History Will Be Made...

My last post gave you a look into my thought process in determining who I was voting for. It may be nonsensical and outright stupid, but as I said yesterday, it's how I came to MY decision. By now, I hope you have come to yours and cast your vote for history.

Yes, I voted for Barack Obama, but I am not naive enough to not see that history will be made in the wee hours of the morning. Whether America elects the first president of African-American descent or the first female vice president, it will be history.

General Election, General Excitement

The amazing thing about this year's election is how much people are talking about it. So it tells me one of two things or perhaps even both: People really hate George Bush or Obama and Palin have really inspired people. (I think I just heard a lot of people pass out) Wait! Before you shoot me, think about this:

McCain's candidacy would have long been out this race if it weren't for Palin. Good, bad or flat out terrible, Palin infused the McCain with an energy he would have never been able to garner for himself. So take away Palin and replace her with Huckabee, Giuliani or Romney. What would you have? An easy victory for Obama? Maybe, but that may not have been the best thing.

On the Obama side, I think he has already started creating jobs. Everywhere I look I see some type of Obama paraphenalia- hats, buttons, t-shirts, etc. He definitely has a lot of people enthusiastic. As I watched the news last night, they kept interviewing people who said that this was their first time voting. One lady was a 72-year-old immigrant. She said this was the first time she was even inclined to do so.

Then when I went to the polls, you saw people with their families. Parents taking their newborns with them to cast the official vote for their presedential choice, and taking pictures of it to document the event. I saw on Twitter where one guy told his young daughter that he went to vote and she responded, "This message is approved by Barack Obama!"

What Have you Learned?

If you look at the Obamas- Barack and Michelle- you can see this campaign has aged them. Barack has a whole lot more gray hairs now than when the candidacy started. But I think some good has come from this. It's made them both stronger. Many accused Obama of being too nice and worried about his ability to handle pressure. I'd be hard pressed to find someone who could honestly say that Obama hasn't weathered one of the biggest storms in the world without infusing personal dislike into the conversation.

The McCain's seem to be the same. I am not really sure if McCain has learned anything from this campaign. And Palin, never seemed to be genuine when she spoke, so there's not much to go off anyway.

Tonight

Admittedly, I am nervous about tonight. No one really knows what is going to happen. Seriously, look what happened in 2000. People went to sleep thinking Gore was going to be the next president only to wake up and hear that BJr had won. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I won't believe Obama has won until the inauguration. And even then, I am going to wait until the State of the Union address to verify the inauguration verification.

In the event McCain and Palin win, I offer you congratulations now. I probably won't be able to do the same afterwards, so I figured I'd get it in now. If you win, I ask that you take a good look at yourselves and then a good look at the turmoil within this country. You will be facing challenges that I did not think you would properly address, but I hope you figure out a way to get us on the straight and narrow. Surround yourselves with people who think about all pieces of the puzzle, not just the conservative populace.


Remember America, the choice is yours. Make the best one for not only you and your family, but your friends, neighbors and our collective future.

Change [the] Straight Talk We Need

Considering how important this year's presedential race is, I have been extremely quiet on my views and thoughts. So on the eve of the most dynamic race in the (recent) history of the United States, I figured I'd spend some time on the topic today.

Where to start


By no means am I an authority on this presedential race. I have tried to pay as much attention to all of the issues as I could, but in today's world of 24-hour news cycles and the convergence of fact and opinion in traditional and online media, it was extremely difficult to digest it all. So my decision came down to some very basic criteria (in no particular order).



Inspiration

Personality/ General Appeal

Thought Process/ Decision Making Abilities

Age

Basic Principles of Campaign

Arrogance

The Platforms


Some may look at these criteria as superficial, but the great thing about this country is that you can place your vote for anyone you want based on whatever reason you decide. And that includes ethnicity. But I do want to point out that voting for someone's skin color is the same as not voting for someone because of their skin color.

First things first, I am voting for Obama/ Biden. Here's why:





Inspiration

When I watch and listen to Senator Obama, I am inspired. When I watch and listen to McCain, I am left with nothing. And more often than not, shaking my head.

My first introduction to Obama was during his run for Senator in 2004. The formal introduction came during his keynote speech at the 2004 DNC. I just remember being in awe. And I knew a presedential run was going to be in his future, but not until '12 or '16. Instead, he said, I'm going for broke now.


Senator McCain hit my radar in 2000 when he ran for president. I remember his views being a lot more progressive than they seem to be now. When I watched the debates or his speech at the RNC this year, I didn't get any feeling from his words.

Personality/ General Appeal

As many publications and pundits have said, there is a certain cool about Obama. And that cool is displayed in many different ways. Playing baseketball (even if it was in tight sweatpants) Cool. Seemingly never breaking a sweat or raising his voice when he was "being taken to task" on viewpoints. Cool. Making jokes on the spot (remember his comment about Bill Clinton being the first "black" president, but needing to check his dancing ability). Cool.

On the other hand, McCain never seems cool. It could be the result of his injuries that causes his body to look as if it is always in an awkward position, but it definitely doesn't give off the sense of "cool". When it comes to making jokes, McCain always comes off as trying way to hard to get a laugh. I joke all the time and am a believer that laughing at your own joke is not a death sentence, but forcing yourself to laugh at your own joke is. When I see him laugh I always think of Mutley.

Thought Process/ Decision Making

The best and easiest way to examine this was to look no further than the VP picks. On the heels of a heated Democratic primary, Senator McCain made an interesting choice for his running mate- Tina Fey, excuse me Sarah Palin. The most disturbing part of the selection was the news that he had only met her two (or is it three?) times before announcing this. Some may say, "and?" But I just can't fathom asking or better yet, trusting someone to have my back that I barely know. In general, I can be a trusting person, but in this case, this is like asking the person you see in the grocery store every week to be your child's God-parent.

I understand that Palin represented an avenue to the right wing faction based on her conservative views and "small town" appeal, but was she really the only one available? Of all the Republicans in this country, she was the only one that could check the minority AND conservative boxes?


I do give credit, she definitely energized the campaign, but she also drowned McCain out. For a month after the RNC, all you heard was Governor Palin's name and a few, "oh by the way" McCain's. Somehow, I just can't see that being a good thing. Would we have been better off if Cheney, Quayle or Gore would have been more popular and vocal than BJr, BSr or Clinton?

Obama on the other hand made just as strategic decision in Joe Biden. And like Palin, I didn't know much about him, but I had at least heard his name before. So during the DNC, I made sure I paid a lot of attention to his speech. I watched his informal acceptance speech following the announcement, but I wanted to see what he said on the main stage. The truth is, I don't remember. But I do remember his son Beau. I also remember the story about him going home to his children every night. Oh yeah, Scranton PA in the house!



Age

Plain and simple, 72 is too old to be in the most important position in the world. Call me insensitive to senior citizens, but I am being honest. And in full disclosure, if the shoes were on the other foot, I wouldn't vote for Obama either.

This may also play into judgement, but I've never heard of a presidential candidate intentionally running for one term. Is it because he realizes that 76 is way to old to be president? But are those four years, really a difference? We aren't talking about the difference between 17 and 21 or even 21 and 25. It's like asking America if there is a major difference between 36 and 40.



Basic Principles of the Campaign


On a top level glance, Obama has run the perfect campaign. Much to-do has been made by the McCain campaign about Obama's decision to opt out of public financing, but who in their right mind would if you were bringing in eight digits? Perhaps, it really only matters to the campaign that, at times, has been so short on money that they almost had to close up shop. Getting back to the point, it appears that the Obama campaign has been the best at adjusting its strategy and ensuring that Obama was always in the best position possible.

On the extremely petty side of my opinion, was McCain stealing the "Change" theme. What happened to Straight Talk? On the more serious side, I became increasingly disgusted by McCain's insistence that his military service made him more qualified to lead this country. Regardless of which side you support, I do not think there is anyone who does not respect or appreciate his personal sacrifice. But I am clueless has to what that means to this position?


My father served on the front lines of Vietnam and faced some tenuous situations, but does that mean he should run for public office? The answer is no. So what separates my dad from McCain? The experience in the Washington? Of course, is does. He's been in Washington since 1982, so why does it need to be changed now? Not that I disagree, but why adopt the mantra now?

Then there are the small, yet ridiculous things like calling Obama a terrorist. Or "suspending" the campaign to address the financial crisis.

Arrogance


Many opponents of the Obama campaign have called him an elitist. But I would argue that McCain is the elitist. And by that I don't mean his houses and cares, nor Cindy McCain's money. I am referring to some of the comments McCain has made about knowing how to fix America's problems and some of them in less time than it would take to download the Constitution. Rather than talk about the plan and the time it would take to figure out many of the issues the country is facing, McCain seems defiant in his belief that he has all the magical answers.


The Platforms

I think both candidates have some rather grandeur plans in terms of healthcare, the economy and jobs, but I think that these types of things go with the program. I purposely did not include education, because I am not sure I like either candidate's ideas on fixing education.

Ulimately, I think the other points I have outlined also speak to my belief that Obama will make the best choices for the country moving forward.

Epilogue

As I wrote this, a million other things jumped into my mind, but I am going to leave this as is. I've made my choice and I implore you to make yours. We all love this country good, bad and indifferent, so I implore you to get out and vote tomorrow and make the choice that best suits your thoughts and beliefs. One vote does make a difference!


For some information cutting through the campaign BS, click here.

The Office

I was talking to my boy R-West last week and the topic of my work ordeal came up. The First Lady of the R-West household had been reading the blog (specifically, the work-related posts) and thought that she was reading a fictionary short story. Upon hearing this, I laughed.

Make no mistake people, all of those stories are true! I wish I could make them up. I would have moved to LA or NY with a script in hand. To an even greater degree, I wish the stories were recounts of episodes of The Office and not events taken from my life. But that's why I share them. I don't think people would believe me if I didn't. Hell, sometimes I forget just how crazy the situations were until I go back and read them. But there has been a silver lining.

The best thing about going through that situation is that it made me wake up and realize that I needed to get focused on my career. I had become too comfortable and was in need of a shake up. And one of the biggest things I had been struggling with was my expectation that my company and boss(es) would create an environment that helped me to help them. I was obviously wrong, but I learned that my career will only be what I make it. Waiting on someone else to make it or even contribute to it, is like waiting for Giuliani to start off a sentence with something other than, "On 9/11...."

Sidebar: When searching for a pic of Rudy, I came across some
really questionable stuff. On two different occassions, this dude was
photographed in drag. I just found that down right interesting.

The next best thing is that it helped bring me back to blogging. During the time that I neglected this space, I had numerous things I wanted to comment on, but never took the time to actually think them out and start typing. Then, time would pass and it wouldn't even matter anymore. Although I still do not believe I have gotten in stride, it's nice to know that I am at least back in the race. My tenure at my current company has really stifled my creative streak. I think this blog is a nice way to get my mojo back. Whether or not anyone finds humor in the things I write, is not really my concern. I laugh, and that's good enough for me.


Lastly, the one other major thing I learned was just how important life is. Once I got over the initial shock of the desire to fire me, I felt relieved. From that relief I got clarity. At the end of the day, this particular job is just something I do. It's not who I am and it doesn't define me.

In many ways, I get my Stanley on. I don't go as hard he does and I still get ticked from time to time, but I am focused on my development and am taking advantage of some new opportunities that have recently been presented to me.



Photo Credits: Hulu.com philly.com ew.com

Vote

50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' was the biggest album of 2003. The ethos was clear and to the point.

Then in 2004, P. Diddy, in an effort to encourage youth participation in the presedential election, launched his Vote or Die campaign through his Citizen Change organization. As evidenced by the wiki link, there was some opposition to the statement the campaign was making.

But lets take a few seconds to review some of the issues the country was facing in such a crtical time:

- Enron (02/02)

- Operation Anaconda launched in Afghanistan (03/02)

- The space shuttle Columbia fell to pieces as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere (02/03)

- George Bush turned his sights on Iraq and launched the first preemptive war in US history (03/03)

- North Korea with potential nuclear weapons (03/03)

- Declaration of official end of combat operations in Iraq (05/03)

- The capture of Sadaam Hussein (10/03)

- Images released of the abuses taking place at Abu Gharib (04/04)

These are just a few of the issues facing the country on the cusp of the 2004 presedential election. Depending on who you asked, voting may have been the opposite of dying.

Four years later, one could easily argue that this year's vote is even more important, and the most important vote in history since 1776. So while Vote or Die may be dead, I introduce:

Everyday Pple

And more importantly their...

t-shirt.

Insprired by the world famous Nike slogan Just Do It, the Must Do It t-shirt does everything that Diddy wanted to do without going overboard.

About Everyday Pple

Everyday Pple is the brainchild of a friend of mine that I met a couple years ago through our shared love of tennis shoes and the culture built around them. It's basically a one man operation, where ideas are created and printed for the world to see. What you currently see on the site is the second collection

I got my Must Do It shirt a couple weeks ago (I paid for it) and will be rocking it November 1-4. Everyday. The same shirt.

This year's election is extremely important to me and this tee captures the essence of that importance. Hopefully, you agree! If not, be sure to visit the site regularly, you never know when you will see something that speaks to you.






Timeline information courtesy of infoplease.com.

Tonight

If you watch a lot of TV like I do, then you might understand my dilema.

Tonight at 9PM there will be four things I want to watch.

On Fox:



Thus far, this season has been just okay. This show has always been about suspending the notion of reality, but this season there seems to be a pushing of that envelope even further.

Here's what I've liked thus far (potential spoiler alert):

Sarah coming back
Scooter from Living Single playing a Company agent
Everyone being free again
Mahone- He brings an edge to the team


On NBC:



Season 3 is all about the villians. I just finished watching the third episode of this season and the best way to describe this season is: confused. There are a million plots and subplots going on right now, but it has me in full beast mode when an episode ends. And the more they seem to answer questions, the more they create.

How does Ando get powers?
Will Mohinder turn into The Fly?
What year are we in? The past future or present?
What the hell is up with Angela Petrelli?
When did Marlo get powers?

On VH1:




Say what you want about Diddy and his seemingly endless cycle of reality shows. This joint is the best by far. I've learned things from this show and have already put one idea I got from this show into play at work.

He may get on your nerves and be one of the worst people to ever rap a verse, but the dude is successful. When he speaks, there may be something you can learn from him.

On ESPN:



Adrian Peterson vs. Drew Brees and Reggie Bush! Need I say more?

Perhaps one thing: In one of my fantasy football leagues, I am down three points with both AP and D. Brees playing tonight. In another league, I am up by one point going against AP. I have Robert Meachem, but have pretty much accepted the fact that I am going to lose.


Then at 10PM, while the game is still on, I will still find myself in a small conundrum.

On VH1:



The Honorees:

Slick Rick- Simply put, the best story telling MC ever. Nas, Hov, Biggie and Lupe all tell some great stories, but MC Rickey D holds the title. Try as you may to persuade me, but Children's Story is the best story joint ever. No matter where you hear it, you are inclined to do the wop and act the entire joint out. Rick also took being fly to a whole new level, while making eye patches look extra cool.

Too Short- I won't claim to be the biggest Too Short fan, but I won't deny his legacy. Short Dawg is a pioneer that did everything from put a whole region on the map to selling tapes out the back of his trunk. And there is no small coincidence that Master P was in Richmond, CA before blowing up when he returned to the N.O. Short also introduced the pimp game to HipHop.

Naughty By Nature- They stormed onto the scene with O.P.P., but what really caught my attention was their joint Every Things Gonna Be Alright . That joint was hard and I'll never forget the scene with Treach holding the machete and the words, "If you aint from the ghetto, don't never come to the ghetto, so stay the F outta the ghetto!" And who can forget the anthem HipHop Hooray.

One other thing about Naughty that some people may not remember- they took the Kid N Play/ Hammer blueprint and made merchandising a big part of their operation.

Cypress Hill- They were like the first group that I liked to merge HipHop and rock, but even that was the result of growth. They entered the game with joints like How I Could Just Kill a Man and Hand on the Pump, both of which were hardcore.

De La Soul- I owe these dude some props! I have always known how talented they are, but I was more of a Tribe fan growing up. De La was always second fiddle when it came to the Native Tongue collective. Last year I saw them in concert and walked away blown away. I had forgotten just how many bangers they had delivered over the years.

They also get major props for always staying true to themelves. They ushered in the Daisy Age when everything else was gold ropes and velour tracksuits. When the next album was ready to drop, we found out that De La Soul was dead. Rather than be what everyone expected, they switched gears again.

While I loved joints like Me Myself & I; Buddy; Breakdawn; Saturday, Ego Trippin' and Ring, Ring Ring; it wasn't until they dropped Stakes is High that I made my first purchase. During this time, HipHop was obsessed with the mafioso lifestyle, but De La kept things De La by taking rappers ot task with the lead single of the same name. The album also featured The Bizness featuring Common and Itsoweezee, which had one of the best videos of all time. Take a few minutes to watch it. Look at all the people that came through to show support. From this side of the screen it looks like they were all hanging out and just happened to be filming a video.

I could go on about Plugs one, 2 and three, but I will end it with this. You know how every HipHop album has a skit on it? Thank De La Soul. They were the first to do it! Just don't blame them for the wack ones. De La's skits are hilarious.

On NBC:



Life is one of my favorite new shows from last season. I am on a plot/ major conspiracy subplot kick with shows lately. I absolutely enjoyed every episode last season and was nervous when word started to surface that the show might be removed from the line-up because of last year's writer's strike. Luckily, NBC gave it a second chance, even if it was the kiss of death Friday night.

One thing they have done to increase viewers is to run an episode after Heroes on Monday. i hope it works, because I would like to get at least two more seasons out of this.


The Point

The point of all of this linking and embedding is, I love my DVR. Whoever invented it should be given a Nobel Peace Prize or something. The DVR, along with watching shows on the net, are really changing the game. Don't think so, ask the writer's what played a part in the strike? Or ask advertisers how well they are doing. If not for the nimble and creative idea to build commercials with a respective show's content, who knows where TV would be.

I wish I would have thought of it.

O Billy?

I have to admit, I loss a little respect for Billy Clint during the primary, but his speech in Denver restored the faith. I had forgotten how great of a speaker he is. Another thing I had forgotten was how intelligent he is-- a far cry from where we are today.

Need proof? Last night he was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and IMO said some very interesting things:






If you watched both videos, you'll see Stewart make a reference to Clinton's appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman where Clinton had been a guest the night before. I didn't see the entire interview, but apparently Clinton wasn't emphatic enough for some in his praises about Barack Obama.

The next guest on Letterman was Chris Rock.

Sidebar: That is one hell of a line-up. It's almost
like an old time comedy duo. Clinton sets'em up and Rock knocks'em down.

I'd imagine that Rock was on the show promoting his new stand-up special premiering on HBO this Saturday. Well Rock noticed Clinton's apparent aprehension to saying Obama's name and goes in on Clinton. The result: hiliarity!

As you can see Rock was not concerned with the Secret Service being in the close vacinity.

You're a Palin, I'm a Palin

Don't you wish you could be a Palin too?

On the heels of Tina Fey absolutely killing her Palin impression on SNL, I came across (via Marketing Profs on Twitter) this blog that generates names as if you were one of Palin's children.

I'm happy to announce that I will be changing my name to Mullet Troll Palin on November 5 if the McCain-Palin ticket wins.

If you are also interesting in potentially joining the family, check it out here:

http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html

Side Bar: I DVR'd the episode because I was interested in seeing how Michael Phelps would do. Last season SNL opened with LeBron James and he was hilarious. They also did a skit about Kanye and his blow ups on award shows featuring Kanye playing himself. Anyway, except for the interviews post winning a gold medal when emotions are running high, it appears that Phelps is not comfortable behind a mic. I wanted to see if Phelps looked awkward trying to act. The Palin skit seems to just be the icing on the cake! I haven't seen the rest of the episode yet, so have to post my thoughts later this week on Phelps performance.

Until then: Viva la MILF-a!