Mitchman's Blog

The report today that the Democratic Party is “washing its hands” of the Primary Caucus is outrageous.  This was a historic year for Texas politics and over 1 million voters came out to caucus after the polls closed on Tuesday night, March 4th.  

What angers me about this decision is that like many citizens, I went beyond civic duty to come back to my polling place to caucus.  It was the first time I had ever experienced a caucus and it was a horrible experience.  We were told it will only take about an hour.  I arrived at my polling place at 6:45pm, but did not leave until close to 10pm.  What happened during that time was nothing short of “Train Wreck.” 

It was disorganized, chaotic, and the precinct chair was obviously getting on the job training as the night progressed.  Many voters left early angered by the lack of organization and many shouting matches between the Hillary camp and Obama camp. 

I hope the Democratic Party will reconsider its position and work through to the state convention vote at the end of this month.

They have finally surfaced and just in the nick of time for Super Tuesday, the Wal-Mart Tapes.  These tapes, released this week from a small Arkansas based production company hired to video tape the Board of Directors meetings for Wal-Mart.  Senator Hillary Clinton served on the board of directors for Wal-Mart from 1986-1992 in which time here husband, Former President Bill Clinton was governor of the state that served as headquarters of Wal-Mart, Arkansas. 

There a few interesting points to be made here.  Hillary has gained the support of many union organizations around the country; it helped her win the state of Nevada’s primary a few weeks ago.  It is no secret that Wal-Mart has been anti-union from the very beginning.  The have squelched numerous employees from forming a union within the company and even terminating employees for talking about unionization, characterizing those employees as traitors to the good of the company.   Why was Hillary not fighting for her scared unions then, she was collecting a paycheck and stock dividends from the company, why not improve conditions of the employees as well?

Second, this “Buy America” campaign was a joke.  President Clinton and wife say they spearheaded the "Buy America" campaign during her tenure on the board.  It has now been revealed that almost 50% of the products were produced in third-world countries and an American label was then placed on the merchandise.  According to the Clinton camp they had no idea any of this was happening.  They were under the impression that this merchandise was being made and manufactured state side.

What about the environmentally friendly Wal-Mart of today.  President Bill Clinton was ready to defend his wife’s board of director’s position the day before the South Carolina primary saying that she worked to make the company more environmentally friendly.  He stated that Wal-Mart sold more energy-efficient light bulbs then any other retailer.  That’s like saying I give to charity by dropping my left over pennies in that jar on the counter at a gas station labeled, "Need A Pennie, Take a Pennie".  They are the largest retailer in the country.  By pure volume, they would sell more energy-efficient light bulbs.  Nice try Bill, but no cigar (no pun intended there by the way).

Well, this is just another blow to Hillary and her campaign for the presidency.  Tonight she will square off with Obama  in the first debate without John Edwards (he dropped out yesterday) and the last before Super Tuesday.  I know I will be tuning in, will you?  Until next time America….YOU KNOW THE DEAL, KEEP IN REAL!

State of the Union from a VETS prospective...

President Bush gave his final State of the Union address of his presidency.  This time next year we will have elected a new president and a new chapter in American history will begin.  That is then, but for now, the President refuses to go “gently into that good night.”  He laid out new initiatives for 2008 (while at the same time beginning his LAME DUCK status).  The time period is plagued by the ongoing war in Iraq, a slumping economy on the verge of a recession, and foreclosure rates at an all time high around the country.  Not the ideal final year for any president to have especially when introducing  new, bold programs and initiatives.

Among one of the most prominent and personal initiatives (I am a veteran of the Armed Forces) was the new reformed education benefits for veterans and their families.  Under the current regulations, if a veteran does not use the educational benefits within 10 years of active service, the benefits expire.  The new program would allow a veteran to hand them over to a spouse or child that wished to continue their education.  This came with applause from both sides of the political aisle as well as from my living room.

Another piece of legislation that will be dramatically reduced in power on February 1st is the Patriot Act (terrorist surveillance monitoring program).  I will not go into my view on this issue, but to say, I am glad the restrictions are changing soon.  Freedom does come at a cost, believe me, I paid my dues with four years of active duty in military hot spots all over the world.   Unfortunately, those costs should not come at the expense of violating our personal and private rights.  There is no place in our government for a BIG BROTHER watching over our shoulders.  The framers of this great nation shook of the chains tyranny over 200 years ago, lets not give any one the power shackle us again!

As for the rest of the speech it was the usual laundry list of hopes for his final year in office.  The President is sitting at about 34% approval rating.  President Clinton left office with 60% approval rating, mostly because of the unprecedented years of prosperity in the country at the time.  We are definitely not living in those days anymore, but America, don’t loose HOPE, we will see those days again.  As we near closer to our Super Tuesday and beyond to next November’s election night; we need to decide what kind of country we want this to be.  I hope that you will all search your hearts, minds and souls to find the candidate that best understands your dreams as well as your fears.  I hope you will find the leader that best embraces your ambitions and the hopes for your family.  When you exercise the greatest gift of democracy by casting your vote it will not be based on pressure from others, or biased media or even on who looks presidential, but on an educated decision.  Until next time America….YOU KNOW THE DEAL, KEEP IT REAL!!!!

I was born on July 4, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate. The bloodlines of the world run in my veins, because I offered freedom to the oppressed. To many things, and many people. I am the nation.

I am 213 million living souls-and the ghost of millions who have lived and died for me.

I am Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. I stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard around the world. I am Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry I am John Paul Jones, the Green Mountain Boys and Davy Crockett. I am Lee and Grant and Abe Lincoln.

I remember the Alamo, the Maine and Pearl Harbor. When freedom called I answered and stayed until it was over, over there. I left my heroic dead in Flanders Fields, on the rock of Corregidor, on the bleak slopes of Korea, in the steaming jungle of Vietnam and on the sands of Iraq.

I am the Brooklyn Bridge, the wheat lands of Kansas and the granite hills of Vermont. I am the coalfields of the Virginias and Pennsylvania, the fertile lands of the West, the Golden Gate and the Grand Canyon. I am Independence Hall, the Monitor and the Merrimac.

I am big. I sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific - my arms reach out to embrace Alaska and Hawaii - 3 million square miles throbbing with industry. I am more than 5 million farms. I am forest, field, mountain and desert. I am quiet villages-and cities that never sleep.

You can look at me and see Ben Franklin walking down the streets of Philadelphia with his breadloaf under his arm. You can see Betsy Ross with her needle. You can see the lights of Christmas, and hear the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" as the calendar turns.

I am Babe Ruth and the World Series. I am 110,000 schools and colleges, and 330,000 churches where my people worship God as they think best. I am a ballot dropped in a box, the roar of a crowd in a stadium and the voice of a choir in a cathedral. I am an editorial in a newspaper and a letter to a Congressman.

I am Eli Whitney and Stephen Foster. I am Tom Edison, Albert Einstein and Billy Graham. I am Horace Greeley, Will Rogers and the Wright brothers. I am George Washington Carver, Jonas Salk, and Martin Luther King.

I am Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman and Thomas Paine.

Yes, I am the nation, and these are the things that I am. I was conceived in freedom and, God willing, in freedom I will spend the rest of my days. May I possess always the integrity, the courage and the strength to keep myself unshackled, to remain a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world.

This is my wish, my goal, my prayer in this year of 1976-two hundred years after I was born.

This was origanally written in 1955 as a public relations adversitisement for the Norfolk and Western Railway, now the Norfolk Southern Corporation, and did not contain the phrase, "the steaming jungle of Vietnam."

SO YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT?  (The Making of a President Series)

From the time they are young someone plants in their little heads the idea that when they grow up they can be anything, even president.  Hillary even took a swipe at Barrack Obama a few weeks ago about an essay that he wrote in kindergarten about his presidential ambitions.  I went to school with a guy that told his senior class to remember to cast their vote for him in the 2016 Presidential campaign.  Unfortunately, that plan has not worked out to well for him, no one has heard from him since high school. 

In my last political blog I discussed that it takes a certain kind of person to run for political office, but even more so for president.  Think about it, we have only had 42 Presidents in history of our nation.  Only 42 men out of millions; it takes no mathematician (which I am not by the way) to figure out, that is not a lot.  All of these men have been asked the question, “Why do you want to be president?”  The answer is pretty simple, and much too candid for them to say on the campaign trail, “They want the power.”  Not to say these men did on feel a calling to run for office, such President Bush, he felt God had called him to run.  Or Roosevelt, he knew the government should have been doing more for the people suffering from the Great Depression. Others have been inspired or disgusted with the status quo or felt the responsibility to rise to the moment. 

I pull the next paragraph from a great book on the Presidency edited by Robert A. Wilson, called, “The Power of the Presidency.”  His words in the preface are much more eloquent than mine… “While we like the idea of the office seeking the person, it doesn’t work that way with the exception of military figures associated closely with the leadership of a war:  Washington, Grant, Eisenhower.  The person has to have much, much more than an itch for the office and its power; it takes a mania and the capacity for the punishment of having a life and family turned inside out in the blood sport search for all sins of omission and commission.  Not to mention the endless indignity of fund-raising and the requirement to take absurdity (i.e. the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries) with a straight face.”

In other words, they have to be glutton for punishment.  Why else would they travel across the country on average of nine months, (this year’s campaign started about a year and half ago) shake a million hands, kiss a thousand babies and make way too many promises.  Seriously, I believe there is some kind of a calling.  At some point in their life something forces them to reach beyond ordinary dreams and ambitions to claim this ultimate responsibility. 

We will continue our discussion next week, but feel free to comment on what you have read, and add something to conversation.  Until next time American, YOU KNOW THE DEAL, KEEP IT REAL!!!!!

Today is a defining day for the Presidential hopefuls as New Hampshire residents head to the polls to cast their vote for the first political primary of this election year.  Regardless of your political affiliation you have to admire in some way, all of the candidates in today’s primary.  These men and women have placed themselves front and center and made themselves susceptible to all kinds of attacks both politically and personally.  They have traded their friends, families, and even personal finances to shake hands with strangers, kiss babies, eat horrible political rally food.  They do this all in the hopes that in a single, private moment that voter will pull the lever by their name on the ballot rather than their opponent.  You have to admit that is a lot to gamble with no guarantee of success.

I have always been fascinated with the people who sought our highest office in the land. It takes a special kind of drive and ambition to reach for such a lofty goal.  These individuals have to begin planning early on in their life, making tough decisions and maneuvering their personal career path in such a way, that it will not come back to haunt them when they announce their bid for the presidency.  The journey begins early and ends at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.

 The presidency is larger than any person, it is an institution.  The decisions that our Commander in Chief must make affect the lives of millions people both here at home and around the world.  In a time of war they must be willing to sacrifice the lives of soldiers for the cause of peace (or political capital).  A friend of mine who has a mutual admiration for the men that have held that office once wrote, “I admire anyone who has the strength and courage to lead.”  I love that statement, not only because I agree with it, but because it comes down to the courage it takes to lead!  Leadership is making the tough decisions that are not always popular, but need to be made.  History will often judge their presidency by those very decisions. 

Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, just to name a few, had to make difficult decisions that defined their presidency in both good and bad ways.  Sometimes the results of those decisions are not felt for 20 or 30 years in the future, that is long after some of these men leave office or Earth in general.  So, what does it take to become the President of the United States?  Let’s think beyond the political machine, money and connections required to reach the Oval Office.  What does the core of the individual need to sustain the rigors of this office?  What character traits must this individual hold?  What disciplines must he/she be able to master to keep their sanity in a world that often seems to be out of control? 

That will be the focus of a series of political blogs in the coming weeks; the title of my political blog series, THE MAKING OF A PRESIDENT: Lessons from Presidents Past and Present.  I hope you will continue to read them as I post them up to ELECTION DAY IN NOVEMBER.

Until next time America, YOU KNOW THE DEAL, KEEP IT REAL!!!!!!

We are just days away from the Iowa Caucus and then it is on to New Hampshire.  The candidates on both sides of the political spectrum are scrambling to convince last minute, undecided, voters to embrace them as their candidate for President.  Is the best surprises yet to come?  The 2008 year Presidential elections began close to year and a half ago and the political drama continues to unfold.  Mike Huckabee coming out of nowhere to take the lead in Iowa and edging out Mitt Romney as the front runner in that state could spell disaster for New Hampshire a week later, but it is the democratic race that has me wondering what could come next.

Bare with me on this prediction, this is not based on any poll or focus group, it is just one man’s opinion of what might happen.  If Hillary Clinton does not take the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire it could hamstring her campaign and cause a weaker showing in South Carolina (John Edwards home state) and on to Super Tuesday and the rest of the primary season.  If Barack Obama wins in the early states and John Edwards come in a close second, that could push Hillary out the race entirely.  If that happened it would open the door for a dark horse to ride into town and take the democratic nomination.  Who could this dark horse be?   None other than former Vice President and 2000 Democratic Presidential nominee, Al Gore.

Okay, so why Al Gore?  Well, he has had a great year for starters.  His documentary film, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH created such a buzz and his passion for the environmental movement breathed new life into this often rigid politician.  Did anyone see his turn as host of Saturday Night Live after the 2000 elections?  He was brilliant, if only he had done that before the election it may have helped him over the hump and win the election (I know the election is still a sore subject for many so we will move on now). 

He won an Oscar for the film and garnered numerous other awards as well, but these pale in comparison to winning the NOBEL PEACE Prize in 2007.  He is a man that shows heart and conviction, he is intelligent, driven, focused and carries with him international recognition.  He is far enough removed from the day to day silliness of Washington, but has the experience to charter those choppy waters if elected President (again).

But why would he wait so late?  The answer is simple, as a favor to the Clintons.  He wanted to give Hillary her fair shot at the presidency before he entered the race.  He would have cast to wide of a shadow if he had been competing for his party's candidacy right now.  He patiently waits in the wings until his party calls him back into service.

Again this is just one man’s opinion of what could happen. 

In the next couple of weeks I will begin a series of blogs called THE MAKING OF A PRESIDENT, what it takes to become the President of the United States, by studying the men that have held that office, in particular, in the 20th Century.  I hope you will find the blogs helpful and entertaining.