Blagojevich & His Last Hours
“The fix was in,” this is what former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich said in response to his ousting from public office.
During the proceedings on Thursday the former Governor gave a 47 minute appeal to his colleagues covering every facet of his life from fetching coffee in Washington D.C. to proclaiming his innocence, all was delivered in an Academy Award winning fashion.
This seemed to have no affect on the outcome for “Blago” as the final vote read 59-0. “They pitched a shutout” the impeached politician said after his hearing when asked about the unanimous vote. He then made comparisons between himself, Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
Immediately after the hearing the media followed and swarmed the former Governor outside his home as he went on to say, “If they can do this to me they can do this to you.”
The cautionary words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the immediate questions to follow all revolved around whether Mr. Blagojevich ever considered resigning or his plans to write a book.
At one point “Blago” quit answering questions, serpentined through the crowd and directed the photographers to capture a moment between himself and the children he had just found to exploit. It was a photo-op right out of the Nixon playbook. When the reporters responded by telling him that the parents of the minors needed to be present to give consent “Blago” took it in stride.
After about thirty minutes the sideshow came to an end and the first impeached Governor in twenty years parted the crowd and made his way up the drive to his house…….. But not before asking the coven of reporters if they would show up to cover him if he had something to say. The overwhelming response from the crowd of journalist was nothing more than a collection laughs and sighs of relief that the days of covering this absurd story had come to an end
Diversity in the Presidency
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Discusses the new wave of Presidential Diversity Is our country ready for a woman to lead the ranks? Is our country ready for an African-American to fill the role of the presidency? I suspect if we have to answer questions regarding race and gender about our presidential candidates, then we are not ready for someone other than an upper-class, grey-haired white man to hold the high office. Unfortunately, America has two candidates capable of taking the reins to this runaway wagon we call the United States, but we the voters continually want to discuss the one factor that should not be a factor. It’s a sad truth that many citizens of the U.S. are tainted by preconceived stereotypes of the human race. Women have been proving their worth in the business, sports and political arenas for years. Women have been exhibiting the requisite shrewdness of the cruel capitalist, the grace of a world class athlete and the savvy of the most adept politician, so why must we consider gender when going to the polls? Acknowledging such a question is a regression in morality. Of course Senator Clinton is qualified to run our country or she would have never made it this far. Enough people have shown faith in her to dispel any fear that she will be an incompetent pawn for lobbyist and special interest groups. Moreover, Senator Barak Obama is the first legitimate African-American candidate with a real chance of braving the trials and tribulations of a presidential race. "America has needed a fresh perspective for far too long." This man is as qualified to run our country as his opponents, and certainly as well as the cowboy we call president now. America has needed a fresh perspective for far too long, and Sen. Obama can provide just that. If we as a country discard this man because of his race and name then we are a country living in the past. Such a stereotype would never be outright spoken, but it is quite obvious that this man faces just that. It is time to let go of our grandparents’ biases and shed the albatross of ignorance that should have passed away with our ancestors. "We must alter our damaged image to the world." We cannot afford for the qualified to go unrewarded. I hope with all sincerity that America is ready for a change in the demographic of our leader, but I fear we are not. Ours is a country screaming for change but hesitant to take the next step. When race and gender cease being a factor in the presidential race, then perhaps we will be ready for a leader who is not the carbon copy of the capitalist puppet with whom we lay our trust. America needs a face-lift. We must alter our damaged image to the world, and electing a qualified leader is the initial and most crucial step. What the two democratic candidates offer is a fresh perspective on how our great country should be led. Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama are running on very similar platforms differentiated only by subtle differences, but on the whole they are promising the same things. So what is the deciding factor for the democratic nominee? The answer may simply be an issue of security for the individual voter. Which one gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling? Hey, John Q. Voter, are you ready to elect a qualified candidate regardless of race or gender? The world is waiting. |
