The Libertarian party got a little more national recognition during the last presidential election. I think this is probably because most of the Republicans (who, really have the most in common with the Libertarians) were not happy with their presidential choice. Heck, some of the democrats were even interested in Barr, the Libertarian presidential candidate.

I’m not going to get into whether or not Barr would have been a better president, because we should support who we have. BUT that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about the next election! If you are unfamiliar with the Libertarian party here are a few highlights on the politics to get you started.

It’s all about individual liberty and limited federal government interference. Pretty much, they stick to the Constitutional basics and revert decisions to the individual or the state whenever possible. I really like the idea of smaller government that the Libertarian party represents. I think that almost every time the government gets super involved in something….well it doesn’t go all that well in the long run. History teacher here folks, I’ll back it up if you want I’m not saying government bad…I’m saying big government not so great. Unfortunately, the Libertarian party has a long way to go before they are truly going to be players on the national field.

What do you think of the Libertarian party??

Photo Credit: Mark Heard

I didn’t realize how jaded I had become on the issue of extramarital sex and/or politics in general until the South Carolina governor disappeared for a few days to visit his love shack in Argentina. My husband and I were talking about it when his whereabouts were simply ‘unknown’ and we thought hmm, hope nothing happened to him. Then we thought, bet he has a sidepiece and the wife is upset about it.

I hate it when I’m right. The thing is, it didn’t surprise me and it didn’t really bother me at first. Isn’t that weird? I mean if one of my friends was cheating on his/her spouse it would bother me and it would definitely bother me if it were my husband…but a politician? I just expect them to be creeps. How horrible is that? Shouldn’t we want people representing us who are good examples? I know it doesn’t have anything to do with how well they perform their job…except this time it kind of does.

He didn’t tell anyone where he was or who he was going to be with. So many things could have happened. Not to be all dooms day or anything but what if there had been a natural disaster, or a terrorist attack, or we’d been plunged into World War III? Who would have made the big decisions? I know there are procedures in place to take care of these sorts of things, but it would have taken longer to get everything swinging simply because his whereabouts weren’t known. So in this case getting some on the side did affect his ability to perform his job.

Here’s hoping personal accountability will win in the end.

Photo Credit: ValetheKid

Political cartoons provide a quick glance at the world of politics. But do they hurt or help the cause? Are political cartoons just confusing us even more? We all love a good laugh but remember the uproar caused with the publishing of cartoon images of the prophet Mohammed in Europe? Fortunately, American free speech rights allow us to lampoon any person or issue we like.

Typically, political cartoons are created to poke fun at a particular politician or issue. But when created cleverly, they can also inform us on issues we may have missed in mainstream media. Several sites that regularly post new politcal cartoons are:

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/

http://cagle.msnbc.com/politicalcartoons/

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/

Do you have a favorite political cartoonist?

Do you think political cartoons help or hurt American politics?

(photo credit: squirrelradio)

Many people have given Oprah grief for so strongly supporting a candidate for president. These critics believe that Oprah’s support will sway voters and prevent them from making their own decisions. In addition, some people think that so strongly supporting one candidate will hamper Oprah’s ability to interview other candidates.

What are your thoughts?

Do you think Oprah will drive up the number of Obama supporters, or do you think the American public is capable of making their own informed decisions, without the help of a celebrity?

(photo credit: vaguelyartistic)

Many Americans, though certainly not all, are comfortable with the idea of having a female president. After all, women have been holding political offices for decades. I wonder, however, if Americans are ready to see former President Bill Clinton take the political backseat as America’s first man.

Is America ready to see a woman wear the pants in politics?

(photo credit: barackobamadotcom)

Democratic candidate Barack Obama wandered away from his planned speech at an April 6 fundraiser in San Francisco and has spent the past several days explaining himself.

The speech was released to the media by a secret taper and caught the attention of the country when he said the following about Pennsylvanian voters: ” it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

The “bitter” people he was talking about are blue-collar workers who haven’t been helped by either recent Democratic or Rebublican presidents.

Obama asserted that these voters are low-hanging fruit for Democrats, but have instead been hoodwinked by Republicans.

He seemed to think that since he was in the bastion of liberalism that is San Francisco, his statements would endear himself to them, forgetting that in the age of YouTube and Myspace, such remarks can instantly be sent across the globe.

Or, in this case, to Pennsylvanians.

Candice Yacono

(photo credit: jmtimages)

Clinton claimed that on a 1996 trip to the conflict-ridden area, she and her daughter Chelsea landed in their plane while under attack.

In a St. Patrick’s Day campaign speech, the senator said the following, as transcribed on her Web site: I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.”

The nation’s collective eyebrows began to raise when comedian Sinbad, whom it turned out was with the Clintons on the trip, publicly announced that no such thing occurred.

She has since retracted her statement, telling a Pennsylvania newspaper reporter she was “sleep-deprived” when she made the original claim four times.

Pundits are comparing her gaffe to that of fellow candidate Barack Obama, who initially said he wasn’t aware of his former reverend’s unpatriotic stance. That cost him days of having to explain himself and distance himself from his reverend of many years.

Late-night talk show hosts are also remembering previous times in which her husband, President Bill Clinton, was “economical” with the truth while he was in office.

The faux pas has drawn the most scathing criticism from current and former members of the U.S. military, who are insulted that Clinton alluded that they would allow the First Lady and her daughter to land in such unsafe conditions. She has since said that the military took excellent care of her and Chelsea while they were on their trip. Oh, and she also believes that ” last week, you know, for the first time in 12 or so years I misspoke.”

Whoops.

Candice Yacono

(photo credit: sskennel)

So-called super-delegates were the hottest VIP’s at the convention, where they were privy to closed-door meetings with both candidates. The speech came following complaints from some party members that his wife is more focused on her own agenda than that of the party. Hillary made statements over the weekend that she’ll continue to fight all the way to the convention if necessary.

Indeed, an election that seemed in the bag two years ago has degenerated into a brawl between Democrats and Republicans that has equally shocked members of both parties. A poll released Friday that found the Republican candidate, John McCain, ahead of both Obama and Clinton in a theoretical election.

Many Democrats have expressed their disapproval at Clinton’s decision to press on, saying she could have a Ralph Nader-like effect that will allow McCain to pick up the pieces and gain support. Bill Clinton called the long race a strengthening factor, a sentiment shared by Obama over the weekend; both said it has kept peoples’ minds focused on politics. The former president jogging convention-goers’ memories by saying that in the summer of his first presidential bid he was in third place behind candidates from other parties. From there, he catapulted to first place, from which he never fell.

Candice Yacono

(photo credit: zenobia_joy)