date, I have returned. Ms. Informed would definitely agree with that last one.

So, last night Clinton pulled off an impressive ten point victory in the Pennsylvania primary. Well, impressive to her camp. Obama might argue differently as she was ahead about 20 points when the seven week campaign in the Keystone state began. Hey, but a win is a win.

Anyway, what do we make of all of this? Clinton narrowed Obama’s lead in the popular vote tally by about 215,000 votes and netted about 9 delegates or so. So what? Obama will make up this difference in North Carolina on May 6th, and barring a major blunder by Obama, Clinton cannot catch him in delegates. So her only strategy is to convince the superdelegates to silence the voters and override their decision. Well, let’s be honest for a second – that is not going to happen. Even if she can convince the superdelegates that she is the more electable candidate, the votes (most) have spoken, and handing the nomination to Clinton would be a direct slap in the face and would infuriate voters, catapulting McCain into office and destroying the party for years to come. Is that the goal here? You decide.

Another theory: She beats Obama down so much that he becomes unelectable in November. McCain wins and she runs against him in ’12. Clearly, this is an even worse strategy as Obama supporters and hopefully, the party as a whole, will refuse to forgive her for sacrificing the good of the country for her own personal gain.

I would like to think neither of these is entirely true, but then what is her justification for continuing this quest for the nomination? I think it’s just ego. The Clintons feel that the Democratic Party is their party. They are mistaken. It’s not. It’s the people’s party, and nobody is guaranteed the nomination. Clinton, for the good of they party, the people, and if for nothing else more that your own historical image, please end this. Help to unite the party before it is too late.

In your speech last night you said Americans don’t quit, and they deserve a president who won’t quit. True, but Americans do not deserve four more years of a Bush Administration because make no mistake about it that is exactly what a McCain Administration will be. The media may characterize McCain as a maverick and an independent, but if you look at his record, then you will see he is a staunch conservative, who will continue the failed foreign policy of the Bush Administration and prolong the war in Iraq indefinitely. Is that what you want? I am pretty sure it is not. Swallow your pride, Senator Clinton, and let’s concentrate on the real opponent, the Republicans.

While I was reading one of my favorite blogs on the internet today, I was informed of all the elitist talk that is flying around about Obama by many news outlets. (Ok, manly Fox News, but there were some others in there, too.)

Hilary calls Obama an elitist and suddenly that is the new buzzword in this presidential campaign. But, as Jon Stewart points out (and Emily posts about), WHAT is so wrong with being an elitist?

Is it the -ist that is throwing people off?

Racist, facist, sexist.

But this -ist is actually, dear readers, a GOOD THING.

Elite is defined as “the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.”

Now I ask you, intelligent, well-informed, faithful reader, why shouldn’t our president (and anyone even considering running for the once highly honored and respected office for that matter) NOT be the best?

I think America has had enough of non-elitist presidents. (Something in the ballpark of 8 years of it, in fact.) Isn’t it time we raised our standards and demanded the best?

Even Jon Stewart agrees: