To Early to Tell

It is to early to tell whether or not John McCain's selection of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is a stroke of brilliance or a blunder of epic proportions. The resume that she brings to the table is a pretty thin one having served as a small town mayor and now as governor for less than two years of a state that is electorally insignificant (3 electoral votes) and has less than a hundred thousand more people than Boston. The resume issue is difficult for the democrats to criticize since in reality she actually has more executive management experience than Obama does, in fact that goes for Biden and McCain as well. And after all, she is second on the ticket not first.

The three areas that it would appear that McCain felt the need to address in his VP selection were in order, the Republican conservative base, women in general and lastly energy issues which may be the real wild card in this selection.

The conservative base of the party seems to be wildly embracing Palin because she is on the right side of all their issues. She is a pro life, pro gun and a tough on spending conservative.

Unlike a man who can only talk about the issue of being pro abortion or anti abortion, Ms. Palin has actually lived it. Governor Palin's youngest child was born with Downs Syndrome which in my mind is as absolute a demonstration of your belief as can be found.

Will Palin be attractive to middle of the road women who were on the fence in this race? Or will she be a magnet for the disaffected Hillary voters? I admit to having no clue other than to say that if having a woman on the ticket is important then the Republicans are the only choice. The ultimate political glass ceiling would be as close to being broken as a heartbeat away.

Biden's hands will be full in any debate. He won't be able to touch any taboos such as who's watching the kids, or make light of her lack of military or foreign policy credentials without both infuriating women or exposing his own candidates weakness. It is unlikely that he will intimidate her since Joe's stomping ground is the sedate halls of the Senate while this woman has been roaming the wild frontier with a gun in her hands.

The real issue that may be of help to McCain in the race and one that Palin has real hands on experience is energy. Although politically insignificant from a voter and electoral college standpoint, Alaska is of enormous importance to the country from a natural resource and environmental standpoint.

Energy is likely to continue to be a major issue as we roll up to decision time in November. What McCain has added to the ticket is the number one political manager of energy issues in the country. An Alaskan governor is the head of one of the few petro states we have in the country. Almost 80 percent of Alaska's state revenue comes from the oil industry. If high energy prices continue to be near the top of the issues list then Palin is someone who has some answers. She has been head to head with big oil and got some things done. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/energywire/2008/08/sarah_palin_and_big_oil.html

The choice of Palin and the timing seem to have accomplished a goal or two for McCain. She is largely unknown and an unconventional pick. She is every bit as youthful and attractive as Obama while being a huge contrast to Biden. She shores up McCain's weakness with the core of his party and at least has women thinking about giving a mother of five the second most important job in the world of politics. The timing of the selection pushes Obama and the democratic convention off the news cycle this Labor Day weekend. The talk on the news programs is likely to be all about Sarah.

Obama's pick was a safe conventional one that neither hurt him or helped. McCain's pick is quite the contrary. We will know over the next several several days what impact Governor Palin's selection has had in the polls and on particular groups that McCain feels he needs to win.

Burlington High School Class of 1968

The Burlington High School Class of 1968 will be having a 40th reunion November 21, 2008 at the Burlington Swim and Tennis Club(the Old Burlington Country Club). It will be an informal affair with food and a bar but no music. After 40 years there should be a lot to talk about and at our age music only complicates the matter.

I am hopeful that you have found this by Googling the subject and have interest in coming. Please email me at Fastphil10@aol.com and let me know if you can make it. Additionally, if you are in contact with other classmates please include their contact info so we can get the word spread as far and wide as possible. I just started a week or so ago so I don't have any firm numbers but so far the we have gotten an enthusiastic response. I am only guessing but I anticipate that we should have over 100 in attendance.
Phil

Romney for VP

With the three of the four spots filled in the national tickets it would be a good idea for one of the people to actually have some experience in government and private sector management.

It really is a rather stunning turn of events that we have three senators making up the tickets so far. With all due respect to the party nominees, sitting around the senate chatting or taking lobbyist paid junkets to far away places hardly qualifies a person to run the biggest bureaucracy in the world.

So far the two most qualified individuals in both parties have not made it onto the ticket. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson had a resume that dwarfed all of the democrats yet it doesn't appear as though he was seriously considered for the V.P spot. Biden is the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman but Richardson was UN ambassador, former energy secretary and a congressman. Add to that the fact that he had Latino credentials and you had someone with some go power in the electoral race.

The second most qualified person still has a chance to get on board. Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts has a resume that most CEO's in the U.S would die for.

Romney has a public and private track record of accomplishment as the CEO of the Salt Lake City games, founder of Bain Capital, a private equity firm and as governor of Massachusetts.

In addition to his work credentials, Romney has a educational resume equal to anyone that has ever been on a national ticket. His under graduate work was completed at Brigham Young University as valedictorian and he recieved a law degree from Harvard Law and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Romney is unlikely to bring any baggage to the position as his image and reality are squeaky clean. Being a Mormon might work against him but no more so than Obama being an African American working against him.

The Boston Globe hated the guy and did everything it could to damage him yet could only come up with the fact that his landscaper hired some undocumented aliens. A charge by the way that could be made against the Globe and its delivery contractor.

Romney has other attributes including looking like presidential material. The contrast of Romney standing next to Biden would be almost as stark as McCain standing next to Obama.

Romney might also add some electoral strength to the ticket. His father was the former Governor of Michigan and that state might very well fall into the McCain column with Romney as a VP nominee. Who knows, Romney might even make the difference in the bluest of blue states right here in Massachusetts.

Obama passed on the second place finisher in his party. McCain would be foolish to do so unless he has someone more dynamic or outside the box of current speculation. The only person who fits that bill would be Condoleeza Rice. If she is not in play then Romney makes the most sense.

Safe but less than Inspirational

Barack Obama announced his completely underwhelming choice for his running mate today. It is a safe pick but for an agent of change it is hard to figure how Biden rose to the top as Obama's choice. Yes, he is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and yes he has been the judiciary chairman but he has also been a six term member of the senate and for a congress with a 9% approval rating he is more a symbol of the problem rather than the solution.

He adds gravitas to the ticket in his experience but since Obama is the nominee why was experience any kind of a major factor? Hasn't his attraction been that he is young, energetic and idealistic? Wouldn't another young energetic agent of change with perhaps some public sector executive experience been more exciting a prospect? The Biden choice also brings up a question as to what's worse than a senator and a lawyer on your ticket? The answer of course is two senators and two lawyers.

It can only be his experience that makes him attractive because as a vote getter he is not much of an addition. He ran this year for the nomination and was out by the end of the Iowa caucuses. Even Dennis Kucinich lasted longer than Biden. Add to that, Delaware is not a swing state and is electorally insignificant.

He is likely to be aggressive on the campaign trail as an attack dog type candidate but considering his position on the Iraq War was much the same as McCain's at the time of the vote, there seems to be a bit of nullity on that issue. His only major baggage scandal wise was his plagiarizing Neil Kinnock's speeches in his 1988 run but by today's standard of political misdeeds it is unlikely to be much of an issue.

One interesting note yesterday was that it was reported that the Obama camp had not even bothered to vett Hillary Clinton. Apparently, there were no requests for tax returns, medical records or even conversations about a possibility of Hillary joining the ticket. It will be interesting to see how the Clinton faithful react to this very calculated snub.

Up next is McCain's VP choice and the conventions and we are finally in the end game of this interminable election cycle. Once the poll bumps are over from the VP picks and the conventions, we will get a real feel for where the race is. Obama's choice is a wash, it neither damages him nor enhances his chances. Will McCain do the same? Does he opt for someone safe or does he do something dynamic?

A pragmatic choice?

As we get closer and closer to decision time for Barack Obama's choice for VP we can only speculate on what is going through his mind. A choice of Hillary Clinton as the VP would indicate that Obama has been brought back to earth by recent events.

The "wrinkled old white haired guy" has substantially reduced Obama's polling lead if not overcome it completely. The days of jubilant non voting European crowds adoring Obama are over. He is now faced with such things as appearances at the Saddleback Church and today's VFW event.

Obama's inspirational speaking skills have been thought to be a major strength for the democrat, however answers to simple questions do not necessarily give a person an opportunity to launch into heavily nuanced thought provoking intellectual responses. Sometimes simple yes or no declarations of a position are the best approach. McCain did more of that over the weekend than Obama did and he scored a convincing win as a result.

There was one thing that really stood out in my mind negatively for either candidate and that was Obama's shot at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. When asked a question about court appointments Obama said Thomas was the one he wouldn't make and then he nearly stumbled by saying he was inexperienced for the job. In the end it came out that "he didn't think that that he was a strong enough jurist or legal thinker at the time for that elevation."

His comments about Scalia basically amounted to he wouldn't have appointed Scalia either but at least he was smarter than Thomas. These were pretty unessecary at best and cheap and mean shots at worst and only served to place the question of Obama's credentials and experience on the table. In addition, an argument could be made that Thomas's success on the court is one reason why an African American is a major party nominee for the presidency.

His weakening poll numbers and shaky head to head with McCain calls into question whether or not Obama can afford to make an independent choice for his VP. If he was still enjoying a 15 point lead he could thumb his nose at Hillary and pick anyone he wants. That is not the case now. It is clearly going to be a horse race and he has to add someone to the ticket that enhances his chances. None of the current crop of names does that except Hillary.

The Clinton's already have carved out a pretty significant role at the convention so perhaps that is a harbinger of things to come. Maybe it was a concession to placate Hillary and her followers or maybe it was in Obama's plan. We won't know for sure until Obama sends that text message over the next couple of days. What that message says will say a lot about Obama himself. Is he skilled enough to recognize what is going on? Does he see his lead slipping away and the need to do something to stem McCain's momentum? The pragmatic choice is Clinton because she gives the ticket the best chance to win.

Forewarned is forearmed

The September contract for light sweet crude oil closed on Friday at $115.20 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Although this is a welcome relief versus the mid July high of $149.00 per barrel it is still a significant difference from the approximate $28 dollars per barrel that we started at when this energy crisis began. The trend down ward is likely to continue for the foreseeable future however high prices for the consumer are likely to carry on for awhile.

The impact of gas prices can be somewhat mitigated by lower income individuals and elderly residents with fixed income by not driving at all, car pooling, public transportation and yes, walking, however when Old Man Winter comes knocking there are going to be few options.

Today's price for home heating oil is $4.13 a gallon and that equates into an average of $3200 dollars for an expected four fill ups for the average Burlington home this winter. Couple that with an average real estate tax bill of $4000 and you can see that some members of our community are going to be at risk this winter.

Already social service advocates in the community are raising this subject but the key question is, are we listening? If so then there are a number of near term measures that can be taken by the community at large and by individuals with in the community that have the resources to help.

The town has appropriated money in the past for fuel assistance and will have the opportunity to significantly increase that amount based on need during both the September and January town meetings. The Ways and Means Committee could also act quickly with a reserve fund transfer should the situation get out of hand.

There are a number of other local options for concerned individuals to pitch in with. Of course there is always the local churches but Burlington also has a local non profit support program for residents experiencing financial difficulties.

People Helping People, Inc. has been a cornerstone in the community for many years. The organization is an umbrella group for three pre-existing groups. Those three organizations are the Food Pantry, Covenant for Basic Needs and the Holiday Program.

The Food Pantry located on Saint Mark's Road and is supplied with food donations and funds gathered through local businesses, organizations,congregations and individuals. The Food Pantry is already reporting a higher than normal need.

The Covenant for Basic Needs was established in 1982 by local clergy to meet the temporary, emergency needs of families that are in crisis such as utility shut offs, lack of fuel, partial rent payments fire victims and the like. The funds are administered by Burlington's town operated social service agency, Burlington Community Life Center.

The Holiday Program provides gifts for children for many families who are in need during the holidays. In addition it has also provided back to school clothes.

Forewarned is forearmed so lets not any of us be surprised if we have very serious concerns this winter. The time is now to prepare and to give the people who are equipped to deal with these issues the necessary resources to take care of our business.

Contribution can be sent to People Helping People, P.O. Box 343 Burlington, Mass. 01803. The organization is run totally by volunteers so if you wish to contribute in that way they can be reached at 781 270 6625.

Mental meandering

The refusal of the Boston Globe to print anything substantive on the Edwards love child scandal is a demonstration of utterly breath taking hypocrisy. If you have forgotten, Edwards is the narcissistic former senator who felt it his duty to the American people to run for the presidency even though his wife had been stricken with a fatal disease. Apparently, while putting his wife under the additional emotional stress of a national political run he was allegedly having a child producing affair with a worker for his campaign.

Since Edwards so far has refused to specifically refute the Enquirers allegations and now pictures of the child, it is becoming more incumbent upon Edwards to address the issue or perhaps someone like the Globe could ask him about it. After all, Edwards up until this point has been considered as a serious candidate for the vice presidency and almost certainly would have been a major speaker at the convention.

The hypocrisy part is very simple. Didn't the Globe send a couple of reporters to South America to snoop out a big story on Mitt Romney's gardeners?

Forgive me for saying so, but I have a new appreciation for Paris Hilton. Her response to John McCain having included her in an anti Obama ad was quite articulate, well presented and pretty funny. As for her energy policy it certainly seemed to be more comprehensive than what the country has done over the past 20 years. I am sure it was her marketing people that put it together but in the end she delivered.

Speaking of energy policy, is it possible that Massachusetts could have worse representation on this issue? Let's consider that Massachusetts has no major energy source within its boundaries with the exception of wood. Also consider that it gets pretty cold around here for a good part of the year. You would think that our delegation would be clamoring for an energy policy that would provide any number of avenues to provide us with cheap and abundant energy.

I admit to not performing a thorough analysis or web search of all our delegation's bills however a quick search finds them all against drilling for more oil, Teddy's against wind power if he has to sail near it and apparently Barney is against an LNG terminal in his district. Delahunt's solution is to accept handouts from a left wing dictator whose subjects have about 10 percent of the per capita income that Delahunt's constituents have. I guess his solution is to warm a Bostonian by starving a Venezuelan. The question of their performance may come up this winter when your elderly neighbors and relatives are choosing between eating or turning on the heat.

Is it any wonder that Bush's approval rating at some where around 26% is topped by congress at 9%?

Speaking of Bush, wouldn't it be ironic if 100 years from now,people in the Middle East hail Bush as the father of their democracies? Is it far fetched? Time will tell, but all the naysayers have been proven wrong. We have won the war and now we are winning the politics. There is simply no other way than freedom.

Is Hillary completely out of the picture as the Democratic Party nominee? Not entirely if Obama keeps headed in the same direction. The McCain ads have been very effective in simply making fun of Obama and the media that covers him. His soaring rhetoric about being the one and seas falling and the earth healing coupled with flip flops on most every issue is becoming a bit comical. Campaign rhetoric and negative ads are part of the landscape but some of this stuff is hitting home factually. His European victory tour was a bit premature, the new presidential seal was presumptuous and who on earth advised him to take the American flag off his campaign plane?

This should be a big year for the Democrats and it seems that poll numbers are showing Obama and Pelosi are starting to squander some of that lead. This race is going to be neck and neck and if Obama does not improve he has a good chance of being defeated. One of the major turning points will be the debates. McCain is not at all an inspiring speaker when reading off a teleprompter as compared to Obama who is an outstanding orator. However, once the words get turned off and Obama has to think on his feet he appears to be quite human.

The final three months were envisioned as running against Bush 3 and an unpopular war. It has now shifted to the economy and access to cheap and abundant energy. It is true that if we started drilling today in new areas it wouldn't produce lower prices for gas at the pumps immediately but what if we had done it ten years ago?

What also is undeniable is that talk and action dramatically affect speculation. Oil hit its high of around $149 a barrel on July 14th, the same time that Bush lifted the 20 year old executive ban on off shore drilling. The house Republicans are in revolt over Pelosi's refusal to allow a vote and it was recently reported that she was releasing Democrats from the no drilling position. Energy policy maybe the turning point in the 2008 presidential campaign.