Now At Least They Have A Source

While making a decent case, (after some basic research, this is one of Senator Obama's economic advisors), this ad goes beyond making its case and attempts to portray Senator Obama as a creep. If you look at each picture that is used of Senator Obama, the pictures chosen are conveying a specific message of "Can you really trust this guy?"

The Use Of Video Editing

The video in this ad is so poorly edited, it looks like a child made it with windows movie maker. Anytime an ad is using footage that looks like it was taken from a home movie camera makes me question its source and requires much research to find if the video is being used in the proper context.

Old Quotes

If you watch this video carefully you will notice  that the articles cited as a source are over 10 years old, what might the effects be if voters knew that the citations were that old. Would that change their perspectives? 

Never Question Israel?

To be clear, I am not posting this video to debate Israeli Politics. I am posting this video because it shows Gov. Palin's clear lack of knowledge of foreign policy, but as she said, "We have to protect the good guys", that sound good. But how do we define the good guy? Based on religion perhaps? (The embedding didn't work for this, here is the link)

The Clarification You Have All Been Waiting For!

Let me clarify to all of you the thought process behind my post. The intended sarcasm was against those that accuse Senator Obama of anti-Israel policies and even suggest that he is an anti-semite (At a pre-law event this week the attorney speaking stated anyone that votes for Obama is a Nazi). My point was that if we really cared about casting a vote for a candidate that was best for our community ( if one chooses to vote only based on whats best for the Orthodox community, something I strongly oppose) they would take a really good look at Senator Obama and consider that perhaps, he isn't as bad as they initially might have suspected for whatever reason (word of mouth comes to mind).

Perhaps Obama is a Better Friend Than We Thought

Senator Obama released this letter today: 

The Honorable Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. The Honorable Paul G. Kirk, Jr. Commission on Presidential Debates 1200 New Hampshire Ave NW Washington, DC 20036

Dear Mr. Fahrenkopf and Mr. Kirk:

Joe Biden and I are looking forward to participating in the upcoming debates, and I appreciate the hard work you and your team have put forth to bring them about. They promise to be some of the best opportunities for the voters to assess the candidates and their views prior to Election Day.

I want to raise one issue, and ask for your assistance. Due to the schedule set by the Commission and presented to the campaigns, the first debate falls on Friday night after the Jewish Sabbath has begun. Unfortunately, that means many Jewish Americans will not have the opportunity to watch the debate live. Because I know there is strong interest in this debate in the Jewish community, and to be as inclusive as possible, I ask for the Commission’s help in encouraging the television networks covering the debate to rebroadcast it on Saturday night after the Sabbath has concluded.

Perhaps he doesn't really hate Jews after all and he wants to make sure all get to watch him crush Senator Mccain in the debates. It shows a level of thought and caring from the Obama Campaign to our oh so dear Orthodox Jewish Communitty

The power of creepy music...

While the scary music and the creepy voiceover make this ad quite powerful, if you turn off the sound and just watch the video (what our brains might actually be doing when we see this ad) it makes an even stronger statement. It connects Senator Obama with William Ayers. Whether the facts prove true or not, the typical voter will see this video and through the use of fear, a common campaign tactic, a voter might be afraid to vote for Senator Obama due to his "connection" to this terrorist. This article refutes the attempted connection that the Mccain campaign is trying to establish:

"This whole connection is a stretch," Harrington told me. "Barack was very well known in Chicago, and a highly respected legislator. It would be difficult to find people round here who never volunteered or contributed money to one of his campaigns."

 

GRRR

Gov. Palin pulled a real interesting move today that shows the sharp edged tactics of the Mccain campaign. Gov. Palin was supposed to speak at the Iran Rally today, she didnt, and she has known for several days that she wasn't going to speak there. YET SHE RELEASED THE SPEECH SHE WAS GOING TO GIVE!??? Why would a speech be written that far in advance, perfected that far in advance, making mention of Clinton (who made it clear that once Palin was speaking, she wouldnt be there) and then released to the public. 

I know from my government work, a perfected speech is finished about 24 hours before it is to be delivered, Palin was disinvited several days ago, it is clear she wanted to make a spectacle out of the event and attempt to prove she had some knowledge of foreign policy.  Lets get real and send Palin back to Alaska. Our relationships with foreign nations aren't good now, we don't need her making them any worse. This Headline says it all: 

Anti-Iran Rally Turns Into Anti-Obama Rally

Some Thoughts on Democracy and Voting

I know this might seem like an odd post, but I just had to post these really intelligent comments from the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Adam Duritz of Counting Crows Fame. I think he really gets it right and I'm interested to see what you all think about it: (Some of the language later on in the linked page may be offensive to some)

A democracy matters because, on it's most basic level, it says that every single person matters. It says that no one person is of lesser or greater importance than another. It disputes and it spits in the face of a way of thinking that had gone on for thousands and thousands of years, basically the entirety of human existence, until we came along two hundred and thirty-two years ago and said there was a better way.

I hear a lot of people talk about patriotism and flags and American values but the truth is there is only one truly American value: your right to vote. It is the definition of America. It is the way we decided to define ourselves that set us apart from all the other countries in the world at that time and it is the reason we fought that first war.

Presidential Candidates or Inventors?

So let me get this straight, Gore invented the Internet and Mccain invented the Blackberry...

I received this article (on my blackberry nonetheless) from the Moveon.org Mailing List: 

Dear MoveOn member,

Get this. Apparently, John McCain invented the BlackBerry! Today, McCain's top economic adviser waved a BlackBerry in front of reporters and said, "He did this...You're looking at the miracle John McCain helped create."

A miracle indeed. Who ever would have guessed that the BlackBerry was invented by a 72-year-old man who recently called himself computer "illiterate," talked about "a Google," and said he "watches" blogs?

It came with this video attached. This is the "Driver" of Mccains campaign bus "The Straight Talk Express". I'm a bit confused as he seems to make it clear that Mccain does not even know what a Blackberry is. So I decided to search the web and found this response in a Washington Post article from the Mccain Campaign: 

The campaign of Sen. John McCain wanted to be clear yesterday: The Arizona Republican did not help create the BlackBerry.

So Mccain's Campaign puts the idea out there that he invented the BlackBerry. His bus driver says Mccain has no idea what a BlackBerry is.  The Democrats catch it, and then Mccain retracts. Its a funny world we live in...

Snoop Doggy Dogg

In this new ad from the Mccain campaign the wolves are back, but this time its to suggest that Senator Obama sent a team to "snoop" out files in Alaska and dig up dirt on Gov. Palin. It gives no proof of this (outside of an apparent Wall Street Journal article), it just puts the idea out there. It even goes further and speculates that as he drops in the polls he will try and destroy her. The ad doesn't show a video of Senator Obama "destroying her" it just says he will try to. (Likely because that video doesn't exist). The Republican party has something for wolves, perhaps its the scare tactic that Jackson and Jamieson suggest can be quite powerful. 

A Good Story

I found this story 2 weeks ago, and wanted to save it for something of value as opposed to just posting my comments on it. When I read this article it sounded really creative and I wondered what some of the facts were behind the article. After reading Unspun, I came to realize sometimes the media does just that, writes articles without factual basis, just to create a good story. This article seems to suggest that Senator Mccain's choice of Gov. Palin was a coverup and he would later turn around an choose Gov. Jindal of Lousiana. It is a great article that really catches the eye, but I as easily could have written an article speculating that Sen. Mccain would choose Ehud Olmert as his running mate in a surprise move! 

I know this isn't political...

I just noticed this piece of honest advertising from Apple. At least someone out there is so confident in the their product they don't need to lie to sell it. By making it clear it that it wasn't 4 out of 4 stars, they are clear in their presentation of CNET's review:

“Given its competitive price, attractive range of colors, and improved user interface, Apple’s fourth-generation of the iPod Nano is its best yet,” concludes CNET editor Donald Bell. “More attractive and colorful than its predecessor,” Bell gives the new iPod nano an Excellent 4-star rating (out of 5) for its “ new Genius playlist tool, a tilt sensor, and accessibility features for the visually impaired.”

Entertaining News

After reading Prior’s article one television program stuck out in my head, The Daily Show. The Daily Show is a “perfect” blend of entertainment and news media television. Prior proposes that those that are more interested in watching news media have more political knowledge than those that are interested in watching entertainment programs. This goes further even further, as those that have more political knowledge are more likely to go out and vote.
While most people would consider Comedy Central an entertainment media source, those that might stay tuned after Reno 911!(A show that proceeds The Daily Show) will end up gaining political knowledge from The Daily Show. Those watching this entertainment network, might according to Prior, not be inclined to go out and vote had they not gained this political knowledge from the news component of The Daily Show. I think Senators Mccain and Obama see the value in the electorate of The Daily Show as they have both appeared as guests on the show since declaring their candidacy for President of the United States. Other news sources try and make their coverage of the campaign entertaining (i.e. the "drama" of Gov. Palin's pregnant daughter), however they can't match the entertainment value of The Daily Show and the type of viewership it attracts. The candidates realize this and have made an effort to "campaign" by appearing as guests on The Daily Show, as seen from the clips below.

Arriba Arriba!

One of the most jolting facts that I found in the 2006 Pew Research is in regards to the Online Political Activist, and I believe it is a message of something greater. Of their research in regards to online political activists 81% have broadband connections! This shows a desire for "instant gratification" when it comes to getting information on the web. While some might suggest that those that are political active are wealthier and thus more likely to be able to afford broadband, this (albeit not scholarly) article suggests:

Still, many dial up Internet users are reluctant to make the switch to broadband due to the increased cost in Internet access, and fail to recognize broadband's money saving potential.

So this desire for instantenous information is the real drive for broadband internet, not a benefit of the wealthy. I think this tells the story of why internet has become such a significant source of political information. The ability to access information wherever and whenever you want, at a speed allowing for instantaneous access makes the internet a valuable and popular source for news information.

This more recent chart shows how over time this desire for speed and "instant gratification" has driven those using dial-up to switch to broadband.

Well there is no point in campaigning there now!

Time for some "facts"

I know Polls aren't worth that much, however I do think it shows the Public's response to convention coverage as well as the announcement of running mates. 

You can't handle the Truth

It seems that John Mccain is now afraid of the Media:

Republican presidential nominee John McCain abruptly canceled a scheduled appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live" Tuesday in retaliation for an earlier interview on the network, in which an anchor raised questions about vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's foreign policy credentials.

What seems to have happened is that John Mccain's campaign got a feel for the types of questions that might be asked of Senator Mccain. Perhaps, he might not have answers...

A Public Advocate Perhaps?

It seems that through this article CNN is trying to establish there attack on Gov. Palin as something that the "public" wants to see. Thoughts?

So Tell us how you Really Feel!

It seems that the media has something against Gov. Palin. Sen Biden didn't really face much scrutiny from the media but a recent ABCNews.com Headline had this to say:

"Alaska First-Alaska Always, Did Palin want state to Secede?"

For some reason the media seems to really have it out for Gov. Palin,  and feels that need to dig up any dirt they can find. I'm just trying to figure out why... 

The Media Will LOVE This Piece of News

This Article is the top news story on CNN right now. If CNN was a "profit-seeking" media group they would want to milk this story for all that it is worth. It will also be quite interesting to see what the Obama campaign does with it.