29...

I am no for being mostly negative when it comes to games, political races, or my own luck. Being a Philly sports fan, I've grown accustomed to my teams getting really close to victory and then choking: The Phillies in 1993, losing to the Blue Jays in the World Series; The Eagles in 2oo4, losing to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, etc. Even this year, the Phillies have gotten past the divisional playoffs and will now face the Dodgers for the National League title. I refuse to be optimistic, though, about the Phils advancing to the World Series.

Well, throughout my short life in participating in democracy, I've not had much success in the Presidential election. To be fair, in 2000, I could not vote, but I followed that election quite closely. But in 2004, I felt so sure that Kerry would win, I was so crushed and shocked beyond belief when 51% of American voters elected Bush for a second term. This brings me to this year. Why should I continue to be positive about the chances of the candidate that I deem most qualified to lead our country out of despair? Am I only setting myself up to be more crushed? I think I'll be more than crushed, I'll leave the country. Well, that's not fair, I'll be leaving the country either way, but if McCain is elected I'll be fleeing the U.S. Whereas, if Obama is elected, I will be leaving the country celebrating the revival of the United States, and the restoration of the American spirit in the world. Right now I'm pretty confident that Obama will be the 44th President.

My big question... should I continue to be positive??

30 more days...

I feel like my fears are about to be realized. The McCain camp is attacking Obama and turning the page on this economic fiasco. Their strategy is to tie Obama to terrorists and slowly chip away at his supporters that may be easily swayed. I refer back to an earlier comment: "How can people be undecided OR potentially convinced to go for the other guy!?"

Tuesday's debate should be good. I really hope that Obama can keep his composure and McCain loses his temper. I think the American people need to see who will be leading us for at least the next four years.

At a museum yesterday, I offered to take a picture of an older couple and their pregnant daughter. After taking the picture and returning the camera to the woman expecting, her mother uttered to me barely audibly, "I know you were a good person when I saw the Obama button!" She was of course, referring to the Obama button that I've worn on the side of my baseball cap for nearly two weeks now. Hopefully, my button has done more than just give people the impression that I'm a good person. I hope that it has challenged people to think long and hard about the choices we have this fall, and that we can't afford to mess this up!

31 days from now...

Sarah Palin wasted no time after her big night when she squared off with Joe Biden. She attacked Obama today for having connections with terrorists. Since we first met the governor, you almost had to figure that she would be the attack dog, or pitbull, for McCain in his presidential bid. The McCain/Palin campaign seems to be playing out of the same Republican playbook as Bush in 2000 and 2004. I'm really anxious to see what this will do to McCain's campaign. He trails Obama nationally, in the polls with just over 4 weeks until judgment day. I knew that it would have to get ugly, but I hope it doesn't get too bad. I fear that when politics becomes too dirty, people become disinterested. Maybe, the ugliness will have the inverse effect and people will be more eager to vote.

32 days...

The big news of today is that the House passed the $700 billion Bailout Bill. What will come as a result of this, only time will tell. I don't think we (ordinary Americans) have any idea what this means for us. One thing to note is that this bill failed in the House earlier this week but passed in the Senate yesterday. I wonder how much pressure the House was feeling after the Senate passed it a day earlier. Within minutes of the bill passing, President Bush signed it into law. It's amazing how quickly our government can get something done when they really want to get something done.

As far as who won the VP debate last night, I guess that really depends who you ask. Today, some people were saying that Biden was the clear winner while others argued that it was Palin. I guess, putting political views aside, I'd still have to say that Biden was the superior debater. He answered questions directly. He didn't attack Palin, nor was he ever disrespectful to her. Now, some may say that this is because he is more experienced in these settings. Well, that may be, but I do know that Palin has debated once or twice before. Personality-wise, she just came across as too folksy. I am not opposed to Presidential or Vice Presidential candidates trying to relate to Americans and appear down-to-earth, but I think she's just a little over-the-top in her attempt to convince Americans that she is just like them. Biden, on the other hand, was able to relate to his fellow Americans with sincerity. I really appreciated that. I don't agree with either VP candidate on every issue. Naturally I agree more with Biden, but there are still some issues that I wish he and our future President, Barack Obama, would handle differently. Anyway, more time to touch on those issues later.

The second Presidential debate of this election season will be on Tuesday, October 7th. So many exciting things to watch this time of the year: debates, continued election news coverage, and playoff baseball. Hopefully, the debate on Tuesday won't conflict with the games I'd like to watch.

33 days until the election... VP debate night!

Tonight, the vice presidential candidates squared off in St. Louis, MO: Biden vs. Palin. I had been looking forward to watching this debate for weeks along with the rest of the U.S. I'm not really sure that I can declare a winner in the debate. I think both did well. They are both plain-spoken and folksy. There is no question, though, that Joe Biden is much more qualified to lead as the next Vice President. Sarah Palin can definitely relate to a lot of Americans, but she has about as much qualifications to be Vice President, as i do to be the Ayatollah.

This debate was not about who Americans should vote for on November 4. It was designed to introduce the Vice Presidential candidates to the American people. I think it served its purpose. I can't imagine that it changed too many people's minds if they were undecided going into it. The next debate between Obama and McCain, which is on domestic issues, will be much more significant in determining how people will vote in November. I liked the debate because I like watching debates. I think it was fairly moderated. I look forward to hearing the spins, commentaries, reviews, and satire that comes as a result of the big Thursday night showdown.

34 days...

Well it's October. You know what that means; the next month in chronological order is November. We're just under 5 weeks away from Election Day. Tomorrow is the much anticipated Veep debate. Millions of Americans will tune in to watch Palin and Biden. I honestly don't see how Palin has a chance at winning. I think that whatever bump Sarah Palin gave McCain and the Republicans before the RNC has worn off. Obama is making ground in the polls because of the economy, mostly.

I really have to get into the habit of writing earlier in the day. Once again, I am falling asleep trying to type. Good luck to both Governor Palin and Senator Biden in tomorrow night's VP presidenial debate.

35 days - 5 weeks until election day

I really need to start making entries earlier in the evening. Well I'm in Sedona, AZ right now. Not far from where I'm typing this is Sarah Palin. The Vice Presidential candidate from Alaska is at John McCain's Sedona residence practicing for the debate Thursday against Joe Biden. Apparently she flew here commercially. She was escorted to McCain's house here by the secret service. The VP debate promises to be a good one. I think it may even be more widely viewed than the first Presidential debate. For sure, both Palin and Biden will have gaffes, and we'll come away from that debate with new and improved sound bites.